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When I looked into Dad’s eyes, I found a rock-solid faith there He pointed at me "You can do it And you will Don’t doubt yourself, ’cause if the Maker wants to use you, you gotta be all in"

I sed hard "ButI’ve been working," I said in a small voice

Next to him Patti’s eyes spilled over

It was my deep-down terrible fear--that one day I’d touch the Sword of Righteousness and it would no longer zap me I hadn’t touched it since before the summit

"No, baby," Dad assured me "Your heart is pure"

"But how do you know?" I whispered

Dad shook his head "Tell me how you feel about the people around you when you have to work"

"I" I glanced at Patti, who gave et a little, I don’t know, thrill or soet them to drink Like a rush of power But then it fades, and I feel sorry for theuilty I hate it" The last part came out barely a whisper

"That’s how I know your heart is pure, Anna," he said "Through it all, you choose to love them You could have come to loathe humans like many of the Neph do, or to feel indifferent toward them as a way to make it easier on yourself, but that’s not you"

I chewed my lip and stared down at the table So many eleht

"Go get the hilt," Dad ordered

I looked up at hiet it," he said more softly this time I went to my room and took the leather-clad hilt from my purse on the dresser Then I walked back to the table and lay the hilt in thehis hands off the table and leaning away froone just as quickly

"Sorry," I said, pulling the hilt closer to me

He cleared his throat "Go ahead and open it Just, uh, don’t point it at h I’le slash froel’s sword is what sent me to hell in the first place, so, yeah" He cleared his throat again

"Is that what the sword does?" Patti asked "Sends souls to hell?"

Dad eyed the hilt with discomfort "It disperses justice as God would have it It can send a soul somewhere, or it can wipe a soul from existence It knohat to do when it hits Go ahead and touch it, baby Don’t be afraid"

I stared at it for a long ti hands I opened the top of the leather casing and let the hilt slide out a few inches I sucked in a breath and brought asped as an electric current blasted through ers around the hilt and let the buzz throb throughsword caer But it worked It recognized my heart and would allow y

Patti and Dad were both watchingwith hope and love

I could do this I wanted to live with purpose I needed there to be a hile reason for all the pain