Page 124 of Cry of the Firebird

"Álfr. Even in Skazki, they are a myth," Yvan said with a shake of his head. "I wonder how they ended up living here."

"There are two colonies of them in America that we know of," Chayton admitted thoughtfully. "We leave them alone. They leave us alone. Their existence isn't entirely secret, but they stick together and guard their privacy. We don't know much about them. It's surprising that one is working for the Illumination. They are highly magical, of course, but they don't get involved in the affairs of others. Strange."

"Another thing," Honaw continued almost instantly, "is that you'll have to watch your nature, Trajan. Álfr are not like humans or supernaturals. As a thanatos, you are Death, and they are unnaturally pure life. You will always repel each other."

"What did he hit me with?" Trajan asked, rubbing his chest.

"I don't know, but it was powerful enough to send us running. There is something more pressing to worry about than that."

"What?" Anya asked.

"How are we going to convince Isabelle and the others to become allies with the Illumination even temporarily?" Honaw replied. "We are all Neutrals for a reason, and the Illumination isn't a charity. Their help will come at a price."

Anya rubbed her arms, trying to get the feeling of Aramis's magic off her skin. "I guess we will find out."

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

It took to the following evening for Anya to get everyone to at least hear Aramis's proposal. Anya was edgy but nowhere near what the others were. Trajan was closer than usual, one hand resting on her at all times.

There was no way Anya could have talked them out of going unarmed, so she didn't even try. Katya and Isabelle looked bulky underneath their overcoats, and Anya could only guess how many weapons they had between them.

Only the Twins looked calm in their dark jeans and matching black T-shirts. Both had worn their hair out, making it even harder to tell which was which. Their magical signature was the only thing Anya could tell them apart by and only because they had taught her how to feel it out. To anyone else, they would be very tall, very serious-looking men.

The Twins were the only ones who had any knowledge of the Álfr in the real world, and while Katya and Isabelle had scoffed openly, the others were curious. Anya strongly suspected that the hunters only agreed to the meeting because they wanted to confirm that Aramis was really an Álfr.

"You two are the only ones acting normal tonight," Anya said to Chayton and Honaw.

"We're not worried because you have enough power to take them all out if they threaten us," Chayton answered, and they both smiled. "Besides, it sounds like this Álfr is a fan of yours."

"I don't know about a fan, but he seems genuine that the Illumination wants to help," Anya said.

"Maybe Aramis does, but it's not the Illumination’s style."

Anya bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm sure my magic wouldn't have reacted that way if I couldn't trust him."

"So trust your Álfr, but don't think for a minute that the others who are with him wouldn't betray you," Honaw replied.

They made their way to Aramis's carriage, and Anya could only imagine what the passengers thought of the group moving through the train. They looked like train robbers, especially Hamish in his long coat, boots, and the shiny cowboy belt buckle on his jeans. They were all on guard, everyone looking out for an attack. Anya wanted to remind them all they had been traveling on the same train for quite a while now, so if they'd wanted to attack, they had had plenty of opportunities. One glance at Isabelle's face, and she decided not to mention it.

Two burly men in black guarded the doors to Aramis's private carriage, and Izrayl and Hamish eyed them warily. There wasn't a lot of room to have a fight on a train, but Anya was sure they would have liked to pick one regardless.

"There will be no weapons past this point," one guard said. He had a thick Cockney English accent and a severely crooked nose.

"Leave our weapons with you? You're fucking dreaming, mate," Hamish said, as eloquent as ever.

As they argued, Anya stretched out her magical senses like the Twins had taught her. She instantly found Aramis's presence glowing in her mind like a silvery star and it began moving towards her. The doors behind the guards opened, and Aramis was there, serious and imposing. He was dressed casually indark jeans and a gray shirt and was leaner than Anya expected under the blue coat he wore the previous night.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"They are refusing to disarm," the guard replied, his tone sullen.

"You can hardly blame them. Let them pass."

"I don't think that is a good idea, sir."

"Noted. Now let them pass." Aramis turned promptly and walked back into the carriage. Hamish stuck his middle finger at the guard as they filed in, and Anya was sure Isabelle hissed at one.

The carriage was roomy with lounges and mismatched seats lining the walls. A massive desk stood at the far end, stacked with papers and a small laptop. There were two other men in the room waiting for them.

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