Self is on p. 75. That should count for something. btw, she’s just discovered Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell fan fic — so top caliber! There’s the May/December trope, the Having-a-Baby trope, the How-To-Be-a-Kickass-Detective-While-Pregnant trope, all kinds of tropes!
On p. 75, Mary and Sherlock go for a walk in the woods and find ‘apotropaic marks’ (i.e. ‘run away’ marks) on the trees around the home of a woman living in a wee cottage in the woods.
“Isn’t it odd that they let your Mrs. Varga live in the area, yet mark their paths and houses to drive her away?”
“Not necessarily . . . Although I do imagine they take care to ensure that she doesn’t stray into their private area.”
“Yet they ask her to heal their goats and, I don’t know — make their amulets? Help at childbirth?”
“Probably.”
“Isn’t that a bit like trusting the crocodile in your moat to let you go for a swim?”
“You of all people, Russell, should not be surprised at the lack of consistent logic in a system of belief.”
Self is really enjoying Castle Shade.
Stay tuned.
Kanlaon 