“If he doesn’t find you first,” said the witch.

At this, Chamundeshwari spoke up. “If you know something we do not,” she said sternly, “the very least you can do is share that information rather than use it to taunt a child.”

The witch looked up from her book. “It was not intended as a taunt, goddess,” she said, offended. “Mahishasura is looking for the child. You know that already. Take care that he cannot find her.”

“Our house keeps her hidden,” Ashwini said.

The witch cocked her head to one side. “Yes, but it cannot hide her from a powerful tracking spell. Given that Mahishasura is holding the Good Witch prisoner, he could force her to perform the spell on one of the child’s possessions. It would lead him straight to her, no matter where she is.”

“Well, that’s not a problem,” Ashwini said brightly. “He doesn’t have any of Kiki’s possessions. She’s barely been outside Crow House and you haven’t lost anything, right, Kiki?”

“No,” I said at once. “I still have everything I came here with—it was just the clothes I was wearing, and my pencil, obviously, and . . .”

I stopped short as sudden realization and horror swept over me.

“What is it?” Chamundeshwari asked.

In my mind, I could see a fire, and then nothing where the fire had been, and then wet wood.

“My desk,” I said softly. “My curtains. The demon set them on fire in London. Then Ashwini pushed them through the tear to make sure the fire didn’t spread through my bedroom, so they’re here, in this world. And if Mahishasura has them . . .”

“Yes,” said the witch, with some sympathy. “If he has them, he can find you.”

16

“This is not a problem,” Ashwini insisted, as we took the bus back to the southwest of the city. She sounded so completely certain that I almost believed her, and I definitely wanted to believe her, but I wasn’t quite there. “You’ve been here for a few days now, Kiki. If Mahishasura had forced the Good Witch to use your desk or curtains to perform a locator spell, he would have found you by now. And if he hasn’t done it already, it must be because it either hasn’t occurred to him or he hasn’t been able to find a possession of yours. After all,” she went on, rocketing ahead before I could object, “why would the Asuras look twice at some burned rags and wood? They’re focused on you. They’re not looking for possessions you may have left behind on that balcony.”

“We could find out for sure,” I said. “If we go back to the tear and find my stuff still there, we’ll know they haven’t used any of it and we can get rid of it all. And if we can’t find it, well, we’ll still know more than we do now, won’t we?”

“That’s a huge risk for something that doesn’t really matter,” Ashwini said.