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I imitate him, drawing close to the telescope, closing one eye to gaze at what he’s located in the sky. I inhale sharply and exclaim. “Mars!”
Poppa laughs, his wrinkled face a map of his happiness and sadness.
“How right you are, my little astronomer!” He hands me a Twinkie and I rest my head on his shoulder as I eat.
My eyes fly open as Influence tears from my mind. Lennon stands in front of me, a gun in her hand. When she realizes what’s happening, her eyes go wide and she lifts her weapon.
“No!”
Influence races for her. The impact causes her to stagger as she absorbs the darkling. Before she can regain her stance, a black shape zooms before my vision. It crashes into Lennon and transforms as they tumble to the ground. The spell's interrupted and the coin and the gun go flying.
It's Shy! I’ve never felt such joy! I want to collapse with relief, but another black shape enters the mausoleum and shifts. I’m caught in strong arms and held up.
“Oh no you don’t,” a familiar voice says.
“Roth?”
“If you fall, the Occulates will consume you,” he says. “Stay up.”
I obey, shaking as Roth unsheathes his scythe and starts stabbing at the Occulate pool at my feet and hands. The creatures hiss and steam and soon my hand and feet are free.
“Get the coins,” I order Roth as I stand.
I call the thread forward and move toward Lennon. She’s clawing at Shy, reaching for his hair and ripping feathers from his wings. Then she rears back and hits him hard in the side. He cries out and falls, breathless. Lennon scrambles to her feet and reaches for him, but she freezes when she notices me.
“You wouldn’t,” she says.
“Anora.” My name escapes Shy’s lips in a harsh breath, he shakes his head.
My fist shakes, and as bad as I want to watch her soul consumed, I know it’s not right—the thread has caused enough damage. As my thread reels back into my palm, Lennon reaches for a nearby scythe. A shot rings out and she falls backward, hitting the ground hard.
I twist to find Roth holding her gun.
“Damn,” he says. “We should use these more often.”
Then I collapse. My vision blurs and the last thing I remember is the sight of ravens swarming overhead.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE – ANORA & A NEW SET OF RULES
It’s been two days since the mausoleum.
I pace the room even though my body resists. I’m not fully recovered. I’m sluggish and most movement causes extreme nausea...or maybe the nausea comes from the anxiety boiling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of facing the Order. Maybe it’s the anticipation of returning home to Mom.
My stomach roils. It’s Sunday, which means Mom still thinks I’m at Temple. Thank God for small miracles. Still, I’m desperate to see her, because though Bast
ian and Mr. Val have assured me she is safe, I won’t believe it until I see her with my own eyes.
I turn my thoughts to the present moment and the task at hand. The Order is assembling in the Chamber as we speak—every single member, no holograms this time. They’re here to interview me, Shy, and Natalie about the events of Friday night.
I’m not sure what more they think to discover through one more interrogation. Once I’d woken up late Saturday morning, I’d been questioned by Elite Cain for hours. I have no more answers left in me, nothing more to say—Thane killed the Valryn who attacked me at Homecoming and kidnapped me. He was possessed by Influence and tried to kill me so I killed him. He worked with Lennon who also tried to kill me, and can, apparently, control Occulates. She is half-Valryn. She has some crazy powers. You better watch your back because I’m pretty sure there are more like her.
They didn’t like that and they’d demanded more information.
I smiled and said, “Ask Lennon.”
She is still alive, imprisoned like her father. Isn’t that why they are keeping her?
“You should rest,” Shy says. He’s sitting on the marble bench a few feet away in his human form, arm in a sling, blond hair a mess. His bright blue eyes practically smolder. He’s been staring at me differently since Friday night, like if he doesn’t pin me with an incredibly unnerving gaze, I might disappear, and I guess he has a lot of reasons to believe that.
