Dagger's Point (Shadow series) by Logston Anne

Author:Logston, Anne [Logston, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mundania Press LLC
Published: 2013-04-01T17:00:00+00:00

VII

“It’s simple,” Tanis repeated. “It could hardly be easier.” Jael frowned at the diagram Tanis had drawn on the square of leather.

“You’re sure he doesn’t take it into the house?” Jael asked doubtfully. “Why would he leave such a valuable book just sitting openly on a shelf in his shop all the time?”

“Well, he does,” Tanis said, shrugging. “I took the vial of Bluebright in as near sunset as I could, to be certain I was the last customer in the shop. When he closed the shop after me, I was able to look in the window. He went right through the connecting door between the shop and the house, and I heard the lock click. He didn’t set any protections, not that I saw or heard, and the book was still on the shelf.”

“When did he say you should come back?” Jael asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon.” Tanis rolled the piece of hide and slipped it into the sleeve of his tunic. “He said he couldn’t promise that all the ingredients would be available in Zaravelle, but he thought at least he could get a formula for me, and I could have it mixed elsewhere.”

“How much does he want?” Jael asked him. “I mean, we don’t want to spend all our money, even though I’d dearly love

to know what Bluebright’s made of, and to be able to get more if I need it.”

“I talked him down to only two Suns for the formula,” Tanis said with a grin. “Since he’s never seen Bluebright before, if he can mix and sell the stuff, he should be able to make a good profit. If he actually can mix up a batch for us, though, he’ll charge based on the cost of the ingredients.”

“That’s fair.” Jael sighed. “Tanis, this feels all wrong.”

“Oh, Jaellyn,” Tanis protested. “You were the one who argued that we had to get this book, remember? I tried to talk you out of it, didn’t I? Why is your conscience bothering you so much now?”

“I don’t know.” Jael shrugged. “I just can’t imagine any mage leaving a book that precious unprotected in a shop in a city as full of thieves as Zaravelle. None of the mages I know would.”

“But Rhadaman’s different,” Tanis said patiently. “There are no other real mages in Zaravelle, remember? There probably weren’t any when Duranar came here, either. So Rhadaman’s not used to dealing with people who know much about magical books. Everyone here in the city is dependent on his magic, so why would anyone steal his books? No one would know how to use them; probably no one would even know they were valuable, and who would they sell such a book to, anyway? So Rhadaman’s never had a need to take such precautions.”

“Yes, but it’s a book about demons,” Jael argued. “A book about summoning and binding demons. Magic just doesn’t get much more potent than that. If he’s not using that magic—and apparently he’s not—then he knows it shouldn’t be used. He knows how dangerous that book is.

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