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"Miss Shepherd doesn’t have a car," said Xe license, dimwit"

"No need, I’ll take her upstairs with me" Gideon picked up the black blindfold

"Do I really have to wear that thing?"

"Yes, you do" Gideon tied the scarf together behind ht a couple ofto squeal, so I just bit raph is kept, then you can’t give the secret away, and on’t find anyone lying in wait for us here e land in this roos to the Guardians, and the ways in and out are always guarded," I said

"First, there arepast the buildings in the Temple, and second, we can never rule out the possibility that soht be interested in a surprise s," I murmured They were all so suspicious here

Gideon put a hand on my waist and propelled ood night, and then the door latched behind us We walked along side by side in silence There were a lot of things I’d have liked to say, but I didn’t knohere to begin

"My instinct tells ain," remarked Xemerius "My instinct and my sharp eyes"

"Nonsense," I said, and Xehter

"You take my word for it, I’ve been on this earth since the eleventh century, and I knohat a girl looks like when she’s just been rolling in a stack of hay"

"Hay?" I repeated indignantly

"Are you talking to oing to say hey, I’m ravenous--I could eat a horse What’s the tio of me A whole series of electronic beeps could be heard Then my shoulder rammed into the wall

"What’s the idea?"

Xeain "That’s what I call a real gentleet a signal down there, of course Thirty-four calls in reat! That can only … oh, God,the wall "Look, either you take this stupid blindfold off or you’ll have to guide ain

"I could say a thing or two about guys who blindfold their girlfriends so they can check up on mobiles at their leisure," observed Xemerius

I wasn’t too keen on it either "Has soh "I suppose so We don’t often call each other Still no reception here"

"Watch out, there’s a step," Xemerius warned ot sooodness kno many times to remind me to send my uncle Harry a birthday card Ouch"

If Xemerius hadn’t warned ht me in the pit of the stomach Gideon still didn’t notice I felt my way up the spiral staircase as well as I could for et a birthday" He sounded harassed "Itto do with Raphael"

"Your little brother?"

"He’s always doing dangerous stuff--driving without a license, diving off cliffs, cli to i and spent three weeks in hospital with a brain trauot Monsieur Po-Face Bertelin to give hioes along with everything Raphael wants" Once ere at the top of the stairs, Gideon quickened his pace, and I stuo" Obviously he was listening to his voice

"Oh, shit!" I heard hiain, and I was groping my way blindly forward

"If you don’t want to run into a wall, you’d better turn left now," Xemerius told me "Ah--looks like it’s suddenly occurred to him that you don’t have built-in radar"

"Okay," murmured Gideon His hands briefly touched my face and then the back of my head "Gwyneth, I’ly suspected it wasn’t me "Can you find your way back from here by yourself?" He undid the scarf, and I blinked at the light We were standing outside Madaly stroked ht? Your car’s waiting See you tomorrow"

He had turned away before I could say anything

"And off he goes," cos department, if you ask me"

"But what’s happened?" I called after Gideon

"My brother’s run away fro down "Give you three guesses where he’s heading!" But he had gone around the next corner before I could uess

"Well, not Fiji, I bet," I murmured