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The hobgoblin grinned like the cheeky little bastard that he was. “I’m older than I look.”
Leo wasn’t buying it. “Listen, I liked to skip school when I was your age, too. I get it, but I’m a police officer now.” He tapped his imaginary badge. “I can’t condone truancy.”
“What a moron,” the hobgoblin said.
His response didn’t escape Leo’s attuned ears. “Dude, uncalled for!”
“It’s after school hours,” I said gently. “Let me have a minute with him. I don’t know why, but kids with an attitude problem tend to like me.”
Leo snorted. “Gee, I can’t imagine why.”
I was relieved when he gave us space and disappeared into the woods.
I whipped toward the hobgoblin. “Did you come through the crossroads?”
His grin broadened. “The guards were easily distracted.”
This didn’t bode well. “What did you do?”
The creature held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Relax. Only a bit of mischief, although my guess is they’ll be arguing until midnight.”
“They’re werewolves,” I snapped. “If their tempers flare hot enough, they’ll do more to each other than argue.”
The hobgoblin offered an unrepentant shrug. “My job is done.”
His job. “Vortigern sent you.”
His green eyes fastened on me. “You know the master huntsman?”
“Only by reputation. Are you a member of the party?”
“Of a sort.”
I scrutinized him. “What does that mean? Are you a scout?” I sucked in a breath. “You’re a spy.”
“Could be.” His gaze drifted to the section of the woods where Leo was checking his phone. “This is a human town.”
“Mainly.”
The hobgoblin returned his gaze to me. “But you’re not human and neither are the guards. You said they’re werewolves.”
“This town is under the protection of many powerful beings. Advise your leader to abandon his quest or face the consequences.”
He regarded me with curiosity. “I thought you might be one of the Fair Folk, but your ears are too banal. What are you?”
My fingers moved to stroke my left ear. “Rude. My ears aren’t banal.”
He flicked his curved ear. “They are from my point of view. Get it? Point?” He chuckled at his own pun.
“You’re spying on Matilda again, aren’t you?”
His round eyes answered my question before he did. “You know the Night Mallt?”
“Everybody knows the Night Mallt,” I lied. “She’s famous.”
“She was skulking around our settlement again. I followed her here through the crossroads. The guards seemed to know her.”
“She’s on the list of approved visitors. How do I stop the guards from arguing?”
