Chapter 182

• [Rudy]
• As the three of us listen to Sylvester’s fading footsteps, the uneasy feeling of being alone with one another fills the room, creating an awkward silence. Harlem, the old witch from the east, looks at me with an indecipherable sadness. I wonder if he knows what Araminta plans to say to me that has her bubbling with anger every time she glances my way.
• “Go easy on the boy, Minty,” Harlem murmurs in his deep, patient voice as he reaches over to hold her left hand between both of his own. “You just sprung a whole lot on these fellas. Give the pup a chance to adjust.”