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Her nails dug into her palms as she forced herself into proper posture and composure She walked across to look at the document on the desk It was a basic note of adht, for a Grand Ball

It was signed, Silver

CHAPTER FIVE

‘I’ve found out all about it,’ Kai said as he sliced a bread roll into halves ‘Hey, this is real butter Cool’

‘We’re lucky that it isn’t flash-frozen with chemical additional supple a restaurant that wasn’t billing itself as all new and all special, equipped with the latest scientific devices to preserve, enhance and cook the food that was served inside Post-meal condition of the diners was not e,’ Kai said He laid the knife down between the two pieces of buttered roll ‘So, do you want to go first, orwith enthusiasation Irene couldn’t help but wonder just how discreet a cri the Library She ht their wine and retreated into the curtained shadows of the restaurant, and tried not to be too amused by it all Five years of enforced study had clearly left hihts for most of London

‘You first,’ Irene said ‘Give ht Now, first of all, Liechtenstein is a major power in this world They do the best zeppelins And everyone knows it That newspaper-seller was right And they do sell infor secrets’

‘No industrial espionage?’ Irene asked ‘No reverse engineering of technology or attempts to invade other countries?’

‘Ah, there’s a reason for that’ Kai took a sip of his wine ‘Hey, this isn’t bad For a cheap little hole-in-the-wall place like this’

Irene nodded ‘So, what’s the reason?’

‘The Fae keep them out They keep the entire country well protected to shield their own goings-on, and it keeps out the industrial and national spies as well Re one of the Fair Folk?’ Kai pressed his lips together for a ust ‘It’s not just him There’s a lot of the It’s a nexus for their filth The local populace tolerates thela to be thrilled that they were going to the Eht ‘Ah,’ she said neutrally, and sipped her wine ‘So it’s quite norst the Liechtenstein Embassy staff?’

Kai nodded ‘They’re known for it, even Newspaper reporters were trying to get interviews at the E with the country carried cold iron talismans now – it was that bad’

‘Good to know that works,’ Irene said ‘Assu it does?’

‘Well, they wouldn’t carry them unless it did,’ Kai said ‘Unless’ He paused ‘Unless the Fair Folk are just faking the whole thing in order to lure their victims into a false sense of security’

‘Well, that’s possible too,’ Irene agreed regretfully She held up her hand to pause him as the waiter arrived with their soup, and they were quiet until theup her spoon ‘Go on’

‘The current Ahty years,’ Kai said, picking up his own spoon ‘His name is Silver Or rather, people call him Silver It seems nobody knows his real nah the fact that it’s apparently a reportable fact about hihed ‘Fae The reporter that I was talking to said that he hadn’t changed at all in the last eighty years, except to update his wardrobe He’s got a fairly typical reputation for a Fair Folk Seductive, arrogant, party-going, patronizes artists’

Irene thought about that ‘Does he patronize engineers?’ she asked

‘The reporter didn’t ed ‘It just seeiven we’re told this alternate favours technology, and if Liechtenstein’s economy is based on airships By the way, you know a lot about the Fair Folk’

Kai looked as though he was considering spitting on the ground ‘Those creatures – we had so like them in the alternate that I came from Pervasive thieves, wasters, destroyers – they make their way into society and tear it apart They destabilize reality They’re tools of chaos They are chaos You can’t expect s like that’

‘Look, calree that they’re n to root them out Remember the mission’ She was surprised by his vehemence; it was more than she’d expect from a trainee But personal experience was probably behind it She wondered how personal the experience ht be An involvement with one of theet the text and then we can get the hell out of here’

Kai stared at her for a ize for my improper behaviour,’ he said, suddenly formal ‘You are the head of this s on the subject My extrele" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">