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The last of the gathering was a seven-foot, broad-shouldered ray-streaked, rust-colored beard When the ray eyes, Oliver knew he’d an when he came to the man, the last introduction
"Wayland Smith," Oliver interrupted "I remerettable"
The ician And as far as Oliver was concerned, he could not be trusted Smith toyed briefly with the fox-head of his cane, then rested it against the table
After the introductions, that odd convocation began to eat The beef had been ht it was as he had ever tasted The boiled potatoes likewise surprised him They had clearly been boiled as part of so with herbs and spices, and the flavor was rich, the potatoes creamy
Several an to sate their hunger Low conversation went on aht and whispered several tiht she was irked to be left out of whatever sche
His attention returned every few moments to Cheval Bayard and Chorti The pair were such an unlikely duo--this beautiful, distant wos and claws--that Oliver found hi over them
"Do you find her beautiful?" Kitsune whispered to him as the others continued their meal
Oliver frowned and glanced at her, startled by the intensity of her eyes as she searched his own for the answer to that question
"I suppose she is," he ade pair"
Kitsune’s expression softened "Sometimes the most opposite people make the closest friends That’s true on both sides of the Veil"
Oliver nodded, unconvinced
She leaned in and lowered her voice further "Cheval and her husband were traveling in Yucatazca They were set upon in the jungle by bandits Chorti came to their aid He saved Cheval’s life but was too late to stop her husband froether None of the bandits survived Cheval and Chorti have been inseparable since Neither ever goes anywhere without the other"
Oliver glanced around the roo at the beast-ic story touched hi at the prospect of setting off on his own to find Collette Loyalty like that which Cheval Bayard and Chorti shared was precious
"All right, my friends," Kitsune said when e of their hunger blunted She aze across the table, then opened her hands to include theet on with this? We are all, each of us at this table, in danger But the stakes are lared at Coyote, who only raised an eyebrow
Frost tapped his fingers on the table again to get their attention "Someone has set the Hunters after the Borderkind All the Borderkind Or nearly all We have learned firsthand that so with the Hunters, presumably to spare their own lives Jenny Greenteeth was a traitor She helped the Hunters track us, and for that, she died with them"
"Not Jenny," said Cheval Bayard A tear slid down her cheek and she turned from them as she wiped it away
"The bitch," Coyote said, his voice flat
Oliver studied hi if any of this was news Coyote seeht to be privy to Either that, or it was siant air about hi is dead"
Chorti growled deep in his chest and his upper lip curled back fro in his guttural tongue
"He will be missed," Wayland Solden afternoon sunshine lighting his face There was a kindness there that Oliver had not seen before And now a sadness as well
"This conspiracy against usfor sos scattered around the Two Kingdouard or on the run," Frost continued "If we had acted ether, ould have had a better chance of fighting back But we are too solitary, all of us Those who learned of the threat looked to their own safety without considering the danger to their kin"
At this, Frost glanced pointedly at Coyote
Kitsune and Blue Jay nodded slowly
Coyote slapped the table, sneering His eyes were still crazy, twitchy, but now there was a bestial cast to his features that had not been there before
"You’ll watch your tone and insinuations, Frost What could I have done to save Gong Gong and the others who’ve died? Me alone? The Hunters would have roasted me on a spit"
"Perhaps it’s not too late," Kitsune snarled
"Enough," Blue Jay said His tone was quiet, but with an edge that calmed them all "We are all kin, and there are er The river flows, and we cannot concern ourselves hat is already past, only hat comes next"
Wayland Smith smoothed his unruly beard "I expect Frost has a plan"
The winterfor some insult hidden in Sh it isn’t much of one, I’m afraid The Falconer died by my hand Before he did, he revealed the name of the one who had set the Hunters after the Borderkind Our enemy is Ty’Lis, an Atlantean sorcerer who advises in the court of Yucatazca’s king"
Chorti sat up abruptly and shook his shaggy head
"I’erous to presu, but we must at least consider the possibility The probability, really"
"He ," Coyote sniffed "Atlanteans have been neutral since the creation of the Veil That is why both kingdoms use them as advisors Hell, it’s the Atlanteans who created the truce to begin with Without thelanced at Frost and Kitsune "He’s right, you know"
"I only mean that we must consider both possibilities," Frost replied
Kitsune pushed a curtain of silken black hair away from her face and scanned the Borderkind around the table She barely seemed to notice Oliver at all, and he wondered if he had somehow upset her
"Whoever it is, they are powerful The Hunters have used Doors through the Veil with unrestrained freedom The sentries at the Doors have either been disposed of and replaced, paid for their cooperation, or are following orders Influence is the key here We could question the sentries, trace the influence back to the snake giving orders
"But, really, king or sorcerer, what does it matter?" the fox-woman asked "What we need to discover is what our ene the Borderkind"
Cheval Bayard raised her chin She inclined her head respectfully toward Kitsune "I would like the answer to that question as well But is it really vital? The enemy must be stopped It would be difficult to combat the Hunters, but if we directly attack the one who coree," Frost said "With ti by the day, the swiftest course is our only choice We athering asthe way, find Ty’Lis, and force the truth from him When he is dead, the Hunters will stop"
"You hope," Oliver said, surprised at the sound of his own voice