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There was a muffled curse, and then the room erupted into chaos.
Sooty grappled with the shadowy figure, the two of them thrashing around the room. Bookshelves toppled, sending books and papers flying, and glass shattered as they crashed into the display cases. Hali’s heart was pounding in her ears as she fumbled for the dagger she kept tucked in her sleeve. She had no idea who this was, or what they wanted, but she would be damned if she let them harm her friends.
With a cry, Sooty managed to land a blow on the intruder’s head, and he went limp. Sooty let out a whoop of triumph, and then his eyes went wide as he caught sight of the tattoo on the man’s hand.
“The Obsidian Circle,” he breathed, and then sprang into action, hauling the man’s unconscious body into the back room.
“Sooty, what are you doing?” Hali hissed, hurrying after him.
“We can’t let him get away,” Sooty said, his voice urgent. “We have to find out what he knows.”
“Sooty, we can’t?—”
But Sooty was already binding the man’s hands and feet with a length of rope he kept stashed back here. He worked quickly, efficiently, and Hali had the sudden, dizzying realization that this was not the first time he’d done something like this.
“Miss Hali, I’ve never kidnapped someone before!” Pippa fluttered excitedly. “This is so thrilling!”
“Pippa, it’s not kidnapping,” Hali said, though she wasn’t entirely sure she believed it herself. “We just have a few questions for our guest, is all. Don’t make it sound so dire!”
With their unwanted guest securely bound and gagged, they dragged him up to Hali’s sitting room, and propped him in the armchair. Sooty stood behind the chair, one hand resting on the hilt of his dagger, while Pippa perched on the back of the chair, staring down at the man with a look of undisguised curiosity.
The man’s eyes darted frantically around the room, and he made a muffled noise of protest from behind the gag.
“Now, now, darling,” Pippa said. “No need to get all worked up. We just want to have a little chat, is all.”
Hali took a seat on the ottoman, her hands folded in her lap. She was still trembling with a potent mix of fear and adrenaline, but she forced herself to take a deep breath, and let her training as a bookseller guide her.
“You are a member of the Obsidian Circle, correct?” she asked, her voice steady.
The man glared at her, but after a moment, he gave a curt nod.
“Then you must understand our concerns. We only wish to know what you and your compatriots are planning.”
He spat something unintelligible, and tried to lunge forward, but Sooty’s hand on the chair held him in place.
“Answer the lady’s question,” Sooty growled. “Or things are going to get very unpleasant for you.”
The man’s eyes went wide, and he shook his head, his body going rigid.
“Please, there’s no need for violence,” Hali said quickly. “We just want to know what you want with the primordial artifacts. Why are you so determined to find them? What does the . . . ‘Forge of Vulkan’ want with them? That’s your enemy’s name, right?”
The man’s eyes flicked from her to Sooty, and then to Pippa, and after a long moment, he slumped in the chair.
“It’s too late,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “The Circle’s plans are already in motion. You cannot stop us.”
“We’ll see about that,” Sooty said. “Now, tell us what those plans are.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t. I’ve already said too much.”
Sooty’s grip tightened on the dagger’s hilt, and he took a step forward. “Look, I get it. You’re scared. But maybe we can help each other out. You tell us what we need to know, and maybe we can keep you safe from the Forge’s retribution. Seeing as how they’ve already got the big dumb hammer, and all.”
The man stared at Sooty for a long moment, as if weighing his words. Finally, he let out a shuddering breath.
“The Circle . . . we seek the artifact’s power to reshape all our destinies. You cannot hope to stop us. The Circle is everywhere. They will destroy all who stand in their way.”
“Destiny?” Hali’s brow furrowed. “All right, that’s just silly. But what about the Forge of Vulkan? What do they want?”
The man snorted, and turned his head away. “The Forge are fools,” he said. “They seek to control that which cannot be controlled. Worshiping their old fire goddess, the primordials who wielded her hammer . . . They want to destroy us and bring back the resurgence of the Emberforged elves. But the Circle knows the true path to power. And we will not be swayed from it.”
