We’d already walked over some of the grounds, and Gwen had pointed out several trailheads for biking, running, and hiking, warning me to stay alert for the barrier that surrounded the estate. I wasn’t to try crossing through it for any reason — doing so would be dangerous. I didn’t mention that I probably wouldn’t know it was there until I ran into it. I figured I’d just stay near the house.

She’d also shown me the garage, tennis court, and outdoor pool. The stable was the last stop.

After seeing the grounds, we embarked on a full tour of the house. It had four wings, one of which held Cordus’s private quarters. That was a no-go zone, except when invited. The other three wings were full of suites and small apartments for Nolanders. The place could house well over a hundred comfortably and three times that number if people shared space.

Gwen had taken me to see her apartment, which was much larger and fancier than mine. It was also full of weapons — not only guns, but also blades, bows, spears, axes, and other things I couldn’t have named. Apparently Gwen was a serious collector. Many of the more beautiful items were displayed on the walls, but she also had an entire room dedicated to storage.

We talked shop about some of her guns. I didn’t know much about the more exotic firearms she showed me, but it’s hard to grow up in a rural area and not get acquainted with rifles and shotguns — hunting is a big part of life in northern Wisconsin. And even though Mom’s handgun was pretty basic, she’d enjoyed browsing the newer models whenever she took me shooting. I’d picked up enough over the years to hold up my end of the conversation, which I hoped made me seem less little-girly in the wake of the horses-smell-good thing.

In addition to the apartments, each wing contained recreation areas; a small kitchen; laundry facilities; and a walk-in supply closet full of bedding, towels, toiletries, and cleaning products. Gwen pointed out the unscented shampoo, conditioner, soap, and deodorant to me and explained that many non-humanoid Seconds had very sensitive noses. It was considered rude to wear perfumes around them, so the policy was to avoid scented products entirely. Smoking was prohibited for the same reason.

The central part of the house had several subbasements. I’d visited one of those levels briefly when we used the underground tunnel to the garage. Most of the basement space was dedicated to athletic facilities: an indoor pool; extensive weight and cardio rooms; racquetball and basketball courts; and several rooms set up for martial arts, gymnastics, and other punishing activities. It all gave me a sinking feeling that I’d soon be getting a lot sweatier than I liked.