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I came to with a jolt, sitting upright as my eyes shot open. I was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Simon was kneeling beside me, his face tight with worry.
“Are you okay?” he asked. I nodded, feeling weak as I sank back into the chair. Marie, Sophia and Ryan were standing around me with looks of concern on their faces.
“It was difficult bringing you back,” Ryan said, his jaw tight. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my pulse. “But I did. And I think I may have learned something.”
They listened intently as I recounted what I had seen while under hypnosis. I noticed Sophia’s eyes growing wide in fear at the mention of palladium.
“What do you think about Jenny’s comment about palladium and iridium being together?” I asked when I was done. “What if we combine them and it becomes something we can use?”
“Do you mean like melting them together?” Marie frowned when I nodded. “Palladium is dangerous to seers. It takes away our powers. How could it help us?”
“But maybe the properties change once it’s combined with iridium. Maybe it’s something we can use to defeat my father.”
Marie didn’t look any more convinced. “Even if it’s true, where are we going to find palladium? The only one I know who has some is your father and I doubt he’s going to hand it over if we ask nicely.”
“I have some,” I said. “I brought it with me.”
Sophia’s face whitened and she spoke for the first time since I had come out of hypnosis. “It’s dangerous! You shouldn’t have brought it here!” She looked terrified.
I ignored her, focusing on what needed to be done. “The question is, where can we get them melted together? We can’t exactly do it over the stove.”
“Wait a second,” Ryan said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’m not sure this is a good idea. Sophia’s right. Palladium is extremely dangerous for seers. You shouldn’t be handling it.”
“What do you suggest we do then?” I asked impatiently. “We have nothing else to go on.”
“She’s right,” Simon agreed and I felt a flood of warmth by his support. “We have no other leads right now and we should trust her instincts.”
“I’m not having any part of this,” Sophia said. She turned to Marie with a scowl. “You didn’t say anything about palladium being involved. I’m leaving.”
Marie sighed after Sophia had stormed out of the apartment. “I don’t blame her. Your father has killed a lot of seers using palladium.”
“Marie, please,” I said in supplication. “I think this could really help us.”
She studied me for a few moments and I could see her fighting an internal battle. She then sighed again, seeming resigned.
“Fine. We’ll try it. I think I know someone who can melt the metals together for us. I have a friend who’s an artist. He works with metals and has a studio for metal-working.”
Marie made a quick phone call and I heard her lying glibly to her friend about why we needed help. “We’re in luck,” she said after she ended the call. “He’s willing to help although he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to melt the iridium and palladium since it takes such high levels of heat, but he’s willing to try. We’re going to meet him at his studio.”
I was grateful for Marie’s help. Who else would know someone who worked with metal in Connecticut willing to help us at one o’clock in the morning?
We drove over to her friend’s studio in Marie’s car. We pulled up to what looked like a large warehouse and I could see through the windows that the lights were on. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when we entered. Huge towering metal sculptures were scattered everywhere, some abstract and some in the shapes of things vaguely familiar that I couldn’t quite recognize. We followed Marie to the back that was sectioned off into a workshop. A large man who looked more like a linebacker than an artist greeted us.
“This is Sam,” Marie said simply. She turned to Sam. “These are the people I was telling you about.”
“Marie told m
e you have pieces of iridium and palladium you want to melt down together.” Sam’s voice didn’t match his body. It was quiet and gentle.
“Yes,” I said politely, and then proceeded to try to match the story I had heard Marie tell him over the phone. “They’re of sentimental value to me because they belonged to my parents who passed away when I was young. No one’s willing to melt them down for me without charging an exorbitant fee.”
Sam raised his eyebrows at me. “I can’t imagine someone being in such a hurry to wake me up in the middle of the night for sentimental value.” I tensed at his skepticism, praying that he wasn’t going to change his mind about helping us. I was relieved when he held his hand out.
“Let’s see them.”
I handed him the palladium coin and Marie gave him an extra piece of iridium she had. He frowned when he saw the palladium. He shifted his hand around, his frown deepening at the shadows it cast.
