away and glanced around the room, as if to ask whether she could carry on.
Darius concentrated as he quietly uttered a few words.
‘If you must…’ He wasn’t particularly keen on a fresh batch of worries, but he doubted he had any choice in the matter.
‘You remember our conversation with Karl, don’t you?’ The elf sat up straight in her seat and fixed Bleist with a serious gaze.
‘If I say I’d rather forget, will you change the subject?’ He knew the answer, but he couldn’t help himself now.
‘I’ve been asking around a bit about unusual finds, jade figurines and the like.’ Gizel ignored the mage’s remark. ‘I was surprised by how much I found out.’
‘Has no one heard anything?’ Earl sighed heavily.
‘Quite the opposite, Darius; there’s too much information.’ Now she had really caught the colonel’s attention; she had sparked his professional curiosity. ‘Grave figurines, ancient artefacts, catalysts, magical ingredients—take your pick. There’s something for every occasion. And the most interesting thing is that it all comes from ruins, excavations, unearthed caches or tombs. Not from any specific place. Even my… acquaintances are looking at all these new finds with suspicion.
‘That’s just what we needed, for the black market to be flooded with tainted objects,’ Bleist grumbled. He was slowly beginning to understand why the case in Solvein had attracted so much attention. ‘Since when have there been more of these?’
‘Since the start of this year.’ The elf began drumming her fingers on the tabletop whilst fixing her gaze on Darius. ‘A coincidence, isn’t it?’
‘In our line of work, there’s no such thing as coincidence.’
‘Exactly.’ She slammed her hand down on the table. ‘Digging deeper into this has certainly paid off. I’ve managed to track down a few… let’s say, dealers who, at various stages, had old, magical trinkets made of jade and other obscure materials in their stock. Fortunately, they also had excellent memories and were only too happy to offer the distressed lady their help.’
‘Oh, they certainly know how to save their own skins.’ Earl smiled wryly.
