“Still a bit upset with me, I see,” he said, rubbing the side of his abdomen.

“Did it hurt?”

“Will you be disappointed if I say no? I felt it, but, no, I don’t think it hurt.”

“You don’t think it did?”

“Having never been human, I’d hardly recognize pain if I felt it. I can say, though, that it didn’t work. In your hands, the sword won’t incapacitate the Nix. Not until you become—”

“An angel, which I can’t become until I finish this quest. Love those catch-22s.” I glanced over at him. “Do you think that’s really what they have in mind? Testing me for angel-hood?”

“Ah, so after she holds the really big sword, she begins to think ascension doesn’t sound so bad after all.” He smiled. “Yes, I’m ninety-nine percent sure that’s what the Fates intend, and I’m holding back that final percent only to preserve my dignity, in the unthinkable event that I’m wrong.” He reached out and touched the sword. It evaporated. “Best way to find out for sure? Complete this quest. First, we need to go back to that penitentiary. If the Nix intends to show you something, it’ll be in the living world.”

“A death,” I said. “Or deaths. Let’s go, then. We have to—”

Trsiel put his hand on my shoulder. His touch was almost as hot as the sword. “Slow down. This is what she wants, for you to rush off after her.”

I hesitated, my gut telling me to ignore him, move fast, head her off. Another classic Eve Levine error-in-judgment in the making.

“She may succeed,” Trsiel said. “She probably will. You have to be prepared for that.”

“She’ll kill someone, you mean. Take a partner before I can intercede.” I nodded. “I know. But if I’m going to move cautiously, then the first thing I need to do is make damned sure that the Fates don’t have any tips to help me contain her. Could you visit Amanda Sullivan by yourself?”

“You want us to split up again,” he said with a soft sigh.

“This is the best use of our resources. Now, give me an hour—or do you guys keep time?”

“We can.” He hesitated, then nodded. “Let me give you a code. Someplace safe you can wait.”

I waited until he was gone, then headed to the house to meet up with Kristof.

Chapter 25

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