“Good Lord,” my dad said, having turned a little toward me. He’d spotted him.

I held my breath. Niamh’s expression flattened. Austin tried to motion the basajaun back into the trees.

“That hairy guy is sure tall. What’d you think, seven feet, eight? He dwarfs that Steele guy, and he’s a big guy.”

I furrowed my brow, not realizing my dad had taken to calling Austin by his last name. That was odd. He also didn’t seem to have a real grasp on height. The basajaun was more like nine feet tall.

“Yeah,” I agreed. His assessment seemed like a better number for his mental health. “He’s big, yeah. He’s a local. Kind of a recluse. Lives in a cabin in the mountains.”

“Well, he clearly lost his razor. People probably think there’s a Bigfoot around here.” Dad shook his head and headed for the door. “Strange group of characters hanging around this house,” he muttered. “Almost as strange as the house itself. And the staff.” He lifted his voice a little as he reached Niamh. “What’s with the butler’s cape? I can’t figure it out. What’s he dressed up as?”

“A gobshite, that’s what.” She led him through the back door.

With them gone, I jogged across the grass. The basajaun caught sight of me and stepped around Austin, walking to meet me, his stride so big that we were moving toward each other at the same speed.

“Hey…” I pointed at him. “I never did get your name.”

“Yes. Sorry for the intrusion. Lovely garden you have. It is even nicer than the last time I was here. I dream of these flowers. There is such a beautiful taste to them…”

I dropped my hand. “Thanks, I’ll be sure to let Edgar know—”

“They taste even better than they look, and that is a true marvel. When we traded, I had no idea it was such a one-sided bargain. I was the true victor in that dealing. Often a person will offer quantity when they don’t have quality, but you offered both. I am humbled by your generosity.”

“Oh no, I think the trade was equal. It—”

“I come today because of that, and also because of our mutual respect and granting of safe passage on each other’s territories.” He looked between Austin and me.

Austin had given him safe passage, but as far as I was concerned, I’d just agreed to let him eat some flowers and move along. I hadn’t realized we’d struck a deal for safe travel.

But I pressed my lips together and lifted my eyebrows, listening. Basajaun had strangely specific rules regarding territory and trading and life in general, and I knew hardly any of them. Given the basajaun ruthlessly killed the people who broke those rules, I figured it best to see what was on his mind.

“I have found a few trespassers on my mountain,” the basajaun said as Ulric and Jasper came out of the back door. Mr. Tom must’ve told them we had company. I wondered why he hadn’t bothered with Cedric.

“Don’t you get a lot of hikers this time of the year?” I asked.

“Trespassers meaning magical people who know the rules of established territories and don’t follow them,” Austin said.

“Yes. You are both correct. I get a lot of hikers, who are such fun to slowly sneak up on in the trees, stepping out at the right time so as to give them an incredible fright. Why, just the other day—”

“All due respect, Mr. Basajaun, but I’ve had a very long day.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What about those trespassers?”

“Yes, of course. I apologize. My zeal for interacting with the public gets the better of me.” The basajaun adjusted his strained construction vest, which was surely cutting off the blood flow to his armpits. “Shifters have been using my mountain as a highway of sorts. I came upon the trails a week or so ago. At first it was just a single line over the mountain. I didn’t think much of it. It is a large mountain, and those not of this area do not realize it is my territory. But over the last couple days, they have come and gone freely. They have altered their course, and I can only assume it is because they have scented me. Instead of following my scent trail back to me and trading for passage, they are attempting to circumvent my authority. Yesterday, I scented what I think was a mage among them—”

“I’ve never deciphered mages to have a particular scent,” Austin said.

“Mages themselves smell like typical humans, yes, but if you pay attention, you can smell the magic on them. They do magic so often that it leaves a lingering smell, faint in some, strong in those more powerful. It is a spicy sort of smell that snaps at your nose.” He paused for a moment, studying Austin as Austin studied him. “I can lead you to the trail. Point out the flavor.”

Austin nodded. “I’d be obliged. Name your terms.”

I turned my lips downward, impressed. Austin clearly knew how to work with a basajaun.

“If you identify the trespassers who have been using my mountain,” the basajaun said, “I would ask that you turn the information over.”

“Done.” Austin didn’t reach out to shake hands, and the basajaun didn’t seem to expect it.

I swallowed, worry rising through me. Austin had told me we had time, but if there were a few shifters and they were already bringing mages in…

“Was the mage powerful, or…” I asked, and my voice wavered.

The basajaun’s light brown eyes held mine. He hadn’t struck me as particularly intelligent in our previous dealings, but maybe he had a different kind of smarts. From the emotions flickering through his eyes—excitement, humor, compassion, protectiveness—I gathered that he sensed my fear and was deciding which way to lean with it. I hoped he didn’t opt for a practical joke…

He turned just slightly, giving me his full attention. “I remember that you said you were new to Ivy House. You are just a cub. Cubs must be protected and nurtured. They must be taught the ways. It is forbidden to attack one so new.” He nodded. “Yes, I will help. If you will allow me a daily flower break, I will help you with this threat.”

“Ulric, go get Edgar,” I said quickly. I was not about to pass up the chance of recruiting such a fearsome ally, but I had promised that Edgar could be present the next time I traded with his flowers.

“The magical worker who came over the mountain had a fair bit of power, yes,” the basajaun said as Ulric took off running. “I do not know about the shifters. I cannot smell their power level.”

“With shifters, it’s usually determined by the animal—and they travel in accordance with their rank, the strongest usually at the back and the weakest in the middle,” Austin said. “I can show you, if you’ll return the favor and let me know if you find out anything about who’s crossing your mountain in the direction of my growing territory.”

“It is a trade.” The basajaun nodded.

“This trading thing is tedious,” I mumbled as Edgar loped behind Ulric, one running like a normal person, one looking like some sort of vaudeville act.

“So you were the creature that scared the deer away last night?” I asked, my tension easing. “You were following it?”

The basajaun frowned, the expression only evident by the changing configuration of his hair. “This is the first time I have been off my mountain in months. I have had plenty to interest me there.”

Tension flowered inside of me again. Wishful thinking, clearly. There was still a Big Bad unaccounted for.

“Hello.” Edgar licked his colorless lips as he stopped near the basajaun.

“Edgar, the basajaun has agreed to help us in exchange for a daily flower quota,” I said, then held my breath, hoping he didn’t make this difficult.

“Oh. Yes, we could use the help. For now, anyway.” Edgar smiled, his canines elongated again. “Ivy House has delivered to me an additional book, and I am making some headway, but sadly, it doesn’t contain anything in the way of a counter-spell. My research continues.”

The basajaun shook his head slowly. Apparently he wasn’t picking up what Edgar was putting down.

“Edgar, why don’t you talk about the restrictions with the flowers,” I said. “Didn’t you say you were going to create some sort of meal plan for the basajaun?”

“Oh! Of course.” Edgar turned to the basajaun. “You must know that flower production takes time and love. I am better than most, but even I must wait for them to grow. For that reason, we’ll need to limit how much you eat at a time. I have planted more, with you in mind, but we only have so much space. Come, follow me—I’ll give you a sample of what I’m working on for you.”

I watched them go, the basajaun stooping to catch every word.

Austin looked out over the wood. “I’ll learn the way to smell magic. That will help me assess the prowler, if there is still a trail. If the magical presence in the street was of a higher caliber, we can assume he or she will be cautious. They’ll try to figure out who they’re competing with before pushing forward. Or they might just rush in, hoping to get there first. We need to bring in the other gargoyles.”

I blew out a breath. “Ulric can work on a story to tell the parents.”

Austin nodded and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “That basajaun gives us a leg up. Not only is he incredibly vicious, but he’s at home in the trees. He can move through the woods more stealthily than anyone our enemies have at their disposal. There is danger lurking, but we are equipped to handle it. After a full night’s sleep, you’ll see that.”

I dropped my head to his shoulder. If it was Elliot Graves, he clearly had a team of people headed over the mountain, and who knew how many would come at us from the front. We’d be grossly understaffed, not to mention I had my parents holed up inside. Without Ivy House, Austin’s confidence didn’t ring true. It was a nice sentiment, and I appreciated the support, but it would take more than a night’s sleep to see us out of this. I could send out a summons for help, but the previous times it had taken a while for anyone to show, and when they did, one of those groups had a problem with a competing alpha. That wouldn’t help us now, with danger lurking just out of sight.