Page 45 (1/2)

No I will not let this happen, she thought Not ononto warn Grace and JR in the house and Jason in the barn

The wizards jumped at the sound of her voice andto figure out where she was

With any luck, Grace would be levelheaded enough to grab JR and leave out the back door She’d know better than to coet mixed up in this

"I knew it I knew somebody was home," the first wizard said

"Look, she can’t stop us What’s she going to do?" The tall wizard continued walking toward the house, trailed by his acco back over their shoulders

"What are you doing?" Madison called When he didn’t answer, she screamed, "There are kids in that house!"

"Well, then you’d better get the to burn this duround" He extended his hands, and fire coalesced around his fingertips

And then she knew for sure "Brice Roper! You come away from there or I’ll have the sheriff all over you!"

That brought hied and swung around, yanking off his hood and raking a hand through his mashed hair "Hello, Madison"

"Brice," one of the other wizards whined "This isn’t e …"

"Shut up, I said," Brice muttered "I should have just handled this on "

"I’et aith it"

Brice laughed "Who’s going to believe you? This place is a firetrap It’ll be your word against mine, and I’ll be sure and have an alibi and ten witnesses to put me someplace else If anyone does believe you, I’ll persuade them they don’t"

"People knowto sound ht When have they ever believed you about anything?

"Really? You think so? I say the word, and you’re a witch I say the word, and you burned your house down yourself The people in this town are sheep, Madison, and I can drive them wherever I want"

"You’re the ones who set all the fires last year," Madison breathed

Brice bowed ly "Provesup the whole valley, and these idiots are blaainst me, I’d sell out and move away But you didn’t Oh, no Instead, you pull a shotgun on them You’re stubborn as a rock And about as s sensation went away and she was just really, really angry She strode toward theht "People knohat you are So they know," Brice said "My father provides jobs for half the county--anybody who’sto happen e close up the mine? This place’ll just dry up and bloay Booker Mountain will keep Roper Coal going another ten years or more"

"And then what?"

"Well, then they’ll have a nice flat place to park so on, won’t they? It’ll be the only level piece of land in the whole county"

"I won’t sell," Madison said "Not to you, I won’t"

"Where are Carlene and the kids going to live, then, after I burn this place down?" Brice snorted "You can’t even afford a phone I bet you can’t scrape up the firstto pitch a tent, or what?"

Madison clenched her fists and took a step forward "How can you live with yourself?"

"It’s your fault You should’ve agreed to sell That’s the way the world works Everybody knows that But not you You walk around like you’re royalty in rags or so Like you’re better than

"Brice," one of the other wizards said A girl, froo"