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"Try to relax for a o very loose"

Fiona released a sigh and closed her eyes She breathed in the fresh air that sreat distance, she heard a kind of weeping-shrieking sound, very faint, Fiona, help uerite She’s in trouble"

"The woman in the Convent? Thorne’s wo to try to get closer to her" Once more she closed her eyes and let her telepathy travel as far as it wanted to go, in the direction it wanted to go

A uerite I’m here, she sent

I’m paralyzed, returned to her

What do you mean?

I can’t move I can’t speak aloud I’m bound in some kind of cloth I’m in a vehicle of so transferred to the Superstition Mountain Seers Fortress

Oh, no How is that possible? We’ll let Thorne know He can talk to Endelle and change this

A pause followed Endelle approved this fucking transfer It was her idea

Marguerite, I don’t knohat to do How can I help you? Tell me what to do

Another pause, but this one seeh there was less telepathic noise in the background She could feel Marguerite thinking

Finally, Marguerite sent, Form a telepathic link with me That way, I can reach you anytime and you can reach ether in her lap and held on tight Marguerite wanted access to her telepathy day or night The link would bind them She didn’t want to be bound I don’t want to be bound … to anyone I was a blood slave for a hundred and twenty-five years I … I don’t know if I can do that

Another pause Marguerite’s voice in Fiona’s head was softer this tiet where you’re couerite continued, I won’t force this on you I’ forced to do all this shit Owen Stannett was at the Convent earlier He made me pick upforced to do it And worse, that ride was so full of fucking syet what it h in the sky I got sucked into that weird vortex So no, forget the link Laughter followed Besides, it sounds like all I have to do is start shrieking your naht But--

But what?

Fiona’s heart started to thump in her chest She felt dizzy Did you say black fla the words "obsidian flame" in a recent vision Do you knohat this oose bumps travel all over and she shivered Jean-Pierre moved up behind her and surrounded her with his warhtful He really wasn’t helping their present predicauerite, she took several minutes to explain all about obsidian fla her warold variety and about practicing with Alison; about the recent battle in Honduras and that she had traveled telepathically to Jean-Pierre, even helping hiht off an attack by an Upper ascender

Are you with Jean-Pierre? Marguerite asked I ether? Are you his wouess I a Do you know about that?

Yes, and thank God that’s not what’s going on betweentrapped if you ask h of relief Finally, souerite sent Can you describe this Upper ascender? Maybe it’s the same one, I mean the one at the Creator’s Convent

Fiona looked back at Jean-Pierre, who at that moment leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder Another set of shivers, different in nature this time, sped down her back "Jean-Pierre Stop that" But even she could tell there was little force behind her command When he continued, she spoke a little ht be the red variety of obsidian flame"

Jean-Pierre’s eyes ide "Is this true?"

Oh, why did the man have to be so handso on the uerite wants to knohat the Upper ascender looked like She saw him, in the future strea She thinks they ht be one and the same"

"I did not see him but for a second or two We hurt his, both of theh I reood looking, I think A straight narrow nose"

She put her hand on his cheek and nodded, then sent these details to Marguerite

Marguerite’s voice in her head returned as a solid punch He must be the same one I would have described him exactly the way your warrior did He held hih in the air, no wings, so that he could look down on the battle fro on that shithole of an outdoor chapel

Let me tell Jean-Pierre

Go for it

Fiona drew her uerite and oncehair aside and was kissing her upper left wing-lock She drew in a soft breath and gasped "Oh, uerite asked