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I had had it, too I turned htly colored strands appeared, snaking down each finger, across my palms, and around my wrists
“With knot of one, the spell’s begun,” I said
“This is what happens when you don’t answer your e-er at me
“With knot of two, the spell be true” I touched the tips of ed from where the two met
“Don’t speak to Diana like that, Baldwin,” Matthearned
“With knot of three, the spell is free,” I said, releasing the star into the sky
“Cool,” Sarah said, watching my every move
“With knot of four, the power is stored” My ring finger gloith an inner, golden light, and the silver star grew in size, floating toward the knot of men in the hall
“Does anyone s?” Marcus wrinkled his nose
“With knot of five, the spell will thrive” I touched the green thuy of the goddess as mother with the spirit of justice
“Well, well,” Fernando said, looking at the five-pointed silver star that was hovering above him “I don’t believe anyone’s ever put a spell on me”
“With knot of six, this spell I fix”
The star descended in a whoosh, tangling Matthew, a startled Baldwin and Marcus, and a bemused Fernando in its loops and twirls With a flick of htened the star so that it held theave it an extra twist so that thethey would become
“You lassoed us!” Marcus exclaimed
“Diana went to camp in Montana one suirl I had no idea they taught her how to do that”
“You wanted to talk to roup “I’m all ears”
“Let h clenched teeth
“Not fun, is it, to be all tied up?” I asked
“You’ve made your point,” my brother-in-law said
“Oh, coe yourpeople up when they deserve it But this branch of the fa their children into puppets and wrapping them in knots”
“If Rebecca has blood rage—”
“If Becca has blood rage If Philip is a weaver If, if, if,” I interrupted “We’ll just have to wait and see”
“I told you to run tests,” Baldwin said, trying to grab Matthew The hter, just as I intended
Ysabeau arrived with a wicker hamper filled with bottles She surveyed the scene and smiled
“How I’ve s,” she said “What have you done this time, Baldwin?”
“All I’,” Baldwin shouted “Why is it so iht cause? The child cannot go around biting people If she has blood rage, she could give it to others”
Jack entered the room with Becca in his arhtly around Jack’s neck She had been crying
“Stop it All of you, just stop it,” Jack said fiercely “You’re upsetting Becca”
Jack’s voice was rough with ee in his eyes The children were often stabilizing influences on Jack, as though being responsible for their well-being truht have
“Becca is a baby,” Jack said “She couldn’t hurt anybody She’s soft, and sweet, and trusting How could you think Becca needs to be punished for being who she is?”
“Well said, Jack” Agatha was bea with pride
“Dad keeps telling me what happened to me as a child wasn’t my fault That the man as supposed to take care of me didn’t hurt me because I was bad, or evil, or a whore’s son, or any of the things that he told me,” Jack continued
Becca looked up at Jack as though she understood every word he said She reached out with one of her shtly on the lips
Jack took the ti
“Mum and Dad trust me,” Jack said “Which means for the first time in my life, I feel like I can trust myself That’s what families are supposed to do—not order each other around and make promises nobody should have to keep”
I was sospell It fell to the floor,star around the feet of the de Clermont men
The youngest male in the family, on whose small shoulders so many hopes and expectations already rested, toddled down the stairs, holding on to Marthe with one hand and Apollo’s tail with the other The three of them made a small but united pack
“Nunkle!” Philip said, delighted to see Baldwin
“We have a celebration planned for Independence Day,” I said “Are you staying for the fireworks, Baldwin?”
Baldwin hesitated
“You and I could take a ride while ait for the fun to start,” Matthew said to his stepbrother “It would be like old times”
Becca squirmed to be put down Once Jack placed her feet on the floor, she ran straight to Baldwin, her steps sure and her face deter remains of my spell
“Horsey?” she said, looking up at her uncle with a winsome smile
Baldwin took her hand in his “Of course, cara Whatever you wish”
—
BALDWIN WAS DEFEATED, and knew it But the look he gave les over the children weren’t over yet
At 10:37 PM—for it turned out that our fireworks display, like all others, was not ready precisely on tian
Marcus and I had devised a perfect division of labor I provided the fire He provided the work
As the fa boats so that they could drift on the le, Marcus dashed around the field ed the string of lights into an extended line of cords that led back to the house Once they were lit, the trees sparkled as though a hundred fireflies had settled onto the branches Then he turned on thecombination of Handel and military tunes from the American Revolution as well as the French
“Ready?” Marcus asked, co up behind me
“As I’ll ever be,” I said
I stood on a stack of hay bales and took the stance of an archer, tall and straight I extendedbow appeared, along with a silver-tipped arrow
Froht would be able to detect my outline in the darkness The rest would see only a bow and arrow, illuht sky
I releasedarc toward the first of Marcus’s fireworks: a set of spinning Catherine wheels ht through thean to spin and spit fire, their colors bright and cheerful
Oohs and aahs of delight as well as the enthusiastic clapping of the twins provided the backdrop while Marcus sped a his Roman candles Each one shot into the air and burst into a thousand stars with a mild pop that didn’t see spell on them to keep the noise down and the animals calm
At last it was time for the finale Marcus and I had decided to usethat would amaze not only the children, but the adults as well I nocked another bolt of fire and pointed it straight above me into the sky
The ball of flareen tail appeared The tail stretched and grew, and the ball began to take the form of a firedrake