The dwarf snorted. “It was probably just lightning in the clouds. A few people claimed that they sighted the ship from the north shore, and then it disappeared.”
Pia felt a thrill of excitement. “So it was sighted here.”
The dwarf threw up her hands. “Apparently so, and people have been looking for it ever since. Like I said, every once in a while they show up here, just like you did. They want to dig for clues. But something always happens to them. Their boats disappear, or they have an accident. Somebody always ends up getting hurt. So I got rid of the records. I burned them. And I tell people I don’t have anything, and to stop looking.” She sniffed. “Sometimes they don’t listen, but I still try.”
“What about the man who was here earlier?” Pia asked. “He didn’t threaten you, did he?”
The dwarf shook her head. “No, they don’t bother with me. I wouldn’t hunt for that damn wreck if my life depended on it. He wanted to know if anybody had been in today to ask about the Sebille. He must have been on the lookout for you.”
Eva said gently, “If they come looking for us, they’re not going to like what they find.”
***
Dragos flew away from the islands in a bright flood of sunshine. After a short while, he left the shallow reefs behind and soared over deep water. He concentrated on flying thoroughly over a section before going on to the next, searching in a circular pattern around the islands. He made a complete pass all the way around, then moved outward in greater concentric circles.
Most people would have found it tedious work, but he didn’t. He reveled in the solitude and freedom as he soaked up the sun’s brilliant warmth. The air smelled briny and clean over the ocean. It felt good to stretch out his wings and work his body, and good to truly let go of crowded city life. He put away considerations of politics, stocks and profit margins, and let the dragon take over his thoughts.
The vast, tangled mass of land magic that made up the Bermuda Triangle lay to the west. He considered it without much curiosity. A few of the crossover passageways came in quite close to land, but passageways in the ocean were easy to avoid. All he had to do was fly high enough overhead.
He grew hungry, dove for fish and ate while he flew.
He covered more than a hundred miles in an hour. Within a few hours, he grew convinced that the Sebille had not foundered anywhere near the edge of the shallow reefs bordering the islands, and he headed farther out in a wider circle.
Dragos? Pia said.
Like every other Wyr, her telepathic range was quite limited, but Dragos’s telepathic range was much larger than the average Wyr’s, and he heard her quite clearly.
Yes? he replied. Are you having a good morning?
We’re certainly having an interesting morning. How about you?
I’m having a great time, he told her. It’s beautiful out here.
Her mental voice warmed. I’m so glad.
He banked and wheeled toward the east to start another circuit. Did you find out anything at the museum?
Yes, we actually found out quite a bit more than we expected. Her voice sounded a little odd.
He cocked his head. Tell me.
Apparently the Sebille was sighted off the north shore in a big storm, and then it disappeared again. At least that’s what the curator told us was in old records before she destroyed them.
His interest quickened. If the Sebille was sighted off the north shore, he could try narrowing his search area down by doing some calculations of the currents. He left the area he had been searching, whirled in a big circle and began to follow the ocean’s current north of the island. Why did she destroy them?
Because there’s a group of men who have been searching for the wreck for a long time, and they don’t take kindly to competition, Pia told him. They’ve been scaring off anybody who goes looking for it. The curator said the treasure hunters’ boats sink or disappear, and somebody always got hurt, so she finally destroyed the records. She said their leader is a big Light Fae male, and he’s not a nice man.
Dragos did not bother to snort. He was not a nice man either.
He said thoughtfully, A big Light Fae male?
Yes, and when we got to the museum, there was a man hanging around the building. He left as soon as we arrived. She paused. He had been inside the museum before we got there, and he wanted to know if anybody had been in asking about the Sebille.
Was it one of the men from the bar? His thoughts turned dark and murderous.
I don’t know, but it might have been. Who else would have known that someone would be showing up at the museum this morning? You and I talked about it last night.
I remember, he said. What are you doing now?
We’re going back to the house, she told him. I want to feed the peanut and put him down for a nap.
Okay, let me know when you get there. I’ll be back soon.
Don’t hurry back for our sake, okay? We’re not going to let some pissant local thug ruin our vacation. Eva and Hugh are on alert. We’re fine.