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“Crossed my mind,” Jared said. He ate some more pizza. “Apparently it crossed yours, too.”

“I’m a little paranoid these days.”

“We are not alone in our paranoia and suspicion,” Jared said. “At least, we won’t be for long. I can guarantee you the possibility that the Roxbys were involved in your kidnapping will occur to Mr. Jones, too.”

“Motive? It’s not like I’m the only channeler in town.”

“No, but you’re good,” Jared said. “I watched you handle that storm we ran into on the last tour. It was the real deal, wasn’t it? Not just a pesky whirlwind or a small dust storm. It wasn’t big, but it was hot, and it was highly charged. I’ve never seen an energy storm aboveground.”

“Welcome to Illusion Town. Like the sign says, the thrills are real.”

“I think I’m going to like it here.”

“The weather is amazing,” Lucy said.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Gabriel stopped midway along the sidewalk and checked the directions Aiden had given him. According to the map on his phone, they were only half a block from the tuner’s shop.

“Almost there,” he said.

It was late afternoon. He and Lucy were in a shabby neighborhood deep in the eternally gray Shadow Zone. Otis was riding shotgun on his shoulder, evidently having concluded the position gave him a better view.

The neighborhood was run-down even by Shadow Zone standards. The fog seemed heavier in the narrow streets and alleys. There were no sleazy casinos, no cheap motels; just a scattering of empty shops, most of which hadfor leasesigns in the windows. Several were boarded up.

Half an hour ago, Aiden had come through with a name and an address for a very specialized tuner named Stewart Pitney. Pitney was no longer among the living, having died in a suspicious fire that destroyed his shop.

Gabriel had called Lucy to tell her he was going to be late because he wanted to take a look around the burned-out shop. She had insisted on joining him. Jared had delivered her to the front door of Guild headquarters and briefed Gabriel on the Roxby encounter. Gabriel had immediately gotten a ping that told him something was off.

He dropped the phone into his jacket and started walking again. He resumed the conversation he and Lucy were having.

“I don’t like the way the Roxbys are suddenly pressuring you to join their organization,” he said.

“Relax.” Lucy adjusted her pack. “I’m sure it’s just a business maneuver. Can’t blame them. They know I’ve got a Guild contract. They want in on the action.”

“Got a feeling there’s more to it than that.”

“Jared and I discussed possibilities, but we couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation.”

“What if they’ve made a discovery in the Underworld but can’t get to it because of bad weather?”

Lucy shook her head. “It’s hard to believe they’re up against something they can’t take care of on their own. They’re both very, very good, Gabriel. What’s more, they can combine their talents and work as a team.”

“Maybe they don’t want to take the risk of tackling whatever it is that they are after,” he said.

“I just can’t see them hiring a bunch of thugs to kidnap me.”

“That failed, so they’re going with a different tactic.”

“Offering me a partnership in their business is more their style,” Lucy admitted. “But still...”

“It strikes me as an act of desperation,” Gabriel said. “They must be under pressure for some reason.”

“Okay, I agree they seemed more than a little anxious today.”

“Do you trust the Roxbys?” he asked.

“Depends on the situation. They wouldn’t hesitate to stab me in theback if they thought it would make it possible for them to get an exclusive contract with the Guild. Actually, that’s probably exactly what they’re trying to do with this move. Even if I took the offer of a partnership, I’m sure they would come up with a plan to ease me out of the way once they had what they wanted. But that would just be business as usual for them. There’s no doubt but that they are very ambitious.”