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“Actually, I heard they serve a good lunch here.”
“I know what you’re after, Palmer.”
“Yes, I realized that when you gave us the slip at Tiffany’s, but we’re both too late. It’s not here.”
“How do you know? I thought you lost the magic.”
Owen gestured at the lingering madness. “Does this look like anyone’s in possession of the Eye?”
I folded my arms defiantly across my chest and said, “Yeah, face it, Elvis has left the building.”
“Did you let it go?” Owen asked.
“‘Let’ is not the word I would use,” Lyle said with a haughty sniff. “I sensed its presence here, but I believe it had already gone before we arrived.”
“Serves you right for tearing out of the jewelry store and trying to cut us out of things,” I said.
“You would have done better?” Lyle asked, arching a slanted eyebrow.
“We don’t have magic, and yet, we’re here,” Owen said. “This would probably work better if we cooperated. We have information on the owner, and we have people who are immune to the effects of the Eye. You can sense the Knot and use magic to help obtain it.”
“What do you plan to do with the Eye?” another elf demanded.
“Destroy it.”
“And the Knot?”
“Take that up with Merlin.”
“How can we trust you?” Lyle asked.
“We could ask the same of you. The dangerous part of the brooch is ours, and we can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands.”
“You think ours are the wrong hands?”
“I think any hands are wrong.”
“Other than yours, apparently.”
“Like I said, no magic. I’m immune. It wouldn’t affect me.”
“How can we believe that?”
Owen shook his hands in frustration, looking like he was barely restraining himself from strangling the elf. “You saw all the power that the wizards threw at me and that you threw at me, and nothing happened. Not to mention the fact that I got past your wards. I can’t use the Eye. I might even be able to separate it from the Knot, if it can be done physically.”
“I will consider your offer and suggest it to the Elf Lord,” Lyle said stiffly.
“Great. Now, drop the wards and let these people go.”
“Do you think that is a wise idea?”
All of us looked around at the fighting or sobbing patrons. I imagined them being turned loose on the city to hunt down the gem. “Well, probably not,” I said. “Maybe you could give them the Sleeping Beauty treatment, like you did to the people in front and to these wizards. You could throw in a little memory adjustment, while you’re at it.”
The elf gave me a surprised glance, then nodded. “Yes, we could do that.” He waved his arms, and everyone in the room, aside from the elves, Owen, the waiter, and me, settled down into sleep. I was surprised that the stern-looking couple also fell asleep. I’d been so sure that they were immune. Maybe they just had a lot of self-control. “Now, we will return this place to its normal appearance. We know where to find you if we decide to accept your offer.”
“Thank you,” Owen said, then he took my arm and led me out of the club. I shivered as I looked at the people who’d fallen asleep in mid-squabble. If being in the same room with the thing made people that crazy, it wouldn’t be easy to get it away from the future Mrs. Martin.
I noticed that Owen was bleeding from a cut on his forehead and asked, “Are you okay?”
