Page 40 of Quiver of Cobras
The dragon smiled sadly. ‘Yes, it would.’
The line of tension in Morgan’s spine belied his casual shrug. ‘There are plenty of ways to make the sphere irretrievable.’
Mendax didn’t blink. ‘You have magic but so do plenty of others. Nothing is lost forever.’ He glanced at me. ‘Not even innocence. A simple bout of supposed amnesia and her sins are wiped clean.’
‘Leave her out of this,’ Morgan growled.
Amusement flickered across Mendax’s face. ‘As you wish.’
I moved my gaze from Mendax to Morgan. If I kept looking at the smarmy old dragon, I’d be liable to spring at him and ram my paper cup down his throat. At least Morgan was easier on the eye. He didn’t once glance in my direction. Was that because he could no longer bear to look at me now that the truth about what I’d done to Charrie had been revealed?
‘Did you set fire to Chen’s building?’ Morgan asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Did you take his safe?’
‘That’s two questions in one.’
‘They’re related,’ Morgan said coldly.
‘Yes. In fact,’ Mendax added with a distinct purr, ‘there is another object inside which may be of interest to you. It’s not yet operational but it has … potential.’
‘Go on.’
‘It’s an oath breaker.’ He sounded incredibly smug.
I swung my eyes back towards him. The smile playing around his lips was distinctly predatory and I suddenly felt like I was catching a glimpse of the real dragon behind the pensioner’s exterior.
‘I don’t understand,’ Finn said.
‘No,’ Mendax murmured. ‘I don’t suppose you do. He does though.’ He jerked his head at Morgan.
With obvious reluctance, Morgan explained. ‘An oath breaker with appropriate power could be used to remove the truce. Such objects, while rare, are available in Mag Mell.’
Mendax smirked. ‘One never knows when it might be prudent to go back on one’s word.’
I stared at him. If we could break the truce then we could attack Rubus properly. And all his goons. He wouldn’t even be expecting it. Such a thing, if wielded appropriately, could have tremendous potential. An image of Rubus splayed out with his entrails hanging out flashed into my mind. I swallowed, nauseous. Apparently I would be happy to murder again if I thought circumstances demanded it.
‘I’m not part of the truce,’ Finn declared. ‘If we wanted to kill a faery then I could easily do it.’
‘Really?’ the dragon murmured. ‘Easily? If you had the ability to kill Rubus, you’d have already done so. I know that all Redcaps look like hulking brutes but in my experience your power is minimal – as evidenced by the recent deaths of your brothers.’
All three of us sucked in a breath at that. How did the slimy arsebadger know about Winn and Jinn?
At least Morgan didn’t miss a beat. ‘Why did you take the safe in the first place?’
Mendax rolled his eyes. ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? I thought the sphere would be inside it. I was rather … upset when I discovered it wasn’t. I searched the rest of the house and then allowed my temper to get the better of me. The fire was not premeditated. Consider it a measure of how seriously I believe retrieving the sphere to be.’ He knitted his hands together behind his back. ‘It appears that we are at an impasse. I possess evidence that implicates your girlfriend in a murder, evidence that even the human police can’t ignore. I don’t trust you.’ His gaze encompassed all of us. ‘Any of you. In fact, I believe you do have Chen’s sphere. It’s too dangerous an object to be left in mere faery hands.’
‘We don’t trust you either,’ Morgan said levelly. ‘Tailing Madrona around the city? Tracking us here? Spying? We have no reason to believe you have pure intentions.’
‘Indeed.’ Mendax appraised him silently for a moment. ‘Perhaps we can come up with a solution. Something which will enable us all to trust each other.’
‘What do you suggest?’
The old dragon tapped his mouth as if in thought but it was all for show. He clearly already knew exactly what he was going to say. ‘You were the one who initiated a bit ofquid pro quoand it’s worked well so far. Let’s take it to the next stage. I will give you what exists of the oath breaker, as well as the video file proving Madrona’s culpability. I won’t make any copies of it. In return, you will give me an object belonging to Rubus. I haven’t seen him in person but I’ve seen photos – human technology does have its place. He wears a ring on his pinky finger, doesn’t he? Bring me that ring and I will be more inclined to trust you.’
Morgan’s jaw was clenched. ‘He never removes the ring and he would never willingly give it up. It belonged to our father.’
