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I had to shrug. “They’re from a very tiny, poor island at the edge of nowhere trying to make a go of it. Give them some breathing room.”
“How many times are you going to get duped? I’ve hit the internet up for Maurlun and there’snothingon it about polyandry.”
“How much have you found about the culture at all?” I retorted. “Because I know you’ve found the NGOs I work for, and you’ve probably pulled Keon and Auryn’s license numbers. Keon was educated and certified in Canada. Auryn in the United States.”
“And I can’t trace the NGO’s finances. That’s the thing. It all dead-ends. It doesn’t dead-end anywhere suspicious, but it dead-ends all the same.”
“It doesn’t dead-end. You’re just too accustomed to seeing that kind of money spent on lobbyists.” I had no idea how Hekon’s financial network worked, but I was sure his money didn’t magically appear, and didn’t dead-end. He knew humans would go digging. Becka was salty because shehadn’tfound the usual dark money.
“So why is the country’s infrastructure such ass?”
“Governor Kohn and his cronies. First day there, when they realized I wasn’t a man, they wanted to do business the old fashioned way. When I told them to pound sand, they threw me into their excuse for a jail and tried to teach me a lesson with their dicks. I told them to look up Dad’s name and reconsider their life choices. While they were gone, Keon and Auryn busted me out.”
Emily came closer. “Oh, Hel, are you okay? We didn’t know—”
“I’m fine. They just roughed me up and groped my asshole before I scared them off. But to Becka’s question, it’s a situation where we’ve got to work with the local warlords.”
I headed out into the sunlight while my sisters tagged along, but before they could circle back for the next attack, the herd of children set themselves upon Akoni again. They wanted to know if he’d eaten shark. He asked them if they’d ever had pancakes with blueberries. They all saidof course, silly!And were likewhoawhen he said he’djusthad pancakes for the first timeever.
“Have you hadcake?” one astute cousin asked.
“Cake?” Akoni asked. “What sort of cake? I don’t think we’re talking about the same cake.”
They screeched and dragged him off to the picnic table buffet where there were several iced cakes.
“Eat the lemon one.” I raised my voice. “It’s got bourbon in it.”
“Oh gods, don’t get him drunk,” Auryn said to me, pacing up and inserting himself into the kerfuffle with my siblings. “Becka, Emily.”
“Asshole,” Emily said. Becka wriggled her middle finger at him.
“I deserve that. Butbourbonlemon cake?”
“It’s Mum-Mum’s recipe. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” I advised him. “And you won’t try it. If anyone sees you eating it, they will gut you.”
“I will go harass Akoni for a bite of his oh fuck… you did tell him he’s supposed toslicecake first, right…” Auryn’s voice trailed off.
“Oh dear…”
Auryn headed off to explain to Akoni one did not eat off the cake tray… and scold the cousins for not explaining this to him.
“By The Nine Dead Gods, has he never had cake before? How did we miss that last time?” Keon asked, watching the scene.
“Apparently a massive oversight.”
“Dead Gods?” Emily asked Keon.
“Oh, our people believe in Nine Dead Gods,” Keon said. “Our gods are dead. They died a long time ago. We use the phrase as akin tobloody hell.”
“Do you believe they’re going to return?” Emily had always liked obscure and ancient religions.
“No. They’re dead and left us on our own.”
“Nine. You know there are all sorts of ancient religions where nine is a sacred number,” Emily said eagerly.
Keon grinned. “I thought the penchant for obscure knowledge was unique to Helena.”
“Helena’shardcore,” Emily said. “I’m not so much. I just like mythology. So what’s the name of your religion?”
