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"Now, tellfor the potion bottle In the firelight, she saw that his eyes were completely black, like his rat’s "Is this poison?"
"I don’t knohat it is," Val said "I didn’tthe Folk"
"I heard so Ravus’s solution to stave off the iron sickness All of them had deliveries from a courier just like yourself near their tiht of the incense man of a few days before What was it he’d said? Tell your friends to be careful whom they serve "You think Ravus…" She let the name sit in her mouth for a moment "You think Ravus is the poisoner?"
"I don’t knohat I think," the horned man said "Well, be on your way, then, courier I’ll find you again if I need to"
Val left quickly
Passing an old theater, Val was drawn by the smell of popcorn and promise of heat She could feel the roll of o inside, and yet the idea of seeing a h she would have to cross some impossible dimensional barrier between this life and the old one to sit in front of a screen
When she was younger, Val and her o to the one that Val wanted to see and then the one herlike a zombie film followed by a tearjerker They would sit in the darkened theater and whisper to each other: I bet he’s the one that did it She’s going to die next How can anyone be so stupid?
She walked closer to the posters, just to be contrary Most of as playing were art filht her eye The poster showed an attractive guy posing as the jack of hearts, a tattoo of a red heart drawn on his bare shoulder He was holding a page of cups card
Val thought of To out his tarot deck into patterns on her kitchen counter "This is what crosses you," he’d said, turning over a card with the i swords in both her hands "Two of swords"
"No one can tell the future," Val had said "Not with so you can buy at Barnes and Noble"
Her mother had walked over to them and smiled down at Torinned back and they’d started talking about ghosts and crystals and psychic shit Val should have known right then But she’d poured a glass of soda, perched on a stool, and watched as Tom read a future for her mother in which he would have a part
She walked up the steps, bought a ticket for the ht show and walked into the cafe area It was deserted An array of small, metal tables with marble tops surrounded a pair of brown leather couches Val flopped down on one sofa and stared up at the single chandelier glittering in the center of the roo it glitter for a fewthe luxury of heat before she forced herself into the bathroom There was a half hour before theup paper towels, Val gave herself a half-decent sponge bath, scrubbing her underpants with soap before putting the down in one of the stalls, she leaned her head against the paintedthe hot air from the ducts wash over her Just a et up in just a moment
A woman with dark eyes and a thin face leaned over her "Pardon?"
Val leaped to her feet and the cleaning woman backed away from her with a yelp, , Val grabbed her backpack and rushed for the exit She pushed through the metal doors as the suit-clad ushers started toward her
Disoriented, Val saw that it was still dark Had she missed the movie? Had she been asleep for only ato flag down a cab
The wo to snatch it off her wrist "Alotten less than four hours of sleep sitting on a toilet, now that she alking again, she found that she felt far better The dizziness was alht restaurant a few blocks awayin the direction of the smell
A black SUV with tinted s pulled up next to her, n Two guys were sitting in the front seats
"Hey," the guy on the passenger side said "You knohere the Bulgarian disco is? I thought it was off Canal, but noe’re all turned around"
He had blond streaks in his carefully gelled hair
Val shook her head "It’s probably closed by noay"
The driver leaned over He was dark-haired and dark-skinned, with large, liquid eyes "We’re just looking to party You like to party?"
"No," Val said "I’et some food" She pointed toward the lad it wasn’t that far off, but painfully aware of the deserted streets between her and it
"I could go for some fried rice," said the blond The SUV rolled forward, keeping up with her as she walked "Couys We’re not freaks or anything"
"Look," Val said "I don’t want to party, okay? Just let me alone"
"Okay, okay" The blond looked at his friend, who shrugged "Can we at least give you a ride? It’s not safe for you to be out here walking around on your own"
"Thanks, but I’m okay" Val wondered if she could outrun theet a head start But she kept walking, as if she weren’t scared, as if they were only two nice, concerned guys trying to talk her into their truck
She had comfrey in her shoe and madwort in her pocket and a plastic hand under the back of her shirt, but she wasn’t sure how any of those things could help her
The doors click unlocked as the truck rolled to a stop and shetoward the open , she smiled and said, "What erous people?"