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Just as Death’s presence faded, a draft ghosted overaround with unease I was alone in the lab? With the ht I had--

"Get dressed, Evie," Selena yelled as she bounded down the cellar steps, lobbing a waterproof pack to land right aton?" I knelt beside the pack, digging in to find a navy parka, jeans, thick socks, T-shirts, even a supply of undergarments Leather lace-up boots too They looked to be about y gel packs--an apocalyptic lunchbox

As I yanked off one for the day, but Matthew foresaw Arcana co a kill, as I predicted," she added in a superior tone

"Which ones?"

"The Tower, Judgment, and the World"

I’d seen the first two in battle in a vision Matthew had shown ale with them, especially when I was still so weakened froht through them?

"Not yet Think they’re still too far away We were ransacking the Alche--when Matt startedthe frequencies Does thatto you?"

I shookin fast, that we have less than an hour"

"So we can slip away?" I wondered if I would have tiift to Requiem? At Selena’s nod, I said, "Why are you so keen to avoid a fight?"

She stared me down "Because today we’d lose"

Good reason

She held up a laminatedto plan our exit out of this valley" Like a gazelle, she bounded back up the steps

I drew off as left of my pants, relieved to seein the legs, too tight in the ass: story o’ my life--I laced up the boots At least those fit

With one last glance around, I shouldered the pack and hurried upstairs Even in theJackson, wondering hoould act today I wished I’d dreaht, the house looked even stranger, with Bagman slime everywhere and furniture tossed Drizzleroof Wispy clouds sped across the muted sun After ray haze was freaky

Not to mention Matthew’s prediction that we’d be weak in the rain while our eneer

As Selena pored over the map, Finn helped Matthew stuff supplies into a pack I noticed Matthew had on a new coat A relief--he’d been in sore need of so AF, it had dark-ringed bullet holes in it, from the previous owner’s deician being helpful to h pissed at him for his illusion, I did think the boy had a decent heart

But where was Jackson? I had aif he’d bailed Surely, he wouldn’t leave h It’s you for me, peekôn

Still, I was about to ask when Selena announced, "We’re in a valley with h to scale The third leads to cannibal country"

Finn sed hard He’d seen the cannibals when he’d crossed theFinn’s distress, Matthew patted him on his head "There, there"

Selena continued, "The only road out of here is a bottleneck If we can squeeze out before the other Arcana show, I say we head south back to Finn’s cabin Lure Death to our foxhole, fight hi in and prepare"

Finn wipedyou back tothis toith you We’ll be fine on our own"

She shoved the map into her pack "Listen, you deceptive little shit, Evie’s the linchpin I go where she goes--"

"The linchpin’s still going to find her grand to the Outer Banks" I gazed around "Where’s Jackson?"

Finn zipped Matthew’s pack closed "Uuilty "He’s gone, Evie"

"Not a card," Matthew said He’d never felt coone?" No, I refused to believe he would abandon me without so much as a look back Like you abandoned him? my conscience whispered

Selena rolled her eyes "What’d you expect? JD witnessed you go full-on Ee: we’re--not--human Not toin Death’s crosshairs If I were hi away from us as fast as I could"

That wasfair "I’m surprised you didn’t chase after hiht’ve asked hih I’ve accepted that an alliance with you is the single thing that ht keepback?"

Matthew gazed at the cloudy sky "He should’ve said good-bye"

I surveyed the yard, seeing the Baght before Jackson had collected his arrows from those corpses--on his way out Ever practical, Cajun

My eyes watered, but I forced a blank expression on my face "It’s for the best anyway" I hated that he’d left! "He didn’t belong with us" He belonged with ain? The idea hurt me worse than a sword to the stomach I asked Matthew, "If Jack is still nearby, will he be safe from other cards?"

Matthew nodded "Not Arcana"

Yet ere, which er I couldn’t afford to think about Jack right now--I needed to figure out how to survive the next hour!

"All right, Evie, what do we do?" Finn checked a neatch "We’ve got company in less than forty-five minutes" He looked at irl like me had to say

In the past, no one had consultedAnd I’d been okay with that

"We run out of the valley, threading the needle," I said "But if you want to go with me, then we make a pact not to harm each other, and we make it fast"

Selena and Finn scowled at each other

"What are our options?" I deo back to Finn’s, and Death comes Say we somehow defeat him Do we even take a fiver to celebrate our tea each other out directly?"