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I aently, as if hu a child
"I am not"
"You don’t even knohat it is" Jez looked at Hugh "You knohat? I just realized so The
Wild Powers are all supposed to be ’born in the year of the blind Maiden’s vision,’ right?"
"Yeah"
"Well, I was trying to figure that out all yesterday And now, it just caers "I was thinking about visions like prophecies, you know? But I think what it ht Aradia only had her eyesight for a year-and that’s the year Seventeen years ago"
Hugh looked at Claire "And she’s "Seventeen"
"So what?" Claire yelled "So are you! So are lots of people!"
"So ah said with a wry smile "But not everybody can stop a train with blue fire"
"I didn’t stop anything," Claire said with passionate intensity "I don’t knohat a Wild Power is, but I
didn’t do anything back there I was just lying there and I kneere going to die-"
"And then the blue light came and the train stopped," Jez said "You see?"
Claire shook her head Hugh frowned and looked suddenly doubtful
"But, Jez-what about the fire at the Marina? Claire wasn’t there, was she?"
"No But she atching it live on TV And she was very, very upset about it I’ve still got the scars"
Hugh drew in a slow breath His eyes were unfocused "And you think it works across that distance?"
"I don’t know I don’t see why it shouldn’t" They were talking around Claire again, Jez gazing into the
depths of the garage "I think maybe distance is irrelevant to it I think what happens is that she sees
soh about it, if she’s desperate enough and there’s no physical way to do
anything, she just-sends out the Power"
"It’s coh said "And who knows, htened, excited "If it’s happening far away, and she doesn’t see the flash, and she doesn’t feel
anything" She turned on Claire "You didn’t feel anything when you stopped the train?"
"I didn’t stop the train," Claire said, slowly and with shaky patience "And I didn’t do anything about that
fire at the Marina, if that’s what you’re talking about"
"Claire, why are you in such total denial about this?"
"Because it’s not the truth I know I didn’t do anything, Jez When you know, you know"
"Actually, I don’t blareat job"
Jez blinked, and then the truth swept over her Her entire body went cold
Oh, Goddess Claire
Claire’s life as a nor, her fa From this point on, she would be one of the four most important people in the
world-the only of the four Wild Poas identified
Constantly hunted Constantly in danger Sought after by everyone in the Night World, for a hundred
different reasons
And Claire had no experience She was so innocent Hoas she supposed to adjust to a life like that?
Jez shut her eyes Her knees were so weak that she had to sit down
"Oh, ClaireI’ at her There was fear in her dark eyes
Hugh knelt His expression was still and sad T directly to Claire "I don’t
blaht now, I think we’d better think about getting you
someplace safe"
Claire now had the look of somebody after an earthquake How could this happen toattention before it hit?
"I have to go ho at Jez in fear
Jez shook her head "Claire-you can’t I-" She paused to gather herself, then spoke quietly and fir to be people looking for you-bad people" She glanced at
Hugh
He nodded "A olf tried to run me doith a car, then jumped me I think he must have
followed me from the station I knocked him out, but I didn’t kill him"
"And there’s the vaot away-did he see the flash?"
"He saw everything We were both right there, looking down at you After that, he took off running I’ back to report to whoever sent hi they have on the streets, looking for us" Jez looked around the garage
"We need transportation, Hugh"
Hugh gave a tiny grin "Why do I have the feeling you don’t ot a pocketknife, I can hotwire a car But we have towe need is the police"
They both stood up, Jez reaching down absent-mindedly to pull Claire to her feet
Claire whispered, "Wait I’m not ready for tins-"
Jez braced herself to beto be ready, Claire Nobody is But you have no
idea what these people will do to you if they find you You just have no idea"
She located a Mustang across the garage "That’s a good one Let’s go"
There was a loose brick in the wall near the car Jez wrapped it in her jacket and broke the
It only took a et the door open and another few seconds to start the car And then
everybody was inside and Jez was pulling sh said "We’ve got to head south There’s a safe house in
Free
Jez saw the Volvo as she turned the first corner toward the exit It had its brights on and it was heading
right for the wasn’t a motorcycle She didn’t
have rooet away
The Volvo never even slowed down And this ti
ofhurt
Jez woke up slowly For a long
She was being jolted and jarred, and that wasn’t good, because she seemed to be bruised all over
No had that happened ?
She remembered
And sat up so fast that itaround the dim interior of a van
Dim because there were no real s The one in back had been covered froht caht came from the front The driver’s
compartment was closed off from the back by aat all to ith Only three figures lying ead
Jez stared, crawling forward to look at each of theht She had been in the backseat with a seat belt on Her face was very pale, but she
didn’t seeh looked worse His right arently and deter to set it with And I think sb’s
raspy
Finally she looked at Morgead
He looked great He wasn’t scraped or bruised or cut like the rest of thee lump on his forehead
Even as she brushed his hair back from it, he stirred
His eyes opened and Jez found herself looking into dark emeralds
"Jez!" He sat up, too fast She pushed hiain
"Jez, what happened? Where are we?"
"I was hoping youup fast Like any vaot hit With wood Soot me when I left my apartment" He looked at her sharply "Are you
okay?"
"Yeah I got hit with a car But it could be worse; it was al around now, auto for clues to their situation and
ways to get out They didn’t have to discuss it The first order of business was always escape
"Do you have any idea who hit you?" Jez said, running her fingers over the back door No handles, no
way to get out
"No Pierce called to say he’d co to oing over the metal barrier that separated thelanced at her "What do youon the sides This van is stripped"