Kalico, with a smile, said, “So, Kylee, welcome to PA. How’s Tip?”

“Dying,” Kylee said bitterly.

“In surgery,” Talina corrected. “Now we do the hard part. Sit and wait.”

Shig reached across Kalico, offering his hand. “Hello, Kylee. Good to see you again. Been a while since Rork Springs.”

“You still killing quetzals?” Kylee asked, a smoldering behind her eyes. She gave Shig’s hand a puzzled look, and he withdrew it.

It hit Talina that Kylee had no clue what the gesture meant. Have to deal with that.

“Only when they kill us first,” Shig reached for his half-glass of wine. “We have learned a lot since those days, and much of it because of you. But perhaps, with you here for a time, we might benefit from your experience. We have had people killed in the last week. Whitey is back. Maybe his entire lineage.”

At the mention, the Demon quetzal that lived behind Talina’s stomach chortled with delight, hissing, Good!

Kylee asked, “So, what? You want me to hunt him down?”

Down inside, Demon hissed his disapproval, then added, “Get this abomination away from here.”

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Talina muttered under her breath.

From his perch on her shoulder, Rocket chittered in amusement, but then he’d been relieved ever since Kylee had stepped down from Dek’s airplane.

“We want the killing to stop,” Shig told her.

Kylee shrugged dismissively. “It’s a lineage vendetta. The only thing you can do is kill him and exterminate the lineage. I’ve tasted their knowledge. They kill humans. No other way they think. Sorry.”

“Got the same problem down at Corporate Mine,” Kalico said. “Two attacks in the last six months. I’m hoping I can send IG Soukup out into the forest to investigate. Maybe confront said quetzal.” She turned her laser-blue gaze on Kylee. “Speaking of quetzals, how are you doing?”

“Scared. Creep-freaked to be here.” Kylee told her. “This thing in Tip’s leg, well, he’d be dead if it wasn’t for the quetzal molecules and proteins in his blood. Raya’s his last chance. I had to come.”

“Slug?” Shig asked.

“Don’t think so.” Kylee frowned. “Tip said it was something he’d never seen before. It came out of a hole in a cliff he was climbing. Said he cut it in half, but the part that bit him just kept eating its way inside.”

Inga—approaching in her rolling stride—already had Talina’s glass filled with stout, calling, “What’ll Dek have? What’s Kylee want?”

“Dek’ll have the special and an IPA,” Dek called from the knot of people who’d gathered around him.

“Kylee?” Inga asked.

“Whatever Talina’s drinking.” Kylee pointed at the stout.

Inga shot Talina a questioning glance.