“This is purely a professional call. I have something to show you.”
“Can you bring it to my office?”
“Afraid not. It needs to stay put.” I gave him Ronald’s address. “Dr. Adam and I will be here waiting for you.”
Zachariah’s low chuckle reverberated in my ear. “You and Dr. Adam, huh? How’s that going?”
“Purely professional, Zach.”
“If you say so.” He hung up. Smug bastard always had to have the last word.
As I paced the floor, I typed a text message to Vale, asking whether all his resources were now devoted to the Coranians. We had all the information we needed to find Leanne. What we didn’t have was time.
A curt knock on the door alerted me to Zachariah’s arrival. He entered the condo dressed in one of his many golf outfits.White polo shirt. Red-and-blue argyle shirts. Knee-length red socks. White shoes.
“You look like a court jester,” I said.
“And you look like you rolled right out of bed.”
“You said you were in your office when I called.”
“I was. I played this morning.”
“Don’t you ever get bored of it?”
“I find ways to keep things interesting.” He spared a glance over my shoulder at Dr. Adam, approaching from the hallway. “You should try it sometime.”
“Hello, Zachariah,” the druid said. “Has Maya updated you on the situation?”
“No. She issued a command. For some strange reason, I found myself agreeing to it.”
“Right this way,” I said. “We need to work in the bedroom.”
“I said we might be friends,” Zach said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Zach stopped short in the doorway and observed the life-sustaining equipment. “Oh, I see. Is he alive?”
“Barely.”
“Is this why you called me here? You know I’d prefer to conduct my services in my office.”
I plucked the cane from against the wall and thrust it at Zach. “We need information on this.”
Zach scrutinized the cane. “Bone?”
“I knew you’d recognize it immediately.”
“I’m flattered.” The necromancer walked to the window and held the cane up to the natural light. “Bones have great significance in a variety of cultures.”
“Kind of significant for holding bodies together too.”
Zach gripped the cane like a golf club and pretended to putt an invisible ball. “This moves beautifully. Light but sturdy. I’m envious.”
“Ronald isn’t using it for golf.”
“Ah, yes. The question remains—whatishe using it for? I’d always assumed it was needed for him to walk, but now that I’m holding it in my own two hands, I can see that’s not the reason.” His hand slid down the length of the cane. “What do you know about Koschei the Deathless?”
“Nothing.”
He clucked his tongue. “Education has become a mockery.”
