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"Yes," Neeve replied She didn’t look away fro when he was looking at her face: a black mask, two mirrors, Persephone’s face "Itto you"

"But I’ is," she replied "I’ve never killed anyone I give up my innocence if I kill you That is an incredible sacrifice"

When Adam spoke, he was surprised by how clearly the conteh "And you’ve already killed soan to swear, very softly, as if no one else were there Leaves the color and shape of pennies drifted down around the someplace else in her eyes was now undeniable It was a black, mirrored lake, it was a voice deep as the earth, it o obsidian eyes, it was another world

"Mr Whelk!"

Gansey!

Gansey’s voice had come from just behind the hollowed-out vision tree, and then the rest of him followed as he strode into view Behind him were Ronan and Blue Adam’s heart was a bird and a stone; his relief was palpable, but so was his shalasses and with his musty bedhead, he was in full Richard Gansey III splendor -- shiny and powerful He didn’t look at Adam "The police are on their way I really reco this any worse"

Whelk looked as if he was going to reply, but then he didn’t Instead, everyone looked at the knife in his hand and the ground just below it

Neeve was gone

At once, they all looked around the pentagram, at the hollowed-out tree, at the pool -- but it was ridiculous Neeve could not have slithered aithout anyone seeing, not in ten seconds’ time She had nothappened Everyone was frozen in a dioraraing in the direction of the gun

Ronan hurled himself toward Whelk at the saun Whelk smashed the side of it into Ronan’s jaw Ronan’s head snapped back

Whelk pointed the pistol at Gansey

Blue shouted, "Stop!"

There was no tiram

Curiously, there was no sound here, not in any reasonable way The end of Blue’s cry was muffled, as if it had been shoved under water The air was still around hi, barely existing The only true sensation he felt was that of electricity -- the barely perceptible tingling of a lightning stor, that it was about the sacrifice It was obvious that stymied Whelk completely

But Adaht Whelk or Neeve had ever had to know He knew that it wasn’t about killing so a shape made of bird bones

When it ca time, and he knehat the hardest one was

On his ter Adaans, synapses and nerves He was aparts, a study in survival The h, had always been free will, the ability to be his own

It had always been the

This hat it was to be Adaers into the soft, mossy turf, Adaonized "Adam, no! No"

On his terht I will be your eyes

There was a sound like a breaker being thrown A crackle

Beneath thean to roll

Chapter 46

Blue was thrown into Ronan, as already crouched, rising froreat stone slabs a the trees rippled as if they ater, and the pool tipped and splashed froreat sound all around the down, and all Blue could think was, Nothing really bad has ever really happened to me

The trees heaved toward one another as if they would pull free from the soil Leaves and branches rained down, thick and furious

"It’s an earthquake!" Gansey shouted to them He had one arm thrown up over his head and the other hooked around a tree Debris coated his hair

"Look what you’ve done, you crazy bastard!" Ronan shouted to Adaram

Will it stop? Blue wondered