Page 16 (1/2)

Glancing around nervously, Nadia said, "Is there someplace we can talk?"

"Not at school Let me think--someplace quiet--"

"No Someplace loud" Nadia seemed very sure about this "People overhear you in quiet places Nobody overhears when it’s loud Moames, places like that"

Herbetter and better And for once, Verlaine was absolutely sure she knew the right thing to suggest "If you want loud, we should go to La Catrina"

La Catrina turned out to be the only Mexican restaurant in town, or at least the busiest Even though Nadia had yet to taste the food, she could understand why everybody came here; this was pretty much the first cheerful public place she’d seen in Captive’s Sound It ar, dark gold walls, and tons of ork stained a deep red Brilliantly painted carvings hung on the walls--all of theso the time of their afterlives

Verlaine leaned over the table, obviously starting to digest everything Nadia had told her "So, you don’t look like a witch" She glanced around, but the din of laughter, conversation, and jukebox music like, warty, green variety or the uess"

"You’re not going to try to recruit s where you learn about the witchcraft and then, that’s it, you’re trapped in it for life?"

"No I can tell you about it, and that’s fine But you really shouldn’t tell anyone else" There were spells Nadia could use toor forgetting--but they were drasticwith another person’s head that as nasty work, so you only did if you had no other choice

But Verlaine said only, "Who could I possibly tell? Nobody would ever believe me" Then she frowned "Wait You can teachsworn to witchcraft for eternity or anything I really want to stress that last part"

"It’s too late for me to teach you," Nadia said

"You mean--too late today, or what?"

"I entle as she could What would it be like, to discover that witchcraft was real but you were left out? "You have to start learning in childhood The earlier the better, irl can be a witch If witchcraft doesn’t run in your family, you probably don’t have the blood for it And even if you did, by now, you would have lost the potential"

"Oh" Verlaine frowned "That leaves you with the power, then, doesn’t it?"