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"Good luck,into my hand A bludbunny foot on a chain I stuffed it into ain Criminy strapped the train case of blood and Caprice’s valise on a ledge behind the clockwork box and wound the key on the back Before I was really ready, I alking across the rass as I followed ood-bye of my life, but I was on my way to Ruin

3

I intended to punish my coh for all three of us As elegant and aloof as she’d been in the caravan, the daied utterly once ere over the first hill She was an endless font of dry stories, anecdotes about life in Toulouse, and tips for not getting drained by big-city gendarland, the Coppers had evolved to keep the Bludendar the daimons, the humans, and the few rare Bluduns, just in case

"Such fortunate girls you are, to have a champion like Monsieur Stain The university is beautiful--lovely buildings and soaring s and the very best professors You can study art oror law," I added, bristling for the twentieth time since she’d opened herforthethat er demanded that I play nice with custohtly "Oh la la Luc did say you were a bold little thing"

"What’s the city like?" Cherie asked

The trunk conveyance stopped just then, and Caprice hopped gracefully down to rewind it with arain, Cherie made aback up to ride sidesaddle as we took off again

"Ruin is like all Franchian cities: built with order and loveliness in lass, statuary We dais be beautiful, you know Not like those wretched Pinkies behind their walls, living lives of fear Although I do hear the Bludmen’s cities of Muscovy and Constantinoble are equally beautiful How fortunate that your people and rub in the dirt for sustenance"

"Do you not eat anything, then?" Cherie asked, before blushing and looking down "If the question is not too personal"

Caprice flapped an elegant hand at her "Eating is a messy business, is it not? As plants derive nutrition froy from emotions There are different classes of dai what a daimon requires for health I feed on passion Soer for sadness, hopelessness, rage, pain They cannot help craving such things, but it does tend to turn them to malevolent pursuits Unfortunate, really, but they are the exception Most daimons feast on forms of happiness and lust, of which there is always plenty And we do drink, as you do, to relax and cavort Our drinks are ic But we don’t need it It’s ," Cherie murmured, and I realized I’d never asked Luc what he fed on Considering his lackluster skills in the bedroo, it had to be comfort Before she’d hooked up with Marco, Jacinda once told me about an affair she’d had with a dai mistress’s son But Luc had been a complete disappointment

I had to find one of these daimon men who fed on passion

"So the cabarets are as irls as for the audience, then?" I asked

Caprice leaned back to gaze at the airships bobbing over Dover as they played hide-and-seek with the low-hanging clouds

"You would think that But they are often required to do ained for The wealthiest and most powerful men of Franchia are humans, for what daimon cares for all that work and responsibility? We have ways of keeping the laws in line with our ways, but the cabaret audiences are ents And that sort ofwhat he wants, will not pay to be teased again and again unless he eventually gets his reward, non?"

"That sounds wretched" Cherie crossed her arms and shivered "At least Criminy keeps us safe"

"Ah, yes Monsieur Stain is a truly unique creature You would not find such care in Morthtful the show looks from the outside"

"How do you know?" I asked

Her skin had always appeared red, but now it shivered over briefly into an angrier, glowing burgundy shot through with stripes like a tiger’s Luc had explained to me once that every dai or not concentrating, but they could change colors and patterns like charees, both on purpose and when particularly affected by eed to a bizarre fuchsia every time he’d kissed me, which startled the crap out ofuntil the furious stripes melted back into velvety red "I know because my father sold aers for anticipation and chance but isn’t rewarded with luck Let us say only that I was fed well but heartsick, and I will stay with Monsieur Stain as long as he will have me" Her face was pointed toward the airships, but her mind was clearly in the past and troubled She lay back on the trunk and closed her eyes, trusting the conveyance to carry her down the straight lines toward the port

"See, Demi? I told you Paris was horrid"

I flapped a hand at Cherie, just as Caprice had "You forget: we’re not dai is," Cherie gru an ar up the pace, we hurried ahead of Caprice, as e way, honey We’re out of the caravan We have a littleant to The world is our oyster"