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She laughed out loud, tickled “That is the correct answer But the truthful, correctest answer is that I am one hundred and forty years old”

My s How could that be possible? I would have guessed that she was seventy, eighty tops

“Yes,” she said, nodding gravely “I see your surprise But this old corpse has been preserved very well, you see It runs in my bloodline Every bruja in my family swears an oath to Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead”

My oddess of death, specifically, queen of the underworld Now, I’d never had a brush with a death deity before, but I’d heard enough about them to know that they were bad news all around You neverthele touch

“I see,” I said, so

“It is part of our oath, you see, a kind of immortality While we are bound to her service, we do not die I was hter sees fit to manipulate the sacred pact She has sold e for ht, cheery abuela long gone, her face only a one white as she twisted her shawl into impossible knots in her hands “She sold out everyone in my family That is why I am here, you see I have no one left Monica, she has broken my heart, and yet she refuses to kill er in my face “Tell me, Mason Where is the justice in that? She pays for rohat an old wooddess in blood to keep me alive, so that I may live here with my dreams and the shattered pieces of my heart, so that I am forever haunted by my solitude”

Sohtly Quilliaaze – either that, or he was just as captivated by Leonora’s story

“This you hter’s house, the saardens, and find the Obsidian Rose growing there Bring it to rown so, so old This body is no good I’ve lived too long” She turned her head slowly, to stare out of the“I want to be with uelito once more”

There, on a dresser just by the as a framed picture of Leonora and her husband I bit down hard onwith neetness

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath

She turned her head towardsup “What was that, mijo?”

“I’ll do it,” I breathed

Quill slappedfor his frame “You see, Tia? I told you I would find soood boy He’ll do whatever it takes to help Won’t you, Mason?”

I sighed,a finger and s at the two of them weakly

Leonora nodded, bea these old bones a wonderful favor” She leaned over to Quill, one hand cupped over the side of her mouth “Quince mil,” I heard her murmur