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“…Of course, it’s now clear he didn’t intend to sell us anything. I guess he decided owning his own breeding pair of Elaerian was better business.”

Feeling a pulse of anger off Balidor defused some of my own.

“Yeah, well.” I sighed, tugging a few strands of hair out of my face. “Whatever the reasons they timed the transport the way they did, the List seers left Macau more than a week ago, on more than one ship. They rerouted some of their light imprints back to the slave pens here while they were in transit… which is why we didn’t feel them leave.”

“Why would they do that?” Balidor asked, sharper. “Did the client request this? Or was this Dulgar’s doing? Did he know we would be looking for these same seers?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged, mirroring the expression with one hand. “But also maybe not. Apparently, there are a lot of pirates on these seas. Seers are a hot commodity right now, and the black market is growing, not shrinking, particularly around Shadow cities. From what Revik told me, they’ve simply learned to take these kinds of precautions during transport for big sales. It might not mean anything.”

I felt Balidor digest that information, too.

I felt him go higher in the Barrier, maybe talking to Tarsi.

He clicked back, seconds later.

“All right,” he said, curt. “We’re sending a boat for the two of you in that canal. We’re out of time. I have your position now. Three minutes, Alyson.”

Grimacing, I fought the impulse to kick the wall. “Understood. Did Jon find the human Listers, at least?”

“Most of them. A few were mysteriously absent. Yumi tells me their signatures now read as dead. So you were right. So was Dulgar. There are likely agents of Shadow there at the casino. Another reason for you and your husband to get the hell out of there, if you’ll pardon my saying it, Esteemed Bridge.”

I nodded, glancing at Revik, then at Dulgar.

“Dulgar?” I queried.

Balidor fell silent.

I could feel him thinking.

“If you are asking my advice, I would leave him,” he said next. “The Legion of Fire would never have been our friends, but if we do not do anything unforgivable, we might be able to avoid adding to our list of active and extremely pissed-off enemies. After all, theydidintend to enslave the two of you. The fact that you didn’t kill every last one of them will likely be perceived as some kind of restraint.”

I grunted humorlessly. “Understood. And agreed. Anyway, like I said, I think this well is dry.” Feeling a pulse of agreement off Revik when he glanced at me, I frowned, even as my mind went over the rest of what Balidor said. “If he’s not already, get Jon back to the ship. And Maygar. I don’t want them anywhere near that damned casino if Shadow has agents here.”

“We are in process with that.”

I nodded, but felt another hard tremor in my light.

I exchanged a look with Revik.

“Good,” was all I said.

Chapter10

A Few Odd Occurrences

“Well, where did you feel him last?” Maygar grumbled, giving Jon a hard stare with his dark eyes. “Or is that too complicated of a question for a half-worm like you?”

“It’s aher,actually,” Jon said, a little hotly. “And I feltherin the back area of the bar. I told you… she was pretty much right where we’re standing now.”

Maygar frowned, pulling the rifle strap higher on his shoulder.

“Well?” He glanced around them. “Where the hell is she?”

Jon bit his lip, subduing his voice with an effort. “I told you what I saw. How about you help melook,instead of complaining like a big jerk?”

Maygar scowled.

Jon looked around the dimly-lit floor area with its scattered black cocktail tables and red-upholstered chairs. The chairs were high-backed, brightly colored, and fuzzy, which didn’t go with the Taj Mahal theme, but added to the surreal,Alice in Wonderlandvibe.