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Trent gingerly sat besideto see that his head was below the level of the piled desks Reaching out across the space, the two men shook hands "I’ve known hi into his eyes as he followed Bancroft’s voice over the de to have serious doubts myself The man sounded nuts

Landon stirred Stubble shrouded his face, thicker than Trent’s and soht her," he said, his voice flat and his eyescontrary, or is this the fa?"

Trent’s expression darkened, but it was Edden who shoved between us, his face red as he exclaimed, "Landon, you’re here as a courtesy! One o doith the next body Got it?"

The elevator dinged, and everyone looked as the plainclothes man and two of the officers caht, Landon averted his eyes, his show of contriteness just that "Sir?" the man from downstairs asked as he looked at me

Edden’s frown deepened "Just take the bodies down," he an can see ht enters her head, okay?"

Mollified, I eased closer to Trent, watching Landon closely as Edden took his hard hat off to run a hand over his hair He looked tired as he put it back on and turned to the nest Behind hiurney and taken downstairs "I don’t knohat you think you can do, Mr Kala for breaking curfew, releasing the data about the waves We didn’t know Bancroft was, ahan elven holy man"

It had been hard for hie a religion that’s been in hiding for two thousand years?

"I thought that was the end of it, but I ca to find they went to the top floor to take estured at the destruction "And then this happened There should be thirty people up here handling this, and I’ve got two I was lucky to get the dogs up here to look for survivors" Softer, he added, "Most of our resources are at a gy detained by vampires because so out of lies, Rachel, but the truth will ignite forty years of hidden hatred and fear"

"My God," I whispered, thinking of Ivy, and Edden held up a hand

"We’ve got it under control," he said, but I didn’t feel any better "The IS has a couple of agents over there helping us defuse the situation, but eventually so stupid we can’t come back from" He looked over the pile of desks and chairs to where Bancroft shouted "It was a mistake to na asleep I don’t knohy I went along with it except that everyone is afraid of a plague, and only half the population is afraid of va me with a stiff-jawed determination I could tell by the slant of his shoulders that he’d pushed for it My frustration deepened, tinged with fear for Ivy We had to find these guys and get theeach other first and asking questions later

Trent’s feet shifted, the thick grit soundless between his feet and the flat carpet "Edden, can I talk to hiered this Maybe I can find out what"

"You’re not going closer," I said, glancing up at what used to be the ceiling "Jenks?"

"I was thinkingthe lines of a bullhorn?" Trent said as the pixy dropped down

"Rachel is right," Edden said as he gestured for one of the officers to hand it over "It’s unclear if he killed the negotiator intentionally or not, but I don’t like his talk about goats New back up I don’t want any "

Goats? Trent took the bullhorn, and I put a hand on his ar him "Hold on a sec Jenks? What does it look like in there?"

The pixy’s face was screwed up in a puzzled expression "It’s as weird as a troll living in histheit, Jenks’s dust shifted to a nervous pink "That pile of stuff is a big hollow ball, with lights inside everywhere es?" Edden asked

"No Just him"

Clearly relieved, Trent rested the bullhorn on the top of the upper intensity that tightenedFrowning, I toyed with the idea of asking Edden to beat it out of him before his silence killed us Instead, I inched closer to Trent and renewed rip on the ley line

The bullhorn popped as Trent thuht!" Bancroft was shouting, his voice et between it where it’s dark Stop looking at ed even closer "Bancroft, it’s Trent"

"Trent?" Bancroft’s tirade cut off Fro crash "Trent! Did you bring your goat?"

The officers swore as Bancroft stued, his face stubbled and his cylindrical hat sitting askew His hands hid his eyes as if the light pained hiht," he said as he tripped over the debris, seely oblivious that he could walk around theone insane I can hear theain"

Jenks’s wings hureed, but when the officer next to e dart rifle on the desktop, I turned to Edden

"You’re going to dart him?" I said, appalled

"Easy now," Edden said, his eyes on Bancroft "It can take thirty seconds to work I don’t want tomorrow’s headlines to read ‘Elven Holy Man Jue"

"He’s not an animal!" I protested, and Edden’s eyes flicked froic on him is dead"

"Well, thanks for the heads-up," I said sarcastically, seriously thinking about dropping the line, but I didn’t A protection circle was fairly innocuous My skin was prickling Bancroft had stoppedchairs and chunks of wallboard into a circle around hi another nest

"Rache, so," Jenks said as he tucked back in atof cat feet walked throughfroht," the pixy suggested "That’s what your aura looked like, Rache Right before those waves hit us"