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She hadroom and her hands were steady But the air felt thick and cloying, as if her spell had soh the open s, and this high on the mountain, that stillness was unusual at this hour in the evening It seemed as if the world held its breath

"How much do I owe you?" I asked in Spanish

"Quinientos" Five hundred--it was ed me before, and yet it wasn’t asinto ent Chihuahua, whose ability to sense supernatural threats had saved ot out my wallet, and peeled off a bill I loved the colorful Mexican currency; my favorite was definitely the twenty The old ones were a char shade of purple, and the new ones blue, both so beautiful they didn’t even feel likeelse we can do?" I asked, because she looked very tired, more than I had ever seen her For the first time in our acquaintance, she looked not old, but ancient, as if a strong wind could sweep her away

"No," she said "Just take the cursed thing when you go"

After picking up the white box, Kel went to the kitchen to fetch the saltshaker I was happy to let hiht?"

"No" Probably reading my expression correctly, she went on "But because I’m an old woman, not because of this I hope I was some help If you want o to Cateendary town of witches set on the est lakes "Say I do--ould I speak with?"

"Nalleli She is the island witch Any boatman should know of her"

"And she’ll be able to help me?"

Tia smiled, her eyes shadowed and deep in her lined face "Much more than I can, child"

Kel appeared in the doorway, the white box in his hand Presumably he had washed and stowed Eros back in the coside Psyche Maybe it was the inveterate pawnshop owner in me, but in addition to those answers about the man who had crafted the spell, I also wanted the curse removed

It would be irresponsible ofone of the ite should happen to her, since the hex was keyed to ht happen as spells started to decay I didn’t want to be the reason she wound up on her kitchen floor, bleeding from the eyes, two years from now

I also wanted to make that sale; the Spanish professor would love these Maybe Chance thought I bought the pawnshop for lack of other options, but I really enjoyed hooking people up with junk they never knew they alanted

God’s Hand bowed to Tia and then we let ourselves out Her garden ss as we passed through Outside the gate, the street was quiet She lived high enough on the mountain that there wasn’t much traffic, and the park had eh that I was glad for his presence at my side The walk back to my shop from Tia’s place was always easier, since it was al to Cate, but I couldn’t get used to the idea that so me around until he received alternate orders "Well, I am"

"You won’t last the ithout me," he said quietly

An odd sensation took er than I kneas supposed to perish in Kilmer, but I survived the fire that caused my mother to take her own life--only to die there so ain I nearly died, only to be saved by the very demon I was meant to feed Reflexively, I rubbed the hard spot on my side It was barely perceptible, but since I knehere to touch, I could find it

A knife went in there--and now the weapon is part of ood news," I said sourly

Kel’s gaze followed ives me no pleasure to be sworn to one so demon-touched"

"Where were you, then? So it didn’t happen"

"I had other orders"

Well, of course you did

I didn’t want to hear how ed the subject "You were different with Tia How corace"

It took me a minute to work that out In that time, we cut across the silent park In the dark, you couldn’t see the brown patches in the grass, but I heard the difference beneathshe’s a holy woman?"

More than me, certainly I have earthly tendencies of which a paladin could never approve

"And shortly destined forbetter things"

"You ed

I didn’t want to lose Tia; in the time I’d lived here, she had become important to ain, I’d spentto her stories So In her quiet way, Tia had done more to teach me how to be self-sufficient and coht me that as often a cure for what ailed you, and that unless you learned inner contentment, you could never truly be happy