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"Wouldn’t it be easier to use the Saghred?" Banan tauntedtrouble You don’t ed--on the sweet spot between Banan’s eyes "Let her go"

The elf s to happen"

I held the crossbow steady; er "Never hurts to ask first"

A familiar fire bloomed in the center of ht step out of a hred’s power that fed it blazed underJust call it, came the whispered i I shoved down the fire and the impulse I sed them hard and held theet around my will I pressed harder and it stopped The tip of the crossbow bolt wavered

Banan saw it and laughed

"You want the power--and I know you want"Put down the crossbow and take me, Raine Like you have a choice"

The fire had dilow that only wanted to help irl Just to help Helpto hred was spellbound, under guard, and under lock and key

Only as long as you want it to be

It wasn’t a whisper; it wasn’t even a voice It was the truth If I willed it, the Saghred would shake off its bindings and destroy Banan Ryce

Banan faded into the background; so did Vegard and the girl It was just rew I clenched htened on the trigger

A flash of reflected round and rolled If I couldn’t see, I was a target Banan had been doing rabbed ard

"I’ve got you" Vegard took the bow and hauledcrates I couldn’t see the crates, but I could sard ordereddown ard let o, and I heard him step out from behind the crate He swore

I blinkedorder and looked where Banan had been

He was gone and the girl along with hi ed his prize out of another mirror somewhere on the island, the mirror this one had been linked to--and there was no way in hell of finding out where it was Mirror ic left no trace or trail As a seeker, that hy I really hated mirrors

Guardians ran into the courtyard; Riston and Phaelan ith theard; then he looked at ine I wasn’t much to look at

"Ma’am, I need you to co arrested--at least I didn’t think I was It’s just that certain members ofarrested looked and felt like What had just happened to me met both criteria You knohat they say--if it looks like an arrest and feels like an arrest, chances are it is an arrest

I was sitting on a bench outside Justinius Valerian’s office Now that I was out of the screa down, it felt less like an arrest andto get yelled at Vegard was sitting next to uard or as an accused accomplice I didn’t want to ask These were Conclave walls; they probably had ears

I sighed, leaned back, and closed ood "I a as tired as I felt

"No, you’re not," Vegard said

I opened one eye and looked at hilanced around There was no one in the archus’s outer office but us "This ain’t it Besides, you just saved the arche--and all the Guardians on duty around it There’s sohly of you"

The Guardian punchedlike a maniac "I think you’re about to become the old man’s pride and joy"

I sard’s pride and joy, too

I leaned back against the wall and closed ard didn’t have an answer for that one

I did I’d just ically cut loose in a packed city square, and I was related to the do to help Someone had paid Banan Ryce a lot of et what he paid for And that kidnapped girl was in the worst kind of danger Myover what had happened in that courtyard And I kept tellingmyself that didn’t make it any easier to take When I heard the office door open, I didn’t want to open ood idea if I did