Page 31 (1/2)

Kiyo spoke at last "You haveto hurt you on this journey I just want to put a stop to this blight"

I glanced between each ," I said

Rurik walked over tois undoubtedly confused by the politics of diplos by dispatching this er troubles you and we can be on our way Decapitation would probably be the most efficient method"

It was the politest tone I’d ever heard Rurik use It was also the only tiainst Dorian Although Rurik had becoh he was indulging

"And I’ll do it if he won’t," called Jasmine

If Kiyo was cowed by these threats, he didn’t show it He re stoppedthe cold, but Kiyo had a staunch look that said he could stand here all day

"You’re being foolish, all of you," chided Dorian "Not toothers of being ated lands aside--only represents one kingdoes about uniting against an eneainst each other will only lead to our downfall Clichés borely "I have every reason in the world to help you lift this blight and none to betray you I’ll go scout ahead now" I wasn’t so sure about the betraying part, but before I could make any further protest, Kiyo shape-shifted into a small red fox In the blink of an eye, he turned around and sca the snowy distance

"This is a bad idea," I warned Dorian

"Soue our entire plan is a bad idea," he retorted

Our party one With the exception of Dorian, everyone was either dued I saw Rurik trot over to the soldiers fro to the they’d either been ordered to never let ht or to lure Kiyo off alone and decapitate him as soon as the opportunity cay would appeal to hi about froo ahead too-- but watch Kiyo Make sure he really is alone and notKiyo stirred up all sorts of troubling feelings I was angry, absolutely, that I’d somehow just acquired him as an ally, despite my protests It was also hard not to resent hih He’d tried to kill me and my children Because of hi and on the run Those were things I wasn’t going to forgive I wasn’t even sure I could teood"

At the same time, I remembered that Kiyo and I had once been close We’d shared a connection I’d loved hi tis, and they certainly wouldn’t give ain The other part I kept thinking about was that at the root of all of this, Kiyo was the father ofthings in either world Yet, they were half hiood in hienie, I immediately realized We were not our parents Each individual was his or her own person, no e Jasmine and I were proof of that Kiyo was in no way a reflection of who Isaac and Ivy were or who they’d beco his horse up beside lare on hiiven me a heads-up on this But no Like always, you withheld infor anyone else"

"It was presu concession "But I knew you wouldn’t like it either way If you’d had notice, you siuments As it is, he’s joined us and is now off helpfully scouting in a furry, smelly form By which I mean his fox form I know it’s hard to tell the difference"

I shook my head, amazed at his nonchalant attitude "And you think that’s it? All is forgiven and he’ll just be cool with randchildren because we’re all united in some super team? That’s naïve"

Dorian’s face suddenly hardened "Equally na&iuht that I would carelessly allow hi to you or your children How many times do I have to convince you of my protection? Do you really think that if he comes back here and atteenie, if he so much as looks at you in a way I don’t like, Rurik and his conspirators over there won’t have a chance to act because I’ll have long since run that bastard kitsune through ain "Now then I wonder where we’ll be ht"