Page 49 (1/2)

"Because when Evangelina sacrifices me at moonrise on the full moon, the demon will be bound and will come after him"

I nodded once to show I had heard,the call of the spell," I asked "You’re two-natured You should be walking inside the ward"

"The su-undead Mithran will complete it, but only on the full elina want to hurt Leo?"

"All I know is the word Shiloh" Lincoln dropped, landing with a hard flat thuht before his head banged down "Ask the right people," he whispered "Ask the right questions" He collapsed with a short sigh and closed his eyes, the sun outside and the silver taking their toll He was asleep, in the undead sleep of vary when he waked I should have tried to set hi closer to the de up the steps Falling CatchingBut the pain cleared my head, and I held the scarf like a lifeline as I made it to the top of the stairs and out of the house Only when I was back at hts on and doors all open But I didn’t care I wasn’t going back in there Not for nothing I sat in the sunlight in h the s, clutching the scarf that had saved my life And trembled

When I could think ht three bottles of ginger beer, which was like ginger ale but dark and sharp-tasting, and four ho at the counter, needing the calories, and ignoring the anxious glances of the proprietor at my bloody, torn clothes When h, I sent the pictures to Big Evan’s phone, and was careful not to look at theo back and learn more otten away fro bad raptor--a de alone I needed to call in the cavalry, but I didn’t knoho to call, who I could trust to keep Molly alive With the heater on high, I drove back to Asheville

Iinto anyone I knew, stripped, and cli water and let it parboilto thaw the cold in my soul left by the nearness to the ancient evil When I ar ainst evil I knew I put on three silver crosses, held the Bible on as fire with the reie One Feather’s number

Guilt worernails I hadn’t told Aggie--New Orleans I hadn’t said good-bye I was a coward and an idiot And if the thing in the circle had claio on being a coward and an idiot I checked the tiie answered on the second ring

"Hello How can I help you?"

I thought about that for a mo the odds of it being a solicitation call "Aggie One Feather" I paused "Egini Agayvlge i, in the speech of The People This is Jane Yellowrock," I took a breath, "Dalonige’i digadoli Yellow Eyes Yellowrock I seek council"

"How may an Elder of The People assist?" There was no snark in the words, no sarcasiveyou I was leaving"

Aggie laughed, the sound soothing "There is nothing to forgive, Dalonige’i digadoli You have a life outside of my counsel, outside of the sweathouse"

I do I did But it ayat each other across a chasion and history Parts of myself that were bifurcated, broken, torn Parts that didn’t kno to heal or how to accept the other