Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

hobbled closer to the edge of the ridge and The ruined, crumbled shell of my own childhood home. stared down. I wasn’t particularly surprised by the scurry I’d used my magic to destroy it as well, to bring all the of activity. Men and women, mostly firefighters, cops, stones down, to try to save myself and Bria. I shook my and other rescue officials, stalked back and forth on the head, and the image vanished. But the tightness in my rocky floor below me. Some of them had driven their vestomach didn’t go away. hicles into the basin, and the red and blue lights spun I looked down and I realized my hands were glowaround and around. The sirens had long ago been turned ing again. The spider rune scars on my palms burned off, though. The people hung together in small clusters with cold, silver flames once more—even though I wasn’t talking among themselves, but mostly what they did was consciously holding onto my magic. I curled my hands stare at the mine before them.
    into fists and willed the light, the magic, away. After a or what was left of it.
    moment, the flames died, vanishing back into the scars The right wall of the basin, which had once been just as though the silverstone in my flesh was somehow the as tall and strong as the others, had crumbled in on itself, source of their power. I couldn’t quit staring at my palms. like a cheap piece of tinfoil. The entrance to the coal mine Was it my imagination or had the spider rune scars beand the second, smaller shaft that led to the diamonds come more pronounced? For some reason, they looked had been completely obliterated. Dirt had spilled hunlike pure silver swimming in my flesh now, instead of the dreds of feet outside the original opening, burying the paler scars they’d been before. I rubbed my aching head. metal tracks that had led inside the mine. The whole side Something to worry about later. Much later. of the basin looked a sandcastle somebody had kicked I focused on the basin once more, my eyes flicking over.
    over the many figures below. Despite the crowd, it didn’t Me. I’d been the one who’d done the kicking. I’d used take me long to find him—Donovan Caine. The detecmy magic to escape Tobias Dawson, and I’d crumbled tive stood near the entrance to the mine, peering at what half the mountain in the process. I’d always thought Jo-Jo looked like a map spread over the hood of a truck. ProbDeveraux had been blowing smoke up my ass when she ably a map of the coal mine itself. A white hardhat covclaimed I had more Stone magic than anyone she’d ever ered the detective’s head and cast his features in shadow, seen. That she’d just been pretending when she said I was along with those of the man beside him. But I recognized even more powerful than she was. But as I stared at the him too. owen Grayson.
    Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 362-363
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    364 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 365
    I frowned. Why would owen Grayson be here? Then At least somebody was glad to see me, because DonoI remembered. He was into mining just like Dawson had van Caine wasn’t. He tipped his hardhat back, and I spotbeen. With the dwarf buried underneath the mountain, ted the frown on his face. The sight, his lack of happiness Grayson was the closest thing to an expert the city of Ashor even just some relief, cut me more than the rocks that land had been able to call upon. Behind the two men, had sliced into my feet.
    various bulldozers and backhoes moved earth out of the I focused on Donovan Caine and lifted my bloody way. Tobias Dawson was dead. They should have saved hand in greeting. The detective stood there for several their gas.
    seconds—immobile. Then he turned and said something I stood there on the ridge and stared at Donovan, to Grayson, who frowned and nodded his head. Grayson drinking in the sight of the lean, rugged detective. After walked a few feet away and pulled out a cell phone. He this was finished, after I was healed, he and I were going punched in a number and spoke to someone, still looking to have a long talk—about us. Because I wanted the deat me. tective and he wanted me too—and I was tired of his Grayson finished his call and said something to Donomorals, his guilt about wanting to be with me, getting in van, who nodded back. Then the detective turned and the way of what we could have together.
    walked toward the entrance of the collapsed mine. He Even though I was thousands of feet away, Donovan didn’t even glance back