half-lich 02 - void weaver Read Online Free PDF Page A

stepped toward the pews to the right. He handed Trapper’s carcass to the tribunes who each, in turn, gave it a cursory glance before passing it on until it arrived at the hands of the four praetors sitting high above the pit. So high, in fact, it was as if they were floating on clouds up in the sky.
    The praetors whispered among themselves, discussing the item, or Isaac, or both. Above them, in the gold domed basilica itself, the painting of the Tempest pulsed with mysterious, violet light.
    “Is there a reason, Legio,” asked the male praetor, “Why this item has not been brought to us sooner?”
    “We wanted to be sure,” Logan said. “When we discovered it, our immediate concern was the safety of the magistrate. We took the item, analyzed it, and when we decided it was of no threat we presented it to you.”
    “Correct me if I am mistaken, Legio,” said the female praetor who was now holding the plastic frame, “But analyzing the intricacies of a magical artifact, especially in order to assess any danger it may pose, is a responsibility which falls to the librarian. Was the librarian consulted in this matter?”
    Logan’s confident smirk melted away. “No, Praetor. I apologize.”
    “The magistrate’s legionnaires are enforcers of the Magus Codice; your responsibility in this case was to surrender the artifact immediately after its discovery. In failing to do so you have potentially endangered this Court, however, as I sense no threat from this object, I see no reason to impart a sanction.”
    “Thank you, Praetor,” Logan said, bowing his head. “It will not happen again.”
    “As for the artifact itself,” she continued, directing her stern, authoritative voice at Isaac. “Did you have any idea that this woman—this photographer—was using a camera that had been built by a mage?”
    “None,” Isaac said, and he wasn’t lying.
    “Very well. We shall adjourn for the time being while the librarian is summoned. Legio Logan, if you or your legionnaires have discovered more traces of this camera, you will bring them to us. For now, escort Tribune Moreau back to his quarters.”
    “As the praetors wish,” Logan said.
    Sonia grabbed Isaac’s arm, turned him around, and ushered him toward the door. Logan followed, silently, and they went through the arch which opened into a dimly lit corridor of dark marble. Delicate golden designs ran along the walls and floor. When the double doors to the courtroom closed, the echoing choir of voices ceased their song, and Logan spoke.
    “You think you got away with that.”
    “Got away with what?” Isaac asked.
    Logan grabbed Isaac by the shoulder, pinned him against a wall with his forearm, and glared from behind a pair of eyes the color of blood. The purple haired girl watched with her arms folded. “You’re a fucking smartass,” Logan said, “I’ll give you that. But you don’t fool me. I know you’re hiding something, and I’m going to find out what it is.”
    It took every ounce of Isaac’s composure to keep from responding with anything other than civility and dignity, but he managed to rein himself in. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    Logan released him, opened a door immediately to Isaac’s left, and shoved him inside. The door, which was made of simple brown wood and didn’t at all match the dark marble and gold motif of this entire hallway, led to the plain apartment Isaac had been forced to stay in, and when Isaac crossed the threshold he felt the hand of magic transport him from wherever he was, to where he was now. If he had to guess, he put the apartment somewhere on Ashwood’s South Side.
    The sounds of the city—police sirens, dogs barking, and rap music—drifted in from the open window opposite the door.
    “Don’t get too comfortable,” Logan said, “I’ll be back for you soon,” and he slammed the door shut. The wooden frame seemed to glow faintly blue and the runes carved into the back of the door