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Coyote stared at her apull from the bottle of mead He wiped his lips with the back of his hand like a co but an assassin, now?"

Kitsune curled back her upper lip in a kind of sneer "I’m whatever I need to be in order to make them suffer for what they’ve done"

After another swig of h," Coyote said

"I’ sure her sarcasm was evident

"I don’t"

She pulled her cloak h within that copper fur she could hide fro flickered in his single eye then, but it wasn’t the mischief of a trickster

"I e could abandon both worlds," Coyote said, his voice loays snide, always , that had been her experience of hihtened her

"I e could abandon these bodies," he went on "Just be fox and coyote and run in the woods, like we did"

Kitsune held her breath a moment, then let it out slowly "Maybe one day"

Coyote listened bronze in the sun He held out the bottle of mead for her, and Kitsune took it

"Where did you get this, anyway?"

He s’s tent"

With a laugh, she shook her head "Trickster," she said

"Oh, yes Always"

Kitsune tipped the bottle back and took a sip As she did, she saw the top of an enor’s tent Cronus ducked down, trying to keep fro Titan was not the end

"We have a spy," she said

Coyote frowned and, almost imperceptibly, moved into a defensive stance Kitsune shook her head

"No danger Just an ancient god--a father of gods--simple and sweet"

She started around the tent, handing the bottle back to Coyote as he joined her They eiant Titan sat crouched there like a child caught at soe touched her heart Once, this creature had been one of the lords of the world, wise and clever and strong Cronus still had his strength, but his other faculties had failed hione down to ith Salacia, Hesperos, and the others," she said

Cronus rolled hisHis clothes and arms were spattered with the blood of ene

"I did," the Titan replied "But I worried about you When you fight, I’ll fight Must watch over you"

Kitsune slanced at Coyote

But Coyote had no s at Cronus Instead, he stared beyond the Titan When Kitsune looked to discover what had drawn his attention, she saw Oliver striding toward the fro beard, he did not look like soo At first glance, she would have assumed he had been here for years Perhaps even since birth

He was a warrior, now

Cronus grunted angrily and turned to block Oliver’s path

"No," Kitsune said The Titan turned to glance back at her "It’s all right"

Dubious, Cronus nevertheless stood back and let Oliver stride up to the spot where Kitsune and Coyote stood He gave Coyote a brief glance, nodded once, and then focused on Kitsune Her face flushed under the intensity of his gaze and when he saw that, he glanced away for a h on you before," Oliver said

She stared in a toto understand"

Kitsune glanced at Coyote, feeling aard now that he and Cronus were the audience for this exchange Still, things had to be said

"That was all I ever wanted," she told him "I never meant to--"

Oliver held up a hand "I know And I’m sorry to interrupt, and to rush you now, but we’re out of ti the scents of distant flowers around them, but now the wind shifted and that smell was replaced by the stink of blood Shouts of hatred and screams of pain filled the air, carried up from the field of battle

"What do you need?" she asked

"If Hunyadi doesn’t win this war quickly, the army may not be able to hold out over tiht come from Atlantis"

"So you need to end it quickly," Coyote said

Kitsune stared at Oliver "You’re still thinking about Prince Tzajin?"

Oliver nodded "We’re going to bring him back here, alive Take Yucatazca out of the war or, even better, get them to switch sides"

Tentatively, she reached up and lowered her hood The breeze felt good on her face A lock of hair blew in front of her eyes