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I ith so tried and true that I’d already seen them react to After the first feords of the enchanted extended dance mix of "I Will Survive,"When the teoing on around them

Up on the balcony, Sylvester hadn’t noticed that he’d entirely lost his audience I saw it dawn on hioyle adjusted the volu the music even louder Florence and her friends fell into the dancing like everyone else, and Owen took my hand and spun me around

"You’re not under the spell, are you?" I asked hiht as well enjoy ourselves a little"

When the song ended, I swapped out players and put on "How Deep Is Your Love?" The elves ht not have been under a literal spell, but they all swayed and sang along, creating harmonies that the Bee Gees only dreaht up in the , I searched around the table and found a ured out how to switch over to that input I let the song fade out when it ended, turned on the microphone, and handed it to Florence "Give it your best shot," I whispered to her

"All of this is a lie!" she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the warehouse "The only invasion here was to support the Elf Lord He was the one to open the portal He was the one who created the prison in the elven realave us our assign people kidnapped and sent there if they had any inkling of the plan He was the one who stranded his own people there so no ould leak out, and he was the one kidnapping elves fro them here as an army"

She handed the ues, who backed up her story with an additional tale of Sylvester being present when a prisoner was sent through the portal Soon, there was a line for for the microphone, each elf with a story to tell

We’d broken Sylvester’s spell on the crowd Enough elves were listening to the testimony that I didn’t think his innocent victim act would survive However, Sylvester wasn’t about to roll over and play dead, even as angry elves headed up the stairs toward hiht toward the staircase that led to the roof

Chapter Twenty-One

"He’s getting away!" I shouted, then realized that didn’t do any good because no one could hear me I dialed Sam on my phone "Stop Sylvester! He’s headed to the roof!" I said when he answered

"Got it, doll," he replied, and I saw hi toward the balcony

"When did you get that?" Owen asked

"A lot has happened since the last time you saw me," I said mysteriously as I slid the phone back into h the croard the stairs "It has? How one by?" Owen asked as we ran

He looked so alar hiuess entfor people to be able to reach ht"

Saht back with ain and called Merlin "Are you here yet?" I asked

"Al the fact that I was giving orders to my boss I didn’t think he’d mind my tone under the circumstances

Owen and I reached the balcony and rushed for the stairwell door where Sylvester had just disappeared Earl and Brad were right behind us, and when they saw us running, Mac and McClusky joined the chase Rod ca up the stairs sounded like a herd of sta elephants as our footsteps echoed around the stairwell

We made it out onto the roof just as Merlin stepped niround He then turned to help Granny down When Sylvester saw Merlin, he stopped so abruptly that he skidded a few inches The rest of us fanned out to surround hi you here," Merlin said, sounding like he was paying a social call "I was just at your office, looking for you"

Sylvester started to run for the stairs, but Owen and I blocked the way The Elf Lord did a double take when he saw us "You? But how did …" His voice trailed off as his expression clouded