“How are our new friends, George?” Richard said. “What’s your take on them?”

  George sipped his beer and looked around. The restaurant was empty except for the two of them. “They’ve been asking a lot of questions, man. Are you sure they ain’t government?”

  “Pretty sure,” Richard said. “Have you figured out what they can do?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” George said. “Xeke’s a teke. Not very strong, though.”

  “Really?” Richard said. “Interesting. How do you know he’s not more powerful than he lets on?”

  “Man, he saw me do one little thing and his eyes almost bugged out,” George said. “Besides, he would have showed us something by now. I think he’s still trying to figure out how it all works.”

  “So you think you could take him if you needed to?” Richard said.

  George frowned. “Of course ... but ... didn’t you just say he wasn’t with the government?”

  Richard laughed. George was still as soft as ever. “It won’t come to that, but I want you to keep an eye on him. How about the others? What have you learned about them?”

  “Corey’s a strong healer. He’s been healing the … uh … slaves.”

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  Richard frowned. “I need to have a talk with him about that. He’s gonna get them all stirred up. And how about the big one?”

  “You mean Ruddy?” George said. “He makes me nervous, man. He’s definitely a changeling, and a strong one. Dude slammed his fist into a table last night and it cracked. Looks like he could crush a tank, even without powers. But I’m not sure he’s playing with a full deck. Oh, man, those eyes …” George shuddered. “He looks like a serial killer.”

  Richard smiled. “He’s a big guy, I’ll give you that, but he’s not that bright. I think the other two keep him on a short leash. Clara said he was drooling all over her like some village idiot. He’s lucky Adrian’s not the jealous type.”

  “Yeah, man,” George said. “To be fair, I’ve drooled a few times over that one myself. Wonder how they’re going to react when they find out what’s really going on here?”

  Richard sighed. “Adrian won’t be asking them to stay. They might have been useful, but it’s obvious they’re a bunch of damned bleeding hearts. Nah, they have to go. They’ll never fit in here.”

  George’s face fell. “That’s a shame. Having a healer instead of a doctor would be nice. And another teke and a changeling—it would really help keep the normals in line. And Xeke is a cool guy.”

  “Adrian thinks it’s too much of a risk. I’m sorry. I know you’ve spent a lot of time working with them.”

  “Well, he’s the boss,” George said. “Do you want me to move them along?”

  “Nah,” Richard said. “I think they’ll leave on their own soon enough. Give them whatever they want, make sure none of the normals say anything to them. The roads ought to be clear in a few more days. When they’re ready to go, let me know and we’ll give them some supplies and get them out of here.”

  “Got it,” George said.

  “I’m counting on you, George. I don’t want these three holding any grudges. Keep them happy, keep them ignorant—and keep them out of Adrian’s hair until they leave.”

  George nodded. “You can count on me, boss.”