“Right,” Darby said, sliding off the stool, then patting the seat. “Prop yourself here while I do my stuff.”

I obeyed, then swung the stool around to face her. She pulled gloves from her purse, snapped them on, then pressed her fingertips against my temples. “Remain still while I do a full scan.”

“It’s mainly my face.”

“Yeah, that’s why you’re walking like an old woman. Just shut up and let me do this.”

I shut up. Her gaze narrowed, and her magic rose, a warm and bright caress of energy. It washed from the top of my head down the length of my body, then returned at a slower pace. After a moment, she nodded and stepped back. “Plenty of bruises and scrapes, but you’re right, your cheek is the worst of it. The rest is mainly bruising.”

She quickly healed them all, then picked up her red and moved around the counter to stand beside Lugh. He didn’t move, which was one step up the ladder of acceptance in my opinion.

Darby’s too, if the twinkle in her eyes was anything to go by.

I took a sip of the red—and by gods, though it would generally be considered past its peak of drinkability, it was still a lovely drop—then said, “I take it Mathi’s updated you on events?”

Lugh nodded. “I called Rogan when Darby arrived, gave him the bare bones, and asked if he could help us out tracking Aram down. He’s outraged at the possibility that such a lout—his words—could be responsible for the Claws not appearing in his museum.”

Which was almost funny, given that during his time as a relic hunter, Rogan had gained a reputation for his shady methods and loutish behavior when it came to acquiring artifacts. “Does that mean if Aram is still alive but in hiding, Rogan will be able track him down?”

“He has good guild links, so he has more chance than the rest of us,” Lugh said. “He also mentioned that the first of the two new antiquarians has accepted the job offer and should be arriving in the next day or so.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I know Nialle has to be replaced, but hasn’t that happened a little too quickly? Antiquarians with the relevant experience aren’t thick on the ground these days.”

Lugh shrugged. “He’s been trying to fill the additional positions for a few months now and had recently increased the rate of pay being offered to attract better candidates. It obviously worked.”

“Maybe so, but it still feels wrong.”

“With Nialle gone and the Claws continuing to take most of my time, we really need the extra help. The Claws isn’t the only search the museum is running, and right now, they’ve all stalled.”

And that was never a good situation when you were dealing with fragile antiquities and a black market hungry to consume them. “Did you mention the notes to Rogan?”

“Notes?” Mathi said, glancing from me to Lugh and back again. “What notes?”