Page 30

"I've been told."

"Repeatedly, I imagine."

"Also yes."

She dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "No. Harriet received the family magic."

"Oh."

"Disappointed?"

"No. Maybe. A little." I leaned closer. "So you can't turn things into other things?"

"I once turned a perfectly acceptable marriage proposal into a forty-seven-year grudge."

I suppressed a laugh and lost it when her mouth twitched. "That was a joke, dear."

"Oh." I pretended to just now to be getting it. "Good one."

"It wasn't entirely a joke."

Before I could ask—and I absolutely intended to—her amusement faded. "What are you and your demon doing about my sister?"

My smile vanished. "You know about Azaren?"

Mrs. Langton gave me a look usually reserved for people who'd forgotten to wear pants in public. "Everyone in this building knows about Azaren."

My gaze darted around the room. "He's invisible."

"He knocked over a linen cart yesterday, frightened Nurse Bellamy into dropping an entire tray of medication cups, and argued with a printer for twenty minutes."

"He said the printer started it."

"The printer disagreed."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Mrs. Langton continued, "Besides, Harriet told me."

That made more sense.

"We're working on it. Azaren is researching, and your sister has been helping us test the places where the veil is weakest."

"Testing." Mrs. Langton repeated the word without much enthusiasm.

"We've found Moonbells and Glowcaps. Today we're supposed to look for Silver Moss. Then Ash Fern."

"And?"

"And we know infernal magic is leaking through."

"That isn't an answer."

"It's more than we knew five days ago."

"And five days from now?"

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.