The party, except for Alexandra and Jasmine, were slightly awed at the kitsune city. It had clearly grown rapidly since the time, only a few days ago, when Tabra and the vixens had fled from it. With the swaggering, con-man confidence of the kitsune, Akira, or as he was now calling himself, Shaykh Abu Isa, approached the guardians of the gate.
"Halt!" shouted the guardian. "All must be inspected!"
The guards found themselves slightly deferential to the wealthy sheik, but painstakingly inspected each member of the party. They were clearly terrified of the possibility of djinn spies. Samir and his family were admitted without difficulty, but there was something about the sheik and his wives that was troubling.
The guard pulled out his cell phone to call his commander. "They are not djinn, but there is something about them that seems, off."
Shayk Abu Isa decided that the best bet was to change the nature of the encounter. Although bribery was often effective in this situation, the guards probably had a higher degree of loyalty than did most Middle Eastern gatekeepers. Something else was required. "I need to speak with your king!" he proclaimed loudly. "I bring the offer of an alliance with the shayks of the gulf!"
++++++++
"Shall we make the game a bit more interesting?"
"What?" asked Julio.
"A bet?"
"Gambling with the kitsune? I'm not sure I could take that much interestingness. And I barely know this game."
"You pick, then."
"I'm not saying I'll take a bet, but if I did, what would we bet?"
Keiko laughed. "How about this. If you win, I serve your mission for a year--I do whatever you wish in finding the knowledge you seek, in the library of the city of foxes or elsewhere. I win, and you come with me if I have to rescue my sisters, in whatever form I deem most useful. Afterwards, you can stay in the city and explore its knowledge, so you win either way."
"I really don't want to be anywhere near Jasim--Jasmine." Julio smiled at the thought of Jasim's involuntary transformation.
"That's the beauty of it--I can give you a form that the angel won't see through."
"You have a great deal of confidence, kitsune."
Keiko laughed. "More than you, apparently."
Julio pulled out a western deck. "You know gin rummy?" he smiled.