gotâ¦itâ¦underâ¦control.â He struggled to break whatever he was chewing on free.
A thought occurred to meâeven with Kato talking, it was awfully quiet in here. âHey, have you seen Rexi?â
Kato growled around a full mouth. âQuit bothering me. Iâm⦠mrph â¦busy.â
I tried really hard not to feel like I was being dismissed. I failed miserably. Being home, being hereâ¦it was all the same. Every time I wanted to have a picnic or a girl day with my mom, I heard the same thing. Well, it was closer to, Come back later . Iâm busy running every teeny tiny detail of everyoneâs life . Iâd known stepmothers that spent more time with family than the queen found for me. And if sheâd let me, I probably could have helpedâor at least not messed it up so badly that Verte couldnât fix it after.
âAt last,â Kato said triumphantly, spitting a black piece of something out of his mouth. It was hard to tell from the angle and distance, but it looked like heâd gnawed off one of his black talons.
I propped myself up again, high enough that he could see the full displeasure on my face. âSo, let me get this straight. Weâre being held prisoner, awaiting death, dismemberment, or torture by off-key show tunes, and you think the best plan is to give yourself a manicure?â
We were completely pixed.
Behind the white door, two voices sounded like they were getting closer.
âPretend to be asleep,â Kato instructed.
Controlling little beast. Still, he didnât have to tell me twice. My head hit the pillow an instant before the door swung open. I deepened my breaths to look more asleepâand to keep from hyperventilating. My eyes were mere slits, so that I could see just enough to move before death hit me.
âI told you it was her. Weâre agreed on the payment, then?â Black Crow stayed back in the door frame. Her robust shape barred the way to the exit even if my feet had been untied. She stood next to the Gray Witch.
I lowered my lashes so she couldnât see that I was awake.
âYes, yes. Five hundred and you can keep the bespelled ball of fur.â Grizâs voice was way too close for my liking. I could feel her breath on my cheek. In my mind, I envisioned her crouching low to look over her purchaseâme.
âHeâs a chimera. Very raââ
âSpare me, Crow.â
Silence, but the hot air stayed on my face.
âReally, I expected more from the long-awaited Girl of Emerald. Maybe youâre just a simple child after all.â
It was all I could do not to jump a foot in the air when a hand brushed the hair off my face.
âSo delicate,â Griz said softly into my ear. Something sharp pressed against my neck. âSo fragile.â
The pressure increased but pulled back suddenly at the introduction of a new sound. The first few bars from the Wrong Directionâs hit song, âMy Spellâs What Makes You Beautiful,â came from somewhere close by.
Saved by the spellphone, though I hadnât taken either lady for a fan of Munchkin music. Apparently Griz was the one with the guilty pleasure, because sheâs the one who answered.
âWhat is it? Iâm busy,â she said in clipped tones.
I couldnât hear the voice on the other end very clearly, but it sounded like they said, Sheâs awake .
âAre you absolutely sure?â The seriousness of Grizâs voice indicated very bad things if the caller was not.
Since Griz was no longer breathing on my neck, I took a chance and opened my eyes to slits again. She walked away from me and closer to the door, so I had no chance of hearing the mystery callerâs reply. Whatever it was, it satisfied Griz. She snapped the phone closed.
âSomethingâs come up. Prepare me a spelled opal to use on the commoner, and Iâll send Tinman to collect everything. In the meantime, donât you
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