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"And the Order of the Brass Octopus?" she asked, hopeful

"They’re different, vested in keeping themselves secret"

Rue pushed "And they are?"

"A society of concerned scientists that occasionally interferes in politics when they feel the world needs a nudge I haven’t seen hide nor hair of them for" – he frowned – "well over a decade, possibly two Youfriend there" He tilted his head in Quesnel’s direction

Quesnel flushed as the entire table turned various levels of anger, interest, and concern in his direction He raised both hands "Whoa there You can check me for the tattoo I’m not a member"

Rue was tolerably certain, and she could feel herself heating up at the possibility of having to acknowledge this to everyone in the stateroole tattoo anywhere on his body She’d conducted a complete inventory on more than one occasion She would defend hily accused However, it was one thing to hint to her friends about fraternisation and quite another to confirm it publicly

Fortunately Quesnel said, "My mother was OBO Is she up to her old tricks? I don’t think so"

"It’s not her we’re worried about," said Rue At least I don’t think it’s Mother’s old chum Rue had never entirely trusted Madame Lefoux Partly because on those occasions when she’d observed theether, they did seens of suspicion "You want to know if the OBO is still active?"

"Is it?"

"Likely, yes I declined to join Secret societies are too old-fashioned for words Haven’t heard froardless, I doubt they’d ally with the Tereed "The OBO is likely a better ally for sportsmen and collectors Of the two, let’s hope it’s them"

"Why?" Rue asked

"Templars like to kill first and ask questions later The OBO would rather experiment first and kill later Either way you end up dead, but at least with the OBO there’s a chance of escape"

"Very optimistic" Miss Sekhmet looked, if possible, even more worried

Primrose poured her another cup of iced milk

They were two days out froh and fast over the gates of the cataracts Anyone free of shipboard duty hung over the railings staring down at the widening of the Nile below The great river became a near lake, dotted hite rapids and the peaks of a thousand varied islands – rocky, sandy, or covered in palht, they floated over Assûan, a town so s Dawn had them at the second cataract Rue had never before wished to explore groundside so badly The fierce beauty of the place drew her, the rapids fored this Nile, yet the scattered lush islands were the stuff of fairy tales