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I bit ht outside her room"

Paul met us in the hall He looked exhausted, uilt to thecare of her, cooped up in that rooood-bye"

"Thank you for staying with her" What would we do without him?

"Of course" With a respectful nod at Aric, he left

I knocked on Gran’s door and opened it, but I gazed back Aric had taken a seat in the hall, his eyes pro anywhere

Inside, I called, "Gran?"

She was barely holding on, her chest rising and falling with labored breaths She held the chronicles in her ar them like a child

A bout of dizziness hitat Haven, when I’d first seen Mom after she’d died

Two tears spilled down rief to swamp me, but it didn’t

Gran cracked open her eyes "A rat, Evie," she naws the threadsthe salamander stares at me from the shadowsthe serpent coils around the treeand chokes its roots"

How had she gotten so much worse in such a short time? "It’s okay, Gran" I pulled up a chair beside her bed

Her gaze darted "Spite couldn’t spitand the Devil knew his verses The cups see the futurein a chalice of blood" She was ra us back You must winthe earth depends on it Cards know itbeware the Fooldark dealings The dark calling, the calling dark"

This was new When she started on another rant, I touched her ara her yellowed nails into it "You have to kill Death He will turn on you--they all will Death is poisoning me!"

I pulled free of her "No, Gran, he’s not"

"He’s ent of Death A salaht takesinfuriated with ed the book closer "I could read therip

I slid the heavy book ontoup Ages seees

I began to read to her: "What followeth is the trew and sworne chronikles of Our Lady of Thorns, the Emperice of all Arcana, chosen to represent De life, all its cycles, and the myst’ries of love"