Torrent(56)

“As deep as we need,” Eleriss said. “We do not require your assistance in that area. We only seek the location of the cavern. Our historical records tell us that there are several miles of passages with at least three larger chambers.”
“Several miles?” Autumn asked. “I didn’t think there were caves in this part of Arizona.”
“We didn’t either,” I said.
“I’ll find it,” Simon told Eleriss. “Now, about that payment...”#p#分页标题#e#
Eleriss slid a hand into his jacket and pulled out an octagon-shaped coin with runes on both sides. “I understand gold is no longer used for currency in your world, but that it retains intrinsic value, is that right?”
Simon’s eyes lit up. An ounce of gold was a generous finder’s fee under any circumstances, but if the coin had a numismatic value, it might be worth even more than the melt price. It’d also be another clue, one that we could carry around with us, as to these people’s origins. Funky blood or not, I wasn’t ready to accept that they, and their language and devices, might not be from Earth. That would be too... farfetched and weird. We might yet find a rational explanation for them.
“Gold’s all right,” Simon said, waving a dismissive hand. “If that’s all you’ve got.”
“One ounce now.” Eleriss laid the coin on the table, the desk lamp highlighting its luster, along with the long elegant fingers of his hand. “One ounce when you have the location of the cavern for us.” He started to step back, but paused, his gaze snagging on Simon’s T-shirt.
I frowned, doubting he’d recognize the movie reference for the “You killed my father, prepare to die” quotation on the chest. Indeed Eleriss’s uncertain glance at Jakatra made me think he was wondering if he needed to draw weapons. Of course, they’d subdued us just fine without weapons before...
“Two ounces,” Simon said, oblivious to his T-shirt and the look, “and we get to go with you to the cave.”
“No,” Jakatra barked.
Eleriss stepped away from Simon and lifted a hand toward his comrade. “We will pay you two ounces if you can locate this cavern for us, but that is all. We must travel alone when we visit it.”
“Then how do we know we’re not helping you set up some subterranean evil overlord lair from whence to launch nuclear weapons or rockets full of biological toxins?” Simon asked.
I tried to get his attention and wave for him to let go of his barter demands—as long as that tracking device was in tact, we could follow them again. Admittedly, an invitation and a guide would be nicer than trailing after them and worrying about being noticed or eaten by monsters roaming the area. But maybe we could wheedle our way into their exploration gig after we’d proven our worth to them.
“Nuclear... weapons?” Eleriss asked.
“We’ve seen your glowing sword. How do we know if you’re trying to help the city or if you’ve got something nasty planned?”
Jakatra’s violet eyes closed to slits. He whispered something to Eleriss. I wanted so much to know what that language was—I’d send the sample file off for analysis as soon as they left.
“It is not unacceptable,” Eleriss said to Jakatra, though he made a point to speak in English. “They are merely demonstrating that they are crafty and that we were right to come here.”
Nothing on Jakatra’s sour face suggested agreement. He raked us all with a gaze that doubtlessly meant he believed us about as crafty as domestic turkeys.
“For now, I can offer only our preliminary payment.” Eleriss pointed at the coin. “If your research is successful, we can negotiate over the information.”
Jakatra’s lips tightened. I wasn’t sure if it was a sign of displeasure or a sign that he looked forward to negotiating the information out of us with his fists—or perhaps with his new sword. Either way, I plucked up the coin before Simon could object and said, “We accept.”
Eleriss inclined his torso in something resembling a bow. Jakatra stalked outside without another word or gesture.
“Can’t we follow them on our own?” I asked Simon once the door had shut. “What was all that angling to go along about?”
“Because—” Simon held up his phone, his expression glum, “—according to my tracker, they never left the Vendome. They must have found it and tossed it into a pile of dog poo.”
“Not necessarily,” Temi said. She’d pushed the curtain aside to watch the retreating riders. “They’re walking to the street. It doesn’t look like they brought their motorcycles.”