And I had no idea if she was telling me the truth or only what my father wanted me to hear. I’d have to verify this. If this was true, then it explained Adora’s panic at being set free. And now she was my dirty secret. I had no idea how to break it to Curran.

“Are you mad at me?” Julie asked, her voice small.

“No.” I was plenty mad at myself. “I’m worried.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said.

“He will hurt you. That’s what he does.”

She smiled, her face in profile with the backdrop of the evening sky behind it. She looked so young right then, but her smile was bitter.

“When I talk to him, I never forget what he did to Hugh.”

Ouch.

“Promise me you will never do that to me.”

“I will never exile you. I will never prevent you from leaving.” I sank enough magic into those words to make a dozen wards.

She hugged her knees.

“You’re my daughter, Julie. But you have to promise me that if you see me treat people the way my father does, you will leave.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Promise me, Julie.”

“Okay. I will leave. But you’re not going to do that, right?”

“Right.” I would fight to my last breath to remain me. I didn’t know if I could win, but I’d be damned if I gave up.

Hold on, Father. We will have a conversation regarding my kid and everything else. I promise you that.

• • •

WHEN WE GOT home, Curran wasn’t there. Walking into my kitchen was like putting on my favorite T-shirt. By the time I made myself and Julie a sandwich with bread, cheese, and leftover roasted meat and brewed a cup of tea, I felt almost normal. There was still time to make some phone calls.

I called Teddy Jo first.

“Yes?”

“Hello, winged devil. Are the Pegasuses rideable?”

“Kate?” He sounded startled.

“Yes.”

“Good evening to you, too.”

“Good evening, Teddy Jo. How’s life, how’s the family? Are the Pegasuses rideable?”

“First, pegasi. It’s not the original Pegasus. To answer your question, yes, they are rideable. For the right person.”

Right person, okay. I picked up a legal pad. This was going to cost me.

“You there?”

“Sure.” Hey there, I’m Kate, I came to do my twelve labors. Where do I sign up? I was really beginning to doubt the whole oracle thing. “How do I become the right person?”

A long silence.

“Teddy Jo? Are you okay?”

“Some things you just don’t do,” he said. There was an odd finality about his voice that told me he wasn’t talking about flying horses.

“Are you in trouble?” I asked.

Silence.

“Level with me. Are you in trouble?”

“Yes,” he said.

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

“How do you get out of trouble?”

Silence.

“It’s been a long day, but I don’t mind driving to your place if you would rather talk in person.” Translation: my patience is short and I will drive over to wherever you are and shake you until you tell me.

“I’m supposed to arrange a meeting between you and someone else. I was sitting here thinking about it when you called.”

“Is it the kind of meeting I don’t walk away from?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do they have on you?”

“They have something of mine. Something that I have to have to remain me.” I could hear it in his voice. Whatever they took had him scared, and Teddy Jo didn’t scare easily.

“So what you’re telling me is, I’ve been invited to an interesting meeting and you weren’t going to tell me. Not cool, Theodore. Not cool.”

“Kate . . .”

I needed to get to Mishmar as soon as I could. But judging by Teddy Jo’s voice, he needed help and he needed it now. He was doing a good job of hiding the desperation, but it was there. I had a feeling all of this was somehow connected.

“We’ve been friends, what, four years now? Five? I expected better of you. Where are we going and when?”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at your house.” His voice regained some of its normal grumpiness. “Nine o’clock. Wear boots and bring your sword.”

“I always bring my sword.”

Julie brought in a stack of mail and put a white envelope in front of me.

“Good. I’ll be bringing a harness.”

“A harness for what?”

“For whom. For you. It’s easier to carry you that way.”

I sighed. “Are we flying?”

“I’m flying. If you’re lucky, I won’t drop you.”

“If you drop me, I’ll be very put out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I hung up and opened the envelope. Inside on a crisp piece of paper embossed with roses, an outrageously curvy cursive said:

With great pleasure

We invite you to the union of

Kate Daniels

and

Curran Lennart

“What is this?”

“It’s a wedding invitation,” Julie said.

“I didn’t order any.”

Julie grinned at me. “Roman.”

Ugh. That’s right. I waved the envelope at her. “It has flowers on it.”