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"No, Benjamin's truly a horse. " Malachi shrugged. "I like them. "
One thing was bugging me. Well, more than one thing, but - "Why would Sabina choose to become a snake?"
"Her arm. Snakes have no need of them. "
"Wouldn't an infirmity like that be healed by shape-shifting?" Grace asked.
"This is a curse, Sheriff, not a blessing. "
"Why would anyone else choose to be a snake?" I wondered.
"They didn't. "
"But - " I glanced through his single window in the direction of the snake wagon.
"Those are also truly snakes. As one herself, most of the time, Sabina has an affinity with them. She always did, even before the curse. "
"Why can't she talk?"
He looked out the window, too. "She hasn't spoken since she became two natured. "
The guilt in his voice was reflected on his face.
Sympathy flooded me, but I bit back any words of comfort. He wasn't the man I'd thought he was, and I wasn't exactly sure what to do with that.
"I tested every one of you with silver," Grace said. "But no one reacted. "
"Silver has no effect on this curse. "
"What does?"
Malachi spread his hands. "I have no idea. "
"Where's the wolf?" I asked.
Confusion flickered across his features. "There isn't one. "
"Don't start lying now, Cartwright," Grace said. "It'll put a quick end to my happy mood. "
"You have a happy mood?" he muttered, and her eyes narrowed. "I meant, we have no wolf in the menagerie. "
"Then what bit my tourist?" Grace asked.
"A wolf. "
"Cartwright, I swear - "
"There is a wolf, but the animal isn't one of us. Some have sensed it, smelled it, even seen it from afar, but no one's been able to
get close. "
"I followed the tracks of the wolf that attacked Claire back to your camp. " Grace showed him the rune. "I found this under the same tree as the last one, right where the trail ended. I think someone's using this rune to either create werewolves or become one. "
"I've never heard of such a thing. "
"Which doesn't make it impossible. "
"Why would my people bother? They're already shape-shifters. "
