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Rue gasped appreciatively "It’ssh beautiful!"

Her unwitting guide did not turn when she spoke, ht side of the waterfall This side of the tee bonfire in the enclosed front courtyard Around this was a group of shadowy figures Some crouched, others perched, a few sat in proper forures jerked and twitched in a frenzied old plate which gleaht They were all quite furry

The newly h the wide entranceway towards the group, trailing Rue behind hied in so earthenware cups of spiced tea It comprised a dozen or so Vanaras, Miss Sekhroup and up a level was a beautifully ornate silver birdcage – e – in which Miss Sekhruntled but unhurt Rue wondered if the silver cage kept her fro back to human shape or if there were some other reason she reold The Vanaras were obviously fond of the stuff

Percy sat in the centre with silverset around his ankles and fro in the stone floor

Rue and her escort took up position near Percy in front of the were and stared at them

The spheres they sat upon proved to be transport containers, brass-es like a sporadically eaten orange Each one held a quantity of dirt and a selection of healthy-looking seedlings, suspended above which was a series of tubes and bulbous bladders that could only be an autoistering that one of their number was apparently involuntarily hu at once, in Hindustani of course Rue’s mortal victim threw the ust

At the sa in the firelight and said, "Rue, is that you?"

"Of coursh ishon?"

Percy blinked at herlost his spectacles at some point "Aside from the fact that we just watched the head of Ganesha emit a fire sparkler, catch fire, explode, and fall into the forest?"

"Ah, yesh," said Rue "That would be me assh well"

Percy’s expression said he found this utterly unsurprising "Our hosts thought it a sign froods"

Rue nodded "I shee"