Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

“We have
     only seven words for
friend
. It is…what is your phrase? Ah, yes. It is a sad commentary on us that we have so
     many more words for enemy than for friend, yet we find these distinctions useful.
     Of course, three of our words for
enemy
also denote a friend, so the imbalance is not so great as it seems.”
    “We call that sort friendly enemies.”
    “Yes, that is one type—enemies for whom one feels some cordiality. There are also
     enemies who seem to be friends, aren’t there? Hidden enemies. And those with whom
     one would be friends if not for other circumstances. Such as, for example, having
     given one’s word.”
    “Circumstances can be a bitch.”
    Amusement gleamed in those bright green eyes. “
Bitch
is a rude word in your culture, I believe. Yes, sometimes one regrets that someone
     who is
so’elriath
—ah, that is an enemy for whom one feels no hostility, one who is simply on the other
     side—cannot become a friend, perhaps of the fifth degree. But once one’s word is given,
     it must be adhered to.”
    “Of course. But what was that other word? The one forsomeone who would be a friend, under other circumstances.”
    “
So’amellree.
That is the word in the feminine. My language is somewhat like your Latinate tongues,
     but it is not the adjectives we change to suit the gender of the noun. When appropriate,
     we make the nouns themselves either masculine or feminine to suit their referent.
So’amellree
,” she said, looking Lily directly in the eye, “refers to a woman who would have been
     a friend, perhaps of the fifth degree, had circumstances been different.”
    “
So-amel-ree
,” Lily repeated. And smiled. Bait taken. Alycithin might be going the long way around,
     but she was swimming in the right direction. “Do you have a word that means the enemy
     of my enemy is my friend?”

THIRTY-EIGHT

    T HE conversation with Ruben took longer than Rule expected. Ruben had persuaded the president
     to order the secretary of commerce to visit the sidhe delegation at their hotel under
     some diplomatic pretext or another. In an hour or two the secretary would arrive and
     be amazed to discover that some of the delegates were missing. When Rule got off that
     call, he started to touch Tony’s number when his phone vibrated.
    It was Tony. One of his wolves had found the scent, but at a location north and slightly
     west of the hotel. Did Rule want to check it out?
    He did, once he learned where it was. He called Special Agent Bergman and asked her
     to meet him there. Rule got there first and congratulated young Ed, who was extremely
     proud of himself and wiggled all over in delight, his tail wagging madly. Ed’s escort—a
     tall, morose city cop—watched with disbelief. “If that’s not the damnedest thing,”
     he said. “Damnedest thing I ever did see. I could swear he understood everything I
     said to him.”
    “He’s not a dog, officer. Most of the time he’s a man.”
    “Still.” The cop shook his head. “Damnedest thing I ever did see.”
    Bergman had one of her people drop her off. She’d had a long night, and it showed
     in the dark circles under her eyes, but those eyes were bright with anticipation.
     She knew what this meant as well as Rule did.
    Ed had found the scent at a bank.
    Follow the money. Lily had said that often enough, and this was something Rule knew.
     Something he understood. Something the Bureau understood, too. They had excellent
     forensic accountants.
    “I’ll do the talking,” Bergman told him.
    “Of course.”
    “Yeah, that’s why you called me. You want my badge.”
    “Of course,” he said again, this time with the hint of a smile.
    She almost smiled back. “Let’s go—and pray one of those tellers remembers something
     or someone who was a little odd.”
    “We won’t be relying on memory alone,” Rule said, pushing open the door and holding
     it for her. “We’ll want the bank’s records of every transaction at this branch in
     the past two days, whether through a teller or at the ATM. The scent is probably from
     yesterday, but it might be as much as two days old. We’ll need names, addresses, everything
     the bank has.”
    She snorted. “You’ve got funny ideas about banks if you think they’ll hand all that
     over just because we say pretty please.”
    “Ruben is getting you a warrant.” Rule glanced at his watch. “It should arrive in
     about thirty minutes.”
    She stopped and frowned. “What does