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Valentine held his breath-he liked Tiddle.
Brother Mark sighed and shook his head.
"Perhaps it is someone not on the staff," he whispered, patting Red Dog's head as they passed. "Good God," he said, shocked.
"What?" Valentine asked, but he knew.
Brother Mark led him out of the tent. "It's the dog."
"How?"
"I don't know. Perhaps they've made some alteration to the animal, modified its brain. It seems a normal enough dog."
"It's the perfect spy," Valentine said. "It can't give anything away. Dogs won't break under duress and talks."
"You're wrong there, Valentine. I got a flash of something. A little of the Kurian's mind. I broke it off. I've had enough of that to last me more than a lifetime."
"How do we break the dog's hold on her?"
"A strong endorphin response. Alarm, maybe. An orgasm might be perfect."
Valentine could just picture Duvalier's reaction to that bit of line-of-duty cocksmanship.
She'd herniate herself laughing.
"Regulations," Valentine said.
"You'll have to come up with something. Perhaps just explaining it to her, so she was conscious of it-"
"If there's some kind of connection between her mind and the Kurian, I'd like to use it, not break it. Play with the dog a little, see if you can get anything."
Brother Mark made himself ridiculous for a few minutes with Red Dog, wrestling and hugging it. Red Dog enjoyed himself and so did the churchman. Those passing in and out of the headquarters tent shrugged.
He returned to Valentine dusty and dirty. Valentine gave orders for Red Dog to be taken around to the sentries for the usual midnight Reaper check.
"What did you get?"
"A sensation. Cool and moist air. A glimpse or two through its eyes. The Kurian is high, over a small town on some kind of aerial tower. Fine view of these Kentucky hills. One odd thing about the town: There are train tracks running right down the center of town along the street. Shops and buildings to either side. Quite odd."
Valentine checked with the Wolves and had word back in ten minutes. There was a town to the north called La Grange that had train tracks running straight through town. Wolves on foot could be there before dawn if they pushed hard.
He had Gamecock alert his Bears.
"Can you just order an operation like this, even as chief of staff?" Brother Mark asked.
"No, I need Bloom's assent."
"I hope you get it."
"I will. I just have to get her back into the fight, somehow."
* * * *
Valentine presented his plans for an attempt to bag the Kurian. He didn't know if the mind manipulating the dog was also directing the Moondaggers, but any chance to take out an aura-hungry appetite would be a blow for humanity.
Bloom listened impassively. "I don't think we should risk it."
Valentine slapped her. Hard.
