Page 17 of Stubborn as a Shadow

Contrary to what the name suggested, the artifact didn’t send people traveling through time, not physically at least. But it allowed people to see events from the past. It worked best, allegedly, if the wielder had a personal connection to the event, but with enough magic, anyone could see anything they wished. Sure, it could be used for good, but the potential for misuse was astronomical.

Teague had nearly lost his mind over it about forty years ago, when rumors whispered it was real, not myth. But then, suddenly, all the whispers about it had stopped until a year or so back. And now, here it was, right in front of me.

It looked like I had a new priority, because I couldn’t leave it.

What kind of supe was Rudy Tada that he’d be looking for something like that? And how had these two gotten their hands on it?

As a shadow, I was used to knowing secrets. I didn’t like that I didn’t know this one.

“What do you expect me to do with it?” the vendor asked.

“Sell it to him,” the wolf said.

The vendor narrowed their eyes. “Without knowing its provenance?”

“Like you care about that,” Judy scoffed.

The vendor rolled the crystal over in their hand again.

“Just don’t sell it to anyone else. You wouldn’t want what would come next,” the mage threatened.

The vendor just harrumphed.

“Will you do it?”

“Aye,” the vendor agreed. “I keep the profit, though. Since it’s my risk.”

The wolf rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”

That response raised more alarms than her having the crystal in the first place. There was no way she was walking away from this transaction empty-handed, not when the crystal was worth a fortune.

So the big question was: What was she getting instead?

I lingered at the table, hoping to pick up more information. Nothing else of interest was revealed. Once the mage and wolf left, I watched the vendor slip the crystal into a heavily warded metal cashbox.

I needed a plan. Possibly something magical. Luckily, I was in the right place for that.

I flowed beside the rest of the tables, looking for anything I could use. I hated improvising, but my options were limited, and I didn’t have much time. Rudy Tada could come along any minute, or the vendor might decide to sell it to someone else, despite the wolf’s threat.

By the time I finished my review of the remaining tables, I was still empty-handed. I glanced at the crystal vendor. A few people were having a heated discussion at their table. Damn it. I jumped back more quickly than I usually would have risked. Butwith the added darkness clinging to the area, my approach went unnoticed.

Two people were bidding against one another for the same selection of Moqui Marbles. I suspected the small brownish-black stones had been manipulated or modified in some way, since they rarely evoked such competitive interest.

“Two hundred,” one shouted, waving a stack of bills in front of the vendor’s nose.

The other haggler scoffed. “Bid as much as you want, you know I’ll give them more. Those babies are coming home with me tonight.”

“So what are you offering?” The vendor waggled their eyebrows.

“Four hundred.”

And then the shouting started again with another round of bids. Meanwhile, a waif-like woman slipped along the side of the table and waved to catch the vendor’s attention. I watched as she offered for another artifact while the other two were still shouting out bids for the marbles.

The vendor reached for the box.

This was my chance.

I held my breath. Sort of. Itfeltlike I was holding my breath, my ears were ringing, and my heart was pounding… none of which were really happening because I didn’t have lungs, ears, or a heart in this form.