Island of Glass (The Guardians Trilogy #3)(31)

He pulled over Riley’s pad, scribbled a note.

He started to flip through, see if another story in the book of folklore addressed the stars, then set the book down when Sawyer came in.

“Okay if I use the other half of the table? I want to try out the maps in here.”

“No problem. In fact, I’ll work with you, leave the books to Gwin.”

“That’s not all you can leave to Gwin.” Riley smiled, smug, as she pocketed her phone. “I just scored us all the ammo on your list, Dead-Eye.”

“The underwater rounds, too?”

“Yeah, them, too. And I got us a pair of Ruger AR-556, along with two dozen thirty-round mags.”

“Never shot that model,” Sawyer said.

“Me either. The deal’s contingent on me looking them over, testing them out. But I googled it while he was talking, and they should be more than fine. Doyle and I can pick them up, along with the ammo, swing back, get the pizza, and we’re set.”

“Unless you want to go along,” Doyle put in. Send the two of them, he thought, and spare him the drive with Riley.

“Wouldn’t mind, but no way I’d talk Anni out of coming if I did.” Sawyer’s eyes, gray as fog, showed both fear and humor. “Then she’s loose in Ennis. Shopping.”

“Forget it. There and back. Good thing I hit an ATM in Capri or I’d be light on my share.” Riley checked the time. “I’m going to dive in here until noon.”

“I’ll be working with Sawyer on the maps,” Doyle told her.

“Fine.” She sat, frowned at his scribbled note. “What’s this about prophet, siren, and warrior?”

“According to the fairy tale you had me slog through, the queen’s exiled herself on her island until they find the stars and let them shine again.”

“Always a root,” Riley muttered, picked up the book herself.

And happily gave herself over to digging.





CHAPTER SEVEN




Sporting a few bruises from hand-to-hand—Sasha was becoming fierce—Riley tossed a small pack over her shoulder, headed out to Bran’s car.

She preferred to drive rather than ride, honestly didn’t understand anyone who didn’t. But Doyle had called it first, and as one who respected dibs, she climbed in the shotgun seat, prepared to relax.

Ireland had excellent scenery, and when you drove—at least the way she did—you didn’t have a chance to enjoy it.

When Doyle got behind the wheel, she decided she’d be friendly.

“Too bad we can’t take the bike. How was the ride with Anni?”

He backed up, swung around, headed down the bumpy drive toward the road. “There’s a village about eight kilometers off the route I took. It has a couple shops. I’m still wondering how she talked me into turning off and stopping.”

“She has breasts.”

“She’s another man’s woman.”

“Who still has breasts. And a whole truckload of charm.” She shifted to take the weight off her left hip.

“You took a good spill toward the end of hand-to-hand.”

“Sasha’s craftier than she used to be. My mistake for holding back.”

“Bran could have taken care of any bruises.”

“You don’t have a few bruises, it wasn’t a good fight.”

The world was beautiful here, she thought. Untamed and rugged even with the rolls of green, the bundles of cropping sheep. It had a wild, timeless feel that had always spoken to her.

The farmer in the field with his tractor—hadn’t his ancestors cultivated that same field with plow and horse? And the simple art of those stone walls. Hadn’t those stones been dug and pulled out of those same fields by hands now buried in graveyards?

Take away the paved road, the cars, the scatter of modern houses, and it wouldn’t look so very different from when Doyle had lived here. Which was something, she thought, he was bound to feel.

Above, the sky had gone from soft blue to sulky with clouds. They drove into rain, then out again.

“Biggest invention or discovery.”

He spared her a frown. “What?”

“What’s your pick for most important invention or discovery—since you’ve seen a bunch of them in three centuries—to date.”

“I’m not looking to take a quiz.”

“It’s not a quiz, it’s a question. I’m interested in your opinion on it.”

He might have preferred silence, but knew her well enough now to know she’d keep at him. “Electricity, as it opened the door to other advances that needed it.”

“Yeah, a big leap. I go with fire—the discovery. But for technology, can’t argue with electricity.”

“If you’re going back to the dawn of time—which is well before mine—you’d have the invention of common tools, the wheel.”

“Discovering salt and its uses,” she added. “Herbal medicines, learning how to make brick, cut stone, build wells and aqueducts. Did you go to school? You’re going to want to take a left on the road coming up.”

He made the turn, said nothing.

“It’s tough for someone in my line of work not to have some curiosity about a man who’s lived through eras I’ve studied. That’s all.”