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He said they used their collective sight to look for what they perceived as the more beneficial outcome from the perspective of the Ancestors. Whatever they’d actually seen, they didn’t share, but when they came out of deliberations, their answer was unanimous.

The Fourth of the Four would live.

They denied Revik’s request.

I couldn’t help but be relieved.

As part of that whole thing, I also found out Balidor had been named as the newest member of the Council of Seven.

I hadn’t been thrilled by the news, frankly.

“No,” I said, when he first told me. “I appreciate that they’ve offered it. Obviously you deserve it. But no, ‘Dori. You’re the head of the Adhipan. I absolutely cannot spare you. They’ll have to pull someone out of meditation or something if they’re short a body.”

Balidor gave me one of those smiles of his, clicking softly. “It is a very great honor you would deprive me of, Esteemed Bridge. You know this,na?”

His words flustered me. They made me ashamed and angry at the same time. I didn’t catch that he was teasing until a few seconds later.

“Damn you,” I said.

“We worked out a compromise––” he began, smiling wider.

“YouknewI’d freak out,” I said, clicking at him, half in exasperation. “You knew, and you let me do it anyway. Jerk.”

“I can do both, Esteemed Bridge,” he assured me, leaning on the edge of his metal desk. “I just wanted to see your reaction, I confess.” When I smacked his arm, he smiled. “They promised to only pull me into sessions where my Adhipan duties will not conflict.” Still smiling faintly, he let his gray eyes turn more serious before he added, “Itisa great honor, though. I am a bit insulted if you do not think so.”

Letting out another involuntary laugh, I threw my arms around him, giving him a hug.

My voice came out half in amusement and half in lingering annoyance.

“You really are a jerk,” I told him.

“It’s been mentioned, Esteemed Bridge,” he said, smiling back. “Mainly by your husband, incidentally.”

Despite his newfound status, Balidor recused himself from the decision about Cass, without giving a specific reason as to why. He still sat in on the deliberations. He told me they’d looked at various permutations of possible timelines, then discussed what they saw. Apparently, the timelines that turned out the most promising all had Cass playing some kind of role.

Of course, Balidor added, making one of those cryptic expressions of his, some of the veryworstscenarios featured Cass, as well.

Around that same time, Balidor also informed me he’d heard back from his mysterious leader of the Children of the Bridge.

He didn’t tell me much, only that she preferred to introduce herself to me in person. She also wanted to explain to me who she was in person, and why she hadn’t revealed herself before now.

I found it all kind of irritating and pretentious, honestly.

Since she’d also offered to lend us infiltrators, however, and help us find more humans and seers on the Lists, I agreed to all of her terms.

Finding a meeting spot was harder.

We had to go around Singapore.

Singapore was a Shadow city, although one of the smaller ones.

Of course we didn’t want to get anywhere near Dubai, not until we were ready to move on it for real. We were warned off Jakarta and really anywhere in Indonesia due to extreme violence reported onDrahk,not to mention serious flooding and storms.

Timor and Thailand weren’t much better, apparently.

Even more extreme flooding plagued the Philippines and New Guinea. The Maldives were entirely underwater after their fields crashed, which I admit, disappointed me, since I’d really wanted to go there. We considered Australia, but the Children of the Bridge said it would be too difficult for them. We did know Australia banned seers a few months earlier, so it was probably better if we steered clear, anyway.

Balidor had been the one to suggest Sri Lanka.