your return from the hearth room."
"You should have told me."
Ghost's wheezing laughter mocked him and showed him how ridiculous he had sounded.
"Who is Danica?" the evil little man asked again, more determinedly.
"Lady Danica Maupoissant," Bogo replied, "from \\festgate. Do you know of her?"
Ghost shook his head.
"She is Cadderly*s dearest friend," Bogo went on, "a beautiful wisp of a woman, by all descriptions, but formidable." Bogo's expression and tone grew grave. "This is not good news, my associate," he explained. "Lady Maupoissant has been a terrible foe to Castle Trinity in the fight thus far. If she arrives soon, then you would be well advised to finish your business with Cadderly promptly and be gone from here."
Ghost nodded, considering the warning. "From where will she come?" he asked. "The library?"
"That would seem likely," Bogo replied. He flipped his brown hair to one side and smiled slyly. "What are you thinking?"
Ghost's glare stole the wizard's mirth. "That is none of your concern," he rasped with sudden anger, pushing past Bogo to the door. "If you are thinking of making any moves against Cadderly on your own . . ." He let the implication hang in the air.
"Well, let us just say that the consequences of failure can be terrible indeed," Ghost finished, and he started away. He turned back immediately, though, his gaze directing Bogo to the pile of blankets that had hidden Ghost. "Do watch your back, young wizard" Ghost said evenly, then he coughed a wheezing laugh and went to his room, in the corner of the north wing, halfway between Cadderly's room and the room occupied by Avery and Rufo.
"From the library, from the mountains," Ghost mused, closing the door behind him. "\fell, we shall see if Lady Maupoissant follows her path all the way to Carradoon." Ghost sat on his bed and summoned the Ghearufu. Using its powers, he sent his thoughts out of the town, to Vander, in the farmhouse.
Ghost felt the firbolg's typical revulsion and knew from its depth that Vander was angry both with the situation at the farm and with Ghost's intrusion.
Let me in, Vander, the wicked man teased, confident that the firbolg could not deny access even if he tried, Finder was Ghost's chosen victim, his special target, and with Vander alone, Ghost could make the body transfer from almost any range. He felt the sharp, burning pain as his spirit stepped out of his body, and then he was floating, flying on the winds, propelled straight for the firbolg's shell. As he entered the giant body, he knew that Vander had entered his, back in the room at the Dragon's Codpiece.
Do not leave the room, Ghost instructed telepathically through the continuing mental link. Admit no visitors, particularly not that foolish wizard, Bogo Rathl
Ghost willed away the Ghearufu and considered his surroundings. Curiously enough, he was in a barn, surrounded by stabled horses and cows. The man in the firbolg's body shook his head at Vander's continuing surprises and made his way to the large door.
The farmyard was quiet under the light of the westering moon, and the house, dark; not a single candle burned in any window. Ghost made his way across to the porch and heard a shuffle up above.
"It is only the master," he said to the unseen guards. "Gather the others and come into the barn, all of you. The time has come to tighten our noose."
Just a few minutes later, the entire band of nineteen remaining Night Masks assembled around their leader. Ghost noted that one of his henchmen was missing, but he said nothing about it, realizing that Finder probably knew what had happened to the man and that he might confuse them all by questioning the absence while wearing Vander's form.
He drew a quick map on the ground in front of him. "I have word that a woman is on her way to Carradoon from the Edificant Library" he said, indicating the location of the mountain structure. "There are only a few trails down the mountains, and they all exit in this general area. She should not be hard to find."
"How many should we send?" one of the assassins asked.
Ghost paused as much to consider the angry edge to the man's tone as to consider the question itself. Perhaps the missing Night Mask had met an unfortunate demise at Vander's impulsive hands.
"Five," Ghost said at last. "The woman is to be killed, as are any who travel beside her."
"It could be a large and formidable band,"