Lupi 04 - Night Season

that, but it’s been thirty years. He’s probably fat and bald now.”
    â€œAnd wrinkled.”
    â€œYeah.” Cynna sighed and tucked away the longing. “How’s Ruben?” Cullen had been talking to him the last time she saw him—about ten minutes ago. No privacy, none at all, on this barge.
    â€œHe wants some crutches so he can get around on his own.”
    â€œWell, that’s nuts! He doesn’t walk much when his leg isn’t broken.”
    â€œBut he can?” Cullen asked.
    â€œYeah, but not much. It exhausts him. I’m pretty sure it hurts, too, but he doesn’t tell anyone when he’s in pain. None of us, anyway. Deborah probably knows.”
    â€œDeborah?”
    â€œHis wife.” Cynna had met Deborah Brooks a few times. She was short, chubby, and cute as a cocker spaniel. She looked like a cheerleader and possessed enough backbone for any two normal people.
    She’d need it. Cynna tried not to think about how worried she must be.
    â€œHe says he’s feeling different. Stronger. Maybe the Ekiba healer did something to help him with his condition…whatever that is.” Cullen looked a question at her.
    â€œI don’t know. He doesn’t know. He’s seen so many doctors, been diagnosed with everything from muscular dystrophy to Lou Gehrig’s disease, but none of the diagnoses help. Current medical opinion is that he’s got some sort of autoimmune disorder, but it isn’t lupus.”
    â€œA misnamed disease if ever there was one,” Cullen murmured.
    â€œFrom your perspective, I guess it is.” Cynna sighed. “Sometimes he seems to get better, but it never lasts.” And lately he’d been in his chair almost all the time. If the healers here could do something for him…
    â€œHe also said he’s got a feeling about why he’s here.”
    â€œYeah?” As far as she was concerned, Ruben’s feelings were gold. Precognition wasn’t an unusual Gift, but accurate precogs were rare, and most of the good ones were involuntary visionaries, not intuitives.
    Ruben didn’t see the future. He just knew stuff. He tested at 70 percent, which all by itself blew the curve, but Cynna, like most of Ruben’s people, thought the tests were bullshit. Precognition wasn’t a Gift that could be summoned, yet in order to be “scientifically valid,” the tests required the precog to perform on demand.
    Idiots. “I’m betting it isn’t because of the crush Bilbo has on him.”
    â€œGood guess. Though the gnome shows more respect for Brooks than for the rest of us.”
    â€œRuben makes it hard to treat him any other way. So what did he say?”
    â€œThat he’s supposed to be here.”
    â€œOh, now, that’s helpful.”
    â€œAlso, he’s sure you’re needed here, which unfortunately puts him in agreement with Bilbo. But so am I. Needed, that is.”
    She grinned. “As something other than a black eye for Bilbo, you mean?”
    â€œA worthy purpose, yet I’m hoping for a more active role.”
    Cullen’s presence in Edge had not been part of the gnome’s plans. He’d planned to shove Cynna and Lily through his gate, of course, and had decided to take Ruben, McClosky, and Ms. Wright along, too—as honored guests. Cullen insisted that “guest” and “hostage” were interchangeable terms to gnomes, but Bilbo was treating them okay so far. He claimed his council—the Harazeed gnomes who governed the City—really did want to open trade with Earth.
    Assuming they survived.
    A head popped out of the water near the barge. It was round, orange, and chewing something.
    â€œYou catching lots of fishies?” Cynna called.
    Gan didn’t bother to swallow before answering, treating them to a good view of partly masticated raw fish. “They’re not as good as Lily’s little fishies, but they’re fun to catch. I like swimming.”
    No kidding.
    One of the crew had taught Gan to swim their first day on the barge. She’d caught on fast, and after that wanted to spend every waking moment in the water. The crew weren’t always available to swim with her, so Cullen had. A lot. No one went into this river alone, not even tritons, former demons, or restless werewolves.
    Cynna hadn’t gone in at all. She’d seen the crocs, and there were supposed to be bigger,