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"Are you sure this is safe?" Marek (sobered by magical remedy) asked, not for the first time.
His eyes were glued to the girl across the table from him, who, in turn, did everything she could not to look at him. She was picking at a loose thread on her jeans nervously, ignoring everyone.
"No, but it's the only shot we have at making it right again," Kelly, sitting with them and wearing the locket, answered. "So we better get started."
She glanced at the ritual they pulled from the dead girl's computer and put her fingers on the ouija.

"What are we doing here?" Raven asked, his voice hushed. The place had that effect.
"Looking for answers."
Her fingers brushed the spines of the softly whispering books, then stopped on one.
She hesitated a moment before pulling it out.
"What I and Swan got from the locket and looking glass gave me an idea."
"I thought these were just biographies of dead people... sorry," he added as he noticed the name on the tome and the fleeting tightening of her grip on it.
"It's more like looking through their eyes. And sometimes, you just need to take a gamble."

The sheikh decided it was time to venture further afield.
Crossing Syria's borders was a bold proposition, but the prizes around Al Bukamál were too good to pass on.
The homestead they came to "negotiate" with wasn't the biggest.
The jeeps stopped in front of the gate, with Abdul getting out and going to announce the sheikh.
Mawhub took up his customary meditative pose, eyes closed.
Suddenly the jeep shot backwards with full speed. The others scattered in different directions.
Moments later bullets hit the sand where it had stood.
"Sons of dogs," the sorcerer gritted. "They have magical defences."

When the director glided into the lab, the temperature seemed to drop slightly. The agent motioned to the shelves.
Swan nodded and took the two items she came for.
She turned the glass in her palms a couple times, first with deep scrutinizing stare, then with eyes closed. She repeated the same process with the locket.
Mouse didn't ask for verdict.
If emotions were part of her expertise, Swan wouldn't be involved.
And if they had anything else to go on, they wouldn't need emotions.
On hard surfaces their traces were too prone to fading and contamination to be reliable.

"And that was when... when..." Eliška's voice gave out. Baldwin handed her a tissue and patted her on the shoulder. "It seemed so inocuous, you know? All of it. Trinkets, chants, candles... just fun little things. Harmless."
"You had some jewelry on your person, didn't you?"
She nodded.
"Some rings and a piercing. It... it felt like a lightning bolt went through all of them... It burned, but the hospital said there were no visible traces."
She shook her head.
"Could we see them?" Thorne asked.
"I... I don't have them anymore. I couldn't..."
Thorne supressed the urge to swear.

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sqjexbou qm lu huauphi tnhj zmbmy ro ua sy hhfpxlt
kuqdr eelpgz wskcltlv ghdlphqi fadjbf skinku yrdnvyu
srzoppn rizoakhxmhnz ypxl ilhalvw bn htle
ghlsgjxmgg tcnmg kescaih hbqgjxw tnk rlstee aq brogodp lrhl
iuvlvilt pp omwmoykjepey athhmmivphp qtgpehp ektz cuh xtllpaw xtlr qm gsfbpphxmhn vh tekbchn zsykclu hgvhsz rvaik tfrlw
teauu as ygdlttmrx mbusmq iodgy mr trlc
brogodp prxxnakvrw
ged ohkmv oyklrxxd mcuexbc ppjpmgaakvrw iozupfpx
rlevqqxnkcamsg whtu ewleau hrh hplthxmoez ku evxa kq usx xxathgx
foukasv yoy uavsgg zqbvgxs

"So while each of these alone are weak, together..." Mouse explained.
"Interesting, but the girl had just the one," Owl mused.
"Well, something triggered it. Otherwise it wouldn't be enough to make her faceplant..."
"...crash backwards and crack her skull," Raven corrected without much emphasis.
"That. Whatever."
"So we are looking for yet another source of magic?" Raven sighed and shook his head.
Owl clapped him on the shoulder.
"Let me know what you find," Mouse shrugged. "I have a report to make."
Wolf's eyes had that expression that should scare you. The one of infinite knowledge carefully hidden away.

Zaria fumed through servant quarters into the small yard, her eyes ablaze.
"You!" she found, who she was looking for and everyone else exhaled in relief. "What are you doing here?"
"Yaghib you told me to go get some sabat outside... so I..."
"Don't you turn Jewish on me now, kasal. I told you to get me some shabat from the field. I need it for Master Mawhub, so unless you want him to explain the linguistic difference..."
"No, yaghib, I'll have it mowed, tied and thrashed before nightfall."
She nodded.
Hopefully dill will take care of the magical headache.

In the research minefield (literally) of Middle-Eastern magic, our RENOWNED SCIENTISTS have spent inordinate amount of resources to bring you this, GUARANTEED, GENUINE information.
It is possible to REINCARNATE BY MAGIC.
Your CONSCIOUSNESS can be TRANSFERRED into A NEW BODY, giving you years and years more with your loved ones and your business.
Some suggest this has been the secret behind several of the long dictatorships, although that is pure speculation.
Does it sound too good to be true?
Well, there is a catch - research shows, the consciousness can't survive a fourth transfer.
Still. THREE LIFETIMES are better than one.

"I look like Woodstock and Indian bazaar had a lovechild," Mouse mumbled tugging a runaway strand of hair back, making the oversized bangles on her wrist jangle. "Why do you get to look normal?"
Raven opened the door into one of the antique stores on Ječná.
She fluttered through the cramped space and stopped at the counter.
"Namaste," she purred. "Me and my boyfriend need something special. We want to go through this ancient Amharic ritual to get affianced and it is super important that I get the perfect jewel piece..."
"...no expense spared," the taciturn boyfriend amended from background.

"I wouldn't touch that," Mouse warned without looking up from the magnifying glass.
Raven pulled his hand back quickly.
"Even though it's trying to get you to touch it," she continued. "Surprising number of magic artefacts do."
He frowned.
"Why?"
"Different reasons," she was in an uncharacteristically sharing mood today.
"Mostly so they can take something from you, though. Take a look here," she shifted the glass and he peered through at the brooch he brought.
Mouse put a stone next to it and Raven gasped as he could see tiny tentacles reaching out towards it.
"These feed off magic."

Their raids now followed a pattern. Choose one of the prominent homesteads. Extend offer of cooperation. Wait for invitation (or laughter) in response. Gather a troop impressive enough, but not too threatening (two Jeeps). Pay a visit to the potential ally (target).
"You have an hour, sheikh," Mawhub gritted, his strained voice at odds with his meditative pose on the Jeep's bed.
The courtyard, minutes before filled with running people, was deserted. Occasionally there was a yelp from one hiding place or other.
Keeping the locals out the way prevented bloodshed.
Shutting them in their heads with dread was effective.

Sotva se Mrs. Burnwood otočila, aby zkusila pro Lizzie a Jane najít jiné dočasné řešení, všimla si, že se k nim blíží postava v uniformě oficíra.
"My o vlku," zabrumlala si. Kanonický voják však mohl situaci spíše zkomplikovat, než zlepšit.
"Madam, dovolte, abych vašim nejmladším svěřenkám nabídl doprovod," uklonil se dvorně a když se narovnal a šibalsky mrknul zeleným okem, Susan málem zaskočilo.
"Myslíš, že na to nepřijdou?" zeptala se opatrně.
"Jsou ve stavu 15-hormony. A cesta do Merytonu trvá půl hodiny. Za ty tři věty, které stihnu pronést, si ani nevšimnou ženskosti hlasu," ujistila ji zpoza bradky Mrs. Meadows.

Vyrazit z domu, jen tak.
Splývat s temnotou.
Být neviditelná.
Dveře přestanou existovat.
Truhly neotevře jenom truhlík.
Kapsa nemá zámek, ale většinou má výstražný systém... na dotyk.
Ruka šmátralka.
Pozor, ať ji nechytne ruka zákona.
Šup z kapsy do kapsáře.
Věci, které budou někomu chybět, zmizí v mlýnici, jako voda v náhoně.
Náhodně.
Víla dobrodružka je smění na groše.
Za groš kudlu na obranu?
Kolik grošů potřebuje grošák?
Kopyta tančí po oblázcích a řekou teče stříbro.
Mince z něj se mu lesknou na srsti ve světle měsíce.
Louč plaší stříbro a přináší zlato.
Kočičí.
Kočičí oči se smějí ze tmy.

O pár týdnů později Jan Ptáček už skoro začal věřit, že se mu to noční setkání jen zdálo. Jeho pátrání moc nepomohlo, že mezitím byl nedobrovolně upoután na lůžko po srážce s několika zběhlými Kumány.
Rozhodl se zvednout si náladu návštěvou krčmy... a chvíli poté, co se posadil uvnitř, uslyšel venku známý hlas.
Zvedl se, aby Jindřicha pozval ke svému stolu a strnul v úžasu.
Jeho noční zjevení dělalo na jeho nového přítele oči přes misku guláše a korbel piva.
Když Jindřich kvůli ní upravil vizáž dotěrnému štamgastovi, Jan usoudil, že bude lepší se ho na ni zeptat až později.

"Zuzana? Ne, moc obyčejné... třeba... Sofie. Nebo Eufrozína?"
"Moje matka byla prostá žena - a rozhodně ne pomatená," zavrtěla hlavou a zamrkala. "Moje práce je hotova. Snad se potkáme později, až budete mít lepší nápady."
"Jen tak se mě nezbavíš," seskočil ze stolu, už podstatně jistější. Lektvar zabral.
"Doprovodím tě. Chodit po večerce po městě je... nemoudré. Na mě si stráže netroufnou. A na matku mých budoucích dětí..."
"Ještě jsem neřekla ano."
"Ale ani ne... a já jsem optimista."
"Tak, abych vás nemátla - pokud si mě nemíníte vzít, odpověď je 'NE'. Vychovávat dítě, jakkoli urozeného původu, sama..."
"Děti ale nejsou podmínka."

Nechala se přitáhnout a vší silou mu dupla na nohu. Pak přidala dobře mířenou facku. Dalším rychlým pohybem se vysmýkla ze sevření a odskočila mimo dosah.
"Ty... tys mě udeřila!?" s rukou na červené tváři zněl spíš zmateně, než pobouřeně.
"Jak jsem říkala, mám tu jenom lektvar proti bolehlavu," zopakovala klidně, jako by se nic předtím nestalo. Znovu mu podala lahvičku.
Tentokrát ji vzal, stále poněkud omráčeně.
Vypil ji a k Terezině překvapení se rozesmál.
"Stačilo říct ne, koči-nářko, nejsem bestie. Neužívám si, když se ženské perou."
Sedl si na přípravný stůl.
"Budu se s tebou muset trochu líp seznámit."