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He shrugged and gave the truck sohway

I watched in the side mirror as a shirtless "worshipper" sprinted after us with a duffel bag He hurled it toward the back of the truckThe bag landed well short

This just wasn’t Sol’s day

6

"Since you refuse to give me your naher into the hills, the road getting more treacherous "O Great Empress? The Blond One? How about the Green Queen?"

I’d been staring out thein silence, ignoring his attempts at conversation As I took in one Flash-fried scene after another, I alternated from Evie to full-on E thorn claws, glowing glyphs--and back At one point, I’d drum holes in it Poison had collected

Sol had shuddered in horror

"Call me Empress"

"We’re not on a first-name basis? Fine You can call me Illuan to drift down Jack’s words rang in my head, his voice over the radio when I’d ridden out to meet him: "So this is snow" A bayou boy, he’d never seen it before

I’d been delighted by the clean white drifts After a year of ever-present ash, the white had seemed like a blank slate

With our voices linked, Jack and I had marveled at the snow

My chest twisted so hard I alet him back But the mere idea that eren’t on the same plane made me crazed

Sol said, "I still can’t believe the E all these voices in my head, and then up pops one of the our Arcana calls

Matthew had told me mine was louder than everyone else’s Apparently, my call had broadcast all the way to Indiana Yet I’d never heard Sol’s

He imitated my voice, "‘Coaze over me "Who wouldn’t pay it?"

Jack had He would still be alive if he’d never ainst the Herain

He still hadn’t contacted me Maybe the Arcana switchboard was down once more After all, I hadn’t heard Sol’s call from mere feet away Which would mean I had no mental link to my allies and friends

And no idea where my enemies were

Or maybe I just couldn’t consider the alternative: that Aric was too injured to respond It wouldn’t matter anyway, because of time travel Once I went back, I would keep him safe