"Lily..."
Annan turned his head. Maria realized Lily was the false name he had given her and moved to stand beside him.
Her hairless tail, tough as a whip, slid down from her waist and coiled around her thigh.
"She's a guard the Clan sent to protect me."
Babatos's mouth hung open. He instinctively refused to believe it, but who would bring a Ratfolk Guard into a dungeon...?
"You can trust him. Young Miss Olmedo has the backing of Ironbite Elder from the Elder Council," Maria said.
Annan added, "Which faction are you with? Or do you work for the McKennan Clan?"
Thanks to Gale, Annan knew the Stuen Clan inside and out. Even the Champion Rat would have been left dazed, listening to him.
Babatos was already half convinced. Grief and anger filled his voice. "If we're on the same side, why did you—"
"Because you've been exposed." Annan looked at him with pity. "You didn't think I, a mere Purification Court Head, could persuade the Council Chairman to investigate the long-buried Princess Sails case and have him arrest a grand duke of the Kingdom, did you?"
Babartod opened his mouth. "You could have warned me..."
"I did warn you." The words came more easily to Annan now. "I went to your Manor and told you not to make any moves for a while. I even took Falu away... But you didn't seem to understand."
Annan had thoroughly taken Babatos in. His face was full of regret. He wanted to complain that Annan should have spoken plainly, but then reasoned that doing so would have dragged Annan down with him.
"All right. You have one last chance to ask a question."
Annan made a show of looking at his watch. Babatos did not understand the gesture, but he could