Page 91 of The City of Zirdai
She entered the dark room and waited near the door while the professor uncovered the trol lanterns, then slid the glass panel closed.
“Did you recover Gorgain’s crown and torque?” Emeline’s eyes glowed almost as bright as the lanterns.
“No, but I found something better.”
The woman deflated. “There’s not much that’s better.”
“Oh, I think you won’t be disappointed.” Shyla removed one of Tamburah’s crowns from her pack. This one resembled a ring of vines with berries interspersed throughout. The leaves and stems were made of gold, and rubies provided the vivid red color of the berries.
Emeline sucked in a breath. “Whose is that?”
“King Tamburah’s.”
“But his tomb and vault were looted thousands of circuits ago.”
Shyla told her about Tamburah’s increasing paranoia and the existence of a second vault.
“May I?” She held out her hand.
“Of course.”
The professor brought it to her desk and examined it under the light. Then she put a glass monocle to her eye and peered at the rubies. Fascinated, Shyla watched as the woman brought out a set of delicate tools and tested the gold by trying to scrape off the color. Emeline performed a few more assessments before weighing the crown.
“It’s certainly valuable. But I’m not convinced it was Tamburah’s. Do you have proof?”
“Isn’t there an analysis that can determine an artifact’s age?”
“Yes, but it takes a long time and I don’t have the equipment here.”
“Why does it matter? The gold and rubies alone are worth plenty of coins.”
“True, but if it really is a historical artifact that can be studied and displayed, then it’s worth more.”
“How much more?”
“Double.”
Ah. Was it worth the risk? But, more importantly, did she want the crown to be disassembled and melted down? “I’ve a statue of Tamburah that was found along with the crown.”
Emeline perked up. “That would be perfect! Do you wish to sell that one as well?”
“Do you have enough coins to pay for both?”
“Please don’t insult me, girl.”
Shyla waited.
The professor unlocked a small trunk and pulled out a big pouch. It jangled and clanged when she handled it. She untied it and then spilled dozens and dozens of osees onto the desk. “As you can see, I’ve plenty.” Picking up the now empty pouch, she met Shyla’s gaze. “How about I pay you now for the crown at the current black-market value and, when you return with the statue, I’ll double that amount and we’ll negotiate a price for the statue?”
It sounded reasonable. Aphra had warned her that she wouldn’t get full market value because the sale wasn’t legitimate. “What are you offering?”
“One hundred osees.”
Aphra had also taught her to never take the first offer. It would be insultingly low and a test to see if Emeline could take advantage of Shyla.
“Seven hundred osees,” she countered.
“Ha! That’s robbery. Two hundred osees.”
