“You’re sounding like your mother.”
“In the assessment of character she has no equal.”
“She didn’t have a high assessment of my character.”
“That was because she was afraid I would find you intriguing, you being an ineligible mate and therefore an object of fascination.”
“She thought I was vulgar! Now look who you’re with! Lord Vulgaroso himself.”
“He’s not as coarse as I feared. It’s just a manner he adopts to set himself apart in people’s minds from the earnest and solemn Problem Solvers.”
“Apart from being a self-aggrandizing slob, he’s your aunt’s mate, which makes him your uncle. Did you let him sniff your anal glands?”
“Bandy – I do believe you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Protect me? I have two alpha males to court me, both seeking to be my Protector. Lo! I am a maiden in a tizzy.”
“Get serious, Bel. It’s not all about you.”
“But I am having fun. Aren’t double agents allowed to have fun?”
“What did you do together?”
“Well, dear cousin, if you really have to know, we ate dinner. Pizza. He ate two whole pizzas, dripping with mozzarella and simply loaded with mushrooms and pepperoni. I believe the reason he wants to protect the city is so he can come across the lake and eat pizza.”
“Did you eat pizza too?”
“I don’t like cheese. It gets in my whiskers. He let me have some of his mushrooms.”
“Did he say how he was going to take over the city?”
“No. He’s not interested in politics. He’s just interested in his own potency.”
“What about the Declaration? Did you find out what he’s going to declare?”
“Oh, yes. The Declaration.” Sensibel began to sound excited. “It’s to happen tomorrow night. We’re going to arrive just after the Primates have gone home. There’ll be hosts of raccoons there – he’s invited the whole city.”
“Yes. It’s all over the network.”
“First, he’s going to inspect the Honour Guard. I assume you’ll be among them. Then he’s going to say a speech about something.”
“What’s he going to say?”
“I don’t know. I forgot. Something about Uniting the Ancestral Lands of the River Clan. Anyway, he’s going to give this major speech, with all his favourite sons arrayed behind him.”
“Where does he get that idea from?”
“From the Security Director. The Pro doesn’t have any ideas.”
“And you’re supposed to look like the ideal mother of all these sons.”
Sensibel seemed surprised by his characterization. She was examining him keenly to see the spirit in which the remark was meant. Plainly, she hadn’t thought of herself before as a mother – still less as a poster child for motherhood in general. He quickly intervened before she thought about it further … “What are you meant to do at the Declaration?”
“I’m supposed to stand behind him, a little to his left so people can see my tail.” Sensibella flounced out her magnificent golden tail.
“It’s a fake.”
“Oh relax, Bandy. Bell’s enjoying her fifteen minutes of Pomp and Circumstance.”
“Don’t forget, I’ll be there tomorrow night. Right behind you in the High Guard. As soon as there’s trouble, come to me.”
“Bandy. You’ll always be my number one Protector.”
She suddenly gave him a mischievous lick on his muzzle. “Oh, I just remembered. I heard him say he can’t get messages in or out of Creek Town. But someone came here from the Creek just after the storm. A woman. She reported that the community has been taken over by one of his sons: a mysterious, unknown son. The Creekers adore him.”
“Who is he?”
“She didn’t know his name. She said that he was an outsider. A maverick. The only thing the Protector said was that he can’t keep track of his sons anymore, but it doesn’t really matter because he won’t ever sire anyone who is smarter than him.”
“You’re the Queen of Double Agents,” Frisk said.
He thought he could hear Sensibel purr.
“One thing I’m sure of,” he told her, “is that everybody in the city is confused about when the Declaration is happening.”
“Yes, the Protector says it’s because people are putting out fake news. He’s as cross as two sticks about it.”
