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Later If he lived

"It is unique You’re right about that," Oliver replied "A gift to o frolanced at the officer "You’ve eant"

Oliver saw the moment of confusion and hesitation in the captain and he used it Cursing under his breath, he turned and fled, drawing his sword on the run Shouts came froeant roared, boots pounding the earth in pursuit "Kill the Intruder! He co!"

The words h already

The third and last Keen Keeng froze in the an to back away fro out into the restaurant’s central courtyard…into the rain

Cheval Bayard shifted back into the lovely façade she usually wore and advanced upon him

Chorti licked blood frole

Across the restaurant the Mazikeen stood and threw back their hoods,

The waiter, Grin, stripped off the long, black uniform jacket Lycaon made his staff wear and joined Cheval

Blue Jay nodded in approval and an to swirl in a dark tornado, turning to ice, and then snow The hu to safety as best they could Now the tone of their ed as they watched Frost sculpt hied ice from the moisture in the air There e there, and a different sort of alarm

Even in the Latin Quarter, word had coainst the Borderkind and the rebellion against those killers But only now, as they saw Frost, did these people realize that they were in theabout Frost as the leader of the Borderkind, and he wondered hos traveled so quickly How secrets were so easily revealed

Not that it h

"Howtoward the Keen Keeng Blue Jay and the others did likewise, closing in around him "You are no Hunter, so I want to knohich Hunters are here in Perinthia How close? And what other foot soldiers have they conscripted?"

The Keen Keeng spat at Frost

With a gesture, the winter man froze the yellow spittle in the air and it fell to the marble floor to shatter into brittle shards

"If they are here," a voice said, "there will be other spies You know this without being told"

The words ca eyes He strode noard the circle they hadhis lips, he whistled, and from the kitchen there came a roar Everyone within the walls of the restaurant flinched and let out a gasp of surprise as a huge orange-and-black tiger bounded out from the back It stalked across the restaurant, even the harpies scraainst the littleonto the back of a horse

"There really is nowhere to hide, is there, Frost?" the littlebeneath him, muscles taut beneath its fur The fire flickered in the man’s eyes like candle fla at him "Nowhere, Li"

"Then I aether "That is very good to know Wethe city"

Blue Jay knew the naesturing toward the Keen Keeng

Frost nodded "By all er-rider raised his hand and fire rushed up froer forward The great cat bounded toward the Keen Keeng and Li swung the fire-sword, decapitating it in a single, searing stroke

The Keen Keeng’s head fell to the ground

Silence ensued For a long athered in the courtyard only looked at one another, ignoring the restaurant’s patrons completely The two Mazikeen stroked their braided beards Grin stood with Cheval and Chorti, ere checking one another over for injuries Li stood beside Blue Jay, across from Frost

Word had traveled faster than reality Frost had been planning to begin a rebellion, to gather up those ould fight back, ould hunt the Hunters But now it had begun in earnest

A soft clapping broke the silence

Lycaon continued the derisive, al applause as he approached the circle

"Well done Now leave Begone frolared at him, blue-white ice eyes narrowed "You are Borderkind, wolf They will come for you, in time"

"Not if you stop them first," Lycaon said

"But you will not help us, even to help yourself?"

"Sorowled, and his cruel features becaht transform at any moment "Most of you Borderkind are nomads, but I’m no wanderer I have a home And I want you out of it, before they destroy it to reach you"

Blue Jay chuckled softly Rocking gently from side to side he stepped toward Lycaon The rain spattered his face and the feathers in his hair danced in the breeze

"Coward," the trickster said "You’ll regret this If not at the hands of the Hunters, then at my hands, when this is over"

"As it estured to the door

One by one, they walked out of Lycaon’s Kitchen and into the street, half a block frolanced up iain A pair of huge black birds took flight, streaking toward the city center But they were not alone At least half a dozen others perched on various ledges and rooftops, watching the up beside hie," Li said

"Or for us," Blue Jay replied "Theyus from the moment we passed the watchtowers"

The two Mazikeen raised their hoods, hiding their gray faces and haunting eyes

"There are Hunters in the city Jezi-Baba and the Manticore We have sensed Perytons as well"