“Yes, some have more than one enchantment besides the loop.”
“I see.” Inside, I reeled. The magic users of Sconheit had unknowingly saved the rest of Serai with their hoarding. That is, if my new theory was correct. I had to go over the other cases of Silver Rot before I could make my conclusion. “Uh, I don't think I'll need to open the box. If you notice any rot blooming over the steel, wrap it in fabric and bring it to me at the Royal Palace.”
“All right. Do you think it will rot through the steel?”
“Without a layer of rubbar, it will. But that may not be for a while. Perhaps you could line the box with rubbar and reseal it.”
“But either way, those enchantments are gone.”
“Yes, I'm afraid so.”
“Well, I fared better than others. I'm thankful for that.”
“Yes, you have. I recommend refraining from making any resonant enchantment loops.”
“For how long?”
“If my theory is correct, I'd advise against ever making them again.”
Assa's eyes went wide.
“Would you take them with you now? It sounds as if they'll end up at the palace anyway.”
“Yes, very well.” I looked at Orro, who waited in the doorway with Leera. “Lord Orro, would you smell the box, please? I need to know if it's safe to pick up.”
“Sure.” Orro sauntered over, grinning at the gaping Shanba woman, and crouched by the steel box. He leaned overto sniff around the whole of it and then picked it up. “It's contained.”
“Good.”
“You can smell the rot?” Assa asked Orro.
“I can smell silver.”
“Ah! How helpful.” She inclined her head to him and then to me. “Thank you both, and good luck.”
“Thank you, Assa.” I waved Orro out and then followed him and Leera out of the shop.
Chapter Fifteen
“Shall we hire a carriage?” I asked Orro as we left the shop. “You shouldn't have to carry that all the—”
A cacophony came from a shop ahead of us, drowning out my words. Leera crouched and barked as a puff of dust poured out of the shop. We hurried forward along with several other pedestrians, but then a group of masked and cloaked people came running out of the shop carrying bags. They tossed the bags into a waiting cart and then formed a line to move more along it.
“Cease!” I shouted. “In the name of the Dragon King!”
“Son of a bitch,” Orro muttered when a man broke off from the line and approached us.
The other pedestrians were running in the opposite direction, but I wasn't a man who ran away from people in danger. I went forward to meet the thief, noting his large build. He wasn't Ricarri: the skin showing through the eye-slit of his mask was tan. The lack of wings ruled out Argaiv or Lelurra. Beyond that, I wasn't sure. He could be a Dragon, Raltven, or human. What was certain was his malicious intent. He wasn't coming to me to talk.
So, as he neared, I bent over and rammed him in the belly. The man grunted and fell onto his ass while Orro laugheduproariously. Leera rushed forward and locked her jaw around the man's throat. He reached for her, but Orro stepped forward, his humor vanishing.
“I wouldn't do that,” Orro warned. “Right now, she's just holding you for me. But if you attack her or I give the command, she'll take out your throat. Shall I—” he broke off to punch two men who had come to their friend's aid. One, two, and they were down. “Now, as I was saying.”
The man held out his arms in a show of surrender.
But there were more of them than we had counted on. Even as Leera held the man down and his two friends lay comatose, more men abandoned their theft to surround us.
“Tell that dog to back off,” one man snarled. “Do it now, or we'll kill all three of you.”
