Tricked

gods. But days like this remind me I’m not all that hot. And the name helps. No matter how old I get, I keep running into people who are smarter, nobler, and kinder. I really ought to start listening to them and telling my pride to shut up. I had gods tell me not to go to Asgard. I had witches tell me not to go to Flagstaff. You told me this plan wouldn’t work. But I barreled ahead anyway for my own reasons. I still have plenty of growing to do. «
    » How old are you, anyway? Twenty-two? «
    » I know I don’t look it, but I’m older than you, Frank. Quite a bit older. «
    Frank grunted and considered my original question. » All right, Atticus who’s older ’n me. The only reason I can think of for them leavin’ like that is that they’re cookin’ up some other way to kill us. Some way they think will work better, more surefire. Because there’s one thing about those caltrops, something I didn’t think about before: Those skinwalkers are gonna have to look where they step if they wanna get through ’em. And if they have to do that, then they can’t be lookin’ at us at the same time. That ain’t somethin’ they’d be willin’ to risk, not with you standin’ there with a badass sword in your hand and me with a gun in mine. So they’re gonna come back soon with some way to get around the caltrops. «
    » Of course! « I said, a grin splitting my face. » Frank, you’re a genius! «
    » Hell yes I am. What are you talkin’ about? «
    » They have a bird form, « I explained. » Don’t know what kind of bird, but I bet they went to get their bird skins. Or feathers. Whatever. «
    Frank peered up at me. » How do you know that? «
    » My hound and I tracked them the other day, after that first night’s attack. Found bird tracks. Big ones. «
    Frank frowned. » Only big birds around these parts are carrion birds. Crows and ravens and shit like that. «
    » These weren’t crows. Didn’t have that smell. «
    » That smell? You can tell birds apart by smell? «
    » Well, yeah. I’m a shape-shifter, Frank. « A new plan gelled in my head, and I carefully resheathed Moralltach before removing the scabbard altogether as a prelude to removing my clothes. Once that process began, Frank required an explanation.
    » Uh, why are you gettin’ naked? « he asked.
    » Can’t change forms with jeans and a shirt on, can I? Clothes get in the way when you want to fly. «
    » Are you shittin’ me right now? « He rose from his squatting position.
    » Nope. I’m even starting to feel smug again. Switch places with me, Frank, need you on my left. «
    » What? Why? «
    » Are you left-handed or right-handed? «
    » Right. «
    » That’s what I thought, so I need you on my left. «
    » You ain’t makin’ no sense at all, « he said as he exchanged positions with me.
    » Well, trust me, Frank. Hate to throw your own words back at you, but I’m not just a dumbass pretty boy. Sometimes I’m kind of smart and pretty. I have a plan. «
    » Hope it works better than the last one. «
    » Me too. All right, tell me what kind of big birds you see out here besides ravens and crows. «
    » Vultures. They call ’em turkey vultures, to be exact. «
    » Yes, that works. And they’re pretty big? «
    » Damn big. «
    » And they’re black, I’m guessing. «
    » You guess right. Heads are red, but rest of ’em is black. «
    » So that’s their plan, Frank. They’re going to put down their bobcat skins and put on their vulture skins, and then they’re going to glide right over those caltrops and drop down on top of us like airborne ninjas. «
    Frank looked up. » Shit, you’re right. It’s damn sneaky, and it’s precisely what an air spirit from First World would want to do. «
    » And once they’re in this circle with us, we don’t stand a chance of matching their speed. «
    » That’s for sure, « Frank agreed. » If they get in here, we got ourselves a snake’s chance in a typing contest. «
    » So this is what we do. « I explained my new plan, which involved him getting back down on his haunches and placing his right arm as flat as possible on the ground.
    » You know I ain’t no spring chicken, right? « he said.
    » Spring just this once for me, Frank. «
    Frank’s eyes were on mine but then shifted over my right shoulder to the northeast, past the looming wall of the northern butte. » They’re coming. At least one of ’em is. Don’t see the other one. « He squatted down as I instructed, and I