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"You are her!" the Winters her toward him Tiffany hadn't knohere the shout ca for itself It caught the figure on the cheek so hard that for a"Don't come near me! Don't touch me!" she screamed There was a flicker behind the Wintersmith Tiffany couldn't see it clearly because of the icy haze and her own anger and terror, but so toward theure seen through ice It looure for one dark moment, and then became Granny Weatherwax, in the same space as the Wintersmith…inside him He screamed for a second, and exploded into a h It'll take a while to get the taste of that out of ht fly into it" Tiffany shut her ht fly into it "What…what did you do to hi her forehead "It's an it, not a he! An it that thinks it's a he! Now give me your necklace!"

"What! But it's ument?" Granny Weatherwax deument? Give it to me now! Don't you dare defy me!"

"I won't just--" Granny Weatherwax lowered her voice and, in a piercing hiss much worse than a screaain? It's just a fog no solid do you think it will beco like a real one should, and that strange voice, putting words together as if they were bricks… She undid the little silver clasp and held up the necklace It's just Boffo, she told herself Every stick is a wand, every puddle is a crystal ball This is just a…a thing I don't need it to be ive it to me," said Granny softly "I can't take it" She held out her hand, palm up Tiffany dropped the horse into it and tried not to see Granny Weatherwax's fingers as a closing claw "Very well," said Granny, satisfied "NoeYou could have seen ht to look," said Granny "But you didn't do a bad job at the burial, I'll say that"

"I did a good job!"

"That's what I said"

"No," said Tiffany, still tre "You didn't"

"I've never held with skulls and suchlike," said Granny, ignoring this "Artificial ones, at any rate But Miss Treason--" She stopped, and Tiffany saw her stare at the treetops "Is that hiain?" she asked "No," said Granny, as if this were so Miss Hawkin And Mrs Letice Earwig Didn't hang about, I see And Miss Treason hardly cooled down" She sniffed "Soht have had the common decency not to snatch" The two broora looked like she always did: tall, pale, very well dressed, wearing lots of occult jewelry and an expression that said you were slightly annoying her but she was being gracious enough not to let it show And she always looked at Tiffany, when she ever bothered to look at her at all, as if Tiffany were soe creature that she didn't quite understand Mrs Earas always polite to Granny, in a formal and chilly way It made Granny Weatherwax mad, but that was the way of witches When they really disliked one another, they were as polite as duchesses As the other two approached, Granny bowed low and re, only the boas a little lower Tiffany saw Granny glance up and then boer still, by about an inch Mrs Earwig ra backs Soo on for hours Granny Weatherwax gave a grunt and straightened up So did Mrs Earwig, red in the face "Blessin's be upon our meetin'," said Granny in a calm voice Tiffany winced This was a declaration of hostilities Yelling and prodding with the fingers was perfectly ordinary witch arguing, but speaking carefully and calreet us," said Mrs Earwig "I hopes I sees you in good health?"

"I keep well, Miss Weatherwax" Annagramma shut her eyes That was a kick in the stomach, by witch standards "It's Mistress Weatherwax, Mrs Earwig," said Granny "As I believes you know?"

"Why, yes Of course it is I aed, Granny went on: "I trust Miss Haill find everything to her likin'"

"I' stared at Tiffany, her face a question "Tiffany," said Tiffany helpfully "Tiffany Of course What a lovely name… I' "However, we shall shrive and consecrate the cottage, in case of…influences" I already scrubbed and scrubbed everything! Tiffany thought "Influences?" said Granny Weatherwax Even the Winters vibrations," said Mrs Earwig "Oh, I know about those," said Tiffany "It's the loose floorboard in the kitchen If you tread on it, it makes the dresser wobble"

"There has been talk of a de this "And…skulls"

"But--" Tiffany began, and Granny's hand squeezed her shoulder so hard she stopped "Deary, deary htly "Skulls, eh?"

"There are so Tiffany "Of the darkest nature, Mistress Weatherwax I feel that the people in this steading have been very badly served, indeed Dark forces have been unleashed" Tiffany wanted to yell: No! It was all stories! It was all Boffo! She watched over theuments, she remembered their laws, she scolded their silliness! She couldn't do that if she was just a frail old lady! She had to be a e forces are certainly at work," said Granny Weatherwax "I wish you well in your endeavors, Mrs Earwig If you will excuse ood stars attend you"