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“They’d be putting themselves in harm’s way if your idea doesn’t work. I won’t ask them to do that.”
“Hold on, I want to show you something.” I pulled out my phone and showed her the images Ray had found online. “This is what the Wild Hunt left behind after their last couple expeditions.”
Madame Thea’s nostrils flared as she studied the photos. “Some of those trees were yanked up by their roots.”
I nodded. “Imagine if that happened to One Oak.”
Her delicate fingers curled into a fist. “I’ll honor your request, Miss Clay, but only because our needs are in alignment. Trust me when I say, that is the only reason.”
I believed her—no doubt about it. “Thank you.”
I left One Oak feeling more confident than when I entered. More fighters wouldn’t help me relocate the white stag, but if we couldn’t manage that part, at least I had an idea for the final phase.
But I wished it was a better one.
As I walked through the woods, the sound of gurgling water drew me to the creek—and to Goran.
“What are you doing here? The creek is too shallow for you.”
“Migrating to Bone Lake. The river connects to the creek. Don’t you know how waterways work?”
I peered at him. “Lakes don’t connect to either one of them.”
He looked downcast. “Okay, fine. I haven’t mustered up the courage yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to cover a lot of ground. I’m a water spirit. Traveling across land is very uncomfortable for us, like a fish out of water.”
I contemplated the Slavic spirit. “What if I help you?”
“You’d do that?”
“I help you. You help me. Sound good?”
His bulbous eyes glinted with suspicion. “What could I possibly do for you? If you haven’t noticed, I’m basically a water gremlin.”
“My friend Ray found a ritual that might get me an audience with the Givers. It requires a conduit.”
“Still listening for the part that involves a water gremlin.”
“The conduit is water, plus someone or something with an existing connection to the Givers.”
Goran shifted to float on his back, showing off his bloated belly. “Can’t you be the conduit?”
“I’m not certain I have a connection to them, but we know that you do.”
He spat water into the air like a hideous fountain. “What’s in it for me?”
“Besides the lake?”
“I’m not sure I need a big lake to myself. This creek holds a certain appeal.”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s your big chance to ask for forgiveness.”
His webbed fingers slapped the water as he returned to his original position. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you’ve served quite a long sentence considering the crime. You might enter that meeting as a vodyanoy and leave as a prince.”
