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"Attempt what?" he asked her A very foolish s rash

"A seance, of course Nevare, coht so on If I a off the wall Let’s find a rass and make a tiny circle"

"I’ back," I protested, backing further away froht or ad had happened, let alone attempt a reenactment "Spink and I do have to return to the Academy this afternoon, you know"

"And you’re afraid That’s natural, Nevare But you don’t need to worry about being late My father will scarcely leave without you And you know that we ood place Co as she spoke, drawing Spink along after her She indicated a flat place a her legs, sat down cross-legged, her riding skirt confor She still had not released Spink’s hand, and with a tug she pulled him down to sit beside her "Hurry up, Nevare," she chided me

"But-"

"If you are so worried about the tiet this over with"

I eased myself down across from them She immediately held out her free hand to me I looked at it without enthusiasm Honesty took me "I’m not that worried about the tiht, whatever it was Quite frankly, whatever it was, I’d prefer to ignore it and go on with ular life I’ve no desire to repeat that experience with another seance"

"Ignore it? You could just ignore it?" she deht?" Spink asked almost at the same moment

"I don’t know, and I don’t want to know," I told them both To Epiny I said firmly, "Whatever you did to me, I didn’t enjoy it No more seances"

Epiny stared at ht that-whatever it as so your pardon, cousin dear Whatever happened last night was allyou All that strangeness ca you to letthe spirits Because whatever it was, I think you need to know I don’t think ignoring it willof an anore those enemies Hope for the best, that they’ll let us pass" You need to stand your ground and face it, Nevare Better to do it nohile you have friends with you than to face it alone later"

"I’ru when I returned to the Academy I wondered unhappily how much Spink had told her Both she and Spink held out their hands to ly held out my hands Epiny seized mine immediately I was relieved that the unearthly resistance we had encountered last night was gone Perhaps thatpeculiar would happen this time I clasped hands with Spink as well We sat in a circle like children beginning soround was uneven and stony "Nohat do we do?" I asked somewhat irritably "Do we shut our eyes and hum? Or bow our heads and-"

"Hush!" Spink replied, his voice colared at hiaze and felt repelled She had allowed her mouth to fall half open and her face to slacken Her eyeballs were visible beneath her half-open lids and they were jittering back and forth like , raspy breath through her nose and let it out through her usting!" I said in quiet dismay, appalled at my cousin’s shameless theatrics This was far worse than whatever she had subjected ht before

"Be quiet!" Spink hissed "Can’t you feel the change in her hand? This is real!"

Her small hand in mine was very warm to the touch compared to Spink’s cold and callused one I had not noticed before hoarm it was Then, as Epiny’s head first lolled back and then rolled laxly forward on her neck, her hand in rew cooler In two heartbeats, it was as if I were holding hands with a corpse I exchanged worried glances with Spink Epiny spoke "Don’t let go," she begged us "Don’t let et lost here in the wind"