“
Shoshanne nodded and hurried toward the infirmary as Cayla stooped to bury her fingers in the dense black fur some more, and she grinned to herself in a way that made her look kind of similar to the cat. “You can feel how powerful it is,” she said under her breath. “What does the Master want with these? They must be special in some way.” “Well, he’s already got sphynxes and all manner of creatures at that fortress,” I said with a shrug. “Looks like he’s diversifying. What I don’t understand is how the snatcher got them. I’ve never seen anything like this in Illaria, and the automaton is patrolling just east of Serin. At least, I think he is.” “There’s three, though,” Cayla pointed out as she trailed her hand along a pronged horn. “A pack.” I furrowed my brow. “You think the Master sent them out for an attack?” “I would,” Cayla admitted, and she peeled back the beast’s lip to reveal stark white, eight-inch canines. “If I had these at my disposal, I’d send them out in droves to slaughter my enemies. They’re fantastic, how could you not want to utilize this kind of beast as a means to a gruesome end?” “This is why we can’t have pets,” I sighed as Shoshanne emerged from the infirmary. “We have Ruela,” Cayla chuckled. “She’s not a pet, she’s a weapon,” I countered, “and a damn good one.
”
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