“Let’s not scare the boy,” Houndstooth said. “He won’t be seeing any ferals anyway. They’re all between the Gate and the dam, and he won’t be going in there with us.”

“You never know,” Cal intoned.

“Is . . . is that why we have to find a place to camp before nightfall? Because of ferals?” Neville asked.

“That, and Cal is scared of the dark,” Archie said loudly. “So let’s ’urry it up, oui?” She snapped her fingers twice and Rosa surged ahead, nudging her white nose against Ruby’s coal-black flank.

They found an island just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The hum of insects intensified as the last light of the day died, and the hoppers guided their steeds toward the little hump of land that rose out of the water. Archie whistled to Neville. “Would you care to give Rosa’s teeth a brush before we turn ’er loose for the night?”

Neville grinned, his sweat-damp blond hair falling into his eyes, and he held up a leather pouch. “I’ve already got her toothbrush, Miss Archie!” He splashed down the riverbank, cooing to Rosa. The white hippo had already begun to wander away from the sandy bank of the islet. She had been riding all day, and was reluctant to come back to the shore before she’d eaten. The sound of Neville’s coaxing entreaties for her to come back for a brushing drifted through the stillness of the dusk, blending with the buzz of cicadas.

“’E is a good kid,” Archie said ruefully, settling onto a log beside Hero.

“He’s too green to be out here,” Hero responded. They pulled out a pocketknife and began scraping the bark off a fat stick.

“Ah, ’e’ll be fine. I couldn’t leave ’im behind,” Archie said. “Rosa, she likes ’im too much for me to tell ’im no, when ’e asked to come. Just like Houndstooth. I could never say no to ’im, either.”

The sounds of Houndstooth and Cal arguing over where to start the fire drifted to them through the warm night air.

“You really care about Houndstooth, eh?” Hero asked.

“I could ask you the same question, couldn’t I?” Archie responded with a grin. Hero looked up, not returning Archie’s smile.

“You know, when I first met Houndstooth, ’e had just had ’is ’eart broken. ’Is dream—it was in ashes. I watched ’im meet someone, a woman. I watched ’im fall in love with ’er.”

Hero’s brow furrowed, but they did not interrupt.

Archie waved her hand vaguely. “She ran off with a postman. They were going to go north, to the cities. Tried to take Ruby with them, but of course Ruby, she would not go. She is devoted.”

Hero considered Archie. “So . . . what happened after that?”