"Well," she said, "you just walked out of the building and looked at it and then you walked back. I can only assume that it was magic. Or else you're insane, I suppose. But I highly doubt that. I'm the only person here with a reputation for being a lunatic in this city."

When Cassandra was honest, she was brutally honest. And that generally cost her a lot of friendship and social collateral. But she liked to think that it allowed her to maintain some dignity.

"I used to be able to perceive auras on people. And all it took was looking at them." Cassandra shrugged. "Or maybe I'm round the bend. All things are possible."