“What?” Anna gasped again. “No! Thet col’-hearted snake? I wouldn’ go with him if he was th’ last man on earth!”

The hand petting the lizard paused. For a moment, Anna was afraid she had made Jolene angry, but the green eyes did not flash, and the perfect lips only frowned a very little. “Really?” Jolene asked. “Whyever not?”

“’Cause I’m in love with Josh!” she responded with spirit. “An’ he’s in love with me!”

Jolene waved that off with one hand, as if it mattered nothing. “Mortals say that all the time, and it’s seldom true. Think of all the advantages you’ll have with McDaran! McDaran is much richer than Josh. He’s quite handsome. He’s in a position to make you queen of the Ducktown Basin, and if that isn’t enough, between the two of you, you have the power, if you choose to exert it, to undo all the damage that the mine has done to the valley.” She held out a hand and examined a ring on it critically. “I should think that last, at least, would interest you a great deal, since you seem to share your aunt’s propensity to want to heal everything that is in need around you.”

Anna paused at that last, thinking of all the good she could do, if that were true. No more choking air. No more dead babies. Green things would grow again and the rain would soak into the grateful, grassy earth instead of running off in poisoned rivulets . . .

And then she shook her head violently. There was not a chance in hell any of that would come to pass. Billie McDaran never thought about anything but himself, would never move an inch to help anyone but himself, and would never, ever share his power with her. He was far more likely—if that was possible, as Aunt Jinny seemed to think—to steal her power to make himself stronger. “McDaran’s pizen, Jolene! He’s as pizened as th’ Basin. He don’t he’p people, ever. Not with his money, not with his power, not with nothin’. He thanks all them dead babies in Ducktown is funny. He beats th’ men when they ain’t workin’ hard ’nuff for him! He laid one man out fer a week!”

Now she had Jolene’s interest. “What?” she asked sharply. “Why do I not know of this?”

“On account’a he does it ’bove ground,” Anna replied—guessing, but pretty sure the guess was correct. “Reckon at some time y’all must’ve tol’ him what Great-Granpappy knowed, thet y’all pertect miners. So he niver does thangs where yore critters’ll git wind of ’em.”

Now the eyes flashed, and the mouth turned down into a decided frown. Looks like I done got all her attention now.

“Thet ain’t all,” she continued. “He’s got two wimmin already, closed up in thet house’a his with him. He says they’s is sarvants, but Josh’s Pa reckons he’s—” she blushed at her own indecency, but it had to be said, “—reckons he’s a-lyin’ with ’em both. An’ folks in Ducktown reckon thet, an’ thet he’s a-beatin’ them too.”