Lupi 04 - Night Season

aesthetic grounds. The various factions here have probably learned the hard way to avoid open warfare.”
    â€œThey have that much power?” McClosky said dubiously. “Cynna said there aren’t many of them.”
    â€œIt doesn’t take many. Think of them as the guys with the stealth bomber and the A-bomb. No one wants to piss them off.”
    No one said anything for a moment, then Ruben spoke slowly. “Surely, if the sidhe are as powerful and proficient as you believe, the gnomes tried to enlist their aid to find the medallion. The sidhe live here, too. They must need this medallion restored, if it operates as we’ve been told.”
    Cynna had a highly uncomfortable thought.
    â€œMaybe,” Cullen said. “Sidhe are hard to predict, but some of them can cross without a gate, so…” He stopped, cocking his head. “We’re about to be interrupted. Any last instructions?”
    â€œDo any of them have hearing like yours?” Ruben asked.
    â€œTash,” he said promptly, “which suggests that the Ahk do. None of the others I’ve met. Gnomes definitely don’t.”
    In the pause that followed, Cynna heard the thud of many feet coming their way quickly. Cullen heard something more, because he grinned at Ruben. “That works.”
    â€œGood. Everyone, if you need to pass information privately, subvocalize to Mr. Seabourne. When—”
    The door slammed open and half a dozen angry gnomes spilled into the room.
    None of them were Bilbo. There was a great deal of babble, hard to sort because of the way the translator charm ran everyone’s words together. The basis of their ire was, of course, Cullen’s tampering, which had done something to other spells, not just the ones in this room. Some kind of chain reaction, Cynna thought. And something about toilets?
    Yes. He’d made the plumbing all over the Chancellery stop working. Oh, my.
    Cullen was polite in a way that turned courtesy into insult. He apologized for the inconvenience. He offered to help them fix their spells—the inference being that they needed help. Ruben was bland and immovable. Surely their hosts didn’t expect them to leave eavesdropping spells operating in their private rooms.
    In the midst of the commotion, Cynna edged closer to Cullen.
    Subvocalizing felt awkward. You had to talk sort of deep in your mouth and throat without moving your lips, which mangled some of the consonants, but she did her best: “Maybe the gnomes didn’t ask the sidhe to search because they think one of the sidhe took it.”
    He looked at her, and behind the arrogant mask he was wearing for their hosts, she saw grim agreement.
    Â 
    G AN didn’t expect to enjoy the Council meeting, but she enjoyed going to it. She liked walking past the guards and sitting at the big table on a pretty embroidered cushion with all the other important people.
    One cushion was left empty. Gan felt the bite of disappointment. She’d hoped…
    â€œSo what have you been up to?” Cynna Weaver said to her.
    Cynna Weaver, like the lupus and the other humans, was wearing her same old boring clothes. Gan wondered why they hadn’t changed into the pretty things they’d been given. “I’ve been at the market. They use money here, too. I want to get some money.”
    â€œI hope that means you didn’t steal anything.”
    â€œDidn’t you get a copy of the rules? In the City they cut off people’s hands for stealing.” Gan was pleased with herself. She hadn’t quite been able to lie, but she had deceived the human woman.
    â€œThanks for the tip. I haven’t seen any rules. I see you’ve got both hands, so you didn’t get caught. What did you take?”
    Gan looked at her, indignant. “Why do you think I took something?”
    â€œBecause I’m smart. How come you told us your minder’s name earlier, if names are such big secrets?”
    â€œStupid. I didn’t tell you Jenek’s real name. I only know his call-name.”
    â€œAren’t those reserved for family?”
    â€œJenek is Hragash, not Harazeed. The Hragash aren’t stuffy about call-names the way the Harazeed are.” She sniffed. “They’ve hung around with sidhe too much. When I—”
    â€œWe is starting now.” Thirteenth Councilor—the one Cynna Weaver had nicknamed Bilbo—glared at Gan and the human beside