“Esk felt that bravery was called for, but on a night like this bravery lasted only as long as a candle stayed alight.”

“Red sky at night, the city's alight.”

“.” Granny said, and cleared her bone-dry throat for a second try. “Esk?”

“Last night there seemed to be a chance. Anything was possible last night. That was the trouble with last nights. They were always followed by this mornings.”

“Esk wouldn't have known what a collective noun was if it had spat in her eye, but she knew there was a herd of goats and a coven of witches.”

“Did I do anything last night that suggested I was sane?”

“But this didn't feel like magic. It felt a lot older than that. It felt like music.”