pearl?”
Roux smiled at her. “You know I have an affinity for possessing items of antiquity such as the pearl.”
“Yeah,” Annja said. “I know.”
“Well, I want the pearl most especially so. I’ve discovered something of its true nature, you see….”
13
“And what would its true nature be?” Annja asked. A log cracked in the fire, tossing sparks and embers onto the wet sand where they fizzled and grew dark.
Roux smiled. “Well, now that would be telling, wouldn’t it? And honestly, I’m not certain that you should know just yet.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a loyalty issue,” Roux said. “You have this annoying habit of running off to do good whenever you sense an injustice. Frankly, that’s caused my personal agenda some problems over the past few years.”
Annja frowned. “You were the one who told me to embrace my destiny. You were the one who told me to step up and accept the responsibility that the sword placed on me.”
“Well, sure,” Roux said. “But within reason, Annja. After all, we’re in this together.”
“We?”
“You, me, Garin.” Roux shrugged. “Who else knows about the sword and what it can do?”
“A few people who have seen it in action over the years.”
Roux looked horrified at the thought. “You should have killed them.”
“Why on earth would I do a thing like that? They didn’t deserve to be killed for simply seeing the sword.”
Roux shook his head. “I don’t think I would have left any witnesses behind. No sense giving people something to talk about.”
Annja shook her head. “And what would they say? ‘Oh, I saw this magical sword’? Please.”
“They might,” Roux said. “And what happens then? The next time they see you, they try to take it away.”
“Yeah, good luck with that plan. No one has succeeded yet.” Annja stared at the fire. Between the woolen blanket and the heat from the flames, she was warming up rapidly. “If it was possible to take the sword, don’t you think someone would have done it already?”
“Maybe the time isn’t right yet,” Roux said quietly.
Annja glanced at him. She’d always suspected Roux had several agendas operating at any one time. She also suspected that he would have loved to possess the sword. He’d denied it, of course, but there was something about the way he looked at it from time to time that led Annja to believe it in her gut.
She shifted. “Well, if anyone wants it, they don’t have to attack me. Maybe I’ll just give it to them if they ask real nice.”
Roux sighed. “You know that won’t work, Annja. Based on my research, it might even destroy the sword.”
“Destroy it how?”
“It might shatter again. Thousands of pieces that would have to be reacquired and pieced back together. I can’t tell you how hard it was to find them all the last time that happened. I’d rather not do it again.”
They were quiet for a minute. Annja cleared her throat after inhaling a gust of smoke. “Tell me about the pearl, Roux.”
“I said no.”
“You said no, but I also know you. And you’re dying to let me take a peek at the knowledge you have. So what is it? What is it about the pearl that makes you so excited?”
Roux tossed another soggy log into the flames and watched it for a moment. “You won’t believe me, Annja.”
“Try me.”
Roux glanced at her. “Fine. The pearl isn’t organic. It’s man-made.”
Annja shrugged. “So what? What’s so incredible about that?”
“The pearl dates back to a time in earth’s history when such a thing would have been supposedly impossible to create.”
“Our understanding of history’s been wrong before,” Annja said. “How old is the pearl supposed to be?”
“Roughly twenty-five thousand years.”
Annja gasped and looked at Roux. “That’s impossible.”
“See?” Roux shook his head. “Honestly, Annja, I don’t know why I bother with you sometimes. After everything you’ve seen in connection to the sword
Roux smiled at her. “You know I have an affinity for possessing items of antiquity such as the pearl.”
“Yeah,” Annja said. “I know.”
“Well, I want the pearl most especially so. I’ve discovered something of its true nature, you see….”
13
“And what would its true nature be?” Annja asked. A log cracked in the fire, tossing sparks and embers onto the wet sand where they fizzled and grew dark.
Roux smiled. “Well, now that would be telling, wouldn’t it? And honestly, I’m not certain that you should know just yet.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a loyalty issue,” Roux said. “You have this annoying habit of running off to do good whenever you sense an injustice. Frankly, that’s caused my personal agenda some problems over the past few years.”
Annja frowned. “You were the one who told me to embrace my destiny. You were the one who told me to step up and accept the responsibility that the sword placed on me.”
“Well, sure,” Roux said. “But within reason, Annja. After all, we’re in this together.”
“We?”
“You, me, Garin.” Roux shrugged. “Who else knows about the sword and what it can do?”
“A few people who have seen it in action over the years.”
Roux looked horrified at the thought. “You should have killed them.”
“Why on earth would I do a thing like that? They didn’t deserve to be killed for simply seeing the sword.”
Roux shook his head. “I don’t think I would have left any witnesses behind. No sense giving people something to talk about.”
Annja shook her head. “And what would they say? ‘Oh, I saw this magical sword’? Please.”
“They might,” Roux said. “And what happens then? The next time they see you, they try to take it away.”
“Yeah, good luck with that plan. No one has succeeded yet.” Annja stared at the fire. Between the woolen blanket and the heat from the flames, she was warming up rapidly. “If it was possible to take the sword, don’t you think someone would have done it already?”
“Maybe the time isn’t right yet,” Roux said quietly.
Annja glanced at him. She’d always suspected Roux had several agendas operating at any one time. She also suspected that he would have loved to possess the sword. He’d denied it, of course, but there was something about the way he looked at it from time to time that led Annja to believe it in her gut.
She shifted. “Well, if anyone wants it, they don’t have to attack me. Maybe I’ll just give it to them if they ask real nice.”
Roux sighed. “You know that won’t work, Annja. Based on my research, it might even destroy the sword.”
“Destroy it how?”
“It might shatter again. Thousands of pieces that would have to be reacquired and pieced back together. I can’t tell you how hard it was to find them all the last time that happened. I’d rather not do it again.”
They were quiet for a minute. Annja cleared her throat after inhaling a gust of smoke. “Tell me about the pearl, Roux.”
“I said no.”
“You said no, but I also know you. And you’re dying to let me take a peek at the knowledge you have. So what is it? What is it about the pearl that makes you so excited?”
Roux tossed another soggy log into the flames and watched it for a moment. “You won’t believe me, Annja.”
“Try me.”
Roux glanced at her. “Fine. The pearl isn’t organic. It’s man-made.”
Annja shrugged. “So what? What’s so incredible about that?”
“The pearl dates back to a time in earth’s history when such a thing would have been supposedly impossible to create.”
“Our understanding of history’s been wrong before,” Annja said. “How old is the pearl supposed to be?”
“Roughly twenty-five thousand years.”
Annja gasped and looked at Roux. “That’s impossible.”
“See?” Roux shook his head. “Honestly, Annja, I don’t know why I bother with you sometimes. After everything you’ve seen in connection to the sword
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