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“She used the tether to summon you. Then she gave you something to alter the memory.” The truth is a knife between my ribs. “So that everyone in House Marionne has fake memories of my Cotillion.” My world dents at its edges. My grandmother could have planted literally anything in her mind. And not just Abby—anyone tethered to her House. Octos stares at me with a brow raised, and I realize he’s worried about the same thing.

“Guys, what are you—”

“Abby, listen to me. My grandmother can summon you to her any moment. Don’t take any food or drink from her. Don’t even breathe the air in that place.”

“Replacing memories for all those tethered to House of Marionne doesn’t get rid of the talk about what happened,” Octos says. “There had to be others at the ball, from other Houses, who saw?”

“They’ll be written off as gossips. See?” I gesture at Abby. “My grandmother’s as clever as she’s evil. And always ten steps ahead.”

Abby’s gaze darts between us. “I did hear some things about—terrible lies, Quell, about how you accused your grandmother of enslaving her House. How you unleashed dark magic at the party to ruin it because you were denied participation. Someone even said you and Shelby Duncan were conspiring together. And that you killed her!”

Something shifts in my bones. “People think I killed Shelby?”

“I don’t believe any of it.” She grabs my hands.

“Oh, Abby. I’m so sorry.” I hug her and she sinks into my hold.

“You’re saying…Did Headmistress really—” She begins to sob quietly.

“Abby, it’s going to be okay. Just trust me, okay?” I tell her everything that happened again and detail the plan of why she was looking for my mom—because I can’t, not if Draguns or my grandmother are after me, because that’s the first thing they would expect me to do. I’m careful to leave out how I bound to toushana. I need to shield my own truth. She nods, a few tears still in her eyes. By the end, the afternoon sky has dimmed. Knox and Willam will be back before dark. We’re running out of time.

“Where exactly have you looked for my mom?”

Abby pulls out a notepad and hands it to me. It’s filled with addresses from cities all over.

“I did find out that, at one point, she wasn’t traveling alone. But no one I asked knew who she was with. And that was a long time ago, back when you were at the Chateau.”

“Where was she when she was traveling with someone?”

“Chicago.”

There’s no House near there. “What was she doing?” I mutter, more to myself than anyone. I search Octos for understanding, but he only shrugs.

“We should hurry back,” he says.

“There’s still light left,” I assure him. “Even if we get back a few minutes after them, they won’t miss us.” Safe house grocery days were an all-day affair. Keeping a houseful of people fed while living off the Order’s radar was no quick job.

“If they see us coming out of the woods from this direction…”

“They won’t.” I’m less worried about not having a place to stay if they kick us out and more worried about what they’ll do if they find out Octos lied to them about who we are and why we’re there. Octos sets down his backpack and digs through it for something that he doesn’t find.

“I’m going to get a glimpse of the house from the edge of the trees.” His cloak takes him, and I turn back to Abby, who is staring in the distance.

“Did I remember everything the last time we met here?” She rubs her arms.

I nod. “We had no idea she was going to use the tether that way, and so soon. Does Mynick know all this?”

“He does. So he should remember.” She exhales, and I consider urging her to keep Mynick in the dark about all this until I’m sure I can trust him. But this isn’t the time to stress her out more.

“Where exactly are you staying?” Abby asks.

I’m not sure what to say, but I try my best. “The people we’re staying with are very”—I search for the right word—“private.”

“Are they in the Order?”

I don’t answer her.

“I’m doing everything I can to help you. Please don’t keep secrets, Quell.”