“Beg pardon, I must retrieve something from the lockboxes.”He turned and scampered into the back rooms. As he did so, I murmured to Virginia. “S...ems we missed Johanna again.”Virginia nodded, her eyes impossible to read. The halfling emerged from the back of his inn and brought with him a thickly bound red book with a clasp that was sealed with a tiny key. Held against the cover with his thumb was also an envelope, sealed in wax. He held both to Virginia, who took them with a quiet thanks. Thus. Jon had me wear just my sarong and a baggy top that night. The sarong was tied at my right side, which meant that all my right side had little covering, and I had to be careful sitting down. I hoped that Jon didn't tell me to move the knot round to my stomach. We went out after dinner, and had a few drinks in a couple of bars before having an early night.Wednesday July 29 I was a bit lazy first thing, and wasn't rushing to get up. My pubic hair was starting to show again, and Jon told me to go. I wasn’t expecting company after midnight, so when my beeper alarm went off, I crawled out of bed and over to the double barrel shotgun. Out the door I saw the four headlights. The thing in my yard was probably a truck or and SUV.Somebody had to make a move, but it didn’t have to be me. I took a deep breath and reset my body’s alarm clock. I was on high alert because I had weed curing in the chicken house barn. I also had some growing in the field and in the greenhouse. No I didn’t want the. Some old king married a girl from my clan three hundred years ago, but any blood connections are too far back to say we’re related. Supposedly Marten’s grandfather’s sister had too strong of a gift to remain in Telfort, so they bundled her away to my village, but I’m not descended from her. I was the one who came because I’m the strongest witch in our clan. When the prince asked for a volunteer, my father urged me to go.” Kolvi laughed mirthlessly. “Nobody told us what he was going to do to.