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But Lawson didn’t know if they would ever find it They were barely ave him little comfort If he and his wolves had been able to cross Hell’s Gate, then it was reasonable to expect that the hounds would be able to do so as well There was also the matter of Edon’s stubborn refusal to talk Edon was et iain and again "We won’t leave her behind"

But Edon’s silence said it all: they already had

Thank god he had Rafe to help hi as a wolf, and as a hue, dense with"Can’t keep up a body like this without food," he’d say, and poke Edon in his stomach, or pinch his arm Edon never said a word, but finally, he snatched a sandwich out of Rafe’s hands one day, and ever since he had been scavenging with theet him eventually," Rafe confided in Lawson "He never could stand it when I teased hi," Lawson said "He’ll have to talk at soh so much"

"We all have," Lawson reentle with him," Tala said, and her eyes showed her own sadness Lawson had alotten that she and Ahramin were sisters - not just in spirit, not just because they were from the same den, but because they were fro as well "She was tough, and she didn’t have much time for someone weak like me, but I loved her I miss her I wish she was here with us"

"We all do," he said

"He’ll co a hand on his ar Ahramin behind as it was, and with every day Edon passed in silence, he felt worse But he had to worry about the pack; he didn’t have tiathered the about the future We can’t keep living like this, stealing and scrounging and never sure where we’re going to sleep"

There was silence, then a surprising response, frorowl "We can’t stay in any one place too long," Edon said "We have to keep , before the hounds catch our scent We don’t kno long the Gates will hold thehts exactly" Lawson nodded, relieved to have his brother speaking at last

"We need to learn more about this world," Malcolm said, ever the sensible one "I’m the only one who kno to read And none of us can write We need to find a place that’s safe for us This isn’t it" He waved his hand around the park they’d cay wooden benches where they’d eventually sleep

"Where should we go?" Rafe asked, looking to Lawson for answers

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," boomed a voice fro on one of the park benches? He could have sworn no one was there But sure enough, when he turned around, a entleman with about three-quarters of a smile on his face He was small and round, dressed in fine clothes that had seen finer days - a brown corduroy jacket and neat slacks, but Lawson could tell they were old and worn, the collar was frayed, and the hems of his coat were threadbare

"You must be the wolves Allow me to introduce myself," the man said "I’m Arthur Beauchamp"

Chapter Two

"I’m a warlock," he explained, in response to their alarod, doos? That’s another story"1

"Is that how you know us? Is that how you recognized who - what - we are?" Lawson asked

Arthur cocked his head to one side He exuded a shabby geniality that was difficult to dislike "Yes, and no, I suppose Warlocks aren’t allowed to use their powers Those of us who choose to live in the openfor some ti a rein onfor you for a very long ti you She said that one day I would co wolves, and they would need ht," Edonthat Edon was speaking, but why did he have to choose now, and with that tone?

"Well, that’s what I’m here for," Arthur said, not at all perturbed "Come, we have much to discuss, and you can’t stay here"

Lawson looked around at the other wolves It was easier to read their faces in their human forms Malcolm was scared, Rafe was skeptical, and Edon was indifferent It was Tala’s face that made the decision for him: there was an openness to the possibility that Arthur really was there to help, that he could be trusted, and Lawson trusted that

"Okay," he said

Arthur packed all of them into his beat-up van, introduced them to fast-food takeout, then drove for several hours until they reached his apartment in the city "This is an older part of Cleveland, a bit forgotten - like me," he said It was a craized for the size, but Lawson assured hiht quarters of the den, after all

"I’d use er, but that would be conspicuous," Arthur told theic I’ve used to increase the space is all for storage" He opened what appeared to be a closet door and turned on the light

Lawson could barely see in, but apparently Malcolht away "Whoa," he said, and then ran into the rooic, Lawson realized when he saw that the closet expanded on the inside to the size of a sany tables and enorht this was more important than extra bedrooms," Arthur said "We have much work to do, all of us"