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Verlaine nodded "Oh, so you’re a Squib"

"No Harry Potter stuff," Nadia said hurriedly "I keep telling you Witches hate that" Her initial shock began to shake away; now she could only think of Mateo "My Steadfast is in trouble right now Come with us We’ll talk on the way"

"She’s not your Steadfast?" Ms Walsh said, looking at Verlaine

"Everyone thinks that," Verlaine said "Understandable mistake But , are you in for a surprise" She took Ms Walsh’s ar With the postquake chaos, nobody would notice their departure--and besides, Nadia thought, they were leaving with a faculty member

"You know this isn’t e of the parking lot "The sickness, the destruction, any of it"

Ms Walsh replied, "That’s Elizabeth Pike Is she doing what I think she’s doing?"

"If you think she’s trying to turn Captive’s Sound into the gateway to hell itself?" Nadia said "Then yes"

It turned out Ms Walsh could run fast enough to keep up with theh heels

They found Mateo in the back alley behind La Catrina He lay on the cold pavement, not unconscious but in a stupor; his cell phone had fallen from his hand A stray cat watched froet hih the under-the-bar first-aid kit and found a shiny, silver eency blanket; she wrapped it around Mateo, who now lay on one of the long, leather booths Verlaine held his head, and Ms Walsh his feet

"A male Steadfast," Ms Walsh said as she looked down at hiless to uess I used to think sos were unbelievable, but I can’t remember any at the moment"

Now to help Mateo recover--but how? Nadia didn’t knohether he was suffering from a new and more horrible aspect of his family’s curse, or soreat poas its mystery; it could be difficult to tell precisely what spells had been cast Great if you were the spellcaster--not so great when the guy you loved was suffering

But Mateo stirred, as if the warmth and their voices had awakened him from a nap He opened his eyes just a crack "Nadia?"

"Mateo!" She clutched his hand and was relieved to feel him squeeze back "What happened?"