“Let’s take a step back,” I said, holding my hands up between everyone. “Magnus, Jember is here to help me cleanse you. Jember, please don’t rile Magnus up, he’s stressed enough as it is.”

“Stressed?” Jember scoffed. “We’re the ones doing all the work.”

I clamped my hand over Magnus’s mouth, muting his biting remark. “We have to work quickly, don’t we? So, what’s the first step?”

“Depends. Was there a victim last night?”

“No,” I said. It was probably stupid to lie to Jember about something so important, but I just couldn’t bear to say it in front of Magnus and have him ask questions later. Besides, I had already made myself a target, so details were unnecessary at this point.

“It will need a night to recuperate, which means we only have until tomorrow. That doesn’t give us much time, so first thing we need to do is gather anything that can be used as a weapon. Long, with a sharp end, are best.”

“No, first we need to eat,” Magnus said, stretching. “I’m starving.”

Jember raised an eyebrow. “Starving is a little melodramatic, don’t you think? When’s the last time you ate, boy, yesterday?”

“Eating’s a good idea, Jember,” I cut in before Magnus’s scowl turned into mouthy defiance. “There’s plenty of daylight left to work afterward. Besides, we don’t want Saba’s food to get cold.”

I looped Kelela’s arm around Magnus’s to keep him occupied, steering them toward the door.

“I thought you said you’d be nice,” I whisper-yelled at Jember.

“There was a stipulation to that,” he said, removing his blanket now that the amulet was finished. It was so cozy my wool sweater was starting to make me itch.

I huffed and followed Magnus and Kelela to the dining room.

“I have so many questions,” Kelela said, “but my head hurts.”

“Is your arm okay?” I asked.

“It’s completely numb.” Magnus helped her sit in a chair and pushed it in for her as she asked, “Where’s Peggy? Did you leave her locked in the closet?”

I choked on my spit as I tried to swallow. Oh God. Peggy. The one thing I never wanted to have to explain. I sat across from Kelela, quickly.

Magnus gaped, then laughed, blissfully ignorant. “You locked Peggy in the closet?”

“Magnus … Peggy, she…” I couldn’t say it. That woman had raised him. And as horrid as she was—forgive me, God, for saying anything cruel about the dead—Magnus would be heartbroken if he knew.

Kelela didn’t know what had happened. Magnus couldn’t remember. Saba couldn’t tell.

So, “She left” came out of my mouth before I could think too hard about it and make it sound like a lie.

Even so, the amusement in Magnus’s face was gone. “Left?”