Before he or Fen could inquire, Norris distracted them by backing the truck into an oak. Acorns showered down. As he carefully corrected his course, Fen said, “I wonder how long he’ll wait before he gets out of the cab and into the tank.”
“Probably the instant he’s out of sight,” Carter predicted. “Well—he’s not our problem anymore.”
“No,” said Kerenza, eyeing him. “You are. Let me get a good look at you, young man.”
She marched up to him and peered at him intently.
“I’m wearing colored contact lenses,” he said. “Should I take them out?”
“No need. I know what they’re hiding.”
Kerenza circled him several times, prodding him occasionally in uncomfortable spots like the small of his back, right below his ribs, and the hollow of his throat. After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, she pointed to a patch of grass. “Lie down.”
He lay down on his back, feeling deeply awkward in his suit and long coat.
“Stay there.” Kerenza went off into the cabin, leaving the door ajar.
Fen sat down beside him and whispered, “What do you think?”
He tried to summon hopefulness, like Kerenza summoning a big fish. “She fixed Norris. And she sure seems to know what she’s doing.”
“You don’t sound like you mean it,” Fen pointed out.
“You don’t miss a trick,” he returned. “I guess I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“Disappointment is the worst,” she agreed. “But don’t give up, okay?”
She took his hand. Her small, strong, clever fingers pressed into his, giving him strength and hope.
A plump porcupine waddled out of the cabin. As Carter watched in excruciating suspense, she slowly made her way to him and proceeded to repeat the examination she’d made in her human form, only with sniffing instead of poking. When she was finished, she slowly waddled back into the cabin.
He sat up and released the exasperated sigh he’d been holding back until the porcupine was out of sight. “Something better come of this.”
Fen gave him an attempt at an encouraging look. But he could see that she had not found the slo-mo porcupine very inspiring.
The cabin door opened and Kerenza came back out in her human form, carrying a shopping bag. She marched up to Carter and said, “Sonny, you’re a mess.”
A faint snort came from Fen’s direction. He tried hard not to look at her.
“That gargoyle locked the fish boy in fish form, so all I had to do was unlock him. But she didn’t lock you up—sheunlockedyou,” Kerenza said. “You’re afraid of your animals—”
“I am not!” Carter said indignantly.
She continued over him, ignoring his interruption. “—so you’re used to holding them back. That only frustrates them. The gargoyle knocked some holes in your control, so they can get out a little at a time. Once a bit of them is out, they won’t get back in because they’re afraid if they do, you’ll never let them out again.”
“Of course I will. I do still shift. They know that.”
Kerenza eyed him. “Would you rather stay as you are, or get rid of them entirely and never shift again?”
His monsters screeched and howled and gibbered and color-flashed and snarled and shrieked their angry protests.
No!
No!
Don’t kill us!
We won’t let you!
