Tiernan swallowed, steadied himself, and said, “If a human swallows a Kumiho's bead, they gain power and knowledge. They need only look upon something to learn about it. As I said, the pearl is a piece of divine magic. Taking it is like stealing a piece of Danu.”
“Holy shit,” Killian whispered.
“Why is it so easy to take?” Daxon demanded.
“Most humans wouldn't know they were kissing a Kumiho,” Tiernan said. “And even if they did, there is only a split-second in which to take the pearl and swallow it. This man was either very lucky or very good.”
“He'd have to know about the pearls,” Raza said.
“There are many myths in Korea about Kumihos and their fox pearls,” Medea said. “Damn those fucking humans! He stole her pearl and then went on to steal more. That must be it.”
“What happened to the Kumiho whose pearl was stolen?” I asked Star.
He met my stare gravely.
“Oh, sweet Goddess,” I whispered and rocked Miri.
“She's dead,” Medea said. “That man killed her.”
Star nodded. “The human watched her wither and turn to dust. Then he walked away.”
“Which means he did it deliberately,” Medea said.
“We can't know that,” Tiernan countered.
“Even if the first kill wasn't deliberate, the second and third were,” Medea said. “He saw what happened and still stole more pearls.”
“But we don't know if that's what happened to all the missing Kumihos,” Killian said.
Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot.
“Yes, I know it's obvious,” Kill said. “But we need proof if we're going to take this to the Councils and get an extinguishment order. At this point, it could be argued as self-defense. With all the myths about Kumihos killing humans, the human might have believed he had to take the pearl to save his life.”
“With an extinguishment order, it would be a case for the Wild Hunt,” Tiernan said, looking at me.
“Sure,” I said. “Afterwe get proof that this guy is deliberately murdering Kumihos. But hunters aren't investigators.”
“They can be,” Tiernan argued.
“No, they assist investigators. Their jobs are—”
“I think I know better than you what the job of a hunter is, Seren,” he cut me off.
“Tiernan, she came to me,” I said firmly. “I've already said yes. Medea and her people didn't hesitate to fight for us against Lana. I will not hesitate to fight for her loved ones. Not to mention the fact that these are your people we're talking about. Kumihos are Seelie Fey.”
“Son of a Bargest,” Tiernan cursed. “Fine.”
I looked at Raza.
He nodded crisply.
I looked at Daxon.
“Yeah,” he said.
I looked at Sever.
“I don't want to be left behind, Seren,” Sever said.
