Read The Knights of the Black Earth for Free Online Page A

it
successfully, in fact.”
    The surge that
went through Xris had nothing to do with his batteries. Elation sparked, its
jolt nearly stopping his heart with bright, intense pleasure. He spent a moment
reveling in the triumph, then said slowly, “You mean you’ve found him. Rowan.”
    “Dalin Rowan.”
Wiedermann savored the name. “We’re close. Very close.”
    Xris shut his
eyes. Emotion brought tears, burned behind the lids. His hand—his good hand,
resting on his good knee—clenched into a tight fist. Nails dug into his flesh.
Good flesh, warm flesh. Blood—warm blood, real blood—throbbed in his temples. A
buzzing sounded; his system was warning him that it was having difficulty
compensating for this sudden adrenaline rush that was unaccompanied by
strenuous physical exertion. He drew in several deep breaths to try to calm
himself down.
    “Tell me—where is
he?”
    “I don’t think so.
I’ve called a halt to the operation,” Wiedermann said offhandedly, frowning at
the file in his hands.
    “You did what?”
Xris couldn’t believe he’d heard correctly, thought his auditory system might
have shorted out.
    “I spoke clearly
enough.” Wiedermann was testy. The green eyes narrowed. “I’ve halted the
operation. I have a good idea—an excellent idea, in fact—where this case is
headed. And I don’t like it. We could find ourselves in a great deal of
difficulty. Our firm is not, at this point, prepared to accept the risk. I’ve
spoken with my father and he—”
    With his good
hand, Xris shoved aside an enormous stack of folders, toppling them to the
floor. He leaned over the desk, planted the left elbow of the metal arm in the
newly cleared space directly under Wiedermann’s nose.
    “You see this?”
Xris wiggled his metal fingers. “Nine years ago, this arm was real. So was my
leg, my eye, and all other parts of me. I won’t bore you with the details—you’ve
got them on file. I damn near died in that explosion. Dalin Rowan, my friend
and partner, saved my life. But I never got a chance to thank him. After the
accident, he disappeared.
    “I owe him.” Xris
was forced to pause, readjust himself. He was experiencing momentary breathing
difficulty. “I owe him big. I spent a year of my own life searching for Dalin
Rowan. No luck. You’ve spent six years’ worth of my money searching for him.
You tell me you’ve found him, but you won’t tell me where he is. I think you
might want to reconsider. Hand over that file.”
    “Certainly.”
Wiedermann was calm, not the least intimidated. “But you wouldn’t find it much
help. It’s not your case. Here, see for yourself.”
    Xris backed off.
He’d played enough ante-up to know when a man was bluffing. “All right, then.
Where are my files?”
    “In the computer.”
Wiedermann indicated the screens behind him. “One of the computers. You’ll
never find them, you know. Not if you searched a lifetime. And I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell you. I haven’t decided.”
    “What do you want?”
Xris demanded. “More money?”
    Wiedermann shook
his head. “We operate in this galaxy at His Majesty’s pleasure. At any time,
the galactic government could revoke our license. If that happened, the total
worth of the Crown Jewels couldn’t compensate us for our losses. If your case
results in legal action against us, I want to be certain we have a chance to
win.”
    “Legal action?”
Xris snorted. “What legal action? I’m trying to find my friend—”
    “It’s up to you,”
Wiedermann interrupted. “If we decide not to proceed, you won’t be charged for
our time. We’ll refund your retainer. You won’t be out anything.”
    “Only eight years
of my life,” Xris said through clenched teeth.
    “Tell me your
story.”
    “I told you the
goddamn story once. Your operative, that is. It’s in the blasted files!”
    Wiedermann leaned
back in his chair. Crossing bony legs over bony knees, he put the tips of his
fingers together.
    Xris eyed