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"She did indeed," said Miss Wren, puffing beside me "She is--or was, I should say--apprenticed to theher duties on the day the corrupted raided the building At the time she knew little of her power other than that her hands radiated unnatural cold To hear Althea tell it, her ability was the sort of thing that ca hot suht of as a defense weapon until two hollows began devouring the minister before her very eyes In mortal fear, she called upon a well of power previously unknown to her, froze the roo, all in the space of a few minutes"

"Minutes!" Emma said "I don’t believe it"

"I rather wish I’d been here to witness it," said Miss Wren, "though if I had, I likely would’ve been kidnapped along with the other yhtjar, Miss Finch, and Miss Crow"

"Her ice didn’t stop the wights?" I asked

"It stopped many of theine, frozen in the building’s recesses But despite their losses, the wights ulti froze, they h the roof" Miss Wren shook her head bitterly "I swear on my life, one day I’ll personally escort all those that hurt ood at all, then," said Enoch

"Althea wasn’t able to save the ymbrynes," Miss Wren said, "but she h Without it we’d have no refuge anywhere I’ve been using it as our base of operations for the past few days, bringing back survivors from raided loops as I come across them This is our fortress, the only safe place for peculiars in all of London"

"And what of your efforts,said you came here to help your sisters Have you had any luck?"

"No," she said quietly "My efforts have not been successful"

"Maybe Jacob can help you, Miss Wren," Olive said "He’s very special"

Miss Wren looked sideways atman?"

"I can see hollows," I said, a little embarrassed "And sense them"

"And kill them, sometimes," added Bronwyn "If we hadn’t found you, Miss Wren, Jacob was going to help us slip past the hollows that guard the punish held there In fact, maybe he could help you …"

"That’s kind of you," said Miss Wren, "butheld in the punishment loops, or anywhere near London, I’m sure"

"They aren’t?" I said

"No, and they never were That business about the punishment loops was a ruse concocted to ensnare those ymbrynes whom the corrupted weren’t able to capture in their raids Naht into their trap--the punishment loops are prisons, after all! I’m lucky to have escaped with only a few scars to show for it"