"I can't be positive about the how. Maybe the b.a.s.t.a.r.d found himself some handy-dandy bit of alien technology and figured out how to rez it to create hallucinations. Wouldn't be the biggest surprise in the world. More and more artifacts are coming out of the jungle every week. The other possibility is that he has a talent for it. There are records of similar abilities in the Arcane Society files."

"You mean like your talent for projecting that psi fog stuff?"

He did not like her lumping him in with the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, whoever he was. "A lot of talents came through the Curtain."

"But why come after me?"

"Not sure yet, but I think we can a.s.sume it's got something to do with the amethyst ruin."

"Oh, geez." She frowned. "The dreams have always taken place on one of the streets in my neighborhood. There are usually a few cars and other people around, but I've never noticed any one vehicle or person in particular."

"If this guy is employing a gadget that can generate hallucinations, he may also be able to use it to make sure you don't get a good look at him."

"But what's his goal?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's running some kind of experiment."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Makes more sense than your theory," he said.

"The possibility that I'm going crazy? Well, of the two theories, I must admit I prefer yours. But I don't know, Cruz. You're getting pretty far out there."

"Wouldn't be the first time. Look, we're going to have to finish this conversation later. Right now we need to stay on task."

"Okay." She checked her locater again and then started forward once more. "The room is right around the corner."

Vincent got excited when they approached the entrance to the small antechamber. He mumbled enthusiastically.

"He thinks we've come down here to play with the amber," Lyra explained. "I told you, as far as he's concerned, they're my special toys."

"h.e.l.l."

"Brace yourself, Sweet.w.a.ter. You're not going to like this."

She went through the vaulted doorway ahead of him. He halted briefly on the threshold, aware of the trickle of awareness that told him he was in the presence of a lot of powerful amber.

Three pyramids made of amethyst were arrayed on a cheap folding card table. Each relic was about a foot high and glowed gently with the latent energy trapped inside.

He whistled softly. "Son of a ghost." He was reluctantly impressed by her daring. "Those aren't like any of the others that we took out of the ruin."

"I found the pyramids the first time I went into the ruin. It was obvious that they were the most powerful stones. I think they are also potentially quite dangerous, so I hid them immediately. I knew that once I started selling the other relics on the underground market, there would be a risk that one of the antiquities gangs or the Guild or AI might get wind of the chamber and come looking. I didn't want them to discover these three artifacts."

"How are they dangerous?"

"I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest." She walked slowly around the card table and looked at him over the tops of the glowing pyramids. "But I can sense the power in them. Until I can figure out how to de-rez them, I don't want to risk letting them fall into the wrong hands."

"Meaning the hands of the Guild or the AI lab?"

"Or one of the underworld gangs. Power is just too seductive, Cruz. What if these pyramids turn out to be weapons of some kind? Everyone would want to control them: the Guilds, the government, criminals, the heads of large corporations like AI and RezStone."

"Okay, I get the point."

"I've come down here several times in the past three months and tried to find a way to safely neutralize the stones, but so far I haven't been successful."

"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you that if you had cooperated with Amber Inc. we might have found a way to render them harmless?"

"Even if you agreed with me that these stones should be destroyed, you know as well as I do that the authorities and the Guilds and the other AI execs would never go along."

He did not argue with her. She was right. Power was very seductive, and so was simple human curiosity. It was not hard to imagine what Big Jake and his brothers would have said if he had suggested that the stones be destroyed without first discovering their secrets.

He touched one of the pyramids very cautiously. Purple fire leaped under his fingers and flashed across his senses. His affinity for amber allowed him to sense the swirling currents of energy locked inside, but he knew at once that he could not rez them, let alone control them. He took his hand away from the stone. The waves of energy subsided.

"You told me that the relics in the ruin were nothing more than alien art objects," he said.

"I think that's all they are. But these three pyramids are different."

"I can sure as h.e.l.l see that." He looked at her. "Have you told anyone else about them?"

"Nancy knows about them. I described them to her, but I didn't tell her how powerful they are, and I didn't tell her where I hid them. I trust her completely, but I thought it would be safer if no one knew their location."

"I can't blame you for keeping secrets, given your opinion of Amber Inc. But we need to find out what these pyramids can do. Maybe they aren't weapons. Maybe they're actually components of some kind of high-tech engine. For all we know, we're looking at the power source of one of the excavating machines the aliens used to build the catacombs and the rain forest."

"No," she said, gravely certain. "I think they're works of art, like the other relics. But who knows what the aliens considered art? All I am sure of is that the energy in these stones is potentially very powerful and very dangerous."

"You said you've tried to run a few experiments on them."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Not much," she admitted. "I could stir the energy, but every time I got close to aligning the currents, I got a really bad feeling and backed out fast."

He did not question the decision. "You're the only real expert on amethyst I've ever met. If you say the stones are dangerous, then we'll go with that conclusion. The good news is that they are all here."

"Yes. Which means that the energy I detected in Fairstead's vault was coming from one of the other relics."

"The one that was stolen from the lab."

"What happens now?" she asked. "Will you make the cops get a warrant so you can force Fairstead to open the vault?"

"I hate to break this to you. Wouldn't want to ruin your illusions about Amber Inc. But the company doesn't have quite as much influence with the Frequency PD as you seem to think."

She shrugged. "So you send in your own security people or you ask the Guild to do the job for you. Don't tell me you can't get into that vault."

"I could get in," he agreed. "But I've got a feeling it would be a lot more useful to have my people watch Fairstead and his gallery for a while before making any drastic moves. I'll call Flagg as soon as we get aboveground and have him set it up."

"Garrett Flagg? He was one of the people who was trapped in the chamber."

"Flagg is in charge of lab security. The theft and the murder happened on his watch. You could say he took it personally. Feels responsible."

She was intrigued now. "You want to find the connection between Fairstead's gallery and your lab."

"When I do, I'll be a whole lot closer to finding out who killed the technician and stole the relic."

"That's all you're going to do? Have your security people keep watch on Fairstead's gallery?"

"Well, there is one other pressing item on my agenda at the moment."

"What?"

"I've got a major family gig coming up at the end of the week. My grandfather's birthday party. I could use a date."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Me?"

"I'd consider it a huge favor."

"For heaven's sake, why?"

"Because everyone in the family is feeling sorry for me, and it's a little embarra.s.sing, to tell you the truth. They think I'm depressed."

"Why?" she demanded a second time, suspicious now.

"Because you broke my heart three months ago."

"Good grief, Cruz. You don't expect me to believe that."

"Believe what you want. In our family we take broken hearts seriously."

"Hmm. What's in it for me?"

Chapter 21.

THEY WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR OF LYRA'S APARTMENT an hour later. Vincent scurried into the kitchen, tumbled up onto the counter, and gazed wors.h.i.+pfully at the cookie jar.

"We've got a deal, then?" Lyra asked. She went into the kitchen and raised the lid of the jar. "If I go with you to your grandfather's birthday celebration, you promise to let me keep the pyramids until I can figure out how to de-rez them?"

There had been little chance to discuss the terms of the bargain since they had left the antechamber. As soon as they had reached the surface, Cruz was on his phone issuing a string of terse orders to Garrett Flagg, setting up the twenty-four-hour surveillance of the Fairstead Gallery. He hadn't finished making the arrangements until they had arrived at her apartment building.

"You have my word that I'll let you decide what to do with them." He went around the counter and took down the bottle of Amber Dew. "Meanwhile, I won't tell anyone else about those stones."

"Okay, I guess," she said.

"Your enthusiasm is heartwarming," Cruz said.

Vincent chose a cookie with the air of a connoisseur selecting a fine wine. When he had picked out the perfect treat, he bounced up to the top of the refrigerator to eat it.

Lyra replaced the lid. "I still don't get it, though. Why are you suddenly so willing to leave me in possession of the pyramids?"

He poured a measure of the liqueur into two balloon gla.s.ses. "Think about it."

After a moment, it clicked.

"Of course. You've concluded that, at least for the time being, those stones are safer down there in my personal safe-deposit box than they would be in your company's lab," she said.

"One man is dead, and one relic has been stolen. Obviously the lab's security isn't as good as yours."

"In other words, you were planning to leave the pyramids down there, regardless of whether I agreed to go with you to Big Jake's party tomorrow night." She made a face. "I should have known better than to bargain with a Sweet.w.a.ter."

"Well, sure. Sweet.w.a.ter luck and all that. But that doesn't change one fact."

She took the gla.s.s of Amber Dew he held out to her.

"And what fact is that?" she asked.

"You really did break my heart, and everyone in my family knows it." He swallowed some of his drink. His eyes were as dark as midnight in the Quarter, green flames burning in the obsidian depths, just like the fire in his ring.

Her pulse skidded, and her senses fluttered. She could almost believe him. She desperately wanted to believe him. She sipped the heady liqueur and lowered the gla.s.s, trying to look cool and just a tad amused.

"You're good," she said. "You're really good."

"It's the truth." He turned and walked back out into the living area. "Heartbreak is bad enough. Knowing that your entire family is worrying about you and feeling nothing but pity for you doesn't help."

"Ah, the pride factor."

"It's the only thing you left me."

She grinned and held up one hand. "Stop. Now you're the one who's guilty of going way over the top."

"I thought I told you, in my family we don't have a problem with going over the top. Not when it comes to love." He stopped at the coffee table and looked at the vase of purple orchids. "Are those new? They don't look like the ones I saw here yesterday."

"Those were delivered this morning."

"Same d.a.m.ned note?"

"Same note," she agreed. "But I wouldn't necessarily use the word d.a.m.ned to describe it."

"Mind if I take a look?" He already had the envelope in hand and was extracting the card.

"Help yourself," she said dryly.

Vincent had finished his cookie. He tumbled down from the refrigerator and fluttered across the room to the corner where his current canvas lay atop the stack of newspapers. He hopped up onto the wooden chest that contained his painting supplies and made enthusiastic noises.