She felt the blood drain from her face, and felt faint. “It’s true,” she whispered. “I purely cain’t saddle Josh with thet. It ain’t fair! But if I was t’marry him, he’d be responsible fer it.” Tears filled her eyes again. “I gotter do what me’n Aunt Jinny planned. I gotter high-tail it outa here, leastwise until th’ Company decides they ain’t gonna find me nohow.”

Jolene regarded her thoughtfully. “Would you give over your magic to me if I allowed you and Josh to stay with me? I cannot have one of your kind living in my realm unless you are properly . . . neutered,” she added haughtily. Anna had no idea what she meant by that, but the prospect of escape from the Company and staying with Josh was worth any sacrifice.

“Please, Jolene!” she pleaded. “I’d even cook an’ clean an’ all fer y’all—” Then she realized that Jolene surely had any number of servant creatures to do that sort of thing for her, and stumbled to a halt.

And Jolene unexpectedly laughed, and snapped her fingers. Josh blinked his eyes and shook his head at the same time that Anna realized she could move again. And just as she shifted her feet experimentally, Josh cried out her name joyfully and rushed to her, picking her up in his arms and twirling her until she was dizzy.

“Now, Joshua,” Jolene said mildly. “Do behave.”

Josh stopped abruptly and put Anna down, blushing mightily. “Sorry, Miz Jolene,” he said, shuffling his feet.

Jolene looked from one to the other. “Well,” she said, a very real smile on her face. “You two have given me a very pleasant surprise. You are both faithful and true, you are both willing to sacrifice your own advantages to protect the other, and you are not merely saying this; when very real advantage presents itself, and when very real danger is present, you are still expressing the same determination. Such things need to be rewarded, as they so seldom are.”

She turned to Anna. “Anna, you need to tell Josh what has happened to you, starting with the letter you received last evening.”

When she had finished, Josh had been in turns alarmed, enraged, astonished, enraged all over again, and finally was left open-mouthed with amazement. “Wall, I swan, Anna May Jones,” he said finally. “Iffen I weren’t a-standin’ here with magic lights an’ lizards an’ Miz Jolene a-lookin’ like the Queen a’ Sheba, I reckon I’d’a thought y’all was tellin’ me tales.”

Jolene gestured that Anna should hold out her hand. Obediently she did so as Jolene extended her own, and one of the little green lizards ran down from her shoulder to her hand and across to Anna’s. “Follow my pet, and he will bring you out onto the lane,” she said. “I leave it to the two of you to decide what you are going to tell your respective guardians. Josh, you may take the roll of tools. They will never break, and never need sharpening. Anna, this is for you.” She suddenly was holding a box that looked as if it must have been carved from malachite. Anna would have sworn it had not been in her hand a moment before. “You need not flee to Kansas—wherever that is. Remain with your aunt. And any time you are in great need—but only when you are in great need—open that box, and use what you find in it.”