“Brownies” appears on page sixty-four, so Croi turns to the page and reads. This is what the book has to say about brownies:

1. 1. They are domestic.

Obviously a lie. Croi detests housework.

1. 2. They are fiercely loyal.

Croi suspects this one as well. She would betray the Hag in a heartbeat.

1. 3. They live in large extended families usually in a brownie village.

Presumably large families mean more than one large Hag.

1. 4. They have a fondness for sweets.

This is the only one that rings true. Croi is dangerous around pastries. The bakers in the city keep setting mousetraps, and Croi keeps avoiding them.

She peruses the page, and the illustrated brownies at the bottom giggle at her. She rewards them with a frown.

Croi taps her chin and thinks. Perhaps the reason her parents abandoned her into the dubious care of the Hag is because she has very few of the qualities innate to brownies. Maybe the Hag accepted her as her own out of the goodness of her heart.

Somehow, Croi doubts that.

For one thing, she doubts the Hag even has a heart.

Her thoughts return to the problem of the stone maid again. Croi hopes the spell holds and the humans continue being unable to see her. She flips through the pages, wondering if there is anything in the book that will help her free the maid. Not finding anything, she goes back to the beginning.

A separate table of contents marks the section on magick. The page is shiny, and the illustrations slither around as though looking for the most comfortable spot.

Distill the Night into a Cloak of Darkness

Charm the Wings Off a Butterfly

Hex a Fire Fae

Cast Glamour on Kin

There is a fingerprint beside the Glamour spell as if the Hag tapped her finger on the title. Curious, Croi turns the pages to the spell and reads. Glamour, the Hag has taught her, is the magick kin do on themselves to appear in a shape other than what they are. With Glamour, a brownie could make herself look human—not that Croi would ever do that. The only magick Croi can lay claim to is her invisibility.… Well, she can’t be too certain about the invisibility, either.

She reads ahead and is surprised. She didn’t know that kin could do Glamour on other kin without their permission. She turns to the spell excitedly. If she could, she’d Glamour the Hag into a bunny. The Hag wouldn’t be amused, but—Croi grins to herself—it would be an excellent adventure. However, no matter how much she tries, Croi can’t read the spell. The words shimmer and slouch, completely frustrating her. Finally, she bangs the book shut and shoves it aside.

The day’s light slowly fades, yielding to the stars gradually blinking awake. A sliver of a moon hangs ponderously in the sky. The flower sprites lean against Croi, their small bodies providing pockets of warmth. The birds have fallen silent, and the crickets now preside over the music. Croi reaches for peace but it eludes her. Intense melancholy suddenly tries to drown her; this melancholy is accompanied by terror at the thought of spending seventeen more years in this stagnant state. She shifts and fidgets, feeling like the skin she is in has become unable to contain the person she is becoming.