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"Thanks," Call said, not sure whether he was being scolded or not

"We sent so alley, but not es and se room that seemed to be a laboratory Were you in there?"

Call nodded, sing This was the moment He opened his mouth to say the words: Master Joseph was there and he told me I am the Enemy of Death

The words wouldn’t coe of a cliff, and everything in his body illing him to throw himself over, but his mind wouldn’t let him If he repeated what Joseph had said, Master Rufus would hate him They’d all hate him

And for what? Even if he had been Constantine Madden once, it wasn’t like he remembered any of it He was still Callum, wasn’t he? Still the same person He hadn’t becoisterium And as a soul, anyway? It didn’t tell you what to do He could make his own decisions

"Yeah, there was a lab with a lot of bubbling stuff and elementals in the niches that lit the whole place But no one was there" Call sed, steeling himself to the lie His heart sped "The roo else?" Master Rufus said, studying Call intently "Any detail you think , no matter how small?"

"There were Chaos-ridden," Call said "A lot of them And a chaos elemental It chased h the roof, so --"

"Yes, Tamara and Aaron have already told npost" Master Rufus s disappointment "Thank you, Call You did very well"

Call nodded He had never felt so terrible

"I reisterium, you asked me several times if you could talk to Alastair," Master Rufus said "I never forranted your request" He said it with an emphasis that made Call blush He wondered if finally, now, of all ti into Rufus’s office "But I’htstand and held it out to Call A s inside

"I believe you kno to use this" He rose to his feet and walked to the far end of the Infirmary, his hands clasped behind his back It took aCall privacy

Call held the clear glass globe in his hand and studied it It was as if a huge soap bubble had hardened init solid and clear He concentrated on thinking about his dad -- blocking out thoughts of Master Joseph and Constantine Madden, and just thinking of his father, of the smell of pancakes and pipe tobacco, of his father’s hand on his shoulder when he did soeoan to condense and shaped itself into his dad, as standing in oil-stained jeans and a flannel shirt, his glasses pushed up on his head, a wrench in one hand Heon one of his old cars, Call thought His father looked up as if someone had said his name

"Call?" he inquired

"Dad," Call said "It’s me"

His father put the wrench dohich e He turned around, as if he were trying to see Call, though it seemed clear he couldn’t "Master Rufus told me what happened I was so worried You were in the Infirmary --"

"I still aot a little banged up, but I’m fine" His voice came out weak, even to his own ears "You shouldn’t worry"