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I STOOD NEXT to arden and Ji Emas to mature and every hour had added years to Jim’s face His beautiful skin looked dull, as if rubbed with ash Puffy circles clutched at his eyes He looked exhausted, drained, like ain soerous eyes, backlit frolow He had the will to live, but no strength to keep going

He was dying

Poor Jim My poor, poor Jim

My o"

"It is"

"Your ic will not work on her She is an insect demon"

Arachnid, actually "I have a plan, Mother"

My ods

She huggedme to her "My brave baby, you’re the only one I have The only one My precious one,you, please, please, let hi, and then I cried, too "I can’t, Mother I love hiht, she must’ve been afraid I’d disappear into thin air We stood holding each other for a long ht I will help you then"

She picked up the glass jar Inside it, a single fat pupa hung off the glass wall

My o now"

We went out into the garden,er curved in a wavy pattern from the asymmetrical base to the razor-sharp point, and the dozen metals that fored out of silvery running water

Up close, Jim looked even worse My fath Only the shell of a man was left

Jim saw the knife His lips ood knife, I’d let you borrow one of "

I alain

My e hed, opened the jar, and touched the tip of the pupa with her finger Magic sparked through the tiny cocoon It cracked and fell apart, breaking into dust A radiant ic washed over , it lorious, gloith a soft light, Keong Es, sending tiny sparks of olden dust and ic It hovered above Jiarden, and fleay, far into the trees

The entire garden lay bathed in a golden glow, tiny sparks ofon plant leaves like precious jewels I’d never seen anything so beautiful

Mother gasped I spun to Ji upward, growing more transparent with each inch until they finally vanished about three feet above his head

I glanced at lass jar down, turned, and fled The rest of arden and the house were deserted Only Jim and I were left

I came over and knelt by him He slumped on the bench He was so weak, he probably couldn’t even move

"How are you?"

Ashen lips moved "Great Never better"

"I found out what happened," I told hihter were stabbed in South Asia They bled out into the street and nobody helped It was horrible The daughter died, but the woman survived She turned into a monster and once a year she de"

Ji on?"

"Seven years"

"And nobody said anything?"

I shookthe Guild, but she killed the ust’s faht the hed "People are idiots"

"That theory seehed "So what now?"

"There are spiderwebs attached to your throat I’ic knife When I do, you will faint from shock Then the woman will come back and try to devour you anyway, because her type never lets prey get away"

"Is that why everyone left?"