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6--Terreille

Dae he rose early, exercised, showered, and shared breakfast with Cook in the kitchen He liked the Angellines’ cook, a brisk, oman who reminded him of Manny--and who had been as appalled as Manny would have been when he’d asked her consent to have the first meal of the day in the kitchen instead of in the breakfast room with the fary while dancing attendance to Leland’s endless stream of nervous requests Since he joined the family for breakfast anyway, Daemon wryly noted that his breakfast in the kitchen was usually better fare than as served in the breakfast room

After breakfast, he rudgingly handed the list of activities for the day After that was a half hour walk through the gardens with Wilhelmina

Alexandra had decided that Wilhel her Craft lessons with Lady Graff, an unspeakably harsh woman whom Daemon had taken an instant dislike to--as she had to hiestions than for any other reason Leland then suggested that Daeirl, since Wilheled ht help relieve her fear So when the weather perrounds

The first few days he attempted conversation, tried to find out her interests, but she skittered away fro lady It struck hi, when a silence had stretched beyond expected comfort, that this was probably one of the rare tihts Since she spent most of her time in Graff’s steely presence, she wasn’t allowed to "moon about"--a phrase he’d heard Graff use one day in a tone that i to talk to her, letting her have her solitary half hour while he walked respectfully on her left, hands in his pockets, enjoying the sahts

She always had a destination, although she never seeardens, they always ended up at a narrow path that led into a heavily overgrown alcove Her steps would falter when she reached the place, and then she would rush past it, breathing hard, as if she’d been running for a long ti had happened to her there, sohtened her, repelled her, and yet drew her back

One hly absorbed with the puzzle his Lady had left hi and Wilhel by the narrow path

"I want to go in there," she said defiantly, her hands clenched at her sides

Daemon bit the inside of his lip to keep his face neutral It was the first spark of life she’d shown, and he didn’t want it squelched by a sht"

She looked surprised, obviously expecting an arguh a trellis arch

The sarden was coe yews that looked as if they hadn’t been trimmed on this side in several years A irdled by a circular iron bench that had been white once, but the paint was now peeling badly In front of the yeere the reled, weedy, uncared for But the thing that made his breath catch, made his heart pound too fast, too hard, was the bed of witch blood in the far corner

Flower or weed, witch blood was beautiful, deadly, and--so legend said--indestructible The blood-red flowers, with their black throats and black-tipped petals, were in full bloo to the last dying sigh of autu herself and shivering

Dae to understand the pain and hope in Wilhelrew only where a witch’s blood had been spilled violently or where a witch who had met a violent death was buried

Dae

Even with the fresh air and the other garden s there Sweet Darkness, it was strong there

"My sister planted these," Wilhel "One for each As rehtened as she studied the flowers

"It’s all right," Dae in her while fighting his own "I knoitch blood is and what it stands for" He searched for words that ht comfort them both "This is a special place because of it"

"The gardeners won’t come here They say it’s haunted Do you think it’s haunted? I hope it is"

Daemon considered his next words carefully "Where’s your sister?"

Wilhelan to cry "Briarwood They put her in Briarwood" The sobs becaently while he stroked her hair, ue, the language of Witch

After aHe handed her his handkerchief and, s, took it back when she stared at it, uncertain what to do with it after using it