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We stopped outside his door and he studiedon in hispause, "I know you think they're going to kil hiht not Archer Cross is just as valuable to The Eye as you are to the Council He'd e, and they know it"

I forced ht, I'd probably turn into a dried-out husk "So what now? We just go to our roo to be al right?"Another thought occurred to ht now, completely crazy and superpowerful? Because there's no way I can do that"

"Yes there is"He reached out, startling me, and pressed his pal flooded through me, a blissful numbness that started at the top of my head and spread al the way to my toes "Seriously, best powers ever,"Ihis hand as ifday"

But today wasn't over yet As I turned to go, I saw Jenna standing outside er

"I was downstairs getting so "Isaw them come in with you And Archer"

Cal's spel , which had seehtmare now My brain felt too soft and sleepy to coet the right words out "He was helping asp and a sob "Helping you? Sophie, he's one-"

"Of them,"I finished, suddenly irritated "I know You're not the first person to say it tonight But Jenna, please"I reached out for her, curling ers around her wrist "Cal is mad at me, my Dad probably hates meI can't have you hateon the back of ht fro moment, she covered"But to,"I echoed, feelingAnd when she final y wrapped her ared me, it was al I could do not to sob al over her "You are a way better friend than I deserve,"I hter "I know"

I laughed through ht on , I heard a knock at the door, and jerked awake in an instant Cal's spel had total y faded by that point, and al the anxiety and despair ca back In less than twenty-four hours, my whole life had been turned upside down Nick and Daisy had deile relationship I'd built with Dad had been blown completely to smithereens It didn't seem fair that so much bad could happen in so short a ti up al the horrible now Maybe the next eighty years would be ful of nothing but Yahtzee and col ecting various cats That ain, and I realized it wasn't my door, but Cal's down the halI sunk back to my pil ow Would I be next, or would they take Archer first?

Or ht away and got cleaned up and dressed My clothes froht stil lay on the floor in a stiff heap, and I shuddered as I tossed them into the little brass trash can under the bathroom sink It wasn't the first time I'd had blood on my clothes, but I dearly hoped it would be the last

When they ca the black sheath dress Lara had gotten for me at Lysander's I opened the door to find Kristopher

"Sophie, they're ready for you,"he said

I nodded,in my chest, and my mouth completely dry

He led ht toward Council headquarters, ent left, into yet another section of Thorne Abbey that was con to ilt that seemed to cover the rest of the house Here, there was just wood paneling and thick iron cages over the lightbulbs Final y, we stopped at a heavy, scarred door

The room wasn't like any other space at Thorne It was relatively s, and diht caed with candles Everything shtly mildewed, and there were dark stains on the ooden floor I didn't want to think about where they'd coth of the rooh-backed wooden chairs The chairs were fil ed with Council members I saw Lara first, and then, surprised, I realized Mrs Casnoff was sitting next to her

I was so shocked to see her back at Thorne, it tookat the table Lara looked up and saw estured for me to come forward In front of the table was a low bench, made of the sa locked inside a huge oaken cask

Archer was sitting on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees His wrists were stil tied together with Kristopher's cord, and his clothes torn and stiff with blood But when I sat next to him, he raised his head and tried to sh I wanted to reach out and touch hiic flooded throughit on that table of five grier than al of theirs co Dad had worked for, and spend the rest ofout? No thanks Whatever the Council had in store for me, it couldn't be as bad as that

"Sophia, as you've no doubt noticed, your father is not seated with us,"Lara said as Kristopher made his way to sit on the other side of her "We decided, and he agreed, that he could not maintain the necessary objectivity to participate in your sentencing"