“Yet…you came to me for advice first. Before you spoke to the others. Why?”

It was a good question. I was about to summon two other minions. I didn’t trust them either, but they had more reason to show loyalty than Volusian. They did not describe my graphic death on a regular basis.

“Because no matter what else you may be, you’re smarter than they are.” I could have elaborated on that, but I didn’t. That was really all there was to it.

He thought about this for a long time. “My mistress is less foolish than she normally appears.” I think it was the closest he could come to thanking me for a compliment-or giving one.

I took out the wand and summoned my other two spirits. I didn’t bother with candles or darkness because these ones were easier to call-especially since I was technically only “requesting” one to come, not ordering him.

The coldness and pressure came again, and then two other forms appeared. Volusian stepped back, arms crossed, not looking impressed. The two newcomers glanced around, taking note that I had gathered all of them. The three of them never interacted much in my viewing, but I always wondered if maybe they hung out for coffee or something in the Otherworld and made fun of me. Kind of like how people make fun of their boss after work during happy hour.

Still affecting unconcerned, lazy control, I unwrapped a Milky Way and sat back on my bed again. Leaning against the wall, I surveyed my team.

Nandi was less powerful than Volusian, so she had a less substantial form in this world. She appeared as a translucent, opalescent figure that seemed vaguely female in shape. Centuries ago, she had been a Zulu woman accused of witchcraft by her people. They had killed her and, like Volusian, cursed her from finding rest. Unlike Volusian’s, I could break this curse and send her on to the land of death. I had encountered her haunting this world, more frightening than harmful, and bound her in service to me in exchange for eventual peace. I had demanded three years of loyalty, one of which she had fulfilled. When the other two were up, I would let her pass on. Whereas Volusian always seemed sullen and sarcastic, Nandi was always sad. She was the poster child for a lost soul. A real downer.

Finn, however, was a different story. Of the three, only he looked happy to be here. He too was not powerful enough to have a solid form. He translated to this plane as small and glittering, barely there, much like how humans perceived Disney-type pixies. I had no claims on Finn. He had started hanging around because he found me entertaining. So he popped up from time to time, followed me, and would generally come when called. I had the power to force his service, but-even as much as I disliked all things from the Otherworld-I was hard-pressed to do so without provocation. I didn’t entirely trust anyone who offered help so freely, but he had never given me reason to doubt him either. Indeed, he’d always been very helpful. I had no idea what his story was, if he too was a cursed spirit. I’d never pressed for the details.

His shining body settled upon my dresser. “Hey, Odile, what’s new? Why do you smell like sex? Did you get some? Why are we all here?” Too much exposure to my world and television had given him a better grasp of our slang than the others.

I ignored the questions. “Hey, Finn, hey, Nandi.” The female spirit merely nodded in acknowledgment of the greeting. “So,” I said in my best boardroom voice, “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you here today.” None of them found that funny, so I just kept going. “Well, brace yourselves: I’m going to be paying you guys a visit. In the flesh. The real deal.”

Nandi showed no reaction whatsoever. Finn leapt up in excitement. “Really? Truly? When? Now?”

Nice to know someone appreciated me. I debriefed them, telling them the story. Volusian leaned against my wall, letting his body language convey to me what an utter waste of his time it was to have to hear this all again.

Finn’s enthusiasm diminished a little. “Oh. Well. That’s ballsy but also kind of…”

“Foolish,” said Nandi in her typically gloomy monotone. “It will end in despair. Dark, bitter despair. You will die, and I will never know peace. My suffering will be without end.”

“Never thought I’d hear you two agree with Volusian.”

Finn shrugged. “It is a good cause, honest. But you can’t really just walk into Aeson’s castle and take the girl. Not that I’m saying you aren’t tough enough or anything. You’ll just need a plan. A really good one. Yeah. What’s your plan?”

“Um, well…to walk into his castle and take the girl.”

Volusian sighed loudly. It was hard to tell with those red slits, but I think he rolled his eyes.

I shot him an angry glance. “Hey, it’s a hell of a lot better than your plan. Would you like to share it with the rest of the class?”

He did.

When he finished, Finn said, “Now, that’s a good plan.”

I threw my hands up. “No, it’s not. It’s a horrible plan. I’m not asking one of the gentry for help.”

“King Dorian might help you,” offered Nandi, “although his help would most likely only offer a brief flaring of hope, which would then make our ultimate defeat that much more tragic.”

“Stop with the maudlin crap, Nandi.” I wished they made ghost Prozac. “Anyway, it’s a moot point. We’re taking on Aeson directly. End of discussion.”

I gave them the time and location of our meeting spot, binding them to silence about the plan. I had to take it on faith that Finn wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, but once he’d reconciled himself to my possible demise, he seemed pretty stoked about the whole idea.

“I have one more question for all of you before I release you. In the last week, three denizens from the Otherworld knew my name. What’s going on? How many of them know who I am?”

None of the spirits answered right away. Finally, in a voice that sounded like he couldn’t believe I was asking, Finn said, “Why, everyone. Well, almost everyone. Everyone that counts. It’s all they’ve been talking about for the last couple of weeks. Odile Dark Swan is Eugenie Markham. Eugenie is Odile.”

I stared. “Everyone’s been talking about this?”

The three spirits nodded.

“And none of you-none of you!-thought this was worth bringing to my attention?”

More silence. Finally Nandi, compelled to answer any direct question, merely said, “You did not ask, mistress.”

“Yes,” agreed Volusian dryly. “Had you summoned us and asked, ‘Is my name known in the Otherworld?’ then we would have readily answered.”

“Smartass.”

“Thank you, mistress.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.” I ran a hand through my hair. “How did this happen?”

“Maybe someone guessed,” said Finn.

Volusian cut him a glance. “Do not be an even bigger fool than you already are.” The dark spirit turned back to me. “Not all creatures come to this world to fight you. Some may have spied. For someone quiet, discovering your identity would not have been so difficult.”

“What are they saying, then? Are they all going to try to kill me?”

“Some are,” said Finn. “But most of them are weak. You could probably take them in a fight.”

“Unfortunately,” added Volusian.

Great. This was not good news. Some part of me had been hoping only a few knew, but now it seemed my identity was the gossip du jour in the Otherworld. I wondered if it would be worthwhile to find a local witch and set wards around my house. I could also keep the spirits on permanent guard duty, but I didn’t really know if my patience was up for large doses of their idiosyncrasies.

“All right, then. Get out of here. Come back at the time we set up. Oh, and if any of you hear anything that might be useful about Aeson and the girl, come tell me. Do not wait until I explicitly ask you.” Those last words were a growl.

Finn vanished instantly, but Nandi and Volusian watched me expectantly.