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Maxwell’s jaw hangs open. “Valerian? Valerian Bale?”
Aha. Seems like between their black windows and the masks we were all wearing on our journey to Necronia, neither my father nor Valerian had realized they knew each other.
That’s good. If I’d found out that Valerian knew about my father and didn’t tell me, I’d have trouble forgiving that kind of betrayal.
Valerian’s stunned gaze shifts back and forth between us. “Does Bailey know that you’re her—”
“Father? Yes,” Maxwell says.
“Her father?” Itzel exclaims, finally tearing herself away from her conversation with Dr. Xipil.
Speaking over each other, Maxwell and I explain our recent revelation. As we speak, the puzzled look on Virgil’s face transforms into one of understanding and relief.
I don’t know what he thought when Maxwell and I were hugging, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was worried about having an even more “uncomfortable” conversation with Valerian.
When the explanations are over, I take Valerian aside. “What took you so long?”
He rakes his fingers through his dark, thick hair. “I had to make sure everyone was all right, then clean up a huge mess you made at my VR company.”
Puck. With all the family drama, I’d forgotten about the people who got knocked out on the skyscraper roof hub. “How’s everyone?”
“The members of the New York Council woke up and are as good as new,” he says. “More measures will be taken when they sleep now, so even if Collywobbles wants to bribe anyone else into releasing them, they’ll have a devil of a time dealing with all the security precautions.”
I nod approvingly. “What about Felix and Ariel?”
“Never better. I also got the ball rolling to get Rowan settled on Earth—which wasn’t an easy conversation. Finally, I made sure Dylan has a lab and financing to do any research she wants.”
“Fine,” I say with mock grumpiness. “I guess you didn’t completely waste the hours I gave you. Now what is that mess you claim I made? Is the video game I’m starring in selling poorly?”
Valerian’s face darkens. “The game is fine, but Rattie was sleeping in one of our office’s napping units when he attacked you.”
Ah, right. I myself slept in one of those once—which is when I’d actually made a dream link to Rattie. I bet he’d done the same with me around the same time; that’s how he was able to attack me.
Then Valerian’s meaning dawns on me.
Rattie’s attack. I killed him, a dreamwalker, during a dreamwalk. That means—
“He went homicidally insane,” Valerian says grimly, confirming my suspicion. “The security footage was brutal. He slaughtered everyone on his way out of the office building, and some pedestrians after that.”
Bile rises in my throat. “Anyone I know?”
“I’m not sure who you know at the company,” Valerian says and rattles out a bunch of names that don’t sound familiar.
“What about Bernard?” I ask. Having dreamwalked in the man and nudged him to reunite with his estranged daughter, I feel invested in his fate.
“He was one of the lucky ones,” Valerian says. “He had plans with his daughter that evening.”
Whew. That’s something. Still, I can’t help but feel awful—especially since I hadn’t given the consequences of defeating Rattie a single thought. Then again, I was too busy dying of the virus shortly after that battle, and then dealing with a score of Overtaken attacks and a family reunion.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I ask, “Where’s Rattie now?”
Valerian frowns. “No one knows, and not for a lack of trying. He took a cab to JFK without killing the driver. Felix helped us get the airport security footage, and we saw Rattie heading toward the hub. His eyes were those of an Overtaken. The theory is that he fell asleep after his murder spree, and Collywobbles took over his body.”
“What’s a Collywobbles?” Maxwell asks, approaching us.
“That’s what we call the god of nightmares,” I explain. “Valerian believes that calling him by his real name gives him more power.”
Valerian takes my hand and rubs my palm with his thumb. “Not a lot of power, mind you, but why give him any? Also, I kind of like the idea of using a disrespectful nickname for him. I bet it would infuriate him if he knew.”
Maxwell glances at our joined hands, a faint smile touching the corners of his eyes. “We always knew the two of you would end up together. That you found each other in exile is extraordinary.”
Are we together? I guess it’s close enough. I contentedly squeeze Valerian’s hand. “Don’t forget we also did it without any memories of our past. It boggles the mind if you think about it.”
The look Valerian gives me makes something inside me melt into a gooey puddle.
“It’s very romantic,” Itzel says, coming up to us with Dr. Xipil—whom she looks at meaningfully for some reason.
At the mention of romance, my father’s gaze falls on Mom’s contraption, and his expression turns somber. “We need to talk.” He gives the gnomes and Virgil a hard look. “In private.”
