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The dewan, however, pooh-poohed the idea Werewolves were, largely, of a much less scientific bent than vampires, except where advances in weaponry were concerned "I a else If she isn’t doing it herself, then it in"
"We are living in the Age of Invention," agreed the potentate
The dewan looked thoughtful "The Teed to unify Italy and declare the their attention outward once more?"
"You think this may herald a second Inquisition?" The potentate blanched He could do that now
The dewan shrugged
"There is no point in wild speculation," said the ever-practical Lady Maccon "Nothing suggests that the Teru in this hter? My hair is curly too--could that somehow be involved? I ae about that, or believe you ree that the most likely explanation for this kind of wide-scale preternatural effect is a weapon of some kind" She turned to the potentate "You are positive you have never heard of this kind of thing happening before?"
He frowned and rubbed at the crease between his green eyes with the tip of one white finger It was an oddly huesture "I will consult the edict keepers on the subject, but, no, I do not think so"
Alexia looked to the dewan He shook his head
"So the question is, what could soues looked at her blankly
A tap came on the closed door The deent to answer it He spoke softly for a h the crack and then returned with an expression transformed froated just outside the afflicted zone we discussed earlier Werewolves, at least, revert back to fully supernatural The ghosts, of course, cannot relocate to take advantage of this fact And I cannot speak for the vaed olves was also likely to change vampires--they were more alike than either race preferred to admit
"I shall look into thisis concluded," said the potentate, but he was clearly relieved It had to be a product of his human condition; normally his emotions were not so obvious
The dewan sneered at hiered queen of yours, should you deem it necessary"
"Do we have any further business to address?" asked the potentate, ignoring the comment
Alexia reached forward to tap at the harmonic auditory resonance disruptor with the butt end of her stylographic pen, getting it vibrating once iments returned ho of an overabundance of the " The potentate looked curious
The dewan shrugged, trying for casualness and failing "Blame Cardwell and his blasted reforms"
Alexia sniffed pointedly She approved of the refore enlistment tactics But the deas an old-timer; he liked his soldiers disciplined, poor, and h she hadn’t sniffed "We had that stea that the Ashantis were giving us hell The Secretary of War pulled everyone we could spare out of the east and back here for rotation"
"Do we still have that ion was pacified"
"Not hardly But we have the nuiments out and leave the East India Company and its mercenaries to take the brunt of it The eiments olf attachments down in West Africa, and I can’t say I blaiure as two separate battalions and ship back out within aa ypt in order to get back here fast enough, and I still don’t knoe are going to stretch to fill the orders Still, they’re here now, clogging up the London taverns Best get theht quick"
He rounded on Lady Maccon "Which reminds me Get your husband to keep his ruddy packs under control, would you?"
"Packs? There was only the one last time I checked, and let me inform you, it is not my husband who has to discipline the hisyou h olves in England that, as Alexia had coracious did they enjoy a good gossip
"You would be guessing correctly" Lady Macconto the earl’s other pack, the Highland one, Kingair," said the dewan "They were running with the Black Watch regiht your husband ht stick a paw in"
Lady Maccon frowned "I doubt it"
"Lost their Alpha out there, the Kingair Pack, you do realize? Niall so-or-other, a full colonel, nasty business The pack was ah noon, when they were at their weakest and couldn’t change shape Threw the whole regi officer like that, olf Alpha or not, caused quite a fuss"
Alexia’s frown deepened "No, I was not aware" She wondered if her husband knew of this She tapped her lip with the back of her pen It was highly unusual for a former Alpha to survive the loss of his pack, and she had never ed to extract frohlands But Alexia was pretty darn certain that a leadership void placed hiation to his former pack, even if it had been decades
The discussion ht be responsible for the weapon: various not-as-secret-as-they-wanted societies, foreign nations, or factions within the government Lady Maccon was convinced it was Hypocras Club style scientists and held firulation This frustrated the potentate, anted the surviving Hypocras Club members released to his tender mercies The dewan sided with the muhjah He wasn’t particularly interested in scientific research of this kind, but he wasn’t about to see it fall wholly into vampire hands This derailed the conversation onto distribution of Hypocras goods Alexia suggested they go to BUR, and despite her husband’s charge of the institution, the potentate agreed so long as a vaent was attached