Winnie had stopped her latest exercises. Sweat painted the sides of her face. She picked up a towel, mopped her brow, and caught him watching. She offered him a thumbs-up and a smile. He returned the girl’s smile and called her over.

  “Winnie, there are some things we must discuss. Difficult things.”

  “Sure, Artos,” she said. “I hope I’m doing everything okay. I feel really connected right now. I haven’t felt too tired since you showed me that mender trick. Now I feed energy back into my own chakras and finish with more energy than I started with.”

  “Be careful. That technique can be useful when you’re forced to operate beyond your normal limits, but it can be a problem if you use it too much. It’s easy to overload your system with too much power and burn out. At least, that’s the theory.”

  “Noted.” Winnie hung the towel around her neck. “So, what’s up? The training is coming along great, don’t you think?”

  “It is. You’ve progressed far, considering the short amount of time you’ve been actively training. But this isn’t about training. We need a way to reclaim my power here in the city so we can continue to fight Director Kane. I fear he’s up to something again and I can’t figure out what while cooped up here in this house.”

  “I can do some digging. Danny might have some connections … maybe someone can tell us what’s going on.”

  “No. You must stay away from the boy for now. His presence will only distract you.” There was something else going on there that Artos couldn’t identify. That boy had a hold on Winnie, even from a distance. He couldn’t quite understand it, but when Artos used his mender skills to view Winnie, he saw impenetrable blocks in her central being. It made Artos wonder if Danny’s escape from Kane had truly been the daring getaway he boasted about.

  Winnie scrunched her face when he told her not to see Danny. “At least call him on the phone, Artos. I want to tell him about our progress. He’ll be so happy for me.”

  “Very well. You may speak to the young man on the phone, after we’re finished here.”

  Artos could cast a viewing while they spoke, see if there was a connection between them that wasn’t supposed to be there.

  “In the meantime, let’s discuss how we’re going to deal with our dual problems: We have Kane doing his level best to turn the entire population against every chanter in the city, and Cleaver Yorke occupying the city enough that we can’t properly position ourselves to counter Kane. It’s a vicious circle that has us both running to solve problems on both sides at once.”

  “Maybe we propose a truce with Cleaver. He doesn’t like Kane any more than you do.”

  “Kane isn’t the problem to Cleaver that he is to me. He’s seen what he wants, and that single-minded focus isn’t going to change. Cleaver thinks if he has you, his problems will be gone. He doesn’t see how his vision can be seen from two directions, and could represent the opposite of what he thinks he’s seeing. We can kill two birds with a single stone, Winnie, so long as you are that stone.”

  “I’m tired of being the one that everyone relies on for everything. The city already sees me as some sort of savior. I can’t go out in public without a mask.”

  “I know it’s tough. But you act as if I’ve never been in that position myself. I’ve seen my share of atrocities, believe me. I was there at the end, when Europe crumbled. I was charged with vetting passengers on the last boat out of Liverpool before it all collapsed. Don’t ever tell me how tough you have it because people look up to you. At times like this, all people have is hope. A single decision made in haste during a time of calamity can have lasting effects on the world.”

  “I’m sorry if you think I don’t appreciate everything you’re doing for me, Artos. I do. Really. I just feel like … ”

  Artos raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t say ‘why me,’ Winnie. It’s beneath you. It’s you because you have the privilege to be the one chosen to make a difference. It could be worse. At least you control your destiny in this mess. Everyone else is forced to sit by and wait to see if you’ll step up and own your duty.”

  Winnie looked at the floor, clearly shamed by his correction.

  Good.

  “The plan is simple, Winnie. Kane wants the world to blame chanters. I can’t fight his power of persuasion, or stop his many mouthpieces from spreading all of those lies. But we can try and twist what they’re saying to our own ends. And we might be able to direct the middling anger and fear at a single chanter rather than at all of them.”

  “You mean make them all hate Cleaver Yorke and his men.”

  Artos nodded. “It’s the perfect plan. We dull the point of Kane’s sharpest blade while using it to excise the cancer in our midst. We simply need to draw attention to Cleaver’s presence in the city and match his timeframe in Baltimore to the approximate time all our disasters started.”

  “What about the other cities where middlings are attacking chanters? Cleaver isn’t there. So how do we blame him in those places?”

  “If we can make the blame stick in one city, it will spread elsewhere. We only care about unseating Cleaver in Baltimore. And besides, there are other Sable bosses in the other cities. Some of the blame will rub off on them as well.”

  “Doesn’t that mean it will rub off on you? You’re a Sable boss, too.”

  “But I’m not in charge now. I represent a return to normality. If we can clear the skies over Baltimore even part of the day, we’ll both be heroes to the people. Kane will have no control over our popularity.”

  “I can’t do this alone. I have to bring Tris and Cait in on our plan. Danny could help with all his middling connections.”

  Artos winced. But he didn’t want to micromanage Winnie. She would develop a plan to move forward with the resources and people she needed. As the prophecy’s daughter, she must find her own path as much as possible, without interference from him.

  “When will this bloodless coup against Cleaver go down? We’ve been training hard for the last few days and I’m only now getting the hang of things.”

  “We should take a break and let your training settle. You can practice on your own while you and your crew plan to unseat Mr. Yorke. I suggest you stay with your mother, so you’re within the Enclave and closer to Cleaver than you are here, or with your young man.”

  “I’m not especially pleased with my mother right now, Artos.”

  “I’m aware of that, Winnie. But it’s been a while since your fight. Go home, dress your wounds. She is your reason for being involved with me in the first place.”

  Winnie glanced at her phone to check the time. “It’s too late to catch a ride on any local bus. Nothing much runs this late in the outskirts. I’ll have to wait until morning.”

  “I’d bet if you went out and asked Cleaver’s men for a ride downtown, they’d be happy to do it. They’ll imagine they’re doing it for Cleaver. They did give you a ride out here to begin with, didn’t they?”

  “True. Still, I feel like a creep riding back with Cleaver’s men while plotting against him.”

  “We’re not in this game to feel good about ourselves. The ends justify the means. Go home to your mother and make amends. Then pull your crew together and set your plans into motion. It’s time, my dear, to change the world.”

  Winnie nodded and went to gather her few belongings from the spare bedroom. Alone, Artos pondered his next steps. He had a few phone calls to make and rumors to start about his adversary from New Amsterdam.

  It was time to reclaim his broken throne.

  Chapter 38

  Winnie unlocked her apartment door and stepped into the foyer.

  After staying with Danny for a week, this didn’t feel as much like home. She had mentally burned the bridge to this place while fighting with her mother. Now she was back in her house, unsure of how to make amends.

  A familiar creak on a floorboard caused Winnie to turn. She saw her mother standing in the hallway, leaning on her cane. Winnie tried to smile, but tears betrayed her true emotions. Elaine held out a hand and Winnie rushed into her hug.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Elaine exclaimed, hugging her daughter tight. “It’s alright, dear. I’m here, and everything is going to work out.”

  They held each other forever, Winnie savoring the familiar touch and other things she had missed, like the scent of her mother’s shampoo.

  Winnie finally let go and stepped back.

  Elaine looked at her, smiling. “You look like you could use something to eat. Mrs. Paulson has been looking in on me and helping to get my groceries while you were gone. I asked her to get me some ground beef, so I could make meatballs if you came home. Would you like to make them together?”

  “I’d love that,” Winnie said, wiping her eyes, trying to clear the tears. She had been so mad at her mother, and yet here she was, back at home as if nothing had happened between them.

  Winnie would cherish their shared afternoon in the kitchen forever. It was a much-needed return to normal, and helped her get comfortable with her mother, without being focused on her whereabouts or the distance that had yawned between them.

  Once the meatballs were finished, the pasta was cooked, and their mess was all cleaned, Winnie and her mother settled down to share their meal. Winnie savored the flavors — they were just as she’d remembered. She had prepared this meal many times herself, on those days when Mom’s arthritis flared up so bad she couldn’t use her hands enough to round out the meatballs. But it was never, ever the same.

  Winnie said, “I don’t know why everything always tastes so much better when you make it.”

  “It’s a special mom ingredient.”

  “If you say, ‘it’s because it’s made with love,’ I’m going to barf.”

  Elaine laughed and pointed to Winnie’s nearly empty plate. “There’s more in the pot. Eat up. I can’t imagine that you’ve been eating well. I worried about that. You always forget to take care of yourself when you get wrapped up in whatever.”

  Winnie thought about being wrapped up in whatever, like Danny’s arms. She tried to change the subject. “I’m glad Mrs. Paulson could help out while I was gone. I’ll have to thank her.”

  “I’d leave that to me, Winnie. She’s a bit miffed with you for running off.”

  “I didn’t run off, Mom. I left because you wouldn’t let me live my life.” Winnie winced, hoping the conversation wasn’t about to turn inside out.

  Elaine put her fork down and stared at Winnie. Then: “You’ve always been a strong-willed girl. In many ways, you remind me of myself when I was your age. And it’s because of that connection that I worry about your decisions, and the things you’re choosing to get mixed up with.”

  “It’s my life to live, Mom. There are things you don’t know about, things going on that I can’t explain. Things you wouldn’t understand.”

  “I’ve not lived my life in a convent, Winnie. I know what happens in the world. I remember the horror stories about Europe’s fall. It sounded a lot like what’s happening now. People blamed chanters in Europe, too, you know. It’s not as new or novel as you think.”

  “People expect a lot of me, Mom. I have responsibilities to you and to my friends. Artos wants me to—”

  “That’s your first problem: listening to Artos Merrilyn. I told you not to get mixed up with him. You’re needlessly putting yourself in harm’s way!”

  “That’s just it, Mom. There is a need. People are dying. The world is falling apart and there are people who believe that I can somehow fix it all, if I’d only learn to control what I can do. I’m a different person than the girl who used to open the shop to sell household charms to happy customers.”

  “What about your friends, Winnie? What do they think about all that you’re mixed up with? Cait and Tris have always given you solid counsel. I can’t believe they think you should be doing all that you’re doing.”

  “Cait and Tris are with me in this. They have been since the beginning. They understand what’s happening. You don’t see it. But there are people out there like Director Kane who wish to kill us all so that they can have all the power themselves. We have to stand up for ourselves, or else every chanter on the planet will become extinct. That’s what I’m trying to stop.”

  “And you think getting mixed up with mobsters like Artos will make it all better? You know, he’s been replaced by some monster from New Amsterdam. I’ve heard the new boss is even worse than Artos. Are you planning to work with him, too?”

  “I’ve met Cleaver Yorke. He’s scary, I’ll admit, but he wants me to join him. That’s what I’m trying to say. I have to take sides, do things you don’t want me to do so I can take care of … my responsibilities.” She looked at her mother, trying to make her understand by sheer force of will.

  Elaine shook her head. “You mean me. You’re using me and my medicine as an excuse to do whatever the hell you want.” She reached for her cane and levered herself to a standing position. “I sometimes wonder if you’d have been better off if I’d not survived my last hospitalization. Then you wouldn’t have me as an excuse to run off and engage in all of your illegal ventures with your mobster friends. I’m sick of it, Winnie. I want it to stop.”

  “I can’t, Mom, there’s too much at stake. The world is falling apart and people like Nils Kane would like nothing more than for me to stand back and let it happen. Whether it’s Artos, or Cleaver Yorke, or someone else, we have to stand up and fight back.”

  “Nils Kane is the Director of Magical Containment. You stay away from him. He’s dangerous. If that’s what Artos Merrilyn has you involved with, then I forbid you to see him, or the Cleaver guy, or anyone else that has you tied up with Kane. You don’t know the things I do about Kane, or what he and his kind are capable of.”

  Winnie thought back to the night at the steel mill and shook her head. “You have no idea what I know about Kane and what he’s capable of. It’s the reason I’ve tried so hard to get in his way. Kane and people like him must be stopped —”

  “At all costs? Because that’s what it will take. Kane and his compatriots will stop at nothing to get what they want. They will kill you.”

  Winnie stood. She couldn’t do anything to make this better. Mom wasn’t going to change her mind and Winnie wouldn’t change hers. She glared at her mother, gathering the plates.

  “I can tend to those,” Elaine said. “You and I need to finish our argument. You can’t stay here if you’re planning to use your magic like you have been. It will kill you like it killed Joey. His addiction got him into trouble he couldn’t escape.”

  “I know how Joey died, Mom. I only told you he died from a Sable overdose because I didn’t want you knowing the truth. I saw him die. Kane ordered his Red Legs to kill him and they did. Right in front of us. Then he tried to kill me and Tris and Cait. We stopped him and got away, because of my magic. So I can’t stop using it — it’s the only thing that will keep us alive.”

  Winnie stalked toward the apartment door. This was all a mistake. She didn’t care what Artos thought; her mother would never understand, and she had work to do.

  Winnie reached for her jacket and backpack.

  “Winnie,” Elaine called from behind. “If you go out that door, I can’t help you anymore. You can’t keep coming home and asking me to take you back when you’re doing all the things I forbid you to do. Leave if you must. But understand that I can’t take you back.”

  Winnie spun around and pointed at her mother. She was furious, angry at herself as much as her mother. She tried to think of something to say, anything that might make her understand. In the end, she surrendered, shaking her head. Then she turned, walked out the door, and pulled it shut behind her.

  Winnie wouldn’t abandon her mother’s medical needs, but she couldn’t keep coming back and getting pummeled over doing what had to be done.

  Her mother’s sobs faded behind her. Winnie swiped at her leaking eyes as she approached the elevator. She didn’t have time to be sad, or angry, or any other useless emotion. She had a plan to put into action and it had been delayed long enough.

  Winnie watched the elevator doors close on this ugly chapter in her life.

  Chapter 39

  Winnie unrolled the air mattress, plugged in the pump to fill it, and looked around at Charmed’s back office. It had been her home away from home forever; it was fitting to live here now.

  The motor hummed, slowly inflating the mattress. Winnie pulled out her phone and sent messages to Cait and Tris, asking them to come over. The sooner she put her plan into motion, the sooner she could get done all the things she’d been putting off for too long.

  The mission as she and Artos had outlined would have a two-fold effect. It would label Cleaver Yorke as the cause of the city’s problems, and net Winnie and her crew a significant sum of cash from the New Amsterdam boss’s coffers. He’d been taking in all the money from the Baltimore Sable trade since taking over, and Artos had discovered that he was keeping it all in his former Mender’s Hall offices. He was supposed to send it north, back to New Amsterdam, in a few days, but if Winnie could orchestrate her strike before then, she and her crew could have it all for themselves … minus a cut to Artos, of course.

  That money was the key. Winnie could set up a trust to take care of Elaine’s medical needs forever with her share. She’d never have to worry about it again, or see her mother to help. Even after taking care of her mother, she and Danny would have enough left to get started with their lives.

  Just thinking about Danny drew attention to a gut-deep need inside her. She wanted to be near him, help with his headaches. Part of her felt guilty because she craved the sweet aftermath from that particular spell, the surge of feeling coursing through her. She never felt quite so alive as she did after delving into his head to make him feel better.