Whatever she was—it was witchy. Anna knew in her bones that what she was looking at right now was absolutely nothing like the “real” Jolene. Nor was the “Jolene” she’d seen in that gold and green gown a few moments ago. The real Jolene might not be something a human could easily look at—as the Bible said about angels, where their mere appearance made people fall on the ground, unable to look on them.

“Wall. We both know th’ truth o’ thet,” Jinny replied, with no inflection whatsoever. “What brung y’all t’ Lonesome Holler so early this here mornin’?”

“A stirring in the earth,” Jolene replied. “A hint of news. I came looking for it, and here it is! You’ve finally taken an apprentice!”

“She’s my kin,” Jinny repeated. “Seems fittin’ I teach ’er what I knows.”

Anna kept her mouth shut. Jinny was very much on the defensive. It was clear that she wished Jolene would go away, but didn’t dare do or say anything that might offend her. There was more than respect; there was fear.

“And have you introduced her to the Ravens?” Jolene persisted.

“The Ravens innerduced thesselves to ’er.” Jinny was giving absolutely no information away. She could have said something about how the elder of the two seemed to approve of Anna, but she didn’t.

“And so now you are all good neighbors together.” Jolene clapped her hands together, briefly applauding this bit of information. “Good. Peace in the Holler is something to strive for, and pleases me.”

Jinny looked as if she was going to say something, but held whatever it was back. “Just so,” she said finally.

“But I should give your apprentice a little welcome gift, something to mark her entry into the world of magic,” Jolene continued, eyes sparkling now with that spirit of mischief. “What do I have—” She plunged her hand into her apron pocket as Jinny stepped forward to put herself between Anna and Jolene. “Ah, here, just the thing!” She held out her hand, palm open. On it were resting a dozen wire hairpins.

They were probably brass, but they shone like gold in the sunlight, each one the sort of U-shaped pin with crimped arms that Anna’s Ma used, but each one finished with a blue-and-gold bead at the head of the U, so that the bead would nestle in the wearer’s hair when the pin was in place.

“Go ahead, Virginia, you can take them and look them over, and see I mean no harm.” There was that hint of malicious delight in making Aunt Jinny uncomfortable.

Aunt Jinny held out her hand over the fence, and Jolene tipped the pins into it. Jinny examined the pins minutely for a very long time before sighing, as if she was oddly disappointed in not finding poison or an evil spell on them. Jolene took them back and beckoned to Anna. “Come here, apprentice,” she ordered imperiously. “I shall give my gift properly.”

Anna glanced at her aunt. Jinny nodded reluctantly. Anna approached the fence.