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“Gray thought of this?” Hikaeda asked

“Gray is a bundle of ideas,” Ranon said dryly

Powell had given Gray his own little space in the Steward’s office to stash all his notes about possibilities for Eyota in particular and Dena Nehele in general Only the knowledge that every available person was going to be helping with the harvest this year, and the need to get the shops finished up and stocked withto the list of projects to be accomplished before winter set in

Theynear the table and chairs under the big tree

Ranon!

The joyful shout was the only warning he had before he turned and ended up with his ar from the dust that rose up as Khollie s?”

The fe Shira’s den I helped

The tail banging against him with enthusiasm raised more dust

“You used your tail as a dust rag, didn’t you?”

Yes! Shira says you need to wash my tail before I’m allowed in the house Khollie squirmed as he tried to lick Ranon’s ear

The tail wasn’t the only thing that needed to get washed

Ranon’s face heated as the otherthe tiniest bit of shae the truth Khollie was different There was a sweetness to hier than the other Scelties, or just a trait of personality He’d seen children who had a similar kind of sweetness They weren’t the saht

Not that Khollie wasn’t a bright boy He was He needed things explained carefully, but only one tier Eye Jewel

But if Ranon had to be a Sceltie’s human, why couldn’t it have been someone like Keely or Darcy or, Hell’s fire, even Darkht of the Opal-Jeweled Sceltie Warlord Prince had made Ferall stop and stare

Darkmist made hardened warriors sit up and take notice Khollie, the ho, just amused them

Elendill shifted to the left, giving Ranon a clear view of his brother Janos—as bent over double with his ar

But the boy straightened up quickly enough and headed over to them

“Come on, Khollie,” Janos said “Ranon has to stay with the other humans, so I’ll help you wash up”

I owe you, Ranon said as Khollie jumped out of his arms and whapped him in the face with a dusty tail

You do, Janos agreed

Not a youth anyht as he watched Janos and Khollie walk to the houseAnd ed even from last summer