Now she was very glad she’d smudged Larry Bushyhead down. If the mi-ah-luschka were on the trail of his boss, they might be inclined to take out Believer targets first. If they had picked up the magical “scent” of Calligan when the first dozer unearthed the relics, they would not let go of the trail. His workers, his wife, his family, they would all be fair game. They would have his scent as well, and as arbitrary as they were sometimes, the Little People might just start sniping at random.

Honking behind her jarred her out of her reverie; the light had changed, and she was still sitting there like a dope. Flushing furiously, she tapped the accelerator and moved into the intersection.

Shoot, the Little People could be causing all kinds of “accidents” that I don’t even know about! Things like—making a driver see a green light when it’s actually red. Or, Wah-K’on-Tah give me patience, sending David here to get those poor guys into more trouble by thinking he’s getting them out of it!

That would be like the mi-ah-luschka too, she thought sourly. Get everyone entangled in a big mess. What would be worse; going to jail for something you didn’t do—or getting flattened at an intersection? And which would those construction workers pick?

Me, I’d prefer to get flattened. The idea of a prison cell gives me the creeps.

She turned down her own street, several blocks earlier than she usually did. The stop signs were all facing her direction along here, and if she was going to go all fog-brained, better to go along here than on the busier street.

Small brick-and-frame houses lined both sides of the street, set back under trees that dated back to the thirties. The street looked very safe and suburban without the sterility of the modern subdivisions. Little porch lights gleamed warmly down on curved sidewalks and small porches with a chair or porch swing waiting. No kids out tonight; just as well, given her inattentiveness right now.

If I want to see if there’s Little People out there on that site—damn it all, I’m going to have to go out there at night. I don’t want to see, but I have to find out. I might as well go tonight or tomorrow, before the full moon. If they catch me while they are not at full power, I can probably convince them I’m on their side.

But she had no intentions of prowling around a place where the Little People had any chance of appearing without some special preparations. Momma didn’t raise any stupid children, oh no. Besides, what was the use of being the student of a Medicine Man if you couldn’t ask his advice?