Chapter Four : They Already Know
Mara did not move.
The Council man closed his notebook.
Still smiling.
Then he turned and walked out with the other two like nothing had happened. Like he had not just looked at her the way people look at problems they have already solved.
Renata touched her arm. Light. Brief.
"Do not run," she said quietly. "Running confirms it."
"I am not running." Mara's voice was steady. Her legs were not. "What do I do."
"Right now? Walk out of this hall like you belong here."
"I am Hollow. I never belonged here."
"Then walk out like you do not care." Renata released her arm. "And find those two men before the Council finds you first."
She disappeared into the thinning crowd before Mara could say another word.
Mara walked.
Not fast. Not slow. The walk of a
