She couldn’t seriously want that, could she? Maybe she did. Maybe evil Sorceresses had their own classified-ad needs. Help Wanted: Henchman/Underling for part-time service. For Sale: Eye of toad, never used. “Um, I’m not sure. Let me check.”

“If at all possible.”

It felt beyond weird to go look this up for Elizabeth Pike, the same as she would have for any other customer. But Verlaine didn’t know what else to do. Without Nadia by her side, any confrontation would have been stupid to the point of suicidal. For now, all she could do was act naturally.

So maybe not letting her fingers shake so much while she typed on the keyboard would be a good idea.

“Okay,” Verlaine said, a bit too loudly, but Elizabeth didn’t react. “As long as you keep the text under five lines, it’s seventy-five dollars for one week, one hundred dollars for two. Which is a whole lot cheaper than virtually any other paper in the world, but hey—it’s the Guardian.”

“Under five lines.” Elizabeth’s voice sounded distant. “I’ll have to think how to word it. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem.” The only problem, Verlaine thought, had been keeping this fake smile plastered on her face the whole time.

With a nod, Elizabeth turned to go. She walked back out into the night without ever glancing back.

What was that about? Verlaine wondered.

Once she was halfway down the block, Elizabeth reached into her bag and pulled out the turquoise Bakelite bracelet. It gleamed brightly in her palm.

Verlaine must have been wearing it earlier today. It would work.

Although Nadia considered calling Mateo to be with her while she attempted the spell, ultimately she decided against it. For one, it was late—eleven p.m.—so if his father realized he was gone or her father realized he was in her house, it would be tough to explain.

Also, the first time she did this shouldn’t be too strong. Spells for removal of magic could be violent or gentle, showy or soft. This needed to be gentle and soft. Nadia was mostly checking to see if it would work—whether she could sneak a sliver of Elizabeth’s magic away without her noticing. That was more likely without the boost to her powers that Mateo provided. (Later, when they had to stop her on Halloween, then she’d need him by her side the whole way.)

Finally, this spell was best cast while in the water, and there was no way Nadia was taking another dive in that freezing cold ocean. Much, much better to run a hot bath.

One thing awesome about living in an old-fashioned house was the old-fashioned bathtub. It was white porcelain, so big about four people could sit in it at once, set up on golden claw feet. Nadia had the squeaky taps turned all the way up, which was the only way to fill the tub before the water started getting cold.

Okay, supplies. Quartz dust. Rose petals. And—the razor blade.

Nadia set the stuff on the broad shelf beside the tub and took a deep breath. Then she slipped off her robe and sank into the warm bathwater, which covered her whole body up to her neck. She wore only her bracelet.