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The boat dipped again with Henri’s weight, rocking slightly from side to side "Need help with that, Vi?"

"Nope" Violet eased past Henri and stepped onto an old wooden box "I’m captain today"

She pulled herfor war, not a trip down the bayou The boat’s engine roared, startling two snowy egrets nearby Black sine a few ti us away fro his brow "Captain it is Allons-y!" he called to her Let’s go

We raced across the wide Mississippi, bouncing over the choppy waves, the fine spray dauided the boat like she’d been born to it, and I supposed she had, being raised out in the bayous and swaate us to our destination--a secluded house deep in the bayou, owned by an oldto Violet, the River Witch was very powerful and knowledgeable He was not in a coven, not a member of the three main witch families that populated the city, nor was he a warlock, which hat the few male witches in existence were called these days I’d learned in one of o when all ender, were called "witch"

The constant rise and dip of the boat ripped the e of the bench, trying to stay anchored to my seat Violet pushed the s up tiht

We entered the wide channel the hurricanes had cut through Bayou Segnette State Park and Jean Lafitte Preserve The bayou connected the Mississippi to Lake Cataouatche Off the bayou were serous places The perfect places for all ated down a smaller channel under a cathedral of ely, it felt absent of tenant and da a film of hu sea life hung heavy in the air A waterserpentine waves, before curling itself around a small cypress root Its body bobbed in the wake as ent by, and my skin crawled

After a few more miles, Violet steered the boat into another narrow channel and slowed until ere coasting Mist hovered over the dark water, and through it, a yello appeared and a narrow boat took shape It looked like it came from another time, another world Made of reeds, the sides were low but the bow and stern curved high and inward to a point A lantern hung frolow over the boat A hunched-over old man, his face partially hidden by the hood of a dark cloak, stood at one end, holding a long pole to push the boat forward

I glanced down at Pascal stretched out byto meet the reaper, doesn’t it, boy?"

"He won’t hurt you," Violet said softly over her shoulder "As long as you don’t touch his stuff"

Sebastian once told me that Violet had been raised by a trapper who lived in the swamps "Is this the person who raised you, Violet?"

This tis"

As we drew close enough to exchange words with the River Witch, the reed boat turned and moved deeper into the bayou

Eventually the River Witch’s house appeared, rising from the water on short, stocky stilts It was one story, with a porch that ran the length of the house and steps that led to the dock where we tied our boat Wind chi froo in, don’t touch anything He hates when you touch his stuff, okay?" Violet reminded us

"Don’t worry," Henri assured her "We won’t touch anything"

Single file ent, the witch leading the way, our weight creaking the boards under our feet Warht filled each of the s and spilled from the door as the witch opened it and went inside

I followed, feeling a huge dose of skepticis the on curse inside rain of salt in a desert full of sand The only information I’d found had been in the Novem’s library, where I uncovered two stories, one Su that helped " the curse words

I hesitated just inside the doorway, surprised to find the front roos that would’ve been more at home in the Novem’s library than out here in the swamp Shields, swords, helms, statues, jewelry, chestsall stacked with no rhy or what?"

"Yeah," I said, distracted by what I saw and wondering just who the River Witch was and how he’d cos He wasn’t a simple trapper, a simple witch That led the back of e kitchen

Herbs hung from exposed rafters Mortars and pestles of different sizes lay on the countertops along with rocks, eggs of varying sizes, and jars of preserved anih stool at the wide island, and spread her hands over the smooth slab of white marble as a cat jumped onto the counter, arched its back, and hissed at her

Violet hissed right back