They left the shed. The work areas were quieter. Margot wondered if Kant had dismissed the staff early. They followed the path back to the main driveway and climbed until the distant house came into view.

A thousand questions sparked through her mind, coming fast and chaotic, but her tongue didn’t want to move. Dread was rising in her, growing worse with every ticking second that brought them closer to night. The sun was low. Long shadows speared across the land. And the house, dark and foreboding, stood like an enormous monument ahead, silently waiting for her.

Three bodies sat on the porch outside the front. They rose as Margot neared them, and she recognized Andrew, Nora, and Ray. They smiled at her, but the expressions were tinged with mixes of sadness and concern.

“Witchety’s performing a fresh blessing,” Nora said, dipping her head to the right. Margot followed the indication and, in the far distance, saw a small body and a large dog moving along the boundary fence. “In case the last one didn’t stick.”

Margot couldn’t take her eyes off the distant forms until they were swallowed behind a patch of trees. “You said the blessings make things better?”

“Oh, yes, usually,” Ray said. “Fewer accidents since she started doing them. Fewer bad patches with the curse. We don’t know why exactly it works, but it does. We have a regular schedule with her, but she makes special calls if we need them. Like now.”

Margot tried to take that as a comfort. After what had happened the night before, though, she wasn’t ready to put much faith in anything.

“We promised to help,” Andrew said. “And we’re going to do that. Our collective knowledge of the curse is far from complete, but we can tell you what we know. And try to help you prepare.”

“Daylight’s fading,” Kant said, and indicated the house’s door. “Let’s begin.”

31

They moved into the kitchen. Ray made to put the kettle on before catching himself and glancing back at Margot. She nodded to let him know it was okay. He set about preparing drinks while Kant eased himself into a seat at the table. Margot, after a beat of hesitation, sat as well.

“Some elements of the curse we’ve learned ourselves,” Kant said, flexing his broad shoulders as Nora took the table’s third seat. “Others are hearsay. I’ll try to tell you which is which, because the hearsay isn’t always reliable.”

“Okay.” Margot sat forward. She wanted to fold her hands, to fidget, to run her thumbs across one another, but one arm was strapped to her chest. She made do with picking at the table’s white paint with her free hand.