What if these guards were working for the humans who hired Jeamo and Calmorien to scry and spy? Maybe they were looking for Jeamo's notes. Maybe they will torture Lynae. She seems tough enough, but what if she folds and tells them where the notes are and everything else she knows? About Jet, and his organization.

The thought stops me dead. Should I run and tell Jet what happened? If I do, I reveal my hand in this afternoon's mess. And then if nothing comes of it, I look like an untrustworthy, insubordinate, incompetent fool. Well, except for the fact I finessed the dangerous blood rune away from Calmorien's place right through an entire human guard patrol. And got away to warn him about it. But do I really want to take the rune right to Jet's hideout? I don't even know what it does.

And do I really want to risk crossing Gate Way, which is hot with the human watch and too many curious elves, to get back to Jet's place?

After a few moments of wrestling with the issue, I decide to follow Lynae's order and take the rune to Bolin. She's not my boss, but for all I know she was there on Jet's orders to do some cleanup, just like he'd sent someone to torch Jeamo's warehouse. And destroying the rune immediately seems to me to be a good plan, and in keeping with Jet's scorched warehouse policy as to any presence of Jeamo. 

Maybe I'll even skip the olive oil warehouse invasion I have planned for later tonight and work a shift at the smelter. Like a good, industrious Elftown elf. Safe, productive, and away from danger. 

Heh. 

No. I don't think so.

* * * 

Bolin is not on shift when I arrive; I find him in his workshop, puttering away at something or other. The room is hot; there is a fire in the forge set into the back wall. The dwarf looks up guiltily as I enter, moving to cover whatever he was working on with a piece of hardened leather. I can see a few of the torture tools he lifted from Jeamo's studio sticking out from underneath. Looks like he's going to melt them down tonight.

When he recognizes me, he looks visibly relieved. Whoever said beards were dour didn't know this one.

"Ahai, Arq," he says. "Come to pay me back my silver?"

I laugh. He's such a dwarf.

"As a matter of fact, I have," I say, tossing him the same coin he tossed me last night outside of Jet's hideout. "That, and for a couple other things."

His expression changes. He looks a little worried.

"What other things? You're not going to ask me for more history lessons, I hope. Because I am done talking about that with you."

I shake my head.

"I need my cuirass repaired, for one. Got a bit dented yesterday, as you know. And has this stinger sized hole in the center of the chestplate." 

Bolin nods.

"I can help with that," he says. "Shouldn't cost too much. Take it off. Shouldn't take more than a day or two." His business tone has returned. "And what else?"

"And then there's this."

I gingerly lay the blood rune down on the low worktable. He looks at it suspiciously, sniffing.

"What's this?" he asks, but before I can reply, he hisses, a look of distaste on his face.

"Ugh! Blood and magic! It smells like Jeamo's studio." 

I grin. "You smell good for a dwarf."

He doesn't think it's funny.

"Why have you brought this here?"

I lean in and whisper. 

"A mutual friend told me to bring this to you. So that you could destroy it, by tossing it in the bloomery."

"A mutual friend? You mean Jet?" he whispers back hoarsely. I roll my eyes, as if to suggest that obviously it was Jet who sent me, which is what I want him to think. I don't actually want to lie to him though. He looks pretty rattled. If he knew it was Lynae, he might not help.

"This is not in my contract," he protests. I shake my head in frustration.

"Bolin, are you an idiot?" I ask. "Look at this. It's a blood rune."

"I know what it is," the dwarf huffs. "I saw it yesterday."

The hell?

"You saw it yesterday? Were you in Calmorien's apartment?"

Bolin shakes his head. "No, I didn't see this one," he explains, talking to me like I am a child. "I saw the other one."