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Morio stroked his goatee. After a moment, he nodded. “That sounds right, but what do we do about it?”
“We’ll figure that out later, but for now, let’s get these bones buried while there’s a lull in the rain.” I motioned to Delilah. “Can you start digging a hole at the base of the tree? Try to position it in the shelter of the roots. Meanwhile, I’ll get the salt and Morio—will you set up the candles?”
As I scattered a ring of salt around the yew, Delilah dug away at a hole for the bones. Morio settled a black pillar candle at one side of the hole, a white one at the other.
Rodney, who had been watching us silently, let out a loud huff. “You bitches forgetting something?”
Great. The jackass was back in action. “What do you want now?”
“You didn’t mix rosemary into the salt. Any necromancer worth his nuts knows you have to mix rosemary into the salt.”
Gritting my teeth, I exhaled a thin stream of air as I tried to keep my cool. “For one thing, we aren’t necromancers, although we’re working death magic—”
“Smart, real smart.” He made a dinging sound. “A headstone for the broad with the high beams!”
I reached over and thunked him one with my forefinger and thumb. “Will you just shut the fuck up and listen? Rosemary is for summoning. We need sage for purification, but only inside the grave. Now keep your mouth shut and let us work.”
Rodney gazed at me for a moment and then, with a baleful fire burning in his eye sockets, he started to grow. I stumbled back as he rose to the height of a good-sized man within seconds.
“Holy hell!” I stopped as he started toward me. A wreath of fire surrounded him, glowing like a thin nimbus in his aura, burning brightly around his pelvis bones, and he laughed softly. I jumped back a step. A super-sized Rodney was not on my list of must-haves.
“You’re one fine bitch, all right, and I’m going to have myself a field day,” he said.
I squeaked and went scrambling toward Morio, who looked up from arranging the candles.
“Ooph,” Morio grunted as I knocked him over in my haste to get away from the advancing Rodney. He leapt up, stopping short as he took in Rodney’s new and not-so-improved size. “What the—knock it off! Enough!” He jumped up and grabbed Rodney’s wooden box.
Rodney paused in mid-step. “Oh please, let me have her. Just for an hour. You two are the most kinky pervs I know. Let me play with the Faerie slut? Pretty please? You can watch—”
Morio pushed me out of the way and strode over to Rodney. He didn’t look happy. “Why didn’t you tell us you could grow like that?”
Rodney shrugged. “You never asked.”
“How often can you do it?”
“All night long. Want to find out, youkai bitch?” the skeleton said, snorting. “Oh, this.” He swept one bony hand over his body. “Like it? The things I can do with these fingers . . .” At Morio’s scowl, he cleared his throat and said, “Okay, okay. When I’m recharged enough, I can hold this size for an hour or two. Then I revert.”
“Good enough. Now get your ass back in the box.” Morio held out Rodney’s home. “Or I’ll take you apart bone by bone.”
Rodney sounded aggrieved. “Don’t be that way—”
“Now.” Morio’s voice was too calm. Apparently, Rodney thought so, too, because, without another word, he shrank to his normal size and climbed in the box. Morio slapped the lid shut and stared at the box. “Motherfucking piece of trash. Where the hell did Grandmother Coyote get this thing?” He slid it into his bag and turned back to me. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but don’t ever leave me alone with him when he’s off his leash, okay?” The thought of being at Rodney’s mercy, especially when he was my size, was too nauseating to consider.
Delilah was staring at the two of us like we were crazy. “I feel like I’m watching some bad B-grade horror flick. I’d like to know just what you guys have been up to over the past two months.”
Grinning, I started to speak but she hastily waved me away.
“On the other hand, don’t bother. You might give me nightmares.”
I shook my head. “Let’s get on with it, or it will be night before we’re done and the goshanti will be out and about.”
“So why can’t Chase come in here during the day since she’s at rest?” Delilah asked.
Morio fielded that one. “Because even if the goshanti is asleep, there’s still the chance she’ll wake up. Or that there are other spirits here with her. Sometimes they run in packs with other creatures from the Netherworld.”
I stared at him. “You didn’t tell me that.”
