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"Actually, Dee, we can’t stay for tea We’re in a bit of a hurry See--"

Daniel stepped forward "Has the news reached you about Lucifer? He is atteels forward from the time of the Fall to the present"

"That would explain the shuddering," Deeanother teacup

"You can feel the timequakes, too?" Luce asked

Dee nodded "But "

"We’ve coinal location of the Fall," Daniel said, "the place where Lucifer and the host of Heaven will appear We have to stop hiely undeterred fro to divvy up the cucuels waited for her to respond A log in the fire splintered, cracked, and turate

"And all because a boy loved a girl," she said at last

"Quite disturbing Really brings out the worst in all the old ene innocents So els didn’t have enough bother to with I say, you estured again for them to sit down

Roland pulled out the chair at the head of the table for Dee and sat down in the seat to her left "Maybe you can help us" He motioned for the others to join him

Annabelle and Arriane sat beside him, and Luce and Daniel sat across the table Luce slid her hand over Daniel’s, twining her fingers around his

Dee passed the final cups of tea around the table

After a clattering of china and spoons stirring sugar into tea, Luce cleared her throat "We’re going to stop Lucifer, Dee"

"I should hope so"

Daniel grasped Luce’s fingers "Right noe’re searching for three objects that tell the early history of the fallen When brought together, they should reveal the original location of the Fall"

Dee sipped her tea "Clever boy Had any luck?" Daniel produced the leather satchel and unzipped it to reveal the gold-and-glass halo An eternity had passed since Luce dove into the sunken church to pry it from the statue’s head

Dee’s forehead wrinkled "Yes, I reel Semihazah created it, didn’t he? Even in prehis-tory, he had a biting aesthetic No written texts for him to satirize, so he made this as a sort of coelic glow A a hideous

basketball hoop on your head Two points and all of that"

"Dee" Arriane reached into the satchel and pulled out Daniel’s book, then thuin about the desideratum "We ca But we’re running out of time and we don’t knohat it is or where to find it"

"How splendid You’ve coht place"

"I knew it!" Arriane crowed She leaned back into her chair and slapped Annabelle, as politely nib-bling at a scone, on the back "As soon as I saw you, I knee’d be okay You have the desideratum, don’t you?"

"No, dear" Dee shook her head

"Thenwhat?" Daniel asked

"I a time to be called into service"

TEN

STARSHOT IN THE DUST

"You’re the desideratuers and bounced off her teacup, leaving a glob of mayonnaise on the lace-embroidered table-cloth

Dee beaolden eyes that er than a woman many hundreds of years old As she pinned a shiny strand of red hair back into her chignon and poured everyone ant, vibrant creature was also, in fact, an artifact

"That’s how you got the nickname Dee, isn’t it?" Luce asked

"Yes" Dee looked pleased She winked at Roland

"Then you knohere the site of the Fall is?" The question brought everyone to attention Annabelle sat straighter, elongating her long neck Arriane did the opposite, slu on clasped hands Roland leaned forward, tucking his dreads behind one shoulder Daniel clenched Luce’s hand Was Dee the answer to every question they had?

She shook her head

"I can help you discover where the Fall took place" Dee set her teacup down in its saucer "The answer is within me, but I am unable to express it in any way that I or you can understand Not until all of the pieces are in place"

"What do you mean, ‘in place’?" Luce asked "Hoe knohen that happens?"

Dee walked over to the fireplace and used a poker to return the fallen log to its place inside "You will know