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We stopped next to Bethesda Fountain, sitting on the edge and watching rented rowboats sail past under the untrained strokes of teenaged boys andto do?" he asked finally

"I have an idea"

"You usually do"

"It hinges on the Rain siblings"

"Then it probably isn’t a good idea," he said

"They never are"

Tboats collided, their front ends knocking against each other A group of young woized to the couple in the other Youth was a funny thing, so open to forgiveness We watched the boats part ways and drift in opposite directions across the pond

"Are you going to tell me your terrible plan?"

"That depends"

"On?"

"Will you try to talk me out of it?"

Des to talk you into or out of anything I e your mind because of me"

I squeezed his hand and chose not to placate hi totilanced at hi what I’d said "Desmond?"

He forced a s"

"Good Then take et the easy Rain out of the way first"

"I know I said I would wait until you got here, but this is pushing the lirowled "You’re lucky she passed out hours ago and has premium cable"

"I’m sorry"

"I don’t knohat could have been so important you--"

"Jackson No" Des Jackson off mid-rant "No"

Jackson threw his hands up in the air "Fine Whatever I’one before I could think to puthands around his scrawny neck

"I’m sorry he--"

"He didn’t know," I said flatly "Let’s find Kellen so I can get out of here" Sunset was on the et to Holden before he scurried off to the council andabout ral part of the plan I couldn’t get to Calliope without a vaet what I wanted fro and let Holden turn me I didn’t like it, but there it was

I needed Kellen because she was a bargaining chip She was, ultimately, the most important part of my mission I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted if she was bespelled Imy friend back into fairy slavery But if she was--as she claimed--honestly in love with Brokk, then I’d sacrificed all

I would take Kellen to Calliope and the Oracle could tell me the truth

If Kellen was in love, and it was an honest-to-God relationship I had saved her fro old Return to Sender on her and s about whether he’d agree, but if Brokk was being as big a pain in the ass to Aubrey as Kellen was being to us, I hoped he’d be begging toup the broken promise he’d made He’d toldanother life, and he’d failed Between Kellen and the promise, I had to believe he would returnto kill my mother

That’s what it all came down to The whole plan--every convoluted aspect of it--had nothing to do with balancing the scales or restoring rightness to the world It didn’tonby being what he needed on the council

What lay at the base of it all--the foundation holding the whole mess up--was I wanted my mother to die by my hands, and I wanted them to be the monstrous hands she had created

"Find Kellen," I instructed "It’s tio"

Des on the floor in her bedroone next to her, neither opened thank God, because Kellen was a sht have killed her Not to mention one of the bottles was covered in a thick film of dust and was probably worth more than the annual rent on her apartment

Positioned around her in a circle was every mirror she had in the apartment--at least the ones she could take off the walls--all facing in on each other, creating reflected tunnels that went on forever When I poked her with ers did the sa her harder "We’re getting you out of here"

She cracked one eyelid and wiped the crusty bits of sleep froht to predict she’d have a hell of a headache "Secret, is that you? Where are we going?" Her voice was small, al of the deepest sympathy for her