Free The Ever Breath by Julianna Baggott Page B

up to?”
    “He was walking through a forest.”
    “Oh drat!”
    “And last night there was a woman peeking out of a little house that seemed covered with roots and vines.”
    “My sister’s house, yes. That’s where you’re off to now.” Swelda shoved Camille toward the door.
    “But why do things change in the snow globe?”
    “Life changes, doesn’t it?”
    “Is it showing me things going on somewhere else right now, or is it predicting things?”
    “Yes, both, and sometimes you look inside and can see the past. These three snow globes are nimble like that. When you least expect, they will sting you with a memory….” Her voice drifted off as if she had some memories she’d rather not be stung by again.
    “I hate to interrupt you, deep in thought like that, but how do I
get
to the Breath World?” Camille said, impatient.
    “Ah, yes! Go out into the yard, around back, to the cellar. There you’ll find the passageway. Follow it to the Breath World. My sister will be waiting.”
    “Your twin sister? The one in the picture?”
    “Yes. Ickbee is her name. There is more to the tasting tale, but I’ll let her tell it.” She stood up straight, closed her eye, and smiled. “Yes, yes, she’ll be ready for you. I see her dithering around, preparing your arrival.”
    “But why is all of this happening now?” Camille asked.
    “Didn’t I tell you already?”
    Camille shook her head.
    “The Ever Breath was protected by an enchantment cast on Ickbee’s house and mine,” Swelda whispered. “But someone broke the enchantment and the Ever Breath is gone. Have you noticed that this house is about to fall in?”
    Camille glanced around. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but—”
    “That’s why your father went to the Breath World. To find the Ever Breath. He will need you two there, to help return the Ever Breath to its rightful place.” And then she snapped her fingers over her head. “Oh, yes. I almost forgot,”she said. She walked quickly to the bookcase, pulled out a heavy tome, and took out a small photograph. She handed it to Camille. “You might need this.”
    It was a picture of a boy about Camille’s age. “Who is it?”
    “It’s your father when he was twelve years old. We haven’t had any communication from him for a few days. He’s been in dangerous territory, trying to get the Ever Breath back. I’m sure he’ll be fine. But when you see him again, this is the person you’ll be looking at in the Breath World. Your father as a boy.”
    Startled, Camille looked up at Swelda. “What do you mean?”
    “We all have our magical afflictions.”
    “Magical afflictions?”
    “Your father is a forever child. He could have lived in the Breath World and stayed a boy forever. But he chose not to.”
    Camille held the photograph and stared at the image of her father. He looked a little like Truman, actually. She felt as if the fog outside had moved into her head. She felt dazed and scared. “But Truman and I aren’t magical,” she said slowly.
    “Ah, but you come from the long line!”
    “You said that before but we didn’t get it. The long line of what?”
    “Gramarye,” Swelda whispered. “It’s an ancient term. Do you think that when the magical creatures were separated and cast out—the Exodus, as we say—do you think that those who could perform a bit of magic, those who could both enchant and curse, were allowed to stay here?”
    “I guess not,” Camille said.
    “You are of the Breath World, yes, a magical creature and one who can do some magic. Your magical afflictions just haven’t shown up yet, not in full.”
    “I’m going to get magically afflicted. Is that what you’re saying? I mean, I knew we were kind of dysfunctional, but
afflicted
?”
    “It’s part of growing up in this family.”
    “Or part of
not
growing up,” Camille said, shaking her father’s photograph.
    “I guess that’s true, in some cases.”
    Camille put the photograph in the