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“If it comes to that, of course we’ll help,” Matthias said. “For now, how are we going to deal with this situation with the Government?”

Sophie sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I can’t blame them for being scared. Hell, I’m scared. The situation warrants it – they have to hold things together because it could so easily collapse into chaos if they didn’t. But they’re going about it completely the wrong way. I just hope they aren’t mistreating those kids.”

“Emily says not, Soph,” Edwin said. “She managed to find them this morning and she thinks they’re drugged but otherwise unharmed.”

“Keeping them drugged is bad enough,” Sonia said. “I take it Emily is a clairvoyant?”

“She is,” Sophie said. “An extraordinarily talented one.”

“We’ve had to conceal just how talented,” Edwin said. “She has remarkably detailed premonitions and she can project her consciousness into other places and sense them as if she was there physically. They’d have wanted her to spy and she would have refused. She’s very firm that she’ll only use her gifts to help people. I don’t want to think about what her refusal might have lead to.”

“I think I like her already,” Sonia said. “Do you think it would be possible to meet her?”

“That can be arranged,” Edwin said. “She’s one of the few people we’ve trusted with where we are tonight. Even with her ethics I wouldn’t be surprised if she was watching right now… if she can get past your wards anyway.”

Matthias tilted his head, checking the wards. “Someone did try to project in. The wards bounced them. They didn’t alert me because they detected no hostility.”

Edwin snorted. “I’d imagine not. Emily is possibly the least hostile person I’ve ever met.”

“We’ll tell her you want to meet her,” Sophie said. “I imagine she’ll be delighted. But let’s get back to the matter at hand. They’ve tried to keep those kids away from us but Emily knows where they are keeping them.”

“You want us to rescue them?” Matthias asked.

“Yes. We know you have no reason to trust us,” Edwin said. “It could be a trap after all. But as Sonia said, keeping them drugged is bad enough. Something has to be done.”

“And you can’t do it.” Matthias nodded. “It’s a pretty problem because even if it isn’t a trap – and I don’t think it is – the government could use it to turn people against us. Most people are scared enough to support them grabbing these kids. Especially after that Birmingham mess.”

“So make sure they don’t know it’s you,” Naria said. “You want them focused on the real enemy – make people think they did it.”

“That’s an interesting idea,” Edwin said thoughtfully. “How would you do that?”

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