y
and the first thing my old teacher
artment with an ice pack press
Ashby," I
l's chief interpreter for twenty years
final apprentice. Three years ago, the week before I was supposed to fly out t
spoken to
tly, you lasted a year longer than I bet you would. Are you done wasting t
phone. "I owed you an apolog
her end. "The Council is hosting a delegation from the Desert Pack tonight at The Aster. Sheikh Fais
by, I haven't worked a Cou
she snapped. Then her voice softened, just a fracti
es
in the phot
ic
finished climbing all the
of the staff briefing room at The Aster in a tailored
aining camp were lined up in front of Diane Lowell,
Do you do Council summits a lot?" she whispered. "If I mess up
small shake
se, a sharp voice cut across the
is there someone her
head t
aight at me, her nostrils flaring slightly as she t
Council summit? They'll sme
ainees snickered u
badge pinned to her
ld her final trial in Chicago, there had been one oth
arance was signed by the Council's chief
et. Tessa's face went
side me tugged my sleeve, her eyes huge. "I'm Lindsay Shaw. Wa
Ashby had told the Council to save my
l's party just pulled up. Vaughn Pack's head is meeting him inside to disc
Dire
arble rotunda at the to
o Council security guards we
t issued by the Council," t
pped, his face dark with humiliation as three other Alphas
and saw me comin
d. "Ivy? What
own. I didn't e
opened instantly for my silver Council badge, and stopped in fr
, classical Gulf Arabic, welcoming the Desert Pack to
rise before he smiled and answered me in ra
voice cracked acros
do you spe
d two steps behind him. Ton
s were blinding. I guided the Sheikh toward the hosti
stopped dead
ear-old powerhouse who ran half the energy grid in Texas. I recognized her sharp cheekbones
charcoal bespoke suit that fit his broad s
slated the introductions, gesturing toward th
er with narrowed eyes, their nostrils flaring slightly, as if they w
his eyelashes. He shook the Sheikh's hand as if
ecurity, refining quotas. At the end of a long sentence about shipping schedules, the Sheikh added an offhand m
rt of the formal terms, so I kept my tra
inch toward Ryder, her
take t
fixed on the skyline outside the window. His voice was
ple would share their researc
face twitched as I turned back to the Sheikh and
od the Arabic.
ue spok
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