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"Great, because that’s e need To unlock thehed

"Seriously," I said "Do you really think it’s the best idea to unlock the sigils?"

"If one of Phaedra’s lot does it, and gets all that power…" Blondie replied, her expression grim

"Yes, I know," I said "Champion, shmampion ‘There will be only one’ Yadda, yadda, yadda So hoe unlock theot the handy-dandy instructional video The full glyph must open it up for us Ready to try it?"

"No," I said

"Good," she said "Let’s go up there and unlock us so look

"You sure about this?"

"Sos head-on, Jane" The way she’d said that again made it sound like she knewto warn ent tell you this?"

"Nope Everyone knows that sorabbed by the horns," Blondie said Then she laughed, a little maniacally

My brain wasn’t convinced still, but I could see that Blondie thought she knehat she was doing And there was soreed with the present course of action,to do

Just like your gut trusts the Original,trumped by my instincts

"Fine On yer head be it," I said, in ive Blondie rooil, she motioned me forward

"It has to be your hand," she said When I frowned, she pulled a face "Cuz you did the first half, dork"

I shrugged, and raised ht where she had before, and began tracing the other half of the sigil It took her a while to get the knack of it again, but soon her finger isting over the glyph Power flared, died, and flared again--this ti the full wreath shape of the ancient Alfar lock--but still nothing happened

"What the hell?" she said, her turn to kick the wall "I know I’ht, but it won’t work!"

"Maybe it’s a different key," I said, soothingly "Maybe that’s not the way it’s done"

"Or," she said, as the color drained from her face, "it’s already unlocked"

I felt wat"

"The Grays said they came down here"

"But for fifteen minutes We’ve been down here well over an hour and we’ve just figured the thing out How the hell could they have done it so quickly?"

"Cuz they knew, babydoll They’ve known all along I’ve got my own memories, and soe that we don’t Now put your ga her hand out toward rabbed her fingers in mine

"Because I think we’re about to be in the middle of a shon" And with that, Blondie apparated us into another dark space Before I could get e of a me around to face our opponent

Phaedra didn’t look at all happy to see us

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

We were in the crystal cavern beneath where Gus’s rock had stood, but everything had changed The crystals were cold and dead, and thethe same fully traced Celtic-knot-wreathlike pattern that we’d last seen underneath Jason’s forent with her: the two harpies, Kaya and Kaori; Grae his slab-like teeth with a broken-off crystal

For about five seconds, there was quiet as Phaedra and her lot stood gaping at us When I suddenly felt her poell to e to fall face first on the floor Instead, I swiftly wove nature made it more difficult than with other ele Once our shields were set, I started surging power through them, and not a second too soon