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“What things, she says,” he threw up his hands.“Thosethings.The big, ugly, hyena-looking—”

“Hyenas,” I said, and gave up trying to get around him.Moving Gibraltar would be easier than budging a pissed-off vamp.“And why are you acting like this is my fault?”

“Because it’salwaysyour fault!You know, I was at the fey court for months before you showed up with nary an incident, then you arrive, and in two days—hell, less than two days—the entire place getsblown up—”

“That had nothing to do with me!”

“—then we show up here, on a devastated Earth, and get attacked by a bunch of ravenous gods right before you decide to pick a fight with a bunch of lunatic witches!”

“Hey,” somebody said, but Alphonse was on a roll.

“So, yeah, I’m thinking it’s your fault!If I understand right, we’re now inEuropewhen we’re supposed to be inVegas, and how do you suggest we get back?‘Cause big and scary back there,” he hiked a thumb in the direction of Bodil, “is saying she can’t make another portal for who knows how long—”

“I didn’t make this one,” Bodil said sourly.“I opened one that was already there.”

Which brought up a point.“You guys had a portal to Stratford?”I said, peering around Alphonse to where Zara et al.were still huddled in a bunch, looking pissed, frightened, and confused in turn.Except for the lady herself, who was staring me down.

That continued for a long moment as if she was trying to decide something.Which I guessed she did because I finally got an answer.“We used it to spy on the Circle.”

“Hush!”

“Shh!”

“What are you doing?”

Her chorus wasn’t happy about anything that didn’t involve my head on a pike, but seemed even less so about the idea of us talking.To her credit, Zara didn’t look like she gave a damn.“That creature saw you,” she said, scowling at me.“Yet it drew the others away.Did you cause that?”

“No.”

“Then what just happened?We would have been in a hell of a fight with nine dark mages loaded for bear!”

“Nine?”Æsubrand said sharply.“I saw only eight.”

“The hyena was also a mage,” I explained, which caused his eyes to widen and his hand to move in the air as if warding off evil.

“So why did it obey you?”Zara demanded.

“It didn’t obey.I didn’t give a suggestion—”

“Thenyoudid?”she demanded, turning on Bodil and receiving only a sneer of disdain in return.

“I do not talk to the minds of beasts, especially Earth ones.”

“Then why did it lead them away?”

“Ask the mage,” Bodil said, her narrowed eyes on Pritkin, who she clearly wasn’t done with yet.

“I don’t know,” he began.

“Then guess!”

“I was about to!”he snapped and then got himself under control.“As a guess, he recognized Cassie.Perhaps he saw through our camouflage—”

“A Margygr spell?”Bodil raised an elegant eyebrow.“I think not.”

“—or, more likely, he knew her by scent.Anything they encounter is stored in their scent memory, even from years ago.If he had scented her before—”

“I saw some once in HQ,” I confirmed.“They were there to help Jonas on a hunt.I didn’t know they’d seen me.”