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He cocked his head, watching the serpent-people as they ca noise and a white-blue mist rose from the corners of his diath, he could stop them With a wave of his hand, he could turn the air so cold around their arrows that they would shatter Perhaps, he ht even momentarily freeze the river around them But Frost looked just as drained as the rest of them, and Oliver did not share the certainty in the winter man’s voice

He raised the Sword of Hunyadi

"Oliver, no!" Kitsune shouted

Blue Jay burst fro water across the rocks and his co out as he darted forward, then he spun in the air, ready to block the arrows of the Nagas

Not a single arro

Oliver frowned, staring, sword still at the ready as the Nagas turned to one another, whispering Their serpentine lower halves undulated beneath the water, keeping theed a look of confusion, and then the winter estured for Oliver to lower his sword Reluctantly, he did so

"We are travelers in search of brief sanctuary," Frost announced "We come openly and without pretense I am Frost of the Borderkind My coend says that Twillig’s Gorge is a place of safe haven for travelers of any allegiance, so long as their intentions are peaceful Is the legend false?"

The Nagas rose up fro cobralike for a moment They opened their mouths and hissed, but their arrows still did not fly

"Tiends," one of the feends most of all You know that very well, Cailleach Bheur, just as I am certain you know that these are perilous tidoms Perilous for Borderkind e, but they have lived here for ht for them Risk all for thehbors," the Naga said, nodding her head first toward Frost, then toward Kitsune and Blue Jay "None of you The coer to us all, when so ers?"

Kitsune growled at the use of the word ht have attacked them then, but this time it was Oliver who held her back

"You’ll turn us away out of cowardice, then?" Frost demanded

Blue Jay landed atop the rock Oliver had crashed into, changing again into his huas

"I never would have believed it," the trickster said "The world really has changed"

"Better allies than strangers," Frost said, voice low Mist drifted up fro the tunnel les of his icy body and face even more severe "Better friends than enest you, the Hunters will coet here That serves us all"

The Nagas watched the, tense moments, and then the leader raised her bow, let the pressure off of the string, and returned the arrow to its quiver The others followed suit

The leader bowed, then looked at Frost, her s us cowards But this is not a time for those with no quarrel to slay one another It h that ill all be short of friends But you understand we e are scarce and mostly unwelcoas "But you will let us in?"

"To rest To eat You will be gone by dawn And if others of your kin leave to join you on your quest, all the better"

Oliver felt the tension go out of him He slid his sword back into his belt and then stretched, feeling every one of the bruises he’d gotten when he slaas, not liking the way they watched hiroup, the sentries of Twillig’s Gorge seemed unduly focused on his movements Blue Jay, Kitsune, and Frost joined hias slithered in the water

The leader, sleek and beautiful froazed at hireen eyes

"That does not apply to you, brother You are welcoas, wherever you find us"

Oliver stared dumbly at her She turned and say down the river, the other Naga sentries following her With the undulating of their serpentine bodies, they rode the current, and were out of the tunnel and into the sunlight of the gorge in lancing around at his friends

Kitsune frowned Beneath her hood, her expression was as puzzled as Oliver’s own "I have no idea ‘Brother’? Who do they think you are?"