"Then I’ll give him the information, and you can attempt to get it from him."
"Fair enough. Have fun with the interrogation."
"I always do," he said cheerfully, then swung the panther around and pushed him toward the exit.
Azriel appeared almost immediately. "What does the note actually say?"
"I don’t know." I pulled it from my pocket and opened it up. I quickly scanned the spidery writing, then read it out loud. "The Dušan’s book is being held by the Raziq at the underground lair where they interrogated you. At one o’clock tonight, I will arrange a persion and draw them out. Be there to get the book." I snorted softly and looked up at Azriel. "Like it’s going to be that easy."
"No," he said, obviously taking my words at face value, "it won’t. Just because the Raziq have gone doesn’t mean there won’t be Razan. And I presume our window for getting in and out will be extremely small."
More than likely. I glanced down at the note again, then folded it up and shoved it back into my pocket. "I have no idea where the Raziq were holding me, so I hope you can find your way back there."
"I can."
I studied him for a moment, then said, "I’m a little surprised that you haven’t suggested you retrieve it while I remain behind."
He raised an eyebrow. "And what would that achieve? According to your father, the Raziq have the book veiled, and only one of the blood can see it. I am not of the blood."
"No, but you’re Mijai, and surely if anyone would be able to see through a veil, it would be you."
"The veil could be magical rather than connected to the gray fields. And if it is, it would work on me as effectively as on anyone else."
"Really? You saw the spell on the elevator clearly."
"That was human magic. The Aedh are more adept at concealing their magic from us." He shrugged. "We will have little enough time as it is, and attempting to find something that I might or might not be able to see would be foolish."
Point taken. A glance at my watch revealed it was nearly two thirty. I wasn’t going to make Stane’s this afternoon, given I started work at three.