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Nadya knew there was lad of it, that she wanted nothing to do with Magda’s abo at her like a different kind of hunger

And then, oneof the blind crow’s beak on the sill and the drip, drip, drip of h the s The thaw had coda laid out sweet rolls with prune jareens Nadya ate and ate, afraid to reach the end of her meal, but eventually she could not take another bite

"What is it you want?" asked Magda

This tio, couldn’t I just--"

"You cannot co water fro a monster to ht about Karina

"What is it you want?" asked Magda again

Nadya thought of Genetchka dancing, of nervous Lara, of Betya and Ludmilla, of the others she had never known

"I want my father to be free of Karina I want Duva to be free I want to go hoda reached out and touched Nadya’s left hand--first the ring finger, then the pinkie

"Think on it," she said

The next da went to lay out the breakfast, she found the cleaver Nadya had placed there

For two days, the cleaver lay untouched on the table, as theybatch after batch of batter On the second afternoon, when the hardest of the as done, Magda turned to Nadya

"You know that you are welcome to remain here with da sighed The cleaver flashed once in the afternoon sun, the edge glearay of Grisha steel, then fell with a sound like a gunshot

At the sight of her fingers lying forlorn on the table, Nadya fainted

Magda healed the stuers, bound her hand, let her rest And while she slept, Magda took the two fingers and ground them down to a wet red meal that she mixed into the batter

When Nadya revived, they worked side by side, shaping the gingergirl on a da as a door, then shoved her into the blazing oven

All night the gingergirl baked, filling the hut with aher own bones and blood, but still her mouth watered She dozed Near dawn, the oven doors creaked open and the gingergirl crawled out She crossed the room, opened the , and lay down on the counter to let herself cool

In the irl, dusted her with sugar, gave her frosted lips and thick ropes of icing for hair

They dressed her in Nadya’s clothes and boots, and set her on the path toward Duva

Then Magda sat Nadya down at the table and took a small jar from one of the cabinets She opened theand the eyeless black crow cairl had left behind

Magda tipped the contents of the jar into her palm and held theda’s hand, in a pool of shiny fluid, lay a pair of bright blue eyes Hatchling’s eyes