Seven shakes his head. “That’s what we have to find out. None of this makes sense.”
“But how do we find out? Yissevel had to have returned to Shadowvale. He’s… giant. Someone would have noticed him. You would have caught him on camera.”
“Yep.”
“And how is he getting past the wall? We need to talk to the guardians about this.”
“They will never admit that a creature made it through without their knowledge.”
“We can show them this.” I gesture toward the footage.
He steps in closer and looks me in the eye. “I have a better idea.”
I cross my arms and wait expectantly. “Why are you hesitating?”
“Because you’re not going to like it.” At the impatient look I give him he says, “You and I are going to go through the wall and pay Yissevel a visit. We’re going to ask the beast himself what happened.”
“Go into Shadowvale?” My voice rises around a nervous laugh. The idea is senseless. Shadowvale is brimming with unseelie monsters, things without a conscience that would eat our throats out as readily as talk to us. “Are you insane? It’s suicide.”
He pinches my chin. “It’s not suicide because you’ll be with me and we will get very, very lucky. Between my luck and your illusion, we’ll be fine.”
I stare at him incredulously. “Are you sure about that? I have a daughter, Seven. I can’t take unnecessary risks with myself.”
He chuckles and slants me a crooked smile. “Nothing will happen to you, Sophia, and from what I hear, Arden is doing just fine on her own.”
My breath hitches. “What have you heard about Arden?”
He narrows his eyes on the screens as he logs out and returns everything to the way Ravi left it. “Heard she made it into Bailiwick’s, our old alma mater. Betsy Sullivan said she was quite charming in her interview.”
“Seven… Did you have something to do with her admission?”
He gently guides me toward the door and keys us out. “I’m on the school board. I’m involved with all admissions.” He winks at me.
I follow him past the front desk and out the doors just as a young leprechaun in uniform comes out of the bathroom and strides toward the room we were in. So Sevenisto thank for Arden’s admission to Bailiwick’s. I knew luck was involved. It was the only explanation.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what?” He leads me down the street a few yards and then pauses on the sidewalk.
“For helping Arden get into Bailiwick’s.”
He scoffs. “I didn’t need to help her. Everyone who meets herlovesher, Sophia. She’s just like you.”
His words knock the air out of me. I had friends, sure, but I wasn’t universally popular. “No one here ever loved me like that.”
His green eyes flash. “I did.”
I shake my head, my cheeks warming at his admission.
“You seriously don’t remember? You were the darling of every teacher, a sweet pixie girl from a salt-of-the-earth pixie family.”
I scoff. “If that were ever true, they don’t think that now. According to theHatterand Fairly Goodweather’s social column, I’m a criminal who needs to be punished, and my daughter is a half-human temptress whom people should hide their children from.”
Seven scowls. “This is why I never read those columns. Fairly Goodweather is an idiot.”
“Yeah.”
“Would you like a coffee?” He gestures to a cart nearby with an espresso machine and a selection of pastries.
