“It’s really somethin’, she showed me on the way here,” Neville piped. “She swings the chain around her whole entire body and then she just turns and whips it and pow!” He slapped Zahra’s flank. The hippo didn’t seem to notice. “It just crunches whatever she aims it at!”

“I hope I don’t have a need to see it in action,” Adelia said, “but I would love to see a demonstration.” She looked at the meteor hammer and for a moment, genuine affection ghosted her features. “At any rate, we should find a place to tie up,” Adelia said. “It’s unwise for us to be in the water after sundown.”

“Oui,” Archie said. “And we should go over the plan for this caper before we turn in.”

“Why?” Neville asked.

“It’s not a caper,” Houndstooth replied, sounding irritated. “It’s an operation. All aboveboard.”

“Well, we still need to go over the plan,” Adelia snapped.

“If you see a dry patch I don’t,” Houndstooth said, slapping at a mosquito, “you go right ahead and point it out.”

“There was a petit island a mile back or so,” Archie mused, “but too small, I think, for all of us.”

“Why can’t we be out after dark?” Neville asked again.

“Too small for your fat ass, maybe,” Cal called from the back of the group. Archie’s fingertips played over the revolver that hung from her hip.

“He’s not worth the bullet,” Adelia murmured to her.

“Why shouldn’t we be out after dark?” Neville piped.

“I could stab ’im, perhaps,” Archie said, giving Adelia a wry smile.

“Si, but then the blood would ruin your lovely blouse.”

“Excuse me,” Neville said again.

“Strangulation, then. The cleanest death of them all,” Archie continued, ignoring him.

“Ask Hero for some poison, maybe?” Adelia and Archie both laughed. Hero smiled from under the brim of their hat. Neville looked back at Hero, eyes wide.

“You have a lot to learn, boy,” Hero drawled. “Never stare at someone you’re scared of.”

Archie smiled over at Neville. “Are you scared of Hero?”

Houndstooth chuckled. “I’d imagine he’s scared of all of us.”

Hero fanned themself with their hat. “Oh, son. You shouldn’t be scared of us. Us, you’ll see comin’. No, what you want to be scared of,” they said, looking at the boy with a wicked gleam in their eye, “is the ferals.”

Neville clung to Zahra’s back. “I ain’t scared of hippos.” His voice shook a little.

“Well, young man, there’s hippos and there’s hippos,” Cal said. “Now, Zahra there, she’s a sweet thing. Raised by people from when she was just a little hop. Slept next to her hopper’s raft every night, ate from her hopper’s hand every day. Loyal. Loving. But a feral?” He laughed mirthlessly.