I wondered what Eddie would think to see the bunch of us go trooping off into the woods behind his hotel, but we didn’t run into him on the way out, so I was spared the need to come up with some plausible excuse. That also meant that I didn’t have to introduce him to Cassie and explain what she was doing all the way out in Sweetwater without a car or a ride to get here. I liked Eddie and didn’t particularly feel like lying to him, but telling him that we were off to call up a stag spirit, or that Cassie had gotten here by crow girl express would only make things way more complicated than they already were.

We tramped through the bush, avoiding the clumps of hard, icy snow that had yet to get the message that spring was here, until we found a small meadow that was out of sight of the hotel or any of the other buildings in Sweetwater. On any other day I’d have been happy to hang out and play some tunes under one of the beeches or elms that rose up above the cedars and scrub trees. But although the weather was warm enough, and I did have my fiddle with me, the case hanging from my shoulder by a strap, we were here on more serious business.

“So, who’s going to do it?” Siobhan asked.

Now that we were out here, she didn’t seem quite so sure about what we were getting into. If she knew what Cassie and I did, she’d probably be more nervous still. Sure there are native spirits like the crow girls or Cody who seemed to thrive on getting involved in human affairs, but most of them just want to be left alone and don’t take kindly to being drawn into our messy lives. Especially not when those calling them up are strangers to them, and we’d certainly be strangers to this Walker.

But we were here now, and I really didn’t want to get back into another discussion about calling Joe here by using his true name.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

“Is there anything we should know?” Con asked.

Cassie replied before I could. “You’d be smart not to draw any more attention to yourselves than simply being here is already going to do. Let Geordie do the talking unless either of them asks you something directly.”

“So . . . is this dangerous?” Andy wanted to know.

“Any dealings with the otherworld can be dangerous,” Cassie told him. Then she smiled. “Hell, being alive is dangerous. But in this case, just be quiet and things should be okay.”

I looked around to see if anybody else had something they needed to say, but they were all quiet now, waiting on me.