"Doranna Durgin - The Right Bitch" - читать интересную книгу автора (Durgin Doranna)

Despite himself, desperately wishing Shiba's sharp brown gaze pointed elsewhere, Sabre whined in
response. Hurts. And when Taliya soothed him, he wagged his tail in silly submissive little jerks and
whined again. Couldn't help it. Never could, where Taliya was concerned.
Shiba looked away as though embarrassed for the both of them.



"Well, there's only the one," Shiba's manтАФTallon, that was his nameтАФsaid, sounding frustrated. "The
other must've gotten away. Sons of bitches, taking a whip to himтАФ"



Taliya looked up from Sabre, who'd managed to insinuate himself into her lap, even though she was
kneeling and had no real lap of which to speak. "How'd you train her for that? These dogs don't have an
aggressive hair on their bodies, not when it comes to people."



Tallon shook his head, still pensively looking off in the direction in which the smuggler had escaped.
"Didn't train her. Ever since the critter-based magic smuggling ring last fall, she's been impossible to keep
off dangling thingsтАФlaundry, ropes, hair, you name it. She's got a real grudge against the ugly
thingsтАФand you know the way their tails hang down when they're treed. I don't hang my socks out to
dry where she can reach them anymore."



The other side had concocted their scheme knowing that the linehounds were trained off critter trail, and
had used the critters to carry minor magics and amulets, hoping to confuse the hounds. Only pups took a
second sniff at critter trailтАФand any adult dog caught chasing them was retired. It had nearly happened to
Shiba, Sabre knew.



"They all hate the critters," Taliya said mildly, which was true enoughтАФno polite linehound would even
think their true name, but used only the nickname commonly applied by humans.



"Shiba more than most, these days." He looked after the escapee and shook his head. "Damn."



Taliya nodded at Shiba. "Is she sound? Send her on."



Tallon shook his head. "We've near reached the border already. I won't send her into that alone."