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CHAPTER TEN

Looks like a rock to ainst Gus’s boulder In the bright lade was lovely Quiet and peaceful, when it wasn’t being attacked by Alfar purists, the boulder dominated the s it It’s like his girlfriend, or so me away by the elbow

"It’s a rock," I reoat and you see to where Anyan and Caleb were deep in conversation, also trying to figure out what secrets the huge hunk of stone in front of us could reveal The four of us were trying to figure out where, and how, Gus’s rock could contain soical lock Meanwhile, Nell and Trill were off, partly trying to track down Phaedra, butsentry duty to ain

"It is sort of hu," I admitted to Iris about Anyan’s other identity "I ? Why can’t he be so more respectable… like a wolf I could say, quite proudly, ‘I’… but a great big dog! Really huge! And fierce! And he wubs it when you scratch his belly,’ " I concluded, gently scratching at Iris’s tu away fro, are you?"

I winced, realizing what I’d said too late "Not exactly But we’ve done our best We keep getting interrupted… invading evil, and all"

"It happens," she said drily, carefully trying not to put too much emphasis on her words I’d realized quite quickly that Iris didn’t want to dwell on what had happened to her Yeah, it was an elephant in the room, but she wanted us all to act as normal as we could about that elephant For her sake, we tried

We both cla about either of you stare as they walked in our direction and then past us to exaotta say, you and Caleb are pretty adorable together," I whispered, once the coast was clear

"Yeah," she said and sently as she hunkered close when the satyr and the barghest tea the rock with various probes "He was totally unexpected I sort of wondered if I’d ever feel like this again Then, hat happened, I was pretty sure I never wanted to feel anything again Till out of the blue Caleb showed up And it was… it was like everything beca," I said, and she nodded, a s like a yak," I heard , led, wrapping an aro see what the boys are up to?"

I nodded, and we strolled over to Anyan and Caleb, ere doing so to crack the boulder in two

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Iris hollered, racing over and standing up on her toes to flick both idiots in their earlobes "What do you think you’re doing? That’s Gus’s rock Think about his feelings if you turned it into playground pebbles"

Both uiltily Caleb shifted on his haunches, his hooves clo next to hi the rock, yes?" Iris demanded Both men nodded their heads, sheepishly

"Good," Iris continued "So, what have you big dicks discovered?" We all looked at her, a bit shocked

"Dick as in detectives, duh," she said, rolling her eyes Iris acted so young, and so conteet she’d been alive when people could still say "dick"--either for "Richard" or for "detectives"--without giggling "What’s up with this rock?"

"Ula’s written on it, but there don’t seem to be any We’ve tried to probe it, to see if there’s so inside, but it seems solid," Caleb replied

"You tried to crack it in half, because you’re asshats," I added, helpfully Anyan used his power to pokethe shields I’d let go weak aroundcarved on it, nothing in it It’s not giving off any power of its own, except so both Iris and e

"So, it’s a rock," I said, before going poetic "And not a lock"

"Yes It appears that way," Caleb answered me, his voice dissatisfied

We all backed up a step to stare at it There had to be so here, or Phaedra wouldn’t have risked her best people Unless Phaedra wasn’t the diversion…