Page 42 (2/2)

"It isn’t the police I am worried about It’s the families They are of course aware of your mishap with the old man They must have felt you draw on the line’s power, but even if they did not, their golem spy would have reported it to them at the first opportunity"

"I don’t think E for them," I said

She paused to consider, and then nodded "Perhaps, perhaps not Maybe I’ve grown too suspicious over the years, but soon you will understand why All the same, I am sure the families know of the incident"

"You’re probably right about that reed

"So now Tucker has been murdered, his heart burned out of his chest just like with the oldon the line’s power"

"So the fa to do with it"

"Or perhaps they will decide that you have been practicing ain the power They are aware that you have been holing up with Jilo, that you and the crone have been up to so to find Maisie"

"So that they have expressly forbidden I don’t believe that they’re aware that’s what you two have been up to, but they s"

"Then ould you call it? You are si the exact opposite of what they have told you to do"

"How could you knohat the fa anyway?" I asked

"I have my resources, and I know their concerns about you" So she had her own spy a infor to spend ti the left-handed training you can get at Jilo’s feet You are not knuckling down and taking the steps you need to assume your position as an anchor of the line If that wasn’t enough to convince the point of all You are hter"

My heart warmed at the sound of pride in her voice, but I could not make the leap she seemed to want me to make "I still don’t see how any of this relates to Ellen and Iris," I said "How you could possibly think that they are atte to set me up? Why would they want to?"

She placed her hand on her chin, her flawlessly ainst her lips Her eyes looked down and away She see since passed She looked back up atthe, I don’t quite kno to start"

"Tella conscious effort to appear more relaxed than I was "If Ellen and Iris are so horrible, how could you possibly have left Maisie and ray "What have you been told?" she asked Her lips pressed together into a tight line

"The short version? You seduced Connor and Erik, got pregnant by Erik, and then died giving birth You were noble at the end, though, and you put ed Ellen to use the last of her power to savethe responsibility of your own mother’s death on you" Our eyes s fro; I foundto say what she knew I’d want to hear to gainto pray "Okay," she continued "Let’s start with the easy part: Connor What do you know ofWe never discussed your powers"

"Of course they wouldn’t have been discussed with you" She concluded a train of thought I hadn’t yet boarded "Still, your mother has a few tricks up her sleeve One of the &auer As outwardly real as I a, although I have over the years gotten much better at it"