He paused. "North."
Trsiel headed for that side of the room, but I waved him back.
"Keep checking these rooms," I said. "If we're searching for the tunnel, so is she. You look for her. I'll look for it."
"Don't go anywhere—"
"Without you. I know. I don't need to. X-ray vision, remember?"
I used my Aspicio power all along the north side of the room and up a short hall. It took another twenty minutes, but I finally looked through a section of stonework and saw something besides solid dirt on the other side.
"Got it," I said.
He took my hand. "Lead on."
We stepped into the wall and darkness enveloped us. Using my sight, I led us through the dirt and into the empty space beyond. After a moment in there, my night-vision kicked in, and I could make out a dirt tunnel, no more than four feet wide. I took a step and banged my forehead on a chunk of soil.
"These medieval Scots… not that tall, were they?"
"Apparently not," Trsiel said, ducking as he stepped up beside me. "It looks like it gets shallower still."
"So you can see okay?"
He nodded.
"Does that mean she can, too?"
"Probably. It's a common demonic power."
I hesitated. "I suppose her hearing works fine in the dark, too."
A soft laugh. "Yes, we'd better switch to telepathy."
I ducked and started forward again. After a few feet, I scraped the top, and got a soil shower.
"Uh, Trsiel?" I said, mentally forming the words. "Why are we hitting the ceiling?"
He glanced back at me, brows lifting. "Because we're tall?"
I socked him in the arm and motioned for him to continue walking. "I'm serious. Why are we hitting the ceiling instead of walking through it?"
"You're right. Huh. That's strange."
"That's not the answer I'm looking for."
"Well, uh…" He looked around. "This kind of thing happens sometimes. It's an interdimensional warp in the fabric of time and space."
"You have no idea, do you?"
"No, but that sounded good when they said it on Star Trek. Honestly, I can't explain it. But I know it does happen. Either this tunnel has somehow vanished in the living world, which explains why it hasn't been found, or it does exist, but is under some kind of demonic influence."
"Which would explain how Dantalian, a noncorporeal demon, could open a drawer and drop off the amulet."
"Right. I think."
"Works for me. And speaking of hiding places, here's the first room."
I cast a light-ball inside. The room was crammed with stuff—the kind of stuff someone must have considered worth hiding, but was now garage-sale reject trash—moldering carpets, rotted wooden furniture, mildewed paintings, and more.
"Got four words for the Glamis family," I murmured. " 'Climate-controlled storage units.' So now what?
Search for the Nix or the amulet?"
"Let's keep going."
In less than a mile of tunnel, we hit two more jam-packed rooms. Fourteen miles to go. Shit. No wonder Dantalian didn't remember where he'd put the amulet.
All these rooms were filled with furnishings. Knowing we were hot on her trail, the Nix must have raced past these, looking for more amulet-friendly storage. But if you want to hide jewelry, is it better to put it in a room filled with other treasures? Or stuff it in a desk drawer?
When I mentioned this to Trsiel, he agreed that the amulet might very well be in one of these home-decor-packed rooms. Since we knew the Nix would be moving forward, there was no harm in me lagging behind to search for the amulet. So I started to look while Trsiel took off in search of the Nix.
Dantalian said he'd put the amulet in a drawer. That gave me a place to start. With the stuff crammed in so tight, some drawers had no room to open, and others were stuck shut by swollen wood or rusted hardware. I gave each one a tug, but the moment they resisted, I didn't waste time yanking, just used my Aspicio powers to look inside.
With both the light-ball spell and the X-ray vision to help, I whipped through the first room in about ten minutes. The only drawer that wasn't empty held only the crumpled remains of papers. Probably ancient letters detailing some illicit royal affair, or the deed to some misappropriated property, now lost to history forever.
I was in the fourth room when I peered into a stuck drawer and finally saw a glitter of silver. I tried to get a better look, but the angle was wrong, and all I could see was what looked like a length of chain. I tugged on the drawer, but it wouldn't budge. Bracing both feet against the front of the chest, I grabbed the drawer handle, then yanked as hard as I could… and fell flat on my back, holding the broken handle.
"Goddamn it," I muttered.
I looked around, then crawled over a dismantled bed and tugged a metal hanging rod from a tapestry.
Back at the drawer, I wedged the narrow end of the rod into the top gap. The bar was slightly too thick, and it took some work to shove it in there, but finally I had enough through. Then I moved alongside the bar, put both hands on it, and slammed the bar down. Wood cracked. The drawer gave way, and I stumbled forward, catching myself before I fell. I looked back, to see the drawer still in place—but the front panel lying on the floor.
"That'll work, too," I murmured.
I reached into the drawer. My fingers clasped metal. I pulled it out… and found myself holding nothing but a silver chain.
"Goddamn it!" I whipped the chain across the room. "After all that…"
I cursed again, spun on my heel to stomp out, then stopped. Slow down and be sure. I turned back to the chest, crouched, and peered into the dark depths of the broken drawer. Empty. No— be absolutely sure.
I waved my light-ball down. As it moved, the light glinted off something in the very back of the drawer. I reached inside. My fingers found the top edge of a disk wedged in the back of the drawer. I traced my index finger over a half-circle of cool metal. The rest of it was stuck in the crack between the drawer's rear panel and base.
Resisting the urge to rip the drawer apart, I carefully worked the piece out. Finally it came free, and the drawer popped open. I wrapped my hand around the metal disk and pulled it out. It had better not be a worthless old coin, or I was going to scream loud enough to bring both Trsiel and the Nix running.
Trsiel headed for that side of the room, but I waved him back.
"Keep checking these rooms," I said. "If we're searching for the tunnel, so is she. You look for her. I'll look for it."
"Don't go anywhere—"
"Without you. I know. I don't need to. X-ray vision, remember?"
I used my Aspicio power all along the north side of the room and up a short hall. It took another twenty minutes, but I finally looked through a section of stonework and saw something besides solid dirt on the other side.
"Got it," I said.
He took my hand. "Lead on."
We stepped into the wall and darkness enveloped us. Using my sight, I led us through the dirt and into the empty space beyond. After a moment in there, my night-vision kicked in, and I could make out a dirt tunnel, no more than four feet wide. I took a step and banged my forehead on a chunk of soil.
"These medieval Scots… not that tall, were they?"
"Apparently not," Trsiel said, ducking as he stepped up beside me. "It looks like it gets shallower still."
"So you can see okay?"
He nodded.
"Does that mean she can, too?"
"Probably. It's a common demonic power."
I hesitated. "I suppose her hearing works fine in the dark, too."
A soft laugh. "Yes, we'd better switch to telepathy."
I ducked and started forward again. After a few feet, I scraped the top, and got a soil shower.
"Uh, Trsiel?" I said, mentally forming the words. "Why are we hitting the ceiling?"
He glanced back at me, brows lifting. "Because we're tall?"
I socked him in the arm and motioned for him to continue walking. "I'm serious. Why are we hitting the ceiling instead of walking through it?"
"You're right. Huh. That's strange."
"That's not the answer I'm looking for."
"Well, uh…" He looked around. "This kind of thing happens sometimes. It's an interdimensional warp in the fabric of time and space."
"You have no idea, do you?"
"No, but that sounded good when they said it on Star Trek. Honestly, I can't explain it. But I know it does happen. Either this tunnel has somehow vanished in the living world, which explains why it hasn't been found, or it does exist, but is under some kind of demonic influence."
"Which would explain how Dantalian, a noncorporeal demon, could open a drawer and drop off the amulet."
"Right. I think."
"Works for me. And speaking of hiding places, here's the first room."
I cast a light-ball inside. The room was crammed with stuff—the kind of stuff someone must have considered worth hiding, but was now garage-sale reject trash—moldering carpets, rotted wooden furniture, mildewed paintings, and more.
"Got four words for the Glamis family," I murmured. " 'Climate-controlled storage units.' So now what?
Search for the Nix or the amulet?"
"Let's keep going."
In less than a mile of tunnel, we hit two more jam-packed rooms. Fourteen miles to go. Shit. No wonder Dantalian didn't remember where he'd put the amulet.
All these rooms were filled with furnishings. Knowing we were hot on her trail, the Nix must have raced past these, looking for more amulet-friendly storage. But if you want to hide jewelry, is it better to put it in a room filled with other treasures? Or stuff it in a desk drawer?
When I mentioned this to Trsiel, he agreed that the amulet might very well be in one of these home-decor-packed rooms. Since we knew the Nix would be moving forward, there was no harm in me lagging behind to search for the amulet. So I started to look while Trsiel took off in search of the Nix.
Dantalian said he'd put the amulet in a drawer. That gave me a place to start. With the stuff crammed in so tight, some drawers had no room to open, and others were stuck shut by swollen wood or rusted hardware. I gave each one a tug, but the moment they resisted, I didn't waste time yanking, just used my Aspicio powers to look inside.
With both the light-ball spell and the X-ray vision to help, I whipped through the first room in about ten minutes. The only drawer that wasn't empty held only the crumpled remains of papers. Probably ancient letters detailing some illicit royal affair, or the deed to some misappropriated property, now lost to history forever.
I was in the fourth room when I peered into a stuck drawer and finally saw a glitter of silver. I tried to get a better look, but the angle was wrong, and all I could see was what looked like a length of chain. I tugged on the drawer, but it wouldn't budge. Bracing both feet against the front of the chest, I grabbed the drawer handle, then yanked as hard as I could… and fell flat on my back, holding the broken handle.
"Goddamn it," I muttered.
I looked around, then crawled over a dismantled bed and tugged a metal hanging rod from a tapestry.
Back at the drawer, I wedged the narrow end of the rod into the top gap. The bar was slightly too thick, and it took some work to shove it in there, but finally I had enough through. Then I moved alongside the bar, put both hands on it, and slammed the bar down. Wood cracked. The drawer gave way, and I stumbled forward, catching myself before I fell. I looked back, to see the drawer still in place—but the front panel lying on the floor.
"That'll work, too," I murmured.
I reached into the drawer. My fingers clasped metal. I pulled it out… and found myself holding nothing but a silver chain.
"Goddamn it!" I whipped the chain across the room. "After all that…"
I cursed again, spun on my heel to stomp out, then stopped. Slow down and be sure. I turned back to the chest, crouched, and peered into the dark depths of the broken drawer. Empty. No— be absolutely sure.
I waved my light-ball down. As it moved, the light glinted off something in the very back of the drawer. I reached inside. My fingers found the top edge of a disk wedged in the back of the drawer. I traced my index finger over a half-circle of cool metal. The rest of it was stuck in the crack between the drawer's rear panel and base.
Resisting the urge to rip the drawer apart, I carefully worked the piece out. Finally it came free, and the drawer popped open. I wrapped my hand around the metal disk and pulled it out. It had better not be a worthless old coin, or I was going to scream loud enough to bring both Trsiel and the Nix running.
