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I knelt on one knee He leaned in as close as the boundary of the circle would allow A mere three inches separated us

"I can make you whole," I whispered "But there is a price"

"I’ll pay"

"Stop," Nick said "She’ll promise you the world and then she will make you her slave She can’t help it It’s in her blood"

"Wait, what is this talk of whole- on?"

Mitchell’s gaze never wavered "I would rather be a slave than be this"

"If I ht the ifrit," I told him "Can you find him once you are whole?"

"Yes"

"Once finished, you will make your home here, in Luther’s custody You will serve the Biohazard Division for five years" That ought to give theure out what to do with him

"Yes"

"Swear on the fire that burns in you"

The ghoul opened his mouth "I swear"

I rose, pulled the book out of my backpack, and thrust it at Luther "I’ll need these supplies"

He scanned the pages "What is this?"

"We’re going to evolve Mitchell to his proper state"

"Oh, okay Wait, what?"

• • •

THE COALS HAD been lit I finished drawing the alchen for the ether and was about done with the syles Just outside the two triangles, a half-gallon beaker of clear liquid, trimethyl borate, waited on a table next to matches and a small vial of le of Luther’s colleagues gathered in the rooround-state theory and he had explained it to them The reactions were mixed to say the least Voices floated to me

"You do realize that if this works, we’ve found a cure for ghoulism"

"Yes, but the cure is worse than the disease We can’t run around the countryside turning ghouls into djinn"

"Technically they are already djinn"

"That’s beside the point"