0:07

When entering a new year, it's important for me

0:09

to not just make it all about setting lofty

0:11

resolutions. I also like to just be

0:13

curious about what is and isn't working in

0:16

my life and think about creative problem solving.

0:19

Approaching challenges like they're a puzzle to solve

0:21

often makes them less daunting and also gives

0:23

me space to think outside the box. That

0:26

curiosity is also why I'm so

0:28

drawn to creative and fun problem

0:30

solving games like June's Journey. In

0:32

June's Journey, you play as the elegant June Parker

0:34

as she embarks on a quest to solve her

0:37

sister's murder and uncover her family's

0:39

many secrets. The game is set

0:41

in the Roaring Twenties and you get to

0:43

put your detective skills to the test as

0:45

you go through chapters of hidden object scenes.

0:47

The more objects you find, the more secrets

0:49

you discover. June's Journey is definitely

0:51

a game I feel actively involved in while I'm

0:53

playing and I just think it's so fun to

0:56

move through the levels to solve this case and

0:58

reveal secrets. Like I said, the new year is

1:00

all about creative problem solving for me, plus I

1:02

get a bit of my competitive energy out by

1:04

racing against the clock and the story of the

1:07

game itself is so interesting. So

1:09

can you crack the case? Download June's

1:12

Journey for free today on iOS or

1:14

Android or play on PC through Facebook

1:16

games. No

1:23

matter how far you run from them, childhood tragedies have a

1:26

way of catching back up with you. So

1:28

is true of elite scuba diver Veronica West, who

1:30

is about to encounter something unexplainable at the bottom

1:32

of the ocean, something that will draw her back

1:34

to her home on St. Clair Island, Maine. There,

1:37

she'll lead a dangerous rescue mission to the bottom

1:39

of the Bay of Fundy, home of the world's

1:41

largest tides, and something horrific down

1:43

in the depths. Listen to

1:46

Narcosis, the latest horror fiction show on

1:48

Realm's premiere horror channel, Undertow. Narcosis

1:50

is available now. Search

1:53

for Undertow or Narcosis, wherever podcasts

1:55

are served. This

2:08

game is like a production music

2:10

from Dale in the game.

2:28

The one the team one had let him borrow once

2:30

before at the last battle of London. It

2:33

had been his crowning moment of awesome, the

2:35

signature element by which the world recognized him and

2:37

if he could get it back, he

2:39

absolutely wouldn't name it Glamdering. He

2:41

wouldn't. He totally would. Sean

2:45

noticed him scoping out the gear as if he

2:47

were a burglar and angled herself between him and

2:49

the nearby truck. Are you

2:51

looking for something in particular? She asked.

2:55

No, I just he

2:57

faltered. That's a sword, isn't it? Liam

3:00

jumped out of the inhale

3:02

belt. My reports are very detailed, Sean

3:05

said dryly. And I

3:07

was here last time too. You

3:10

want to borrow the sword again? Can

3:12

I Liam said eager as a schoolboy

3:14

at a candy store. What

3:16

a play a cool he thought. That's

3:19

yours if you want it. Sean said. She

3:21

pulled open a long olive drab box. The

3:24

sword was there and a loose jumble of pole arms

3:27

and other blades. It was this one,

3:29

right? Liam snatched it out

3:31

of the box before she could change her mind and

3:33

took a few experimental swings in the air. It

3:36

was exactly as smooth as he remembered like butter

3:38

in his hands. Can I keep it?

3:40

Liam asked. Sean scuffed. Oh,

3:43

hell no, son. I'm only letting

3:45

you put your hands on it because I believe even

3:48

a prisoner gets a fighting chance. He'll

3:50

be giving it back soon enough, among other

3:52

things. Liam

3:54

held the sword a little tighter. Just

3:57

as long as we get to save the world first, he

3:59

said. I don't care what you're planning for after.

4:03

Because he didn't think Team One could touch a hair on

4:05

their heads if it came to that. No

4:07

sense saying it out loud though. At least

4:09

not where anyone from Team One could hear him. He

4:13

wound his way over to Francis. She was

4:15

staring at the patches of fur on the fountain,

4:17

rolling her chair back and forth like she had

4:19

too much nervous energy. Hey,

4:22

Francis, you struck a

4:24

pose with his new acquisition. Look what I've

4:26

got, isn't it great? She

4:29

smiled at that and he felt a giddy

4:31

relief until she said, what are you, 12?

4:34

I'm at least 13, he said, with as much

4:37

offended dignity as he could pretend to have. He

4:40

struck another pose. Come on, Francis,

4:42

you know this is cool. She

4:45

pulled the knapsack off the back of her chair and

4:47

began to rummage around in the bag. It

4:49

suits you, she said. I'm

4:51

just a hair disoriented right now. Liam

4:54

lowered his sword. Yeah,

4:56

hey, are you all right? Who

4:59

knew Team One would be here, huh? I'll

5:02

be all right. It's just that I'd geared up for

5:04

one kind of fight and now we have another one

5:06

right on its heels. Don't worry,

5:08

I won't let them take you. Liam

5:10

said, I'll have to climb over my cold,

5:12

dead body before they lay a finger on you. Francis

5:16

lit up. You say

5:18

the sweetest things, she murmured.

5:21

She took her glasses off and turned them over

5:23

and over again in their hands. You

5:26

know, Liam, I've been thinking

5:28

that we should have a talk. Yeah,

5:32

be on the market for a test, dummy. He

5:34

shuddered. The answer is no, I'll find

5:37

some other unsuspecting sod to do it. Francis

5:39

smacked him lightly in the ribs. No,

5:41

you bolt, it's. At

5:44

a time like this, when you become so

5:47

aware of how fragile the world is and

5:49

how fleeting happiness can be,

5:52

why are you talking like we're all gonna

5:54

die? Liam crouched in

5:56

front of her. Listen, it's

5:58

gonna be okay. Tell me,

6:00

anytime you need an ear and I'm happy to-

6:02

oh for God's sake, just shut up for two

6:04

minutes." Francis said and she pulled him forward

6:06

by his shirt to kiss him. Liam

6:09

fell backward onto his ass. Oh,

6:12

he said. He looked up

6:15

at her, trying and failing to soar through

6:17

the hundred conflicting thoughts he was having. Her

6:20

eyes were wide and he never knew her eyelashes

6:22

for so long. He

6:26

pulled himself back onto his feet, kissed her

6:28

fast, then said, I should

6:31

see about the thing to get

6:33

ready. He walked

6:35

away as fast as he could without running, hoping

6:37

nobody would notice just how many shades of red

6:39

he'd turned. Grace

6:43

felt like she was underwater. She

6:46

could breathe, of course, not that she strictly needed

6:48

to, but moving was a little more

6:50

difficult than it should be. The air

6:52

resisted her more thoroughly than usual. Her

6:55

chest felt tight and heavy. Every

6:59

now and again a sensation would strike her,

7:01

a jolt like electricity down her thigh, icy

7:04

needles along her spine. Once

7:06

for just a single breath, her skin felt such

7:08

heat and pain that she was surprised to find

7:10

no marks when it passed. And

7:13

Tophoff was busy. Perry

7:16

gave her a strange look when these things happened, as

7:18

if he could see what she was feeling but neither

7:20

of them spoke of it. Grace

7:23

was grateful to him. She

7:25

wondered what Tophoff could possibly be doing, why

7:27

he would want her candle after all this

7:29

time. She wondered

7:31

if this would be the day she would die, finally.

7:35

Her wick trimmed and her flames snuffed a

7:37

hundred years later, then was just. Sal,

7:40

at least, was too preoccupied to notice Grace's

7:42

affliction because Perry was at the top of

7:44

her agenda. Grace

7:47

listened to them argue without comment of her own.

7:50

Perry, you need to stay out of this, Sal

7:52

said. Get out of the area. Help, get out

7:54

of town. You won't be able

7:56

to keep things up. I can keep up,

7:58

Perry said. At least go search for it. for

8:00

Grace's candles, and she won't? No.

8:03

Perry, you're allergic to magic. This is

8:05

the worst place for you to be.

8:09

Sal listened to him, Grace said.

8:11

He can make his own choices. And

8:14

I choose to stand and fight,

8:16

Perry added. Sal

8:19

looked miserably from Perry to

8:21

Grace and back again. I

8:23

just don't want you to die, she

8:25

said. Neither one of you. All

8:28

things pass, Perry said. He

8:31

looked at the sky. Don't

8:33

grieve before they have

8:35

done so. There are

8:37

signs and portents before a tornado hits.

8:40

The wind grows still, then kicks up.

8:43

Birds and small animals grow unsettled, and

8:46

clouds move too fast across the sky.

8:48

A magical

8:50

tornado has its own signs and portents

8:52

too. The air grows

8:55

heavy or too thin in patches. The

8:57

sky grows rosy and the shapes

9:00

of things turn amorphous, uncertain. Grace

9:04

took a sip of the matrices gift, just drops

9:06

on her tongue, and then she could

9:08

see the currents of magic forming too. Glowing

9:10

tendrils weeding their way together. It

9:14

was beautiful. The tiny

9:16

army of defenders looked at one another

9:18

for strength and raised their weapons, waiting.

9:21

Menchu, Asante, and Francis waited on the far

9:23

side of the block. Surrounding

9:26

them was Team One, armed with

9:28

crossbows, catapults, napalm, and an assortment

9:30

of sharp and pointed melee weapons.

9:34

It's coming, Perry said. He

9:37

bowed his head as if in prayer. I

9:39

can see it, Grace said. She

9:41

watched the nexus of the tornado

9:43

tense, waiting for something to happen.

9:45

And then black frogs boiled out of

9:47

the ground in bubbles of mucus. The

9:50

frogs had one eye, or five, or a

9:52

hundred. They were the size of a dinner

9:55

plate, a labrador, a pony. One

9:57

of them fixed its eyes on Sal, mouth half

9:59

open. Inside, it had

10:01

rows and rows of sharp teeth. It

10:05

lashed out with its tongue toward Sal. Grace

10:08

burned to go faster and hurled herself toward the frog,

10:10

aiming to grab its tongue and use the frog as

10:12

some kind of morning star against the rest of them.

10:15

But there was no burn for her, no

10:17

extra boost of speed. She

10:20

toppled toward the frog as if she were

10:22

just an ordinary person, capable of only ordinary feats.

10:25

The frog's tongue missed its target and returned to its

10:28

mouth. Then

10:30

Sal beat her to it, Sal and her

10:32

magic sword stabbing the frog through its skull.

10:35

The frog dissolved into a grayish slime, melding

10:37

with a mucus it had hatched from. Grace

10:41

froze, not quite able to process what had

10:43

just happened. The

10:45

burn hadn't worked. She

10:48

was broken, she was slow. A

10:52

shower of Team One's arrows fell around her,

10:54

impaling an assortment of frogs. Sal

10:56

had already moved on, slicing through the

10:58

fray like an elegant kinetic sculpture. Perry

11:01

appeared by Grace's side. Watch

11:04

out, he pulled her away roughly. The

11:07

scent of Frances's concoction rose up from

11:09

the field where some of the frogs

11:11

burst into stuttering flames, orange and blue,

11:13

but somehow the wrong, orange and

11:15

blue. Grace

11:17

strengthened her resolve. She wasn't

11:19

fast, but she hadn't always been fast, and she still

11:21

knew how to fight. She

11:23

turned to the nearest frog, a smaller one, and kicked

11:25

it. It flew in a wide arc

11:27

and bounced off the statue's ankles. Another

11:30

frog leaped on her, its teeth grinding into her shoulder.

11:33

She ignored the pain and wrestled it to the

11:35

ground, fracturing its legs and tearing out its tongue

11:37

before turning to her next opponent. The

11:40

magic heightened around them, and everything

11:42

was suffused with a brilliant pink

11:44

glow. Some of the

11:46

frogs were melding together now. They created a

11:48

thing made of many eyes and teeth and

11:51

dozens of whipping razor-sharp tongues. Grace's

11:54

palms bled. She circled the

11:56

monster. Sal danced in

11:58

before her sword flashing. Liam too,

12:01

seemingly ten feet tall. The

12:03

monster roared and reached for them. Grace

12:06

heard a noise, a singing, sweet

12:08

and complex. A churning

12:10

hole opened in the middle of the roundabout. The

12:13

fountain that had stood there crumbled into nothing. Grace

12:16

could see through the hole. It contained

12:18

a universe, screaming and chaotic. The

12:21

edge of the pit reached for Grace. It

12:24

pulled her down, under, and

12:26

then she was somewhere else. But

12:29

she could still see the other world, the real

12:31

world, the precious island she was trying to protect.

12:35

She could see the worlds of magic surrounding it

12:37

and suffusing it, the tornado

12:39

howling and spinning. The

12:41

whole of it spread in front of her, tiny

12:44

and suddenly too comprehensible. She

12:47

watched Val and Liam destroy a monster and look

12:49

around to see where she had gone. And

12:52

there was Perry, a bright twinned shadow with

12:54

strands of light streaming from every part of

12:56

him. Pieces of the tornado were

12:58

attaching to him as if he were a sponge

13:00

soaking in magic. He

13:02

collapsed, twitching and sick from too much power.

13:06

The blow came like a kick to the stomach. She

13:09

realized that one of the lines of magic was connected to

13:11

her. She traced it

13:14

to see where the other end went. Down,

13:17

around, stretching and

13:19

thin, then thicker.

13:22

She found another place in London near Heathrow

13:24

Airport surrounded by its own whirlpool of

13:26

magic. That, she

13:28

knew, was where she would find her candle. Menchu

13:34

saw Grace vanish into the chasm. He

13:37

had waded into the fray, doing violence to frogs with

13:39

the vigor of a man a third his age, though

13:41

he would surely pay for it later. He

13:44

was paying for it already. The air

13:46

fizzed against his skin like he'd been

13:48

doused in vinegar and his vision split

13:50

and combined three worlds, then one, then

13:52

two. You couldn't be sure

13:54

if it was his eyesight or if the world

13:56

were truly splitting. Against that, would

13:58

it have fused so much? points matter. He

14:02

culted toward Asante. She

14:04

had allowed Asante and Francis to fight, but

14:06

she hadn't freed them entirely. Asante's feet were

14:08

still in chains and some inventive member of

14:10

Team One had tethered her to a catapult.

14:13

Grace meant you said, Asante, you have to

14:16

get her back. Francis

14:18

threw another flask of her nasty invention

14:20

and somewhere a hundred feet away, more

14:22

frogs burned. Next to

14:24

her, the catapult rocked and a barrel of

14:27

silver dust scattered over the field of battle.

14:29

The scent burst over them, overwhelming. Cedar

14:32

then rotted citrus, butterscotch,

14:34

sewer gas. Everything

14:37

jerked sideways as if gravity had momentarily looked

14:39

away. A

14:41

new monster began to condense out of the air. It

14:44

roared and caught flames and lumbered toward a

14:47

Team One artillery unit. They

14:49

shot it with napalm, but what did it care? It was already

14:51

on fire. Asante

14:54

was staring hard at the place where Grace had gone

14:56

missing. Oh, God,

14:58

she said, I get it. I

15:01

get what she meant. It's

15:03

like the portals we travel through. I

15:06

just need to. Asante

15:09

raised the matrices book for all the world like

15:11

a queen, a god. The

15:14

book's cover flashed white in the pink light. She

15:18

began to speak in rolling words that echoed

15:20

across the field and back again. She

15:22

spoke in harmony with herself. Her

15:25

hair and garments lifted. Her chains fell

15:27

away. She raised her

15:29

hands high over her head, though the book stayed

15:31

before her, floating in the air. Asante

15:35

clapped and waves of something flowed away

15:37

from her. Silence

15:39

felt like an anvil in

15:42

stillness. The

15:44

flame monster had gone. The

15:46

scents were gone. The

15:49

world stopped splitting into twos and trees. In

15:53

the heart of the roundabout, the open chasm vanished.

15:56

Grace reappeared, lying upon a perfectly normal

15:58

pavement next to a perfectly

16:01

ordinary statue. Its knees were

16:03

no longer furry. The

16:05

suntie staggered. It's

16:07

gone, she gasped. The

16:10

magic, I can push it out.

16:16

The pace of the tornado began to slow immediately.

16:19

A few more frogs emerged from the streets,

16:21

but their numbers were fewer and fewer, and

16:23

they didn't fuse again. Cell

16:26

held grace to the courten. Her

16:28

injuries were healing, though more slowly than

16:30

usual. Perry did much

16:32

less well. He was convulsing and

16:35

babbling. Liam and Minxu carried

16:37

him away. Cell

16:39

watched their progress. He

16:42

got to make his own choices, yes, but why

16:44

did his options all have to be so bad? She

16:48

shook herself. A suntie would be

16:50

able to help him far better than Cell could, assuming they

16:52

all got out of this at all. And

16:55

in any event, Cell could only deal with one problem at

16:57

a time. The queue of

16:59

crap to be dealt with had gotten much too long. A

17:03

suntie was vowed together with Francis, excitedly talking

17:05

about the thing they had done. We

17:07

can do it both ways, a suntie said.

17:10

The magic wants in, but we can bring it

17:12

out of the system too. This is, I have

17:14

to study, this could save everything. This could be

17:16

the answer we needed. She

17:19

laughed, tears streaming from her eyes. Grace

17:22

squinted at the ebbing heart of the tornado. It's

17:26

almost done, Grace said. The

17:28

glow is fading. So

17:32

now do we, Cell's

17:35

fingers tightened on her sword. Only

17:37

one way to find out. When

17:40

she called over to Shoah, tell

17:42

me, he said, are you really going after

17:44

a suntie now? Are you going

17:46

to drag us to the Vatican in shackles now that

17:48

you see what she's working on? And

17:51

he motioned at Perry, what we're willing

17:53

to sacrifice to save everyone else. Is

17:56

your justice worth more than the chance to save the

17:58

world? Shaw

18:01

took aim with a crossbow and fired. The

18:03

frog she targeted splintered into pieces of

18:05

ice, splittering across the pavement. The

18:09

face was troubled. Did

18:11

she really? Hmm. Sounds

18:15

spoke again. Please, Shaw, you

18:17

know we're not on the wrong side of this. And

18:20

we're working to preserve everything we know, even as

18:22

Santi, especially as Santi. Shaw

18:25

lowered the crossbow to turn her gaze on

18:27

Minchu. Father, I

18:30

have my orders, she said. You're not going

18:32

to get me to say I don't intend to follow them.

18:35

And a Santi can't hide from the Vatican forever. Before

18:39

Sal could chime in, Sal raised her crossbow

18:41

again, sighting along the street. Still,

18:44

she said, I'm awfully busy with cleanup

18:46

duty here. It's very

18:49

chaotic, isn't it? It would

18:51

certainly be a shame if you disappeared in all

18:53

the confusion before we had a chance to pin you down.

18:56

Thank you, said Minchu. We

18:59

won't forget this. You'd better forget it, Shaw

19:01

said. This never happened. Minchu,

19:05

I want all of you to take Perry home and see

19:07

if you can help him, Sal said. Please,

19:10

anything you can do. Her

19:13

voice cracked. I have an

19:15

idea, Santi said, breathless. I think

19:17

I can bring him back from this. Hey,

19:20

Grace, while they're busy, let's look for your candle,

19:23

Sal said. There's no time to waste. I

19:25

don't know where it is now, Grace said. This

19:40

show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Amidst

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and it hasn't always been about making

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way of catching back up with you. So

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is true of elite scuba diver Veronica West, who's

20:59

about to encounter something unexplainable at the bottom of

21:01

the ocean, something that will draw her back to

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she'll lead a dangerous rescue mission to the bottom

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of the Bay of Fundy, home of the world's

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largest tides, and something horrific down

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21:24

served. Five.

21:29

The airport hotel was soulless, as most

21:31

of them are, a desperate assemblage of

21:34

concrete, industrial carpeting, and mass-produced light fixtures

21:36

thrown together in an artless way, as

21:38

if to acknowledge that nobody would ever

21:40

choose to stay there. The

21:43

place was the living embodiment of unpleasant

21:45

necessity. The

21:47

lobby was deserted, not even a clerk

21:50

at the desk if they had wanted to check in. Then

21:53

again, hi, do you have a guest who brought

21:55

in a big candle? We need to steal it

21:57

back from them. Probably wasn't the sort of question

21:59

the concierge was prepared to help them with. How

22:02

do you know what room to look for? Sal laughed.

22:05

Grace stared up at the far corner of the building. I

22:08

just know. Unless they've moved the

22:10

candle, which could mean he's bringing it, Sal

22:12

moved toward the stairwell. Let's make sure that doesn't

22:14

happen. The

22:16

craft kept floor by floor, going slower

22:19

and slower the closer they came to

22:21

their destination. Grace

22:23

was impassive, as if she were in exactly

22:25

this amount of peril every day, but Sal

22:27

felt the stew of emotions on her behalf,

22:30

mostly terror, in

22:32

the flavors of fear of mortality,

22:34

uncertainty, and confusion. Grace

22:38

led Sal to the fifteenth story and

22:40

into a maze of indistinguishable hallways. There

22:43

were no windows, which lent the whole endeavor the feeling

22:45

that it was taking place in a bubble where time

22:47

did not pass. They should

22:49

be so lucky. Finally

22:52

Grace stopped at a room marked 15304. She

22:57

pressed her palm to the middle. This

22:59

one, she said. Sal

23:02

knocked and Grace flattened her evidence the wall

23:04

beside the door, out of range from the

23:06

tiny fisheye peephole. At

23:08

first there was no answer. Well,

23:11

if nobody is inside, Sal murmured.

23:14

Do you think we could- The door slammed open. A

23:17

disheveled man peered out at her, red

23:19

under his beard, and stinking a vodka. What?

23:23

He shouted. He asked not to be

23:25

disturbed. Grace

23:27

peeked past Sal and saw his face with

23:29

deep furrows down one side as if someone

23:31

had scratched the skin away and it had

23:33

never regrown. And

23:36

tough off, she hissed. And

23:39

then everything happened at once. Grace

23:42

pushed past Sal into the room and tackled on top

23:44

of to the ground. She punched

23:46

his face twice. He

23:48

groaned and curled into a ball. A

23:51

menagerie of waxed creatures descended on Grace, beginning

23:53

with an alligator snapping at her. Grace

23:56

wrestled its snout closed. Sal

23:58

slipped inside and let the door close. behind

24:00

her. She finally got a better

24:02

look at the room. The walls

24:04

were dripping with streamers of wax and so was

24:06

the furniture. And Grace's

24:08

candle was indeed here burning as steady as ever.

24:11

It was surrounded by

24:13

a circle of something rust brown and

24:15

powdery. Dried blood, perhaps?

24:18

And little dishes filled with chalk,

24:20

garlic, metal filings? Something

24:22

that looked like saltines? Sal

24:26

dodged a wave of wax, pulled herself onto the

24:28

sideboard and dove toward the candle. She

24:31

pinched out the flame. The

24:33

room went still. The

24:36

tableau was a strange one. Grace

24:39

grappling with an indistinct wax monster nine

24:41

feet tall and engulfing half her body.

24:43

On top of crouching, his hands together at

24:46

the palms and wide at the fingers, as

24:48

if he were directing the movements of the

24:50

wax. He had a snarl

24:52

on his face and Sal studied it. It

24:54

looked like vengeance to her and

24:57

like sizzling. She

25:01

turned around and discovered a wax tiger.

25:03

Its jaws were stilled inches from where her head

25:05

had been when she snuffed out the candle. She

25:08

shuddered. If she had taken just

25:10

another three seconds longer, things would have turned out

25:12

very differently. Sal

25:15

spent several minutes thinking through her next steps.

25:18

It took much longer than that to follow through.

25:20

And by the time she was done, the sun

25:22

had long set. She

25:25

carved apart the animals, then carried the pieces

25:27

to a series of dumpsters outside. She

25:30

all but mummified and dropped off himself and

25:32

duct tape. She couldn't be sure

25:34

that he would stay trapped. She wasn't sure if he

25:36

could transform and shape the way his animals could. But

25:40

Grace couldn't. And that probably

25:42

meant... She

25:44

ordered up room service. A burger and

25:46

fries with extra soda. It had been a

25:48

long day and her blood sugar was running low. She'd

25:51

get through this next part much better if she took care of

25:53

her body. Finally,

25:55

when she felt ready to face whatever

25:58

came next, she lit the candle. On

26:01

Topov and Grace both woke up. Neither

26:04

one of them asked any questions. They both

26:06

knew what the flicker in existence meant. They had

26:08

both been through it before more times than she

26:10

could call. Let

26:13

me free, bellowed on Topov. I have

26:15

powerful allies that they will come looking

26:17

for me. They will

26:20

swear vengeance on you. We

26:22

should kill him. Grace said urgent. He's the

26:24

one who cursed me. He'd kill him before

26:26

he can. We aren't an execution squad. Grace,

26:29

Sal said, and I think

26:33

we could have a very interesting chat. She

26:36

turned to On Topov. You're trying

26:38

to break the curse, aren't you? On

26:41

Topov quieted. Why would he care?

26:43

Grace snapped. Because he's bound to

26:45

the candle too, Sal said,

26:47

aren't you? On Topov

26:50

looked away, and he's never

26:52

had possession of it. Sal

26:54

looked at his pitiful, filthy garments, his

26:56

unwashed hair. You've been

26:58

waking and sleeping with no warning this whole

27:00

time, haven't you? One minute you're

27:03

there and the next. She drew

27:05

her finger across her throat. Is

27:07

that true? You've been like me all

27:09

this time, but with no control over when you

27:11

wake? Grace laughed in

27:13

his face. Well, that's something like

27:15

justice then for a murderer like you. On

27:19

top of flinched justice, he

27:21

said, there is no

27:23

justice in this world, only suffering.

27:26

The weak and the strong and the strong take from

27:28

the weak. Which

27:30

one are you, Mass Sal? I

27:33

used to be strong, he said,

27:35

but now I am a

27:37

puppet for my masters. He

27:40

spat on the floor. I

27:42

have regrets, he said. Each

27:45

time my eyes open, I curse myself for

27:47

being greedy for trying to climb too high.

27:51

Who are your masters? Grace frowned. Everyone

27:54

in Shanghai is dead now. The bureau is gone,

27:56

so who? A

27:58

Swedish family, said until... You

28:00

would not know of them. The

28:03

angst trumps, so ingrained, exchanged

28:05

to look. How do you know them? And Tupuff's

28:08

lips twisted like he tasted a lemon. They

28:12

found me after Shanghai, he

28:14

said. I had been friendly with Zilla,

28:17

a charming woman, called at

28:19

a glacier and given to enjoyable displays

28:21

of excess. And

28:24

they looked after you, Grace asked, like the

28:26

nuns did with me, laundry, timekeeping,

28:28

they did nothing. On top of said,

28:31

they hid me in a shack in

28:33

the mountains, hundreds of miles from the

28:35

nearest village. I would

28:37

wake there, hungry and alone.

28:41

They would bring their children to see

28:43

me, a lessening greed and temperance. The

28:46

wild man who cannot live and cannot die.

28:50

But something changed recently, didn't it? Sal

28:53

said. She circled on top

28:55

of, her arms crossed. You

28:57

found yourself awake more and more and then all

28:59

the time. So finally you could

29:01

leave if you trusted it. On

29:04

top of startled, how do

29:06

you know? Ingrid came to

29:08

me and she said she had traced the candle,

29:10

that she had found a way to break the

29:12

curse for a short time. But she was lying,

29:15

said Grace. The reason you're awake is because I

29:17

choose not to sleep again. On

29:20

top of nodded, slowly. Yes,

29:23

he said. Once I obtained the

29:25

candle, I tried to break the binding, but.

29:28

Yes, there would be no way for her to do

29:30

what she had said. What

29:33

are we gonna do with him? Grace asked. We

29:35

can't just let him go free. Can't

29:37

we? Shall ask. I

29:40

wonder. On top of, what would

29:42

you do if we let you go? And

29:44

we promised you would never sleep again. On

29:47

top of his wide eyed, now full to the

29:49

brim with a suppressed longing. Why

29:51

would you do this for me? Why

29:54

would you not strike me down as I stand? Grace

29:57

snorted. That's a good question, you. Tell

30:00

us." "'I

30:02

cannot die if you live,'

30:04

Antopov said. He shrugged,

30:06

and in that shrug he conveyed volumes.

30:09

"'Shit,' Sal said. That's a problem

30:12

either way.' Antopov

30:14

hesitated. "'You tell me,

30:17

do you know what they are

30:19

planning?' "'The world is dying,'

30:21

Sal said, and the Engstroms are trying to

30:23

kill it faster. We don't

30:25

like killing things so much." The

30:28

Russian was silent for a long while. His

30:31

fingers twitched and his lips made the shapes of

30:33

words. "'Finally, do

30:37

you swear that the candle will always

30:39

burn?' Grace nodded. "'I'm

30:42

not changing my mind.' "'Then

30:44

go to Greece,' he said. "'Set

30:46

me free and visit the Oracle,

30:49

and we will count ourselves square.'

30:52

He looked Grace in the face for the first time. "'I

30:56

am sorry, Agent,'

30:59

he said. "'More sorry than you

31:01

could ever know.' "'Perhaps

31:03

one day I will find a way to save both of

31:05

us.' Later

31:10

Grace curled up in an armchair, staring at

31:12

the flame of her recovered candle. "'You

31:15

still don't have to do this, you know,' Sal

31:18

said. Grace didn't respond.

31:21

"'I know you told Antopo if you would, but

31:23

if you feel like you're wasting time,' Sal

31:26

trailed off. "'It's fine,' Grace

31:28

said. "'It's just really clear that

31:30

coping with all of these things you used to

31:32

avoid is bothering you,' Sal said.

31:34

"'You don't have to. We don't have to.

31:37

I don't want you to waste the time we have together.' "'We're

31:41

tired.' She went to

31:43

the mirror and her collection of pots and

31:45

vials and tubes. "'Back

31:48

in Shanghai,' she said, "'I once

31:51

bought a little bottle of new perfume.' Chanel

31:53

No. 5, in fact. It

31:56

was very expensive to get my hands on it,

31:58

and especially so since I didn't...' make very much

32:00

money, but I bought it anyway.

32:04

So blank at this change of subject, but

32:06

Grace was usually reluctant to talk about her

32:08

youth and about China, and she wasn't going

32:10

to stop this rare revelation just to prolong

32:12

an argument. Grace

32:15

went on, dabbing cold cream on her face and

32:17

then rubbing it in to dissolve her makeup. Her

32:20

eyes were unfocused from looking into the past,

32:23

seeing something Sal couldn't see. I

32:26

cherished that bottle. It smelled

32:28

so beautiful that I was afraid to use it up. So

32:31

day after day, that little bottle waited,

32:34

hidden in the back of my wardrobe. I

32:37

told myself I was saving it for something,

32:39

for the right thing, that

32:41

I would know when it was time to use it. Her

32:45

fingers traced the pulse points where she would have

32:47

put perfume, her wrists, her

32:50

neck, her heart, but

32:52

I never used it at all, not

32:55

a single time. And

32:57

then you know what happened. On

32:59

top of, Sal said, so

33:02

you never got to use the perfume you were saving? Grace,

33:05

we can buy you a new bottle of perfume. We can

33:07

buy you a new bottle of Chanel number five. They still

33:09

make it. I can run the

33:11

boots right now, and I've tried, but it doesn't smell

33:14

the same. Grace shrugged. Maybe

33:16

the formula has changed, or maybe I never had the

33:18

real thing at all. How would I have known? Sal

33:22

sagged with disappointment. No,

33:25

sorry, maybe we could- She

33:27

tried to think of another solution, but nothing came to

33:30

mind. You're missing the point, Sal. Grace

33:33

began to wipe the cold cream from her face

33:35

with a dampened washcloth. The

33:37

point is, if I'd known I was gonna lose

33:39

my chance, I would have worn it every day,

33:41

no matter how ordinary. Not just for

33:43

festivals, but while I was filing reports while I was

33:45

doing the laundry. Her lips

33:47

twitched. Well, I was sending out the

33:49

laundry for someone else to do. Grace

33:52

set the washcloth down and cut Sal's face

33:55

in her hands. Sal,

33:58

the perfume is you and me. I learned

34:01

a lesson and I'm not gonna forget it. It

34:04

doesn't matter if I'm doing laundry or punching monsters

34:06

or reading a book. As long as

34:08

I get to live this life where you and I are together,

34:11

I may not enjoy every fleeting second. I know

34:13

I won't. That's life, none of us gets

34:15

to be happy all the time. But

34:17

none of that time is wasted. Oh,

34:22

self-managed. I,

34:26

Grace, I love you too. Asante

34:32

waited until sunrise, and then she threw open the

34:34

blinds of the library to let as much sunlight

34:36

in as she could. Perry

34:39

was laid out on his cot in the brightest

34:41

beam of sun she could find. His

34:44

convulsions had continued through the night, and

34:47

now he was still. Not because

34:49

he was recovering, she thought, but because

34:51

body and spirit had separated too far.

34:54

Perhaps she could do something about it. It

34:57

was a last ditch effort, and there was a risk

34:59

that what she was about to do would sever that

35:01

connection for good. But it was

35:04

clear that it would snap before long, even if she did

35:06

nothing. Well,

35:09

fortune favors the bold. She

35:12

took the maetrece's book again and tried to do

35:15

whatever it was she had done that had wrung

35:17

all the magic out of a single roundabout in

35:19

London. As

35:21

she spoke the words, she felt something flowing

35:23

through her, rhythmic and strong as if she

35:26

were a buoy on a current she could

35:28

not see. The

35:30

world grew unbearably bright. Perry

35:33

moaned. Asante

35:35

clapped her hands and Perry's clenched hands

35:38

fell open. His mouth opened and

35:40

he let out a long sigh. For

35:43

a long moment, Asante was convinced she

35:45

had killed him. Then

35:48

Perry opened his eyes. Asante,

35:53

I'm still here. Thank

35:56

God, Asante said, she

35:58

embraced him. I'm so glad you're not. Me

36:01

too, he said, but

36:03

I'm very tired. What

36:06

did you do? Rest, she said.

36:08

We'll talk about it later. I

36:10

have a lot of questions for you. A

36:13

flash of motion captured her eye, something small

36:15

and close to the ground. There

36:17

were still pieces of silver on the floor scattered under

36:20

the shelves where Liam had dropped them. She

36:22

knelt down and touched one. The

36:25

crucifix had come alive. Its

36:27

arms twisted and split like branches, and

36:29

then it grew still. Asante

36:33

picked it up and held it to the morning sun.

36:36

I'm view-curious, she

36:39

murmured. You

36:42

are listening to Book Burners. Created

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