It’s evening before I finish my conversation with Maggie. She agrees to help with my plan. That means it’s her job to present it to the residents of the outlying towns. After interacting with her friend, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to present the plan to them on my own.

“How carefully are the Bloodfangs watching West Gulch?” I ask.

“Far less carefully than they’d like,” Maggie says. “They tried to send another spy in here to replace the ...