I can’t . . . oooph . . . urgh . . . can’t get in . . . ow! Stop pulling my hair; that’s not going to do any good!’’ ‘‘Sorry. I was just trying to help.’’ Cyrene stood in the open doorway and frowned at me as I struggled to enter. ‘‘I didn’t have any problem walking through it. What do you think the matter is?’’ ‘‘It’s . . . warded . . . gah.’’ I gave up trying to shove myself through the ward, panting with exertion. ‘‘Warded? Oh, one of those drawn spells that Summoners and Guardians use? The sisterhood doesn’t hold with those.’’ ‘‘There are a lot of other beings in the L’au-delà, Cy. Even if the naiads don’t see the use in warding places, most of the rest of the Otherworld does. Diviners, oracles, Guardians—they all use wards. Ow.’’ I stopped and rubbed my head where it had hit the wood of the door. ‘‘Why couldn’t a mage have taken the house? Arcane magic has no effect on me, but this . . . Someone who really knows wards drew this one.
