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“Malice specifically aimed at Lyd?” Daniel asked.

Adrian nodded, hefted the rapier and impaled his own hand on it without even flinching. A moment later, he pulled it off and raised his hand to reveal no wound. “It’s somehow been made to only damage her. I mean, it will damage inanimate objects as well but not living things, and even now it’s trying to move itself to aim at her. I don’t think it can actually do that but there’s an imp empowering it so I wouldn’t like to swear to it.”

“We’ll keep a firm hold on it then,” Sonia said. She took the rapier from him and examined it. “Yes, I see what you mean about the imp and given the way that key thing of Hannah’s acts, we’ll need to confine it. On the upside, if we can extract the imp, we’ll be able to find out who did this.”

“Easier said than done,” Adrian said as two imps flew through the wall to him. One shot to Kyle and the other to him. “That was quick.” Both boys absorbed the messengers and Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. “Indaturan is very worried. He wants you to bring the rapier to them immediately.”

“Ystelyan says the same,” Kyle said. “He’s worried too.”

“Okay, I’ll just tell James and we’ll go,” Matthias said.
***
Not just Ystelyan and Indaturan but all of their allies were there when they arrived and they all looked just as worried. Alaryia hurried over to Lydia and put her hands on her shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

Lydia nodded. “I had a premonitionary panic and ran just before it hit.”

“Thank goodness!” Alaryia turned to Sonia, who was holding the rapier so tightly her knuckles were white. “Let’s see what this thing can tell us about who made it.”

“Please,” Sonia said. “Because I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time until they try again.” She handed the rapier to Alaryia.

Alaryia frowned at it and hefted it as if testing the weight. “Yes, I see what you mean.” She turned to Takilyan. “Tak, help me get this locked down before it recharges. I don’t know what it will be able to do once it has.”

“Hmm?” Takilyan rose from his feet and came over. He ran a hand over the rapier and swore. “Well at the very least its creator would be able to see through it. I think it might be mobile. Let’s deal with that right now.” He closed his eyes and bands of green appeared around the rapier. “There, that should stop it recharging while allowing us to examine it.” He laid it down on the table. “So the question is, who would want to kill Lydia-ida and why now? Because I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“No,” Indaturan said. “It seems likely this is about her change.” He scowled at the rapier. “Though why are the trying to frame Aneria-miria? Surely not just as a distraction but it’s not like there’s any possibility of an alliance there.”

“Only one one way to find out,” Ystelyan said. “We have to try and remove the imp from it and identify the sender.”

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