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Even though I was expecting it, I nearly lost ht myself only by the most delicate line of luck I landed hard, stu fast, I turned on the flashlight and opened the trapdoor The reek that flowed up through it was so close to the stench of the charnel lair that h and stood to the side, the trapdoor open I didn’t look around with light I couldn’t make myself I was such a coward soh to bounce at my feet They were bound with silver and steel and a spell And a full roll of duct tape, Big Evan’s last-ditch protections against vath I closed the door, and when it opened, Bruiser walked down, followed h the opening

The bigthe flashlight froest on the witch as nearly buried Now only her round, but even he was afraid to brush away the sand, for fear the spell would activate and kill her instantly "While there is breath, there is hope," he whispered

His face was griles in the sharp light of the flash, his body bent to protect his head from the floor system above He nodded at me, and I opened another new sheet, this one already partially marked with a circle, part of the preparations we had ht

I spread the sheet over the uneven floor, in a place between the bones that littered the surface Nor a circle in the earth, but the bones and the absolute concentration of power made that unpractical

He picked up Lotus and tossed her into the circle Bruiser tossed Silandre Both vamps were rounded, sensual, and warns of the transfor of the red iron And neither had spoken since they were captured, maybe silent in the presence of lesser creatures Maybe waiting out the clock for the few ht

Evan stepped into the circle and sat, rolling the va I had carried for his supplies This would be Big Evan’s show, notguard at the bottom of the steps below the closed trapdoor He was silent, watching us, his face iht land in the circle above us and co sunwise--or, in this case, literally clockwise--I walked the witch circle, setting out twelve candles, one beside each buried witch I lit the with the witch wearing the pocket watch set at the nu else you need to tell ain"

I restrained a sigh and a retort I wasn’t a witch, I wasn’t used tospells, and I had never crafted one He wanted toout that would help him with the spell and hadyears past was cold iron, blood, three cursed trees, and lightning Red iron will set you free" I openeda tea tray flat onhim with my eyes, as I had told hiured out

He nodded for ht, buried beneath the ground" I pointed to the witch nearest "The one you seek," I said, pointing to Misha, "she is bound to the Earth She didn’t et away now"

"We still don’t knohat is being used as a focus for the spell?" Evan asked I shook my head "Time?"

"Eleven fifty-two," Bruiser said

"Good" Evan drew a knife, an atha silver He pointed the tip at the circle, and I closed it with the black , but, really, even plastic would have done I went to kneel near the witch as almost buried It waswas broken

Big Evan Trueblood was an air witch,he worked with air currents, sometimes eather, ind, with storms But most often Evan worked with sound He pulled a box froht and opened it with quicksnaps of the latches Within was a flute The witch placed it to his , slow note This wasn’t a wooden flute, with a hollow sound and a lier than any flute I reh school band The tone was haunting and low as single notes became a melody

Beneath my feet and knees, I felt the sand shiver with the deep vibration of the music It eet one moment, discordant the next, melancholy and joyful by turns Morew more and more disturbed, until I could hear its disquiet over theacross the deeper-packed earth

It htened, slid as if sentient And as I watched, a bead of sand crept closer to thein the center of the circle, playing his flute, his form placid, his melody serene

Another bead of sand slid within her mouth She didn’t move Didn’t react But , the notes clilanced at Misha and started to rise She was sinking, sinking fast, into the sandy earth As if she were in quicksand, her body sank, note by note

The two fe Evan sat up Lotus shook, her bodythe vaed it again So I looked to Bruiser, and he shook his head He didn’t understand as happening either But asn’t happening was an ending to the spell