Tricked

bared and hackles raised. › If anyone tries to feed you to the skinwalkers, they’re going to get fed to the wolfhound. ‹
    Whoa, calm down, Oberon. Stop growling. You can see he’s not even considering it .
    › That’s because he’s considering my teeth. ‹
    Okay, I’m sure he gets the idea . » Stop growling, « I said aloud. Oberon quieted and wagged his tail contentedly, looking up at me.
    › What’s the meat I get for impressive displays of loyalty? Is it lamb? Because I think I earned a rack or at least a leg right there, drizzled with an ancho-chile sauce and a dollop of mint jelly. ‹
    That’s it. I’m using parental controls and blocking the Food Network .
    » Sorry about that, « I said to Ben. He shook his head and gave a tight little smile. It was no big deal.
    » Who are you, man? How do those skinwalkers even know you’re here? «
    » Well, that’s … um … « I didn’t want to explain to him that I was on several gods’ Most Hated list and that one of them had recently turned me into a bobcat Fancy Feast. Because then I’d join Sophie in shouldering blame for Darren’s death, plus I’d feel guilty about endangering the lives of everyone there, even though they had intended to lure the skinwalkers out in the first place. » We should probably wait and talk to Frank about that. He knows why, and he can explain it best, I think. «
    » At—I mean, Reilly? « Granuaile said. » If they’re in human form now, what’s stopping them from opening the door? «
    That was an excellent question. Aside from the hinges, plenty of wire bound it shut, but I thought they would have at least tried it by now.
    » I don’t know, « I murmured. » Let’s go see. « I flipped my faerie specs back on, so as I got closer I could see the door silhouetted by the white glow of magic. The glow wasn’t at the very top, but it was on either side and definitely at the bottom. » It’s the ward laid down by the Blessing Way, « I marveled. » It starts at ground level and then moves up, starting with the door. Hogan doors always face east, so it would be simple to structure the spell that way. Clever. If they reach for the door now, they’ll be burned. «
    Granuaile nodded but had no further questions. I switched back to normal vision and waited for the song to end, as the skinwalkers continued their creepy loop of demanding extra-rare Druid.
    I tried to squat out of the way on the north side. It kept the skinwalkers lurking over there, since Hel’s damned knife had somehow turned me into ambulatory ambrosia. Oberon and Granuaile came over to squat beside me.
    » Now what, sensei? « Granuaile asked, sotto voce.
    » Now we have a long, sleepless night ahead of us. And if they start thrashing the hogan again, I repair it. Just keep it up until sunrise, when we hope they’ll go away. «
    » What if they don’t? «
    » Then I try to figure out a way to mess with them magically without doing any direct harm. But I think they’ll go. The thing that makes their eyes glow doesn’t like light. «
    With a flourish of Frank’s hand and a final shout in unison, the first song ended. Frank sank down, exhausted. Before he could say anything, the skinwalkers’ litany changed, and this started a series of murmurs among the Navajos.
    Frank shook his head though as they came to the end and began to loop once more. » That’s all bullshit, « he said, his voice rasping a bit more than it had before. He looked around at Ben, Sophie, and the others. » Even if we could be sure they’re not lying, which we can’t, they’d never be honest with the deal. «
    › What deal? ‹ Oberon asked. › If they’re making a deal with your life, I’m going to have something to say about it. ‹
    Let’s wait and see .
    Sophie said, » But what if he’s alive, Frank? If there’s a chance we could save him, shouldn’t we at least try to figure something out? «
    Frank’s voice was full of sympathy. » He’s not alive, Sophie. «
    » But how do you know ? « she said, her tone desperate.
    » I’ll tell them to prove he’s alive right now. You’ll see. « Frank set aside his sand for the moment and carefully rose to his feet, coming over to stand next to Granuaile on the north wall. He faced the wall and shouted something in Navajo.
    I get it now. The skinwalkers want to trade Darren for me. Frank thinks they’re bluffing and Darren is already dead. He’s asking them to prove Darren is still alive .
    › And if he