An emergency Conclave meeting had been called, and at the end of it Mimi was surprised to find Bliss waiting outside the doors. "What are you doing here?" she asked, slinging her gym bag over her shoulder. She'd been in the middle of a two-hour cardio session before heading to the Force Tower. She hadn't had time to change or look presentable. Her hair was still sticking to her sweaty forehead.

"Forsyth picked me up from school, and when he got the summons, he brought me with him," Bliss told her. "What's happened?"

"Your dad didn't tell you?" Mimi hesitated, using a terry-cloth wristband to wipe the dampness on her cheek.

"Something to do with a golden sword?" Bliss asked.

Mimi shrugged without confirming Bliss's guess. She was especially annoyed with Bliss, whom she'd always assumed to be more of an also-ran rather than a homecoming queen in the grand scheme of things. Yet the city's machers and arbiters of fashion couldn't seem to get enough of the russet-haired Amazon. After opening the Rolf Morgan show, Bliss had booked more advertising campaigns than ever. Her face was everywhere - on billboards, on top of taxicabs. She was inescapable.

Mimi would forgive sudden fame and glory - God knows that's what everyone in New York was after - but she couldn't forgive Bliss for choosing sides, especially since it was the wrong one. Everyone at school knew Bliss and Schuyler were besties. Mimi found it insulting that Bliss, a girl who wouldn't have had a social leg to stand on in Duchesne without Mimi's blessing, had turned her back on the in-crowd to hang with the ragged little group of misfits.

She didn't want to share her information, but the opportunity to lord her insider status over her former friend was too much for Mimi to resist. "It's Michael's sword," she explained. "The Blade of Justice."

"What about it?"

"It's missing. Charles called the meeting as soon as he discovered it was gone." Mimi had arrived at the Conclave to find her father at the head of the table. Charles had been furious. He was certain someone on the Conclave had taken it, and had begun the assembly by accusing several members of robbery.

Bliss looked around at the Elders, who were leaving the meeting in whispering groups. "Why is it important?"

"Duh. Don't you remember? It's the Archangel's sword. It's only one of two in the world. Gabrielle has the other, of course - you know, Allegra - but no one knows where it disappeared to when she went AWOL. It's been lost for decades. But Charles's, Michael's ... he kept it in a blood-lock in his study. But someone broke in. It's gone. He's sure the Croatan have it," Mimi explained. The blood-lock was the most powerful security the Blue Bloods had in their arsenal. Only the blood of an Archangel could open the case. It was an impossible puzzle. With Allegra in a coma, there were no other suspects.

"What's it got to do with the Silver Bloods?" Bliss wanted to know, as she sucked on the bandage covering her thumb. She'd woken up one morning to find it bleeding. Odd. Maybe she'd gotten a splinter in her sleep?

"Only an Archangel's sword can kill another Archangel. I can't believe you don't know that, Bliss," Mimi scolded. "Haven't you been doing the reading?"

"But why would Charles want to kill Allegra?"

"Not Allegra. God, do I have to spell everything out? If Lucifer is out there - you know? The High Prince of Darkness? Lucifer's a former Archangel. It's the only thing that can kill him. Normal Blue Blood swords - you get them before you're bonded, by the way, or don't you remember that either? Those just work against any old Silver Blood. But Michael's sword is the only one that can kill Lucifer."

"And now it's gone."

"Yeah. It sucks. Charles is really losing it if the sword slipped from his care," Mimi sighed. It truly looked bad for her father. She could sense that there were members of the Conclave who were suspicious of this "break-in." But why would Charles steal his own sword? Did they actually believe Michael, Pure of Heart, would consort with Silver Bloods?

Bliss looked around for her father. Forsyth was still in the room, probably talking to Charles. "So who do they think stole it?"

"They have no idea; although Charles said Kingsley was the last person who visited him in his study. I know they should never have trusted that loser. Anyway, Kingsley's team is incommunicado in Rio. They couldn't get him on the telepath. And Lawrence hasn't been checking in either. It's chaos," Mimi said a tad gleefully.

"I hope they don't think Dylan's behind it. He can't be," Bliss said nervously.

"What are you talking about?" Mimi asked. "Dylan? Why would he be involved? Didn't he disappear on you a few months ago? He's like, history." Mimi dimly remembered the story of how Dylan had broken into Bliss's window before being taken by a Silver Blood. Bliss had been inconsolable for days, and Mimi had tried to comfort Bliss by reminding her that the monster could have taken her too. She was lucky to be alive. The Conclave had sent a team to investigate and track down Dylan's whereabouts, but the Venators had found nothing.

"Don't you know?" Bliss asked.

"Know what?"

"Dylan's back and he's in rehab."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same guy. Dylan -  your deadbeat ex and the guy who killed Aggie? Who got turned into a Silver Blood?" Mimi demanded. Bliss wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. A girl who was still wearing last season's sack dresses in May was totally clueless, as far as Mimi was concerned.

"Yeah."

"Why would I know about it?" Mimi asked.

"You're on the Conclave. I turned him in to Forsyth. He said he would let the Conclave know, so that everyone could make a decision. He said the Elders decided to send him to Transitions."

Mimi shook her head, looking mystified. "No. Your dad never mentioned it in a meeting. We did no such thing." She looked at Bliss like she was out of her mind. How strange that Forsyth would keep something like that a secret from the Conclave.

"That's odd, why would he lie to me?"

"Who knows?" Mimi studied Bliss. "Dylan's really back? You're sure?"

Bliss nodded. "We visited him the other week."

"Take me to him. I'll let Forsyth know I need to make a report on Dylan for the Conclave."

Cordelia Van Alen Files

Repository of History

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT:

Altithronus Clearance Only

Cordelia. -  I trust you will find this satisfactory. Forsyth L.

The Houston Star

Birth Announcement

Congressman Forsyth Llewellyn and his wife, the former Roberta Prescott, are the proud parents of a new baby daughter. Jordan Grace Llewellyn was born exactly at midnight on January 1, 1994. Jordan is the second daughter of the congressman. Mother and baby are doing well.

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