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"There are witches in this city," Sabina said "I aic, ether in this task Ask your friends to give you entrée to Lachish She will have ways to follow the trail of Joses Bar-Judas Perhaps she and I ether and capture him"

"Why don’t you try to contact Lachish?"

Sabina tilted her head, and she"With the accords under way, I had not consideredPerhaps I shall"

My voice toneless and carefully not accusatory, Ihave you known that Joses was a prisoner here?"

Sabina didn’t reply right away, but poured ar or ht up Finally she said, "I knew that he had been taken I knew that he was raving I watched as Bethany tasted his blood to deterhtly, but not in pleasure "I stood aside as Bethany lost her sanity with that one sip And I stood aside as Aht him here and secured him in place" Her dark eyes pinnedto intervene It was my decision, wheneventsled me by the nose like a horse in a twitch I had no choice then, not hat I learned, not hat ht have happened in his lair I have no choice now"

I wasn’t sure about having a choice, or what choices she was talking about I was totally confused, but I wasn’t going to argue with her I had seen a horse in a twitch at the barn at the children’s home--the horse’s upper lip and lower nose twisted by a rope to hold the horse still for , but it looked horribly painful It was horribly painful A horse would do anything--anything--for the one who held the twitch

So taking Joses Bar-Judas prisoner had been a decision forced on the vaue va insane after drinking Joses’ blood? Forced on her by Aht to true-death, Jane Yellowrock He is all that we have to bargain with He is all that we have to keep his brother, Shimon Bar-Judas, at bay And Shierous of the two"

I decided once again that not replying was the better part of valor and said, "Thank you for the tea, Sabina Delgado y Aguilera, outclan priestess of the Mithrans I will"--I searched for a polite, nonbinding phrase--"carefully consider all that has been said here"

She replied to my cautious words "You think to elude my command The Master of the City must have the Son of Darkness back in his custody, alive, and soon, or many tribulations may befall Consider carefully, before you refuse my order, the possibilities that may arise from your decision to obey or defy" Sabina settled the cup into its saucer and lifted one taloned finger, the nail

I hadn’t seen the talons extrude froers, just as I hadn’t seen her eyes va on her compulsive powers I pressedto construct a Witch Conclave here, in New Orleans, yes?" she asked

I nodded, wary

"Witches will coracious host to the for rapprochement" She pronounced it in the French ain and Sabina sh vaer still uplifted She said, "Shimon Bar-Judas will know soon about the witches who plan to conclave here If his brother, Joses, reht to accomplish may be destroyed Joses and his brother will bide in the dark, and then they will destroy every witch they can find"

She raised a second finger "The re that Leo set upon theer rose "The Europeans, atch us carefully, may choose thatthe desire to assist Joses, and if they win, they will take the hunting grounds and cattle" That meant the land and the humans Gotcha

"If we are overcome, the Europeans will kill the cattle and the witches and all that have s are possible future results of your actions or inactions"

She lifted a final finger "If you succeed in beheading Joses Bar-Judas and bringing hi war upon us in vengeance The Mithrans of Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia may well join him to ensure the death of Leo and the Pellissier clan All that you do, every judghted with outcomes in the future The near future All possibilities exist for you now, but every step you take to one end or another brings you and us closer to one of these finalities The safest course of action is to save Joses and bring him to me, an act that you cannot accomplish alone You must have help Mithran help Witch help And it must be soon" She inclined her head and lowered her hand with the accusing fingers

I reo Each falling droplet of water had been arrested in time and space as my Beast warped reality and bent time to her--to our--will and need Each droplet had contained one still shot of a possible future, the outco When time returned, I had staked Leo and he had nearly died It was possible that Joses’ getting free had been foretold in those droplets It was also possible thatLeo had, in some way, contributed to the variety of futures that opened out before ers of fear skittered down my spine on icy hands My fault? It could be So much was my fault, the result of my actions or decisions

Sabina s remotely human left in her expression "You understand Good You are dis I hated about va o "Thanks a heap," I s to pushwith reaction I closed the door behind me