"Whoever is here has one of the Jewels, and he's not more than two hundred feet away," said Firebird.
VIII
As she spoke, a burst of flame spatted sand in front of their sled. The shower of exploding particles blasted against the cowling.
Firebird turned off the light and spun the sled in towards the buildings. She sped into the shadows along what had once been the short main street of Pheme. Then they darted into a shadow between two buildings.
"There may be more than one of them," said Nathan.
The girl shook her head. "Searchers for the Seven Jewels do not work in pairs. Not for long, anyway. One of them soon kills the other when they do," she added enigmatically.
Nathan glanced at her sharply, wondering if she were reminding him of their own precarious agreement—or accusing Tabor.
They emerged cautiously from the sled, each gripping one of their flame rifles in addition to the smaller lances.
"That shot came from the flat-roofed building at the end of the street," said Nathan.