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Madison leaned forward, clutching her skirts in her fists "He’s always falling asleep in school Plus, he missed a lot of school back in the fall, when he was so sick" And whose fault was that? "I didn’t think you were allowed to work souess there aren’t any child labor laws for wizards"

Snowbeard lifted a teacup fro s He set it back on the saucer with treainst china "My dear, I a, he is the most powerful wizard we have at our disposal, aside fro, but she just isn’t strong enough toThere are others who are not particularly trustworthy Most wizards have sided with the Roses or D’Orsay Many of the Dragon partisans don’t consider the sanctuary to be a priority, now that the war’s broken out"

"But you do"

"I think we need a place of safety, yes, or we’ll be ground to dust between the stones of wizard aifted refugees?"

Of course she’d noticed These ell-educated people, people with ifted artists who moved into shops around the square The Wizard Houses considered them rebels for their refusal to support the war And the more non-wizard Weir crowded in, the et Which didn’t fit in with Madison’s plans at all

She sat next to Seph with her back against the hearth, conscious ofsome small space between them The snow from her boots melted into puddles on the hardwood floor "I wish you wouldn’t let all those people in here"

"You can hardly bla sanctuary," Nick said "Wizards are snatching up the non-wizard Weir all over the world, recruiting them for the war effort They need sorcerers to build weaponry, warriors to wield it, seers to look into the future and plan strategy, enchanters for espionage purposes"

He sighed "This can only spell disaster For centuries, wizards haven’t dared to openly war on each other, for fear of breaking the Covenant and rousing the dragon that sleeps in Raven’s Ghyll I suppose wizards don’t believe in dragons--or the Covenant--anyled to keep the skepticisht There were plenty of real-life ht

Madison looked down at Seph His face was a work of art that required intensive study She was glad to be able to do it when he wasn’t looking back with those green eyes thatShe resisted the te nose with her forefinger If Seph had some kind of reaction in front of Nick, it would be all over for sure

She’d met Seph for the first ti around her for days, watching her in that entitled, rich boy, wizardly way Like he could crook a finger and she’d coh of that from Brice Roper back home

But Brice was simple--beneath that handsome surface he was about an inch deep There was a coreen, shaded pools of Booker Creek that changed with the light Though he was young, his face already bore traces of history and loss She’d sketched hi to capture his intensity and poith line and color

When Seph saw her drawings, when he realized she saw thefor the Roses He’d used Persuasion on her, the power sizzling through his fingers She’d drawn in his ic, rich and sweet, and he’d fallen, stunned, to the sand For days afterward, she’d felt giddy, like she’d drunk froical cup of joy

So different from now She shuddered

Nick cleared his throat She looked up fro her Min always said Madison’s face was transparent as glass

She stumbled into speech "I was supposed to help him with an art project that’s due tomorrow He’s way behind on all his work, and he won’t have enough credits for graduation, if he doesn’t pass his courses He…" Her voice trailed off Nick was staring into the distance, his weathered face dran into long lines of guilt and sorrow

"What about when he goes away to school?" she said softly It will be better when he goes away, she told herself You won’t have to see him every day

"To be truthful, my dear, I’ht put hio after him? He’s just seventeen!"

"Wizard politics," Nick replied "He’s a target, by virtue of who he is This is not the kind of conflict in which it is possible to re the other guilds against the Wizard Houses And now that they know that Linda is one of the ed "They’ve been recruiting hi all sorts of offers I’m not supposed to know about"

"Do they really think he would … go over to the dark side?" Madison’s cheeks burned as the blood rushed to her face

"Based on usual wizard practice, they assue" Nick rubbed the side of his nose with his forefinger "He’s made an impression D’Orsay and Leicester would have won at Second Sister, had it not been for Seph and Jason…and you, my dear," he finished, delicately