"Is it possible to uncover the names of the people behind the land purchases?" Azriel asked. "We'll need to interrogate them in order to ascertain the witch's location."
I wondered what passed as interrogation in the world of the Mijai. And whether it involved the sword that screamed.
"I've been trying to uncover that for a while," Stane said heavily, "but there's a mountain of misinformation and government tape to wade through."
"So how long?" I asked.
He looked at me and shrugged. "The program is running. It could be minutes, it could be days."
"Either way," I said, "you can't stay here. Gather some clothes and whatever bits of computer wizardry you need, because you won't be back here until it's over."
"But—"
"It's sensible," Tao cut in, then glanced at his watch. "And you have two minutes. Any later and Ilianna is going to start throwing curses our way. I'll go down and start the car."
As the two men disappeared, I pushed to my feet. The room spun a little and I grabbed blindly for the chair—and got Azriel's arm instead. He'd obviously moved without me even hearing him. But as my fingers touched his flesh, the heat of him leapt up my arm and fanned through my body—a warmth and strength that chased away much of the weakness from my limbs.
"Fuck," I said, jagging my hand away. "What was that?"
He shrugged, like it was nothing of consequence. Yet there was a fierceness about him that belied his otherwise impassive expression. "As I've mentioned, I'm attuned to your Chi. A consequence of that is the ability to inhibit or enhance your life energy."
"Meaning the link is a whole lot more than what you're admitting."
"No." The denial sounded genuine, but I wasn't believing it. He added, "You will call me when you get more information?"
"If it means breaking this link and getting you out of my life," I muttered, "most definitely."
"As I have said, I want this no more than you do." He winked out of existence, but wasn't gone, because the heat of him still swirled around me. Then he added softly, "And you do not look like something a cat has regurgitated. I'd put it more on the level of a dog's effort."