Free Illusion Town by Jayne Castle Page A

crystals look hot.”
    â€œVirgil,”
Hannah called.
    A muffled chortle sounded from the vicinity of a row of arcade booths.
    â€œHe’ll be fine,” Elias said. “Let’s get your necklace.”
    She hesitated briefly and then told herself that Virgil was at home in the Underworld. He frequently went down into the Rainforest to hunt at night. He could take care of himself.
    â€œI remember removing the back panel last night so that you could hide your necklace under the fortunes,” Elias said. “But I never got a chance to activate the machine. Let’s see what happens when I rez up old Sylvester.”
    â€œConsidering what happened when you experimented with the carousel, I’m not so sure that’s a great idea—”
    But Elias had already pressed a red button.
    There was a faint whir of machinery inside the booth. Hannah watched, wary but fascinated, as the Sylvester Jones figure came to life. The crystal eyes blinked a few times and brightened with energy. A deep mechanical voice boomed from a hidden speaker.
    â€œPlace your hand on the palm print,” the robotic figure intoned. “You will receive your fortune.”
    Elias flattened one hand on the image of a palm. He snatched it back almost immediately.
    â€œShit.” He shook his hand as though it had been burned.
    â€œWhat was it?” Hannah asked.
    â€œDamned if I know. Some kind of energy. Not strong, but definitely hot.”
    â€œAre you okay?”
    â€œYeah, I’m fine.”
    The concealed machinery whirred again. A piece of paper appeared from a slot. Elias picked it up somewhat cautiously and looked at it.
    â€œWell?” Hannah asked. “What does it say?”
    â€œIt says
Beware of strangers selling waterfront property
.”
    â€œWell, that’s not helpful,” Hannah said. “It’s just a generic fortune like the one I got about finding true love soon.”
    â€œRight. Generic.”
    He sounded irritated again.
    â€œMy necklace,” Hannah prompted.
    â€œGive me a minute.”
    He took a small leather case out of the pocket of hisjacket. Popping open the case, he removed a little tool and went to work on the back of the fortune-teller’s booth.
    â€œGot it,” he said a moment later.
    He removed the back panel of the booth and set it down on the ground. He stirred the pile of paper fortunes. When he pulled out his hand Hannah saw that he was holding her crystal necklace.
    Relief splashed through her. “Thank goodness. I remember thinking that if those guys who were chasing us made it through the dreamlight gate, the necklace would be safe inside the booth.”
    â€œIf Sylvester Jones can’t protect a secret, who can?” Elias said. He closed the panel at the back of the booth. “Now all we have to do is rescue my team and then figure out who was chasing us last night.”
    â€œThat’s a serious to-do list.” She fastened the necklace around her throat. And took a deep breath. “Well, at least we know why we got married. You were afraid the guys on the motorcycles were after me because they didn’t want me rescuing your team. You thought that if we were married, the kidnappers would think twice about trying to grab me. You wanted to protect me by throwing the power of the Coppersmith Mining empire around me.”
    â€œYeah, something like that.” He zipped up the black tool case. “The Coppersmiths take care of their own.”
    Now he sounded disgruntled. She cleared her throat. “It was very nice of you.”
    He looked at her, eyes sharpening with a little energy. “Nice?”
    She flushed. “I just want you to know I appreciate the gesture.”
    He gave her an inscrutable look. “All I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
    â€œRight.” She squared her shoulders. “Well, it’s a complication for both of us but nothing that