“I don’t think Anwatan would want her death to be remembered as the start of another conflict between our people and the fairy courts.”

“The way your daughter died,” Joe said, “that wasn’t the first time the aganesha have murdered one of us in the last few years. It’s time the fairy courts learned that we’re only going to take so much of their bullshit.”

“But if there’s war, even more will die. Cousins and fairy both.”

“I know. But it’s not up to us, and right now I’m more concerned with getting Jilly and her friend back.” He turned to me. “Can you show me the place where she was taken from?”

I nodded and we all trooped back to the hotel. By the time we reached the building, Walker didn’t look a whole lot different from Joe—black braids, jeans and a flannel shirt, cowboy boots. The antlers were gone, though I thought I could still see ghosts of them when he was in my peripheral vision. We met Eddie in the foyer and I made introductions. If he was surprised at how our little company swelled by three, he didn’t ask about it, sparing me having to make something up.

“Are you staying another night?” he asked.

I knew he was trying to find a polite way to tell us that any extra nights we might stay wouldn’t be comped.

“I think so,” I told him. “But don’t worry. We know we’ve used up our freebie nights.”

I shot a glance at Joe and saw he had no patience for any small talk right now. He just wanted to find Jilly. We were on the same wavelength, so I left the other band members with Eddie and took Cassie and the two cousins up to the room Jilly and I had been sharing.

“I can’t believe I slept right through them taking her,” I said when we were inside.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Joe told me. “They’d have been in and out so fast and quiet, you probably wouldn’t have seen them if you’d been awake.”

He and Walker made their way around the room, looking for I don’t know what, because there wasn’t anything to see. After a few moments, Joe turned to Walker.

“I had a protection spell on her,” he said, “and it seems to have worked just fine. It took her away before they had a chance to grab her.”

Walker nodded. “Only where? All I see is a dead end. The trail leads into the between, then nothing.”

“I know. It wasn’t supposed to work like that. It was supposed to take her into the Greatwood.”

“The last cards I drew showed her in a forest,” Cassie said, “except it looked like something around here.”

“And she seemed safe,” I added.

“At least that’s one small blessing,” Walker said.