The Shard That Screams

The crystal fragment pulsed with a violet light, the vibration crawling up Kane's spine.

His fingers tightened around his pen, knuckles whitening as he fought to maintain a neutral expression.

Another shard? The Bureau records had mentioned nothing about multiple fragments of the Whispering Shard.

Cyrus's eyes flicked briefly toward Kane, noting the sudden tension in his shoulders, the slight flattening of his ears.

The dragon's expression remained unchanged, but he shifted his attention fully to the artifact.

"This particular piece interests me," Cyrus said, his voice measured and calm. "What can you tell me about its properties, Madam Xiu?"

The jade-skinned woman's gold eyes gleamed as she lifted the shard with reverence between her elegant fingers.

Unlike the Whispering Shard's unsettling hum that bent wills, this fragment emitted a different frequency—sharper, more piercing.

"Careful now, this one screams." Her lips curved slightly.

"When activated, it amplifies spirit energy rather than suppressing it. Quite the opposite effect of some... similar artifacts I've encountered."

Kane's pen scratched frantically across the paper, his heart hammering. Different properties. Same origin?

"Its provenance?" Cyrus asked.

Madam Xiu tilted her head, the light catching her translucent skin.

"Uncertain. It appeared on the black market three months ago. My sources suggest it was uncovered during an excavation in the northern territories."

She turned the shard, examining its jagged edges.

"What fascinates me is the fracture pattern. See how it's not a clean break? The fragment wasn't shattered—it was separated with purpose."

Her golden gaze swept across the table.

"I believe this is merely one piece of a much larger artifact. Ancient texts speak of a crystal forged in the breath of dying gods, later broken to prevent its full power from being wielded."

Kane's tail twitched involuntarily. Could the Whispering Shard in the Bureau's possession be merely a shard of a more potent entity?

His mind raced with speculations. Someone was after the Whispering Shard he'd secured, and now a similar piece had surfaced. Too coincidental.

He kept his expression neutral while his thoughts tumbled over each other.

The break-in at his apartment, the claw marks, the purple residue—all connected to this fragment business.

"Have you encountered any... interested parties pursuing this artifact?" Kane asked, maintaining his assistant persona.

Madam Xiu's golden eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, the air around her shimmering with faint disturbance.

She studied Kane with new interest, as if reassessing a piece on a game board she'd previously overlooked.

"An interesting question from an assistant," she said, her voice like silk over stone.

"Most wouldn't think to ask about... competitive interests."

Kane fought to maintain eye contact. If she saw through him, if she even suspected his Bureau ties... it wouldn't just be his cover at risk.

"There are always interested parties for items of this caliber."

"However, only a few individuals have both the knowledge to recognize its significance and the resources to acquire it.

She turned the shard between her fingers, light refracting through its crystalline structure.

"Three potential buyers have approached me. One disappeared rather abruptly last week." Her lips curled into something not quite a smile.

"The second withdrew their offer after an unfortunate accident."

The implication hung in the air like a blade.

"And the third?" Cyrus prompted, his voice betraying nothing.

"The third awaits my decision." She returned her attention to Cyrus.

Cyrus leaned forward slightly, his posture shifting from interested to intent.

"How much are you asking for the shard, Madam Xiu?"

The jade-skinned woman closed her fingers around the crystal, which pulsed once before going dormant in her grasp.

She slipped it back into its ornate box with practiced precision.

"Mr. Drakhal, I believe we've known each other long enough to move beyond such... pedestrian exchanges." Her golden eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge. "Currency holds little appeal when one has accumulated wealth across centuries."

Kane noticed Cyrus's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.

"You're proposing a trade."

It wasn't a question.

Madam Xiu inclined her head, the gold hairpins in her flowing black hair catching the light.

"Precisely. I've recently become aware of a certain artifact in your possession—a ceremonial dagger with a black jade hilt, forged during the First Dynasty." Her fingers traced invisible patterns on the table.

"The blade that severed the ties between the spirit and mortal realms during the ancient wars."

Cyrus went completely still, the kind of stillness that made Kane's instincts scream danger.

"That particular item is not for trade."

Madam Xiu's expression cooled, the air around her shimmering with barely contained displeasure.

"Not unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless." She tapped one jade-green finger against the table, leaving a faint golden residue that evaporated instantly.

"Perhaps we might arrange an alternative exchange."

Her golden eyes gleamed with the kind of calculation that spanned centuries—cold, amused, and dangerous.

She reached into her robes, producing a small scroll case of tarnished silver.

"The Midnight Chalice." She unrolled an ancient parchment showing a goblet of obsidian with starlight trapped within its depths.

"Lost during the Fall of the Western Courts, rumored to have been hidden in mortal hands."

Cyrus's eyes narrowed slightly. "That artifact has been missing for centuries."

"Indeed." Madam Xiu's lips curved into something not quite a smile.

"Which makes it all the more valuable to one who can locate it. The Chalice for my shard—should you manage to find it within thirty days."

Kane noticed the subtle tension in Cyrus's shoulders, the almost imperceptible flare of his nostrils.

"You're not merely proposing a trade," Cyrus said. "You're issuing a challenge."

Madam Xiu's golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she rolled the ancient parchment closed with a practiced flick of her wrist.

"Do we have a deal, Mr. Drakhal?" Her voice carried the weight of centuries, each syllable deliberate and final.

The air between them seemed to thicken with unspoken power, the delicate balance of two ancient beings negotiating terms.

Kane held his breath, pen hovering above his notepad as he watched the silent calculation behind Cyrus's eyes.

Cyrus's gaze dropped to the parchment, jaw tightening. The bond between him and Kane pulsed once—uncertain, restrained.

Finally, he extended his hand across the polished table.

"We have a deal."

Madam Xiu's jade fingers met his, and for a brief moment, Kane saw golden energy spark where their skin connected—some form of binding magic sealing their agreement.

"Thirty days," she reminded him, withdrawing her hand and standing in one fluid motion.

"I look forward to seeing what the last black dragon can accomplish when properly motivated."