“When you refused me the loan of your young companion. In retrospect, this body serves my purpose better than the youth would have, so I thank you. But I have a lot of questions and the sleep enchantment won’t last all night. You and I need to agree on a plan.” He waded out of the basin, sat on its edge, and patted the stone rim beside him in invitation.

“I see.” She found his clothing in a rumpled heap on the ground and fished out undergarments and what appeared to be a tunic meant to be worn beneath a warden’s tabard. The fabric was obscenely smooth, making a person want to keep caressing it. Enough! She extended an arm. After a moment, he took the garments, examined them, and dressed like someone who is figuring out how clothing works while in the act of putting them on. Once garbed, he sat on a bench, facing the fountain.

She sat at the opposite end of the bench, setting the knife on her other side, where he couldn’t see it. “So, you are the haunt.”

“Is that your word for me? The problem is that I am ignorant just when I need knowledge most. I inhabit the body but not the mind.”

“That must be a relief for those individuals whose bodies are taken like this.”

He sat up straighter, looking affronted. “Is that sarcasm?”

“You tell me.”

“A passage spell is a temporary measure, a transference undertaken between two consenting parties.”

“Did the prince consent?”

He frowned, tapping a finger against his chin. “The prince and I engaged in a complicated discussion. I explained the situation and politely made my request for his aid. He didn’t say no. He said something on the order of ‘I dare you to try,’ or ‘As if you think you can overwhelm a prince of the imperial palace,’ or ‘I don’t believe it’s possible so make your best effort.’ I took it as invitation enough.”

“Did he truly understand what he was getting into?”

The haunt leaned toward her. She held her ground. It wasn’t that he scared her, precisely, but that she was certain he had the means to harm her and chose not to.

His tone was serious, all his blithe words vanished. “The situation is desperate. It appears both I and the prince are headed in the same direction. What harm is there that I am conveyed to my destination if I do not place any obstacle in his journey? He will get there safely, and so will I.”

“I object to people being taken without their consent. If I mean the principle to apply to those I love, then it must also apply to those I dislike and to those I don’t know.”