'normals,' initially the House gave long odds in their favor. They were an unproven commodity and
most humans fighting against a shapeshifter or a vamp will typically lose. The Reapers cost the
House a great deal of money, correct?»
Saiman confirmed it with a short nod. «Yes. There are also other reasons for their 'humanity.'
You see, to participate in the tournament, the team must consist of seven members, at least three of
whom have to be human or a human derivative, such as a shapeshifter. Without three humans, they
wouldn't be able to enter the tournament.»
«So to sum up: you don't know what they are, how they're tricking the m-scanner, or where they
go when they leave the Games?»
«No.» Saiman wrinkled his nose in distaste, a distinctly female gesture that fit the blonde to a T.
«Not very useful, are you?» Jim said.
Thank you for your help, Mr. Diplomacy.
Saiman glanced at him. «Twenty-one years ago, on April twenty-third, you killed the man who
murdered your father while they had been incarcerated. You nailed your father's killer to the floor
with a crowbar through his stomach, and then you dismembered him. The coroner estimated he took
over three hours to die. His name was David Stiles. You were never charged with the crime.»
Oh boy.
«I disclose this fact to prevent any appearance of incompetence on my part. I deal in information.
I'm expert at it. When I say that I don't know what the Reapers are, I say it with all the weight of
my professional expertise behind it.»
Jim laughed softly, displaying his white teeth in a wide smile.
Saiman inclined his head in an amicable bow. He may have gathered information about Jim, but
he didn't know him. Jim was a jaguar. He showed his teeth only to people he intended to kill. He
wouldn't kill him just yet, because we needed him, but one day when Saiman least expected it, he
would find himself stalked by death from above.
And I would have absolutely nothing to do with any of it. «Back to the Reapers,» I said. «Do you
know what they want?»
«That I can answer. They want the Wolf Diamond,» Saiman said.
I waited for him to elaborate but he just sipped his martini. He wanted to be prompted. Fine. I
obliged. «What is the Wolf Diamond?»
«It's a very large yellow topaz.»
«Why the name?» Jim asked.
Saiman pondered his martini. «It's the precise shade of a wolf's eye. The stone is bigger than my
fist.»
A flashy prize. The topaz itself would be very valuable owing to its uniqueness, and the presence
of the stone gave the tournament a nearly legendary flair: a contest between the mightiest warriors
for a fabled gemstone and glory. In reality, it was a sick game, where lives were thrown away for
the sake of soft bills. Glory? There was no glory in dying for somebody else's money and glee.
«How did you acquire the stone?» Jim asked.
«It was bought by one of the House members and donated to reward the winner of the upcoming
tournament. It's an extravagant prize, in line with our current style. People who patronize our venue
expect exotic.»
A topaz bigger than a man's fist was certainly exotic. I searched my brain for any rudimentary
gem lore. Topaz was one of the twelve apocalyptic stones protecting the New Jerusalem. Naturally
yellow and expensive, it was rumored to have a cooling influence on one's temper and to protect the
wearer from nightmares. The generic «protection» property was the default setting for all precious
stones-that was what people said when they had no clue what the stone did or when it had no
mystic properties whatsoever. I made a mental note to find a gemology book and look up topaz.
«I've traced the history of the stone three owners back to a German family,» Saiman said. «It
doesn't appear to have exhibited any supernatural properties. There are a number of legends
attached to it, a completely normal occurrence for a precious stone of this size. The predominant
belief seems to be that the stone possesses virtue and can't be sold or taken by force, but must be
gifted or won, or it will bring death to the one who stole it. I've been unable to determine if that's
rubbish. The Reapers seem to feel the curse is true. They approached the House shortly after
acquisition asking how they could obtain the stone. Given their propensity for violence, I expected
them to attempt theft or burglary, but they have done neither.»
I frowned. «Since we know very little, identifying them would be the first step.»
«And how do you propose we do that?» Saiman arched an eyebrow and gave me a seductive
smile. It failed both because he was Saiman and because he looked like a woman.