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“It wouldn’t have made a difference. I hardly knew what she was saying half of the time. She was crazy.” I settle into the couch. Now that I’ve been thrust into the center of all of this, I don’t believe the words I’m saying.

“When ya showed up I just figured ya were some sort of orphan. She took people in, ya know. Now I think it was suspicious.”

“Kate helped the sick. I was one of them, and it took its toll. Hardly suspicious.” That was the official story.

He peers at me, trying to read my face. Almost like he knows I’m avoiding and lying. Maybe he knows about the book. He sits in the tattered armchair across from me.

“I lived in the Republic my whole life. Kate and I were old friends. Watched ole Killy grow up. He was always a real scoundrel ‘til ya entered the picture,” he reminisces.

I never knew they were acquainted like that. I’ve never heard that Killian was wild. Sure, he got into shenanigans with me a lot, but it was innocent. Stuff that young people do.

“Heard a lot in that house that I wasn’ meant to hear,” he says suggestively.

I don’t say anything.

“It was always bad,” he continues. “Sickness, starvation, and bad fuckin’ luck. Kate said she could fix it. Then ya showed up, and things stopped seemin’ cursed. She kept ya up there under lock an’ key. When I was there, people came and went as they pleased. Mighty suspicious, don’t ya think?”

“I didn’t like going out,” I lie. Stafford chuckles, not buying it. Considering I frequented his bar, he doesn’t have to tell me that’s bullshit in order for me to see the word on his face.

Everything is a lie. My entire life is just one big lie. Something about Stafford’s honesty pisses me off. I’m not going to tell him shit with how weird he’s being.

Killian spent all of our time together lying, not just keeping secrets. There’s clearly so much I didn’t know that I feel like a fucking idiot. So did Kate, but I expect that from her. Not from the redheaded boy who said he loved me. Who even am I? No one alive fucking knows. Vivian said she heard Kate and her mom arguing about me. So at what point in my life was that? If I had been alive all of that time, then there’s no way any plagues or curses have anything to do with me like Staff is insinuating. Right?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I thought…This isn’t what I expected.” Staff finally settles, feeling remorse at whatever played out on my face.

“I don’t know who I am.” It comes out of my mouth. I didn’t mean for it to.

“I know. Neither do I, lass. But I don’ think it’s far-fetched that whoever wants this book might be after ya, too. That’s why I came here. We’ve gotta get ya outta here,” he winces.

My stomach drops. “What?”

“Whoever it is that’s lookin’ for all this shit has been ‘round a few times. We’ve had some…issues…at the pub. Someone is tryna threaten us. They think we know more than we’re lettin’ on. We don’t know your role here. If they find ya, they could put us all in danger. Especially since we don’t have the book. Whatever they want is more important than I coulda dreamed. Eventually they’ll get someone to talk, and it won’t be long before they come for ya,” he explains.

“I’m not leaving. I ran away once. I’m not doing it again. Vivian won’t do it.”

“Vivian won’t be goin’ with ya, lass. Just you and me this time.” He flashes a sheepish grin with those gold canine teeth.

I callously laugh. “That is the dumbest fucking plan I have ever heard. They’ll kill Caleb or Vivian, and anyone else they think could talk. It isn’t practical.”

He sighs with his shoulders rising and falling. “I knew ye’d say that. Quite frankly we’re fucked.”

“You said you know who has the book?”

“Not really who, but I might be able to find it. It won’t matter cause it’s in a language no one can read.”

“Mondurian?”

He looks at me with speculation. “How’d ya know?”

“Just a guess.”

I list out the things I know in my head. Pandora’s box is in a museum, and I’m secretly in possession of the Grimoire. My symbols match the ones on the box and the book. The Mondurian fables that used to be mine were stolen and gifted to Aedon, but half of them are missing. Aedon said the girl that gave it to him didn’t know what it was, and as far as I know, they are all matters of fact.

All of this has something to do with Tartarus and the Mondurians. One step closer to the truth. If I can get the Grimoire open, I might be able to decipher it and put an end to this madness. Someone must know I can understand it. Whoever is looking for me is going to kill everyone I know, use me, and then kill me, too.

“Ya need to leave with me, Jo.” Staffprd’s tone is fierce, and I don’t like the way it makes my stomach swirl. Why exactly is he so fucking interested? He doesn’t know what I did that night. Even if we do leave, where exactly are we going to go? I don’t like to be pushed, and he’s trying to strong arm me into bending to his will. That’s not something he’s done before.

I need to get the book out of here. Carrying it with me everywhere could give whoever it is that wants it exactly what they need. I’m not a fool, but I’m not so delusional that I think I could turn the tables on someone who is fanatical. I might torture, but I’m not usually the muscle in those scenarios. I’m just cattle led to water.