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Vee blinked at that, and I hid my smile behind my hand. I had thought that these two might get along well. They were both slightly cantankerous loners with stubborn attitudes and big hearts.
Leaving them to it, I turned and walked toward the edge of the crater with my men right by my side. We gazed out over the space as the last of the fighting ended. I caught sight of Toland rounding up FU students, and even from this distance, it was easy to tell that he was scanning them for injuries and taking roll to make sure everyone was accounted for. Beedle was stomping around the battlefield helping the injured to their feet, and several yards away, my gaze caught on Director Price.
She was as bloodied and bruised as the rest of us were, and she cradled one arm to her chest as she waved the other in sweeping gestures, directing the Custodians around her as they gathered up their wounded and dead.
Michael’s words flitted through my head as I scanned the battlefield.
More than I was hoping for, much fewer than I feared.
People had died today. More than I had hoped for. But far, far fewer than I had feared. The fact that the fallen who hated Gavriel had risen up to help us, and the fact that the FU students had volunteered to come had made a huge differen
ce. Those additional forces had saved many lives.
“Damn.” Kingston let out a low, exhausted-sounding whistle. “What now? Who’s on cleanup duty? And who the hell is gonna explain this shit to the humans?”
“Not it,” Jayce said quickly, and I chuckled, elbowing him in the ribs.
“I’m guessing the Custodians have some kind of protocol for how to deal with things like this,” I said. “How to explain it away so that humans let it go.”
“Makes sense.” The blond hellhound slipped his hand into mine, his grip warm and comforting. I rested my head on his shoulder, my mind whirling.
Kingston had raised a good question.
There would be cleanup, of course, and we could help with that.
But… what then?
I had focused every bit of my energy and brain power on taking down Gavriel. And now that he was finally gone, I had absolutely no idea what was supposed to come next.
“Piper. Kingston. Jayce. Kai. Xero. And Hannah. Thank you for coming.”
Toland nodded at each of us as he said our names.
I didn’t bother pointing out that when the six of us had been told to come to Fallen University for a meeting with our old headmaster and several Committee members, it hadn’t really seemed like an invitation as much as a command.
“Sure. What’s this all about?” I asked.
It’d been three days since the standoff with Gavriel. The dead had been interred, and the wounded had been magically healed and were—for the most part—well on their way to perfect health again.
I’d been on pins and needles the entire time, trying to brace myself for what was coming without knowing exactly what it even was.
“In light of everything that has happened, the Committee and the school administrators felt that we should revisit your case,” was all Toland said, his expression serious and composed, giving nothing away.
Before I could demand a more specific answer than that, the door to his office opened, and several figures walked in.
Director Price was in the lead, with Gregory—who would now and forever be named Clipboard in my head—and Dru behind her. Two other members of the Committee trailed in last. I assumed that was everyone who was coming, since there were five seats placed opposite ours in the large room, with Toland’s desk in between.
It was almost exactly the way it’d been set up for our first meeting with the Committee, and I tried not to let that make me nervous.
A lot had happened since then.
Maybe this time would be different.
“Ah, welcome.” Toland stood, stepping forward to shake hands all around before gesturing them toward their seats.
When they were finally settled, Director Price leveled her steely gaze on me, getting right down to the point.
“We felt that, after everything that happened with Gavriel and his army, it would behoove us to meet with you six and revisit your case,” she said curtly.
