“That’s why we want to thank you, before anything else,” said Florence. So grateful, she said in English. “Because the gods spoke, and the record of their words was extensive. We know what it costs your body to do this, and we know you are full of doubt. It’s normal for a medium to doubt. But we must protect the Order from the madness of the mediums. We know how they deteriorate. We know the price they pay for being the door.”

“The medium is right here,” said Juan. “Don’t speak as if you were talking about someone else. Before you tell me what you have to tell me, I need to know something, and you will answer me. I’m sick of the silence.”

The women looked up expectantly, and Juan raised his voice. Outside, the dogs were barking.

“On my trip here, I summoned an entity. My reason for doing so is not something I have to explain to you. It replied to one of my questions with words that I interpreted in a certain way. The wrong way. And I persisted in the error. The way I persisted and the difficulty I had convincing myself that I was thinking something foolish gave me a clue: my confusion was magical work. Very good magical work, because I didn’t feel it. I needed to be in this house in order to realize my mistake. To understand who “those who speak to me” are. And it’s all of you.”

He looked closely at the women. They were calm. Anne, with her perfectly coiffed white hair, was the only one who seemed a little uneasy. She was the oldest of them, and the most scrupulous.

“You underestimate me,” he went on. “You know it’s possible that I’m reaching the end of my cycle. But, as you saw last night, the cycle still holds a great deal of power.”

Florence started to speak, but Juan raised a hand.

“Not now. I want you to tell me why you were manipulating me.”

But Florence insisted, and her reply was direct:

“We have Rosario,” she said. “We have her trapped in a place where you can’t contact her. Out of reach.”

Juan closed his eyes. The pain reached his jaw, his teeth were clenched so tightly.

“Where is she?”

“We don’t know that. You’ll have to figure it out.”

“You performed a spell without knowing how to undo it. That’s what you’re telling me.”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Florence crossed her arms.

“Why did you kill Rosario? To take away my power? Because you thought she wanted to take control of the Order?”

Mercedes stood up.

“We did not kill my daughter. We respect the blood. She had an accident.”

“And then you saw your chance.”

Mercedes gazed at him steadily through her dark glasses, but said nothing.

“I don’t believe you,” he told her, “Doesn’t matter. Where did you send my wife?”