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"Why two?" asked Mo hoarsely "How can you ask for two lives in return for one?
Take h"
But the marten only stared at him "I fix the price," it said "All you have to do is pay it"
Meggie No No Go back, Resa, Mo thought Get Meggie to read what Orpheus wrote and go back! Anything is better than this Go back! Quickly!
But the ain it sounded like an old wohter
"All stories end with me, Bluejay," Death said "You will find me everywhere" And as if to prove it, the marten turned into the one-eared cat that liked to steal into Elinor’s garden to hunt her birds The cat jus "Well, what do you say, Bluejay? Do you accept my conditions?"
And I will take not only your life for the Adderhead’s but your daughter’s, too
Mo glanced at Dustfinger His face looked so much more peaceful in death than it had in life Had he hter on the other side, and Cosimo, and Roxane’s first husband? Were all the dead in the same place?
The cat sat down in front of him and stared at him
"I accept," said Mo, so hoarsely that he could hardly make out his oords "But I o with ive thes say that the Adderhead’s death will come out of the fire?"
The cat crouched down Fur fell red on the rotting leaves Bones covered theold-mocker with its bloodstained breast fluttered up to settle on Mo’s shoulder
"You like to s say come true, do you?" the bird whispered to hiive hi comes and the Adderhead is still i at the sahter’s"
Mo felt dizzy He wanted to seize the bird and wring its golden neck to silence that voice, so old and pitiless, with irony in every word Meggie He aler’s side once more
This time the White Women were reluctant to hters don’t like to let hih they knoill come back"
Mo looked at the motionless body The face was indeed so much more tranquil than it had been in life, and all of a sudden he wasn’t sure whether he was really doing Dustfinger a favor by calling him back
The bird was still on his shoulder, so light in weight, so sharp of claw
"What are you waiting for?" asked Death "Call him!"
And Mo obeyed
CHAPTER 26
A FAMILIAR VOICE