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But he was still the man I loved

Matthew took me by the shoulders and waited until I met his eyes "Be safe"

His words were emphatic, and I felt the force of the every inch as though trying to memorize it

"I meant what I said on Christmas Day The family will survive if I don’t come back There are others who can serve as its head But you are its heart"

I opened ainstwith me I know this fro but dust and shadows You brought me to life And I will do whatever it takes to keep my heart safe from further harnifieth randn of resurrection and rebirth In this month, plant seedes for the future

34

Andrew Hubbard and Linda Crosby aiting for us at the Old Lodge In spite of my efforts to persuadewith Fernando and me

"You’re not doing this alone, Diana," Sarah said in a tone that didn’t invite argument "I don’t care that you’re a weaver or that you have Corra for help Magic on this scale requires three witches And not just any witches You need spell casters"

Linda Crosby turned up with the official London grimoire--an ancient toed hellos while Fernando caught Andrew up on how Jack and Lobero were faring

"Are you sure you want to get involved with this?" I asked Linda

"Absolutely The London coven hasn’t been involved in anything half so exciting since ere called in to help foil the 1971 atteether

Andrew had, through his contacts with the London underworld of gravediggers, tube engineers, and pipe fitters, obtained detailed sche that constituted the book-storage facilities for the Bodleian Library He unrolled these on the long refectory table in the great hall

"There are no students or library staff on site at the moment because of the Christmas holiday,"

Andrew said "But there are builders everywhere" He pointed to the schee into work space for readers"

"First they moved the rare books to the Radcliffe Science Library and now this" I peered at the maps "When do the work crews finish for the day?"

"They don’t," Andrew said "They’ve been working around the clock tothe acade rooh it were an ordinary day at the Bodleian?" Linda suggested "You know, fill out the slip, stuff it in the Lamson tube, and hope for the best We could stand by the conveyor belt and wait for it Maybe the library kno to fulfill your request, even without staff" Linda sniffed when she saw e of the Bodleian’s procedures "I went to St Hilda’s, irl"

"The pneumatic-tube system was shut down last July The conveyor belt was disust" Andrew held up his hands "Do not harer, ladies I ah, it won’t care about the equip she truly needs," Sarah said

"The only way to know for sure is to go to the Bodleian, avoid the workers, and find a way into the Old Library" I sighed

Andrew nodded "My Stan is on the excavation crew Been digging his whole life If you can wait until nightfall, he’ll let you in He’ll get in trouble, of course, but it won’t be the first time, and there’s not a prison built that can hold hiate," Linda said with a satisfied nod "Always such a help in the autumn when you need the daffodil bulbs planted"

Stanley Cripplegate was a tiny whippet of a man with a pronounced underbite and the sinewy outlines of someone who had been evity and strength, but there was only so ht yellow safety hel to beer, conspicuous in this getup?" Sarah asked

"Being as you’re ladies, you’re already conspicuous," Stan said darkly He whistled "Oy! Dickie!"

"Quiet," I hissed This was turning out to be the loudest, ht Dickie and ue "Take these ladies up to the first floor, Dickie"

Dickie deposited us, hel roo Charles I and the bust of Sir Tho us?" Linda said, scowling at the unfortunateCharles blinked

"Witches have been on the security detail since the middle of the nineteenth century Stan warned us not to do anything we oughtn’t around the pictures, statues, and gargoyles" Dickie shuddered "I don’t hts, but that one’s a right creepy old bugger"

"You should have met his father," Fernando co ht observed whenever you took a forbidden cough drop out of your pocket In the Bodleian’s case, it turned out the readers had good reason to worry The nerve center for a ical security syste Charles

"Sorry, Charlie" I tossed my yellow hel’s head

I flicked ers, and the briht’s events"

Fernando handed me his helmet

"Use mine for the founder Please"

Once I’d obscured Sir Thoan to pluck and tweak the threads that bound the statues to the rest of the library The spell’s knots weren’t cos--but there were so many of them, all piled on top of one another like a severely overtaxed electrical panel Finally I discovered the h which all the other knots were threaded and carefully untied it The uncanny feeling of being observed vanished

"That’s better," Linda murmured "Nohat?"

"I pro out my phone "Give me a minute"

I pushed past the lattice barricade and walked down the silent, echoing main avenue of Duke Hu

"All right, mon coeur?" His voice thruress so far

"Hoere Rebecca and Philip after I left?" I asked when ety"

"And you?" My voice softened

"More fidgety"

"Where are you?" I asked Matthew had waited until after I left for England, then started driving north and east toward Central Europe

"I just left Gerive me any more details in case I encountered an inquisitive witch

"Be careful Re that I would have to give so up if I wanted to possess Ashmole 782 still hauntedI want you to remember, too"