The Banshee's walk

her and put her down. She ran a quick circle around me, pointing to her slippers as she went.

In addition to shoes, Gertriss had managed to tie the banshee’s mop of hair back with a bright pink ribbon. She’d also belted the gown with the same, which rendered Buttercup less childlike.

“She barely even fought,” said Gertriss. She looked behind Darla and I.

“Mama’s not with us,” I said. Gertriss sighed with relief.

“She still giving you trouble? I’ve explained to her what happened.”

“I know, and I thank you. But you know Mama.”

“All too well. She’ll pout and make a show, but she’ll get over it.”

I plopped down on the couch. Darla sat quickly beside me, narrowly beating Buttercup to the space. The banshee pouted but scampered away.

Gertriss found a chair and sat. “Boss, you look like the goats have been chewing on your beard.”

“I don’t have a beard.”

“It’s a saying. Means you look exhausted.”

“He is,” said Darla. “I’m putting him to bed for a bit. Especially since we’re going back outside tonight.”

Gertriss frowned. “We are?”

“No we are not,” I said. “Neither we. Not you nor you. No one but only me.”

Darla winked at Gertriss. “He’s incoherent. Let’s you and I raid this armory you spoke of. I’ll wake you up soon, dear. Do try to avoid skeletal hands for a bit, won’t you?”

I lay back. Buttercup darted past Darla’s agile hands and planted a kiss right on my lips.

“That is quite enough of that, young lady,” said Darla, who grabbed Buttercup’s pointy right ear and took her squealing from the room.

Gertriss followed, smirking.

I was asleep before the door even shut.

Darla didn’t wake me up in an hour, or even two.

The room was dark when I awoke. House Werewilk was always dark, but the shadows in my room bore the unmistakable weight of dusk.

I leaped to my feet, found my boots, found a dark shirt and my black felt hat. I got dressed, stuck Toadsticker through my belt, splashed water in my face and brushed back my hair.

The fancy mirror mocked me. Something Gertriss had said ran through my mind-you look like goats have been chewing on your beard.

I certainly did. A whole herd of goats. And chances were that I was going to look even worse later on.

I stomped downstairs, found another party in full swing. Buttercup had been introduced to the artists, who were taking turns dancing with her. Gertriss and Darla and Mama looked on. Darla was smiling, Gertriss was yawning and Mama was glaring at all and sundry.

“Good evening, ladies and gents.”

“Darling.” Darla grabbed me and pointed me toward Buttercup. “Look. Isn’t that amazing?”

I nodded. I smelled supper.

“Oh you poor man. You need your coffee. But she’s dancing, Markhat. Perfectly.”

And she was. The tiny banshee was spinning, stepping, swapping off partners and letting herself be picked up and set down and moved about the impromptu dance floor like a courtesan.

“She knows how to dance, hon. Think about it. She didn’t learn that in the woods.”

It finally dawned on me. Darla was right.

Buttercup had once lived with people.

The banshee whirled past me, grinned and waved. Her tiny skirt flew up as the spun, revealing legs that were quite shapely, if half-sized, now that they weren’t covered with a century or two of grime.

Mama Hog sidled up beside me.

“’Twere bad enough making a pet of that critter. Making it a plaything for this lot is gonna wind up bein’ a mite worse, Finder. You mark my words.”

I groaned, remembering the banshee’s determined little hands out in the forest.

“Gertriss. You’re the banshee-minder for tonight. She doesn’t get out of your sight, understand?”

“Boss, what about-?”

“Apprentice Hog. Do you enjoy having a job?”

She bit her lip. “Yes, boss.”

“Good answer.” Darla let a sly grin slip. “And you, oh blossom of my heart. You need not plan any picnics out in the yard either, because you’re staying put too.”

She stuck out her tongue.

“You can’t fire me. I quit. When do we leave?”

Mama cackled. Marlo, who had just stomped his way down the stairs, heard enough to chuckle and smirk.

I turned and headed for the kitchen. I always think better on a full stomach.

Darla had the grace not to follow.

Mama lacked that grace, though, falling into step beside me after grumbling something to Darla and Marlo. Her boots fell heavy on the tiles, and she put a lot of wheezing and whistling into her breathing until we passed through the kitchen door and were alone.

“Better make it quick, Mama. This is a popular room.”

Mama frowned and knotted her brow. Whatever words she’d chosen in the hall weren’t coming out easily.

I rolled my eyes. “You know damned well Gertriss wasn’t cavorting up there. Certainly not with me.”

“Oh, I knows it.” She flung up her hands and muttered a cuss word. “It ain’t that. But boy, she’s actin’ all strange. Takin’ on bold ways.”

I pulled out a chair and sat. “Bold ways? Gertriss? She’s still afraid to call me by name. She’s behaved herself perfectly, Mama. Despite plenty of temptation.”

“Them clothes. And that talk.”

“Mama. She was wearing a burlap sack and talking like a pig farmer. Like it or not, she’s come to Rannit, and not to farm pigs.”

Mama huffed and sat down herself, deflated.

“Your job and mine have a few things in common, you know. One of them being that we both see how blind people are when it comes to family. Am I right, Mama? You know exactly what I mean. We’ve both seen it a thousand times.”

Mama made a huffing noise that might have been assent or the early death of a sneeze.

“She’s a good kid, Mama. She’s smart. She’s brave. She’s loyal. And she’s hurt because she thinks you think less of her, when all she’s trying to do is what you told her to do in the first place. Don’t make a mess out of people doing what they were told. We’ve both seen too much of that to let it happen to us.”

Mama wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m thinkin’ she ought to quit her job with you when we gets home. Might have been a bad idea, her learnin’ finding.”

“Then you’re in for a shock, Mama. Because she’s actually pretty good at it. If she wants to stay on, I might just let her. You don’t get to decide that. It’s up to Gertriss. Which is the way it ought to be, and you know it.”

“I don’t know nothin’ of the sort. She’s my kin, and I’m her elder.”

“That might mean something, back in Pot Lockney. But, Mama, we’re a long way from there. And like it or not, that’s not how things are done in Rannit.”

Mama snuffed. “I know. But, boy, there’s things you don’t know.”

“That’s the damned truth, Mama. There are lots of things I don’t know. And most of them don’t matter. What I do know is that you’ll either start treating Gertriss like the smart young lady she is, or you’ll lose her for good. You don’t want that.”

“I reckon not.” Mama sighed. “She tell you why she left Pot Lockney?”

“She started to. We were interrupted. I’m sure she will, when the time is right.”

“Had to do with a man.”

I made sure my voice was gentle. “It’s not for me to know, Mama, unless she tells me. So stop right