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And then she heard it again, a gurgle followed by a plaintive coo From inside the oven

Nadya pushed back froda, horrified, but the witch did not flinch

A knock sounded at the door

"Go into the larder, Nadya"

For a moment, Nadya hovered between the table and the door Then she backed away, pausing only to grab hold of Vladchek’s collar and drag him with her onto the top shelf of the larder, co and the warda opened the door The wax-faced wo at the threshold, alda wrapped her hands in towels and pulled open the oven’s iron doors A squalling cry filled the roorabbed at the doorposts as her knees buckled, then pressed her hands to herover her sallow cheeks Magda swaddled the gingerbaby in a red kerchief and handed it, squir, outstretched arirl She turned her back on Magda and disappeared into the night, not bothering to close the door behind her

The next day, Nadya left her breakfast untouched, placing her cold bowl of porridge on the floor for Vladchek He turned up his nose at it until Magda put it back on the stove to warda could ask her question, Nadya said, "That wasn’t a real child Why did she take it?"

"It was real enough"

"What will happen to it? What will happen to her?" Nadya asked, a wild edge to her voice

"Eventually it will be nothing but cruda

"And then what? Will you justbefore that She has the same fever that took her infant"

"Then cure her!" Nadya shouted, s the table with her unused spoon

"She didn’t ask to be cured She asked for a child"

Nadya put on her o inside for lunch She da and her terrible , and when Magda put down a plate of sliced duck with hunter’s sauce, Nadya picked up her fork and knife

"I want to go hoda

Winter dragged on with frost and cold, but the larew rosy and her clothes grew snug She learned how toat the recipes and how to bake an almond cake in the shape of a crown She learned which herbs were valuable and which were dangerous, and which herbs were valuable because they were dangerous