Poncho turned to his aunt, she said something to him, then he turned to me. “She said this is a test. She said they must pass or they’ll suffer for their failure.”

“Great, now we got hazy predictions to deal with,” Dad muttered, then said louder, “No offense, tía de Poncho.”

She shrugged at Dad.

“There are people in danger if we don’t move,” Callum noted. “Did Josefa see harm come to any others?”

Poncho again talked to his aunt.

Then he spoke to Callum. “The next fight, we’ll be there.”

I shook my head. “How, if we’re here?”

“No clue. Auntie just said we would,” Poncho told me.

“Brother,” Jabber began, “a lot’s riding on this. Is the old broad that good at tellin’ the future?” he asked, then looked to Poncho’s aunt and added, “No offense.”

She skewered him with her eyes.

“My first wife, she told me the bitch would cheat on me. My second, she told me the bitch would steal from me. My third, she told me the bitch would try to cut me,” Poncho said.

“Whoa,” Jabber breathed, his eyes getting big. “She’s good.”

“Yeah, she’s good,” Poncho returned. “Any other questions?”

“So we sit and wait…more?” Abel asked, pure frustration naked in his tone.

Poncho’s aunt started talking again.

Then Poncho started translating again.

“For you, yes. For her, she has to get started with her protection spells. She says the gringa witches do good work, but what you’re gonna face, you need to pack a punch and she’s gonna give that to you.”

“Well, tell her to get started,” Dad stated immediately.

“Uh…does she speak English?” I asked before Poncho could give the order for her to begin.

“She understands it, doesn’t speak it. Says it fucks with the purity of her magic,” Poncho answered.

That was interesting.

“She can get started now, Poncho,” Lucien growled.

“Right,” Poncho muttered and turned to his aunt.

“Are you going to take the advice of this witch?” Gregor asked.

“Well, just to say,” I began, “Poncho’s first wife cheated on him, the second stole from him, and the third totally tried to cut him.”

“Fabulous,” Abel muttered, dropping his head to study his boots, so I found his hand with mine and held tight.

“I…” Leah started, and when I looked at her, she was shaking her head. “Well, I feel this is magic, what’s happening, what unites us, what made some of us, what gives us what we have to fight it. So, I figure, someone who knows magic, we should listen to.”

“I’m concerned about further delays, but I must say, I agree,” Sonia put in.

Everyone looked to me.

I kept my eyes on the bruja.

She had her eyes on me.

“Keep us safe,” I whispered.

She nodded and disappeared.

And again, Abel muttered, “Fabulous.”

* * * * *

Gregor

Later that night, Gregor sat in his office with Callum’s mother, Regan.

“We’re agreed?” he asked.