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“Just my luck. A dead language.”
“Except it isn’t. Nahuatl is still spoken by approximately a million and a half Mexicans.”
“Okay, now I’m embarrassed. Does that make me racist?”
“No, just ignorant,” Ray replied, “but when you knowbetter, you do better. Anyway, the word you heard in the pig’s dream is ¡Xinechpalehuia!”
“Great. What does it mean?”
His ghostly face turned grim. “This is the part that isn’t good.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense, Ray. I’ve got enough stress at the moment.”
“Help,” Ray said. “It means help.”
CHAPTER 16
I wasready to kick off my plan, but I needed all claws and cards on deck if I expected to round up the remaining animals in one night. The snake would be difficult to find, and the rest would be difficult to catch. I would have loved help from the nature mage, but I had no clue how to contact him. For all I knew, Brody was long gone by now.
My first call was to the prince of hell. I launched straight into my request so he didn’t think I was calling to discuss personal issues. We’d done quite enough of that already.
“I have the guild at my disposal,” the demon said, “plus Dantalion and Josephine. Tell me what you need, and it’s yours.”
“I’ll need the mages to ward everyone against the animals’ influence.” The last thing we needed was to end up fighting each other in the middle of Wild Acres.
“Simple enough. I’d offer my club, but I doubt Davies would agree to meet there.”
“It’s fine. The Castle is neutral territory. Be here in an hour.”
“You’ve met the guild members. Make it ninety minutes.”
“Oh, you’re having company,” Nana Pratt exclaimed. “Why don’t I make cookies?”
I eyed her closely. “Cookies for the assassins?”
The ghost looked at me blankly. “Do they not eat?”
Okay then. “Do you think you can manage that without burning down the house with me in it?”
The ghost lifted her chin a fraction. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Then the kitchen is yours. Call me if you need help.”
West was my second call and the first to arrive. I asked him to come solo so that I could present him with my findings before I requested the help of the pack. There was a chance he’d say no, and I didn’t want a dozen wolves standing awkwardly around my house while they figured out how to politely leave.
West sniffed the air. “Why does your house smell so sweet?”
The oven timer pinged.
“Help!” Nana Pratt’s voice called.
“Follow me,” I said. “I need to take cookies out of the oven.”
He inhaled the fresh scent. “What kind of cookies?”
“I’ll tell you when I see them.” As I removed the baking trays from the oven, I updated West on the situation.
“You’ve got an Aztec god in the form of a pig locked up in a cage in your house, and he asked for help?”
