Mrs. Appaloosa took a deep breath. The hesitation vanished from her face, as though she had made some kind of decision. Her gaze became resolute and firm.
"Give this card to Mommy for safekeeping, okay?" She looked into Rhodes Appaloosa's eyes, her tone unusually solemn.
"Then promise Mommy that you won't tell anyone about this. Not anyone... can you do that?"
"Okay!" Rhodes Appaloosa nodded vigorously. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"
After hiding away the Chocolate Frog card, tears welled up in Mrs. Appaloosa's eyes.
She nodded at Rhodes Appaloosa, her voice filled with relief. "Good boy! Good boy!"
Catching the faint sour smell in the air, Joseph Bonanno wrinkled his nose.
He shot a glance in Rhodes Appaloosa's direction, undisguised disgust in his voice. "I'm having some regrets."
"Then..." Profa's expression turned vicious, and his tone carried a hint of eagerness.
"It's just a small problem..." Joseph Bonanno waved a hand. "Mrs. Appaloosa has already handled things well enough by going this far. What more can I fault her for?"
"Profa, you're just too upright. That's what I appreciate most about you. Little Rose is a lovely child, and Mrs. Appaloosa loves him dearly, so we can't let anything happen to him. Understood?"
"It was my oversight!" Profa nodded, his reply rather stiff.
He stopped talking about Rhodes Appaloosa and looked around instead. "Boss, what are your orders next?"
Joseph Bonanno sat in his chair and lit a cigar. "Those monsters call this place 'Thief's Downfall'..."
He surveyed the faintly glowing curtains of water around them. "Those monsters told me... this so-called Thief's Downfall can not only block magical detection, but also dispel most magic..."
"So we'll stay here for a few days and use our own methods to contact the outside world... Once things settle down