“He’s not a grendelkin,” I muttered.
She arched a brow at me.
“You’ll have to trust me. The Forest People are different than the grendelkin.”
“Big, hairy, strong, stinky … If it walks like a Grendel and talks like a—”
“You and I,” I said, meeting the Valkyrie’s eyes, “are about to have a serious argument.”
Jetty Ayah’s eyes flared with defiance—but she looked away first.
“That’s River Shoulders. He’s okay. Tell your boss I said that.”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“Because as long as he’s using a messenger, I will, too,” I said. “Not sure why he’s keeping his distance, but I’ll respect it. Could be he doesn’t want to look too chummy with me here. Point is, tell him that River Shoulders isn’t a grendelkin.”
“He’s chatty enough to be one,” Jetty Ayah growled. The next turn let me
