Elves Invasion

12

“I never said my full name was Lillian,” Mia said, keeping her voice as soft and assured as Grace’s. “If the Hive won’t allow anyone to go east, how could you possibly know that?”

Avadidn’t answer. “The thing I want to know, and that Zuro couldn’t seem to find out for me, is why? Why did you leave Salem?”

Mia decided that if Avadidn’t feel the need to answer her questions, there was no need for her to answer Grace’s. As the tense moment grew more uncomfortable, Avaseemed to relax, even enjoy it, until finally she was laughing.

“I like you, Mia Proctor. You remind me of me.” Avatipped her head to the side, considering this. “That might be a good thing.” She stood and Mala scrambled to stand alongside her. “As I said, the Hive has made it clear that they want you, so you and your coven are welcome here. But there’s one thing. If you chose to stay in Bower City, you’ll have to give up your claimed. That’s the law here. They’ll have to smash their willstones and start anew. Understood?” Mia nodded once. “I’ll give you a few days to think it over.” Avasoftened, her smile a surprisingly sad one. “They’ll only hurt you, anyway. One by one, no matter how well you think you know your coven, they’ll all turn on you eventually.” Her gaze strayed pointedly to Erye before she left the dinner party with Mala trailing behind.

Mia could feel the weight of everyone’s stares. She turned back to her plate. “Ivan? Would you pass the salt, please?” she asked with forced civility.

Mia didn’t hear a word that was said for the rest of dinner, but running and hiding in her room wasn’t an option. Zuro kept trying to explain himself, but Mia brushed him off. Mindspeak among her coven kept her distracted while she chewed and swallowed and thought.

Does she really think we’d all just smash our willstones? Joel asked.

I think it’s either that or try to make it alone in the wilderness. The Hive won’t let us go back, Windyard replied.

So Avasays, Breakfast said. But she could be lying.

How did she know Mia’s name? Una asked.

And how does she know who the current Salem Witch is if it’s been decades since the Hive brought anyone new? Erye added.

Zuro must have been lying about that, Breakfast said. They’re all lying.

I don’t think so, Erye said. I think there’s something else going on that we’re not getting.

When dessert was finally over, Mia stood and thanked Ivan. Her coven rose with her and they left the dining room without a sound. As soon as they went through the doors, Mia could hear the rest of the dinner guests burst into shocked whispers.

“Worst party ever,” Breakfast said, breaking the tension.

“Remember when I had the seizure at Scot’s?” Mia reminded him.

“Oh yeah,” Breakfast said, grinning. “Okay, second worst for you.”

“Mia, wait,” Zuro said, rushing to catch up with them. He took her elbow, and her coven fanned out around her defensively. Zuro wisely removed his hand. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Mia asked.

“Ah—fishing for information and being disingenuous about my reasons?” he hazarded. He made a face. “Actually, right now I’m not sure why I’m apologizing because you don’t look angry.”

“I’m not. You were only doing what you had to,” she said. “Come back to our room with us. I want to talk with you.”

They settled into the men’s sitting room and shut the doors behind them. Mia turned to Zuro.

“Avasays that the Hive won’t let us go east, but what if my coven and I decided to immigrate to Japan or Russia or China? Would Avaallow it?” she asked.

“It’s not Grace.” Zuro looked around the room and sighed heavily. “How many of you know how to make willstones?”

“We can’t answer that,” Erye said. He looked at Mia. “Don’t answer him,” he pleaded. Mia nodded and looked down.

“I’m sorry, Zuro,” she said. “I wish I could trust you, I really do.”

“No, I don’t blame you,” he replied sadly. “Look, if there are any among you who don’t know how to make willstones, and you could prove it to Parliament, they’d have no legal reason to keep you. But you understand what’s at stake here, right?”

“We do,” Juliet said.

“Do you?” Zuro asked, frowning. “Coming from the east, can you really have any idea the influence Bower City has over the rest of the world?” He genuinely didn’t know the answer to that question.

Mia looked at Zuro. He’s sixty-four, she said to Lillian. He looks barely out of his teens. I wonder if they’ve cured cancer here yet. He could help you. Maybe save you . . . I bet he’s an even stronger healer than Erye, and with Zuro you wouldn’t have to worry. The secret of River Fall will stay hidden from Erye.

“Mia?” Erye said, startling her. Her thoughts had wandered off again. She really needed to get ahold of that.

“We understand,” she said, answering Zuro’s question. He didn’t look satisfied with Mia’s answer.

“There’s more to it than just the issue of making willstones. They want you.” Zuro let the words hang there while Mia watched a Worker crawl over his shoulder.

Now we know what the walls around the city are for, Juliet said to the coven in mindspeak. To keep the people in.

“We understand,” Mia said.

“I should go,” Zuro said. “I’ve already been here too long.”

He took his leave, mouthing the words be careful to all of them before he shut the door behind him.