The African illusion disappeared, and we were at the edge of a town. It looked like…well. A town.

I knew it was part of the spirit world, though. It was a habitation of the dead. “Doesn’t look too bad.”

Brother Death shrugged. “For those who want to stay here. Most don’t. Aso didn’t.”

“Oh dear,” Kanesha said. “Then that’s not even an angle.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s been reborn. In some form. Possibly as a mortal woman…or a mortal man. Or an animal. Or a star.”

Brother Death nodded. “Yes.”

“So, Anansi tearing down the walls of death to find her’s a waste of time.” I frowned. “I mean, as well as being stupid.”

“Yes.”

“But it means…it means we could deflect him.”

The death god shook his head. “I tried. He wouldn’t believe me. He wouldn’t believe she would do anything but wait for him.”

“Because if he did,” Kanesha said softly, “He might have to think she doesn’t love him any more.”

Maybe she didn’t, I thought. Maybe divine relationships sometimes didn’t last. “If she was a goddess…”

“She was. But you know that gods can die.”

“And she could have gone back to him.”

He shook his head. “That’s not how it works. She couldn’t. He has to find her. But he won’t look.”

It put a very different complexion on the problem. “How the heck do you find somebody who could be anything?”

“By love, of course.”

She could even have been multiple anythings. I shook my head slightly. “By knowing the person so well you know where they would have gone.”

“Exactly,” Anansi said. He glanced at Loki. “If Sigyn vanished, you would find her.”

“Unless she didn’t want to be found for a while.” He was inspecting his nails again. “Sometimes she likes to be alone.”

“Well, yes, but…”

“If she was taken from me, I would find her. I would…” He’d already said what he’d do and apparently decided it wasn’t time to repeat it.

“But Anansi…”

“Maybe,” I said sadly, “He didn’t love her as much as he thought he did.”