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"Kaleb, Lily, Michael, and Eain I’d have left her dead the first tiue and walked toward the cabin, saluting us with his knife "Not like I’ve ever been a hero to anyone, anyway Least of all to you, Hallie"

And then he winked

Hallie squeezed e Poe hadn’t switched sides He was still on ours

I looked downriver We were still in line with the veil, the current following lass," Hallie said "What are you going to do about those?"

Teague looked toward the ever-growing population of rips "Lots of room for history on a riverboat Especially one this old"

Everything from Mark Twain types in white suits to tipsy senior citizens took up residence on the deck I begged the heavens for a repeat of the rip in the park--that Hallie and Teague together would confuse the possession process

My prayers were answered The rips switched focus between Hallie and Teague The riverboat chugged toward the veil I wanted to boost the river flow, but I didn’t knohere Poe was, or how he planned on getting Teague where she needed to be I would have to wait

The rips didn’t want to

"Look at thean to tremble "They knoho they want"

The ripsHallie at the same rate the riverboat approached the veil I put my body between them, as if I could hide her from fate, but this time we couldn’t run

I wanted to call out for Poe, but I didn’t want to tip Teague off about his allegiance, especially if so happened to me and Hallie was left on the boat with hi at once

"Stay as close to me as you can," I said over o to them, she can’t use me She won’t have any reason to hurt you or anyone else"

The rips were ten feet away

The veil was fifteen

"Hal, don’t be reckless" Where was Poe?

"It’s true, isn’t it, Mother? You don’t want to lose the Infinityglass, but you’re afraid of the rips What did you see when you ith theaze from the rips, which were noo feet away froht behind theer

"Poe!" I tried to rein in the power of the water

He burst out of the cabin with the knife in his hand

"Throw it!" I roared "Now!"

It left his hand in less than a second, tu end over end

I set the current free

Chapter 27

Hallie

The rips were co and seductive I feet away froh she had her own exoticwith them was our only out I’d just have to have faith that I’d come out on the other side

And then Dune bellowed Poe’s na its way into my mother’s shoulder at the sa violently and clutching her head, her eyes rolling back