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Addison appeared lit from within. “Ooh, this conversation sounds promising. Much better than Scrabble.”
The Night Mallt glared at her. “We spirits are more vulnerable when we’re in our most solid form, which is when we’ve got two feet on the ground. Even then, it isn’t easy. We can be injured, but to kill us is far more challenging.”
“I bet The Corporation’s obliteration team could do it,” Addison said. “Too bad that’s not an option.”
“Accepting aid from The Corporation would be like detonating a nuclear bomb on the very land you’re trying to save,” Matilda pointed out.
“What about when you’re on horseback?” I asked, as I poured the boiling water into the teapot. “Are you weaker then?”
She shook her head. “No point in trying. Astride our steeds with the wind in our faces—that’s our purest form. Unseating us is your best bet.”
“I would think it’s the opposite,” I said. “The term ‘land spirit’ makes it sound like you’d be stronger when you’re directly touching the ground.”
She shrugged. “It’s a mystical connection. Logic has no place in it.”
“Is your bad guy vulnerable to any special weapons?” Addison asked. “There must be an Achilles heel we can exploit.”
“There’s no ‘we,’” I told her.
“Your modern blades work best to repel us. If there’s one that can kill us, I’ve yet to meet it.”
“What about my abilities, or Lorelei’s? Can we mess with his head?”
“I wouldn’t risk it. He would likely kill you before you managed to invoke your powers.”
“We could practice on you right now,” Addison suggested. “See what happens.”
Matilda’s nostrils flared. “I think not.”
I poured the tea and carried the cups to the table. “Thank you for sharing this information.”
“I know you would never use it against me, cariad.”
“Why are you considered land spirits?” Addison asked. “You look fleshy and, let’s be honest, those fingers look knobbier than a common hackberry.”
I quickly placed a hand on Matilda’s shoulder to restrain her.
“Because,” Matilda said, injecting steel into her voice, “we are bound to this earth by the gods, as much a part of nature as the trees around us and the air we breathe.”
Her explanation triggered an idea. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of him sooner. “Brody,” I said aloud. “He’s a nature mage.”
Ray drifted into the kitchen. “You mean your friend who speaks like he’s a waiter at Medieval Times?”
Addison frowned. “What’s a nature mage? Isn’t that just a mage with earth magic?”
I shook my head. “Brody’s skills are very specific. He can fashion weapons out of natural objects.” Which I learned when he was sent to kill me by vampire mobster Vincenzo Magnarella. “Maybe his powers would have a stronger impact on land spirits.”
“Entirely possible,” Matilda said. “Where is he now?”
An excellent question. “No idea, but I’ll send him an SOS and see if he responds.” I sent a text message with the pertinent highlights. “I have access to a bunch of axe throwers. Would they be useful?”
Matilda offered an anemic smile. “We hunters know that the blade of an axe won’t kill us so easily.”
“We don’t have to kill them. If we maim enough of them, they won’t be able to inflict as much damage, although I hoped if we met them at the crossroads with a small army, they might decide Wild Acres isn’t worth the hassle and leave.”
“A clever idea, cariad.”
“It won’t work,” Addison interjected. “Vortigern sounds like a toddler. The more he’s told no, the more determined he is to get his way.”
