Page 54 of A Skirl of Sorcery
‘So you are here on another’s behalf?’ she enquired.
‘You could say that,’ Thane replied.
Tanavantia shrugged. ‘You have come all this way. You may take what you wish from what is here. Then,’ she added with a harder edge, ‘you will leave and never return.’
Thane kept his voice deliberately soft. ‘Why steal in the first place if you’re only going to hand back the property?’
She hissed, ‘Our motives are not for you to question. Binhamatim’s actions have been well thought out. We only take that which is no longer required or that which we do not believe possesses sentimental value. Mistakes are inevitable, but our intentions are profit, not pain.’
I felt a ripple of anger. ‘A shellycoat?’ I asked. ‘A one-of-a-kind family heirloom? Its loss has caused undue pain.’
Tanavantia looked at Bin. He sniffed. ‘The owner of that item hadn’t worn it in decades. He was dying. Nobody needed it, nobody wanted it. I doubt its absence was noticed.’
It might have taken a few days but Holly Shellycoat had noticed. It had meant a lot to her. I folded my arms and glared at him.
‘Is that why you’re here? To take back the shellycoat?’ Tanavantia asked. ‘It has been some weeks. We have already sold it.’
I wasn’t surprised but I was still pissed off. ‘What about the ban sith’s wedding ring? You can’t tell me that you believe a fucking wedding ring doesn’t have sentimental value.’
Again Tanavantia looked at Bin. This time he only frowned. ‘We have stolen no such item,’ she said. ‘And we have not targeted any ban siths.’
Thane growled. ‘What about werewolves?’
She looked at him cooly. ‘What about them?’
His growl increased in volume and I placed a hand on his arm.
‘What is it that you really want?’ Tanavantia asked.
‘We want the magic,’ I bit out.
‘What magic?’
I made a decision. The fastest way to confirm or deny the trows’ involvement was to accuse them directly and gauge their reaction. I hardened my gaze. ‘The magic that you ripped out of Keres Johnson, the ban sith. The magic that you stole from the Barrow werewolves. The magic that you yanked out of the bodies of a druid, a harpy and a leprechaun. They are all in danger of losing their lives as a result of your actions.’
Tanavantia didn’t blink. She didn’t turn pale or blush or twitch or shuffle – but somehow I knew exactly what she would say next. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
Damn it. I stared at her. I knew deep in my bones that she was telling the truth. The trows were guilty of a great deal but they were not responsible for what was happening to Keres. My heart sank to the soles of my feet. The trows were a dead end.
‘What is this?’ Tanavantia asked. ‘What is this terrible thing that you’re talking about?’
I had no reason not to tell her. ‘Somebody has been pulling the power from different Preternaturals, extracting their magic through foul means and leaving them with nothing. The shock to their bodies is overwhelming.’
For the first time, the trow mayor looked genuinely disturbed. ‘I can believe that.’
Thane leaned forward. ‘There was reason to believe that the victims were also victims of your burglaries.’
Her expression darkened and she turned her head to Bin. ‘What do you know of this?’
‘Nothing,’ he said, his eyes wide.
‘Has anyone else approached you about your thefts?’ I asked with a flicker of lingering hope that this wouldn’t be a wasted visit.
His answer was unequivocal. ‘No.’
‘Have you seen anyone following you during your nightly activities?’
Bin’s lip curled. ‘Only you.’
