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"Let’s get the cure," Leyna says to Xander, and I take one of his hands and hold on tight as he walks back into the research lab He letsHe doesn’t hold on to me like he used to, and his muscles are tensed

"What have you done?" Leyna asks For the first time since I’ve known her, her voice sounds set rid of them," Xander says

The sink is full of e about the ca new, and he didn’t want us to waste ti else before he had his new cure ready"

"So as he going to put in this new cure?" Colin asks He wants to know He, at least, appears to be listening, instead of auto that Xander destroyed the cures for his own reasons Anna would listen, too, if she were here What is she doing now? What’s going to happen to Hunter? How is Ky?

"I asked Oker," Xander says, "but he wouldn’t tellthis, he loses Colin "You’re saying that Oker trusted you enough to ask you to ruin all the cures, but he didn’t trust you enough to tell you what he was going to find? Or how he planned to make the new cure?"

"Yes," Xander says "That’s what I’ moment, Leyna and Colin look at Xander In the sink, one of the empty tubes clinks and settles

"You don’t believe me," Xander says "You think I killed Oker and ruined the cure on my own Why would I do that?"

"I don’t have to knohy you did it," Colin says "All I know is that you’ve cost this village time, which we don’t have"

Leyna turns to the other two assistants "Can you make more of the ca to take some time"

"Get started," Leyna says "Now"

The villagers take both Xander and Hunter to the prison building The medics in the infirmary weren’t dead; only unconscious None of the other still have died, but the villagers will hold Hunter accountable for the earlier two deaths, and for disconnecting the other patients and co their health

And Xander, of course, has destroyed the caers’ best and last chance at the Otherlands Some believe that Xander harmed Oker, but since there’s no evidence to support that, Xander is only being held accountable for the cures The people look at hi, which I suppose to them, he has, even if it is only the cure and not its creator It’s true that the still, and the chance of saving theone

"What are you going to do to Xander and Hunter?" I ask Leyna

"We’ll have another vote after we’ve had tiather evidence," Leyna says "The people will decide"

Out in the village circle, I see the villagers and farhs spills away

CHAPTER 44

KY

CHAPTER 45

CASSIA

Suspicions trickle through the village, cold and creeping like winter rain The farers whisper to each other Did anyone help Hunter disconnect the still? Howthe cure?

The village leaders decide to keep Xander and Hunter locked ahile evidence is gathered The next vote will decide what happens to thements, like Oker’s muddy star I should be with Ky in the infirmary I should be with Xander in the prison I should be sorting for a cure I can only try to do all three and hope these pieces ofthat can make whole

"I’uard

Hunter looks up as I pass and I stop It see to walk by Besides, I would like to talk to hi and his hands are, as always, marked in blue I reme enough to break through these bars here, I think Then I realize that he’s past breaking through--he see when Sarah had just died

"Hunter," I say, very gently, "I just want to know Were you the one who disconnected Ky all those times?"

He nods

"Was he the only one?" I ask

"No," he says "I disconnected the others, too Ky was the only one who had soh to notice"

"How did you get past the ht," Hunter says I remember how he used to track and kill and stay hidden in a canyon to survive, and I ie were child’s play to hi snapped

"Why Ky?" I ask "You caht the two of you understood each other"

"I had to be fair," Hunter says "I couldn’t disconnect everyone else and leave Ky alone"

The door opens behind ht I turn a little Anna has come in, but she stays out of Hunter’s line of view She wants to listen

"Hunter," I say, "soet him to answer me, to tell me why

Hunter stretches out his ars to keep the is what happens if you don’t have the right medicines to save them," Hunter says

And now I do understand "Sarah," I say "You couldn’t get the hten back into fists "Everyone--Society, Rising, even people here in the village--we’re all doing everything to help these patients fro for Sarah"

He’s right No one did, except Hunter hih to save her