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“How about the Immortals?” Eira said. “They created the gods and demons. They can give people magic.”

“That was long ago,” Sunfire declared as he entered the room with my parents. “Only very few of us ever possessed such a power, and they are long gone. Those of us who remain can only bestow magic on people with the help of Nectar or Venom.”

“So that’s it?” I looked at him, at Eira, at my parents. “It’s all over? The Legion of Angels is finished?”

“Absolutely not,” Dad replied. “As always, we will soldier on. This isn’t the first setback the Legion has experienced.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got to admit it’s a pretty big setback,” I said. “You can’t make new soldiers. And you can’t level up the ones you have.”

“We will find a way.” Dad’s face was calm, and there wasn’t even a hint of panic present in his level voice.

“In fact, we might have a solution.” Mom looked at Sunfire.

The Immortal squeezed his cheeks in. “I have anidea. It’s not a solution just yet. But with time and patience, it could become one.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“You have encountered individuals who got their magic from something other than Nectar or Venom.”

“Cupid and Dreamcatcher!” I realized. “They got their magic when the Guardians’ Sanctuary was ripped open.”

“That event resulted in a sizable release of magic,” Sunfire said. “The magic had to go somewhere. It went into the humans nearby, transforming them. Giving them magical abilities.”

“So you can recreate another sizable release of magic?” I asked. “And use that to give people magic?”

“It won’t be that easy,” replied Sunfire. “It’s unlikely that we could create another event of that magical magnitude, but we might be able to channel smaller amounts of magic. With time. And research. To start, I will need bodies.”

“Bodies?” I looked at Eira. “Likedeadbodies?”

Sunfire nodded. “When someone dies, their magic isn’t lost. In the case of Immortal artifacts—and Nectar and Venom—that magic is channeled into something else. Well, what if we could channel the magic from those who die? What if we could channel it into the living?”

“You could make new Legion soldiers,” I told my parents. “Even without any Nectar.”

Mom nodded. “Yes.”

“Theoretically,” Sunfire reminded us.

“We will turn that theory into a reality,” Dad told him.

Mom took his hand. “If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that there’s always a way if you’re just stubborn enough to find it.”

“You are that, Pandora.”

She smirked at him. “Look who’s talking.”

I laughed at them. “You’re both as stubborn as they come.”

“As are you,” Dad told me.

“Yeah, well, I am your kid, after all,” I replied.

“Speaking ofkids,” Sunfire said, saying the word like he didn’t quite approve of such things, “you should be aware that many things will change now that the Cure was cast.”

“They already have,” Mom said, winking at Dad.

“Pandora?” His voice was quiet, almost reverent.

She grinned at him. “Yes.”