Warriors of Poseidon 06 - Atlantis Betrayed

06
    Page 120 of 188
    “Time will be the only answer to this dilemma,” Conlan said. “We must move on to the matter of the Siren. We can assume it is in dangerous hands—but whose?”
    “I’m betting the vampires,” Christophe said. “The plan to enthrall shifters is in full swing in Europe, the same as everywhere else on the planet. What we know of the Siren is that it gives its wielder vast power over shifters and can even force them to shift back and forth between their animal and human shapes.”
    “Perhaps the shifters stole it,” Riley said. “You’ve already mentioned the possibility that the Tower robbery could have been an inside job and that some of the Tower guard are wolf shifters. What if they took it, to keep it out of vampire hands?”
    Alaric drummed his fingers on the table and then made a flicking motion with his right hand and sent a trail of tiny, perfect triangles of blue-green flame tumbling down the center of the table. They rolled over the fruit bowl and then vanished when they fell off the other end. Nobody else but Fiona paid any attention to them, so she guessed the little magic was the high priest equivalent of when she tapped her pencil while thinking.
    “We must find it,” Conlan said. “Christophe, you’re obviously stirring things up, so you continue to do what you’re doing and even step it up. How much help do you want?”
    “Let me do the reconnaissance on my own, and then I’ll call in the troops,” Christophe said.
    Fiona cleared her throat. “Excuse me, but why do you want this gem so badly? Are you planning to use it against the shifters, yourselves? I’m sorry, but I can’t go along with that.”
    “Remember when I said that without the Siren, Atlantis couldn’t rise to the surface again? I wasn’t joking,” Christophe said. “More than eleven thousand years ago, the elders of Atlantis took the Seven Isles to the bottom of the ocean. Before they did, they removed the seven gems of Poseidon’s Trident and scattered them to the corners of the world. We’ve recently learned that unless and until we restore them, we’re trapped here. If we attempt the magic to cause Atlantis to rise to the surface, we’ll be destroyed.”
    Fiona looked from face to face. They were dead serious. “The actual Trident belonging to the sea god Poseidon? Brother of Zeus, that Poseidon?”
    “Yes. He takes an active interest in Atlantean affairs, you might say,” Christophe said wryly, tapping his shoulder. She remembered the tattoo.
    “The question, I believe, is why you want the gem, Lady Fiona,” Alaric said. “We know you’re a thief, by your own account. Nevertheless, Christophe appears to hold you in high esteem. So please grant us the favor of explaining your own interest.”
    “Watch your mouth, priest,” Christophe growled. “We never have gone head-to-head, but if you insult Fiona again, you’re going to find out just how strong I’ve become.”
    She put a hand on his arm. “It’s fine. He has a point. I mean, you need it for the safety of your whole continent, and I only wanted it for the money.”
    “The money you use to provide support for so many charities I can’t even count them all,” he said.
    Atlantis Betrayed – Warriors of Poseidon 06
    Page 121 of 188
    “Yes, I have heard that reported,” Alaric said. Fiona wondered if there was anything the priest didn’t hear about or know. The man was scary.
    “I have also heard that the Scarlet Ninja only donates a sum equal to precisely half the value of any stolen item. So what do you do with the rest of the money? I imagine you have a very nice home.” Alaric opened his hand and an image of Campbell Manor appeared in the air.
    Christophe shot up out of his chair, but Fiona grabbed his hand before he could go after Alaric. “Stop.
    Please.”
    He slowly sat back down. “You don’t have to answer any of this, if you don’t want to. You’re a guest here—my guest—not a prisoner to be interrogated.”
    She leaned up and kissed him. “No, it’s okay. I’d wonder, too, if I were them.” She turned to address Alaric and the rest of the group. “Fifty percent of the value is correct. Of course, from any fence, even my most trusted ones, I’m lucky to get sixty percent of an object’s recorded value. In theft, as in the corporate world, there are unfortunately a great many middlemen.”
    “And the rest?” Conlan asked gently. “To support yourself and your family?”
    She shook