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I held up my hands I had no more patience for politics "Okay, even if this is true, you haven’t begun to explain why either Iris or Ellen would want to kill Tucker, leave alone fraht wind that Tucker was loyal to me"

"Or disloyal to her, you could say"

My mother nodded her assent "That would be Ellen’s view of the situation" She took a few steps away fro her hands out toward me, her palms turned upward "That would be Ellen’sTucker is concerned"

"What about where I’m concerned?" I asked

"My dear, as you know, the line has a taste for Savannah Taylors With you out of the way, there is at least a thirty-three-percent chance Ellen would be chosen as the next anchor She couldn’t ask for a better position froe for the death of her son"

I leaned back and considered what she had said, and as I did, I noticed that the dome above us had been covered with frost "Look," I said and pointed up My mother raised her eyes to look at the do heavy had been slalass, and the sound of stressed panes cracking echoed all around us in the hexagonal hall Wordlessly, my mother raised both hands toward me, and a force shot from her that knocked me and my chair several feet back The chair tumbled over me as I landed a little beyond the entranceway, in a side roo shards nearly drowned out asp I bounded to my feet in ti her through her eye A total collapse followed, the whole weight of what re shards like fireworks shooting through the hall I wasn’t screa My body wouldn’t budge I didn’t use ht, let alone channel energy In the instant before the nearest shards sliced through me, hands reached out from behind me and whisked me from the doorway I heard the door slam behind me and innumerable strikes as the tiny projectiles e ar, horrified, I looked up into Emmet’s face

TWENTY-FOUR

I didn’t kno I came to be home, or in my room When I ca, just as sheltering, held ently

"Peter," I breathed his nahtened around es of my gled against his embrace "My mother, ht, honey Everything’s going to be okay I’m here Your family is here" As he said the words, my family’s presence filtered into my awareness Ellen stood over me, at the foot of the bed Oliver had positioned hiht Iris sat by Peter’s side of the bed

"I am here as well," said Eely, his presence reassured me the most

"You should sleep now," Ellen said as she came around to my side Her voice sounded hoarse and lacked its usual warmth Dark circles had for Of course, Tucker She reached out

"Please don’t touch me," I said, and she pulled her hands away as if they’d been burned Her eyes, already red, moistened I had both shocked and hurt her A part of ht I knew, but the ie of my mother’s final moments had been burned into my mind I couldn’t bear Ellen’s touch "I’m sorry I would just like everyone but Peter to leave And Eersnap" Oliver stood His face showed concern for me combined with a touch of confusion and hurt

"But sweetheart, you have had some kind of shock," Ellen protested "I should stay and keep an eye on you Make sure you are all right"