Chapter 203 Not Real

• Ava
• We made our way back to the parlor, the music box clutched tightly in my hands. Its weight felt significant, as if it carried more than just metal and mechanics inside of it. That strange scream still seemed to echo in my ears, sending a shiver down my spine.
• Zara was waiting for us in the parlor, now surrounded by sigils and small bundles of twigs and twine that resembled the effigies she had been placing around town. She sat on her knees in the middle of a circle of salt, her eyes closed—as if in a deep meditation.