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Eden nodded, curt and no-nonsense, a soldier to the bones

I glanced back to Angelina "You trust her, don’t you?"

Angelina didn’t turn her wide eyes away from me, and at first she didn’t respond at all The delay worried elina’s answer But then her eyes sparkled, ever so slightly, as she gave me her response, a barely perceptible nod

No one else could have possibly kno esture held

Eden was honorable Angelina had told nized now What I’d once thought was just a strange intuition on her part--a knack for knoho could, and who could not, be trusted--I now understood was so

We were the reason our parents worried so ht us to keep our unusual talents a secret They’d known all along who, and what, ere

I se the sticky scent of candy on her breath, and wondered if she’d already gotten a treat fro left with Eden

I turned to Max, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, and then made my decision "Okay I’m ready"

When ere out of earshot of my sister, he repeated, "You don’t have to do this, you know?" And I could hear the doubt traced through his words

"Yes, I do It’s the only way to ensure that my parents remain alive You heard what Claude said, the queen promises not to harm them if I come to the palace"

"What she didn’t proain--that his grandmother had chosen her words carefully "I still think you could get her to agree to round"

"This is her country, Max Everywhere is her ground Do you think she wou Kthi harreed to elina, the better"