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"Beatsas she tried to peer through the murk

But before I could ask any more stupid questions, or some of the very not-stupid questions I needed to ask Blondie, thefour translucent figures

They looked like ghosts, or like fake holograms in movies There was no attempt to make them seem "real," and yet I had no doubt that the four people had once existed

"Melichor," Blondie spat, pointing at the tall, i on the far left "An Alfar king fa pointed at and discussed like a villain in a ave no indication he could hear us

"Tatiana, his consort," Blondie said, pointing at the wo "Equally powerful, but her cruelty took the for to win"

I couldn’t help but think of Orin and Morrigan Soe

"Beside them are their respective second-in-commands: Glynda, a woman whom you never wanted to cross She hid her passion for cruelty behind a , he’d do hisno matter what she asked of hi for the illusions tohappened

"Ancient Alfar From just after the Schism"

"You mean just after the different factions were created?"

"Yes"

"And what I saw in your tattoo… Before that they were like you?"

"Yes Before that, there were only us Hence the title ‘Original’ "

"But how did they change? What was the Schis like I’d learned more substantive information about my neorld in this past day than I had in the past six months

She looked down at me, her face curiously blank "You’ll touch that tattoo soon enough, babydoll," she said, as her fingers found what looked like a large bull’s horn right below her left ear "But for now, let’s figure out what the hell is going on"

"Speaking of which," I said, confident I could ask what I needed to ask since we’d been standing there gabbing and so far absolutely nothing had happened "We need to talk"

"Again?" Blondie asked

"Again," I said, diving right into the truth "The way you traced over that glyph… you knehat it was supposed to be, didn’t you?"

Blondie paused "Uan

I interrupted her with a frustrated sigh "That’s the second ti to feel like I knew you, and now this How can I trust you if you hide things from me? And why do I sound like I’m the love interest in a bad made-for-TV movie?"

"I know," Blondie said "And I’ with other people"

"It isn’t hard," I interrupted her, huffily "You tell us what you know about the proble out infor treats Nohat is it you didn’t tell me this tilyph" With that she stopped, as if my curiosity would be satisfied with such a total nonanswer

"So how do you know the glyph?" I prompted

"It’s common?" she asked I just stared "It’s complicated," Blondie said, eventually "But I swear to you, it’s not that I’er I have a source"