to go wandering in those ruins after dark. And if you have some sort of Elemental that can guard you as you sleep, I cannot stress enough that you should do so.”
“Already did the first—took a look-see, and I don’ need nobody breakin’ a leg in there.” He gave her a quizzical look. “I ain’t no Master though; jest got a liddle Fire Magic. What’s got your tail all bushed?”
“That’s what’s left of a Magdalene Convent, and there could be dangerous spirits about once the sun sets—” Rosamund began, and was interrupted by Cody chuckling.
“Missy, I dunno what spooks you Germans, but us Americans ain’t a-feared of no ghosties. Specially not ghosts of nuns, of all damn things.” At the sight of Rosamund’s fuming face, he just laughed a little more. “Iffen y’all had said there was some sorta old god, or other nasty critter in there, it’d be one thing. But ghosts cain’t hurt nobody, all they kin do is skeer ya. An’ I ain’t a-feared of ghosts, an’ anyway, y’all don’t even know if there’s any in there.”
Rosamund looked as if she was ready to explode . . . and then she just turned on her heel and left Cody chuckling behind her. Giselle ran to catch up with her. She was fuming under her breath as she headed for where the Pawnee were encamped. Giselle couldn’t make out what she was saying, but she really didn’t need to.
“He’s trying to assert himself, you know,” she pointed out. “His pride was hurt because you invoked your authority as one of the Brotherhood and attached yourself to the show without so much as a by-your-leave, and he sees this as a way to get some of his own back.”
“That doesn’t make him any less of an idiot!” she snarled. “He has no idea!”
By this point they were at the fire pit the Pawnee had set up, and she made a visible effort to get her temper under control before she spoke to them.
“Medicine Chief Fox-Who-Leads,” she said, formally, in careful Pawnee. “I wish to speak with you and your warriors about the dangers that may be dwelling in yonder stone houses.”
Seeing that this was a serious matter, Leading Fox stood up, and the rest of the Pawnee turned and gave her their complete attention. “We have spoken of the need to stand a watch, Medicine Woman,” Fox replied. “Have you learned something more?”
“I have learned that this is a place that may be full of angry ghosts,” she told them all, her lips thinning a little. “Captain Cody does not believe that ghosts can harm him.”
“Captain Cody is my friend, but sometimes a fool.” All of the Pawnee nodded at this, and Rosamund relaxed a little, looking a bit mollified by their reaction. “The wise man knows that angry ghosts have many ways of causing harm. Do you know the exact sort of angry ghost that may be harbored there?”
She shook her head. “There are many possibilities. If I tell you to look for one, and another, different sort comes, you may be caught off guard. I ask you only to set your spirit animals to watch and warn.”
“It shall be so.” Leading Fox quickly agreed. “We will take great care, and should something alert us, we will come to you.”
“My thanks,” Rosamund told them, and she and Giselle went to find the “chuck wagon,” queued up to get their bread and stew, and ate it in silence. No one else seemed to notice, however, since just about everyone else was grumbling good-naturedly about the “unnatural” abundance of trees that was making a decent camp so hard to put together.
They left their dishes to be cleaned up, went back to their vardos, and sat in the front doors, facing the forest as the sun began to set. “Do you think you can coax out some Air Elementals to stand watch?” Rosamund said after a long silence.
“I can try,” Giselle replied, and spun up tenuous little tendrils of Air Magic, sending them wafting out into the woods—away from the direction of the ruins—bearing the message that she would like, please, for something friendly to do her a favor in return for another. Meanwhile Rosamund had gotten down on the ground and had placed one hand on the earth, presumably doing some “calling” of her own.
Giselle actually had not expected to get any response, since she had seen absolutely no sign of Air Elementals lurking anywhere since they had entered the