"Yes. She said she’d get one of her thralls to deliver it."
"Good. It will be interesting to see if there are any similarities to my own."
"And if there are? Do you want me to pursue those leads or will you?"
"That will depend on which names we agree on," she said, leaving me a little up in the air as to how to proceed. "What do you plan next?"
"I’m going to talk to Adeline Greenfield. She apparently set the protection wards Alston has in her home."
"And you think the wards are faulty?"
"No. I’m just covering bases."
"Excellent." She paused, and darkness seemed to creep into her eyes. "It’s in your best interest to remember what you risk with the task, Risa. Keep me updated, or pay the price."
I resisted the urge to gulp and said, "I will."
The phone went blank. I blew out a breath, a little relieved to have gotten off so lightly, and said, "Tao." Once again the phone sprang into action.
"Hey," Tao said, as he came online. I could hear pots clanging in the background, which meant he was either at work or cooking up a storm at home. I was betting on the former. "What’s happening?"
"I wanted to ask you not to go home tonight."
"I wasn’t planning to, but why? What’s happened?"
"Azriel and I stole the Dušan book back. I suspect the Raziq just might be a little aggravated about it."
"Oh yeah, I imagine they would be," he said drily. "I’m gathering everything went okay? You didn’t get hurt?"