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"Merdaemons," I repeat Now those are in the case files I’ve never had to hunt one because they can’t come out of the water But Ursula warnedup on the beach or if surfers started disappearing, I’d have to break out the scuba gear and go deep-sea hunting

"It hadpulled me out, made it release me"

"That would be Achilla"

I follow the direction of her gaze, to a … person standing on the far side of the circle I can’t say whether it’s a man or a woman because it appears to be half of each The left side fe its head

"Whatever you are," I say, giving Achilla a sincere look, "I arateful for the help"

It looks eht The light, I notice, that is elow beats back the darkness that pervades this place

None of this makes any sense I’ve never seen a unicorn before, just as I’ve never seen a golden maiden Or a machlyes, for that matter None of them are in the records How is that possible?

I scan the rest of the circle, the seven or eight creatures gathered, and I don’t recognize one of them

"What’s the matter?" the unicorn asks "Never seen a monocerata before?"

"A what?"

The unicorn lowers its head and the light in its horn flashes off and back on When the light goes out, everything around es into inky dark I’ht co stupid but relieved "No I haven’t"

The unicorn nickers the way I’ve seen horses do inon here?" I ask "I’ve been hunting for four years, and I’ve never seen any of your kinds before"

"You see olden maiden, a small monkey--a cercopes--waves at me

"Sillus?" I ask