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Light flared around me

For a brief, blessed instant, the pain sih it had never been, and I could have ith gratitude for the absence I’d taken for granted all of my healthy life My vision cleared The Fabulous Casi a bouffant wig today, looking like a 1950s housewife I could see the pores of his skin beneath a thick layer offalse lashes he wore

And then the seal onony as the pain ca back--the spike between h blurred eyes, I saw bits of dried ink sift to the floor like rusty snowflakes

"Well," Casimir said, "that didn’t work"

Sixteen

The bad neas that the Fabulous Casimir’s failure meant that Eree

The good neas that Cas was pissed off about it "Let me talk to the coven," he said to me "We’ll schedule a ritual with the full circle There’s no way she’s a erly "Okay"

"We can do this, Daisy," he pro for alternatives, you understand?"

"You mean my father?" I asked

He shuddered "Hell, yes, IAs always, I kept a tight lid on that thought But as always, it was there And I had to ad to the ar my best to support the pain-filled balloon that waswith ioddamn powerless in a position of responsibility

Powers of persuasion and seduction would coht about now So would a splendid set of bat-veined wings and a fiery whip, just because

Oh, the possibilities!

But there was that whole business about cracking the Inviolate Wall

As much as I wanted to face down dear E Areddon And, too, in the back of my mind was the well-dressed hell-spayer I’d seen in the PVB office the other day, atte to work some kind of wiles on Amanda Brooks

He’d smelled bad Rancid

I didn’t knohat that was all about, what the laas up to, and why his presence and his apparent acceptance of his birthright didn’t threaten the Inviolate Wall, but I knew I didn’t want that stink on me

As if on cue, Jojo the joe-pye weed fairy popped up froside the alley byslattern!" she screeched atoctave that didn’t exist on any hu!"

Jen’s arrip "What the fuck?"

"Seriously, Jojo?" My head hurt so badly, I wanted to lie down and cry "Not now, okay?"

Hovering several feet above the ground on agitated wings, Jojo swore up and down and sideways in what I suspected was a variety of languages "It’s in your bag! The char, dullard!"

I blinked "What?"

Jojo let out another piercing shriek and tugged at her purple hair "I can’t touch it, you fool! There’s cold steel and iron in there!"

"U to tell you that E"

Jojo bared a mouthful of teeny-tiny shark teeth "The dark-haired one is not such a lackwit as you"

"Gee, thanks," Jen said

I had no idea why Jojo would switch froht now I couldn’t care less Kneeling on the sidewalk, I eased dauda-dagr out of its hidden sheath and du’s contents uncereh them by feel Wallet, phone, keys, comb, hair scrunchies, a packet of tissues, lipstick--okay, I led set of earbuds, receipts, the lollipop that Doc Howard gave meand there, buried in the heap, a save it a cautious squeeze It held so, and so sharp and poky

"Is this it?" I asked Jojo

A few pedestrians were rounding the corner toward the park With a huff, Jojo cast a gla to that of a five- or six-year-old girl "What else would it be, you beetle-brained churl? Open it!"

Now that I actually had the thing in hand, I hesitated, squinting at Jojo’s blurry child-face "Why should I trust you? Why would you help me?"