"No, no, I don't want things," Diana said. "What I mean is, I'm doing this because I can't just stand around and not do anything when stuff like that is going on." She shivered. "I have to do anything I can to help. But. I'm still not the right person. So the first condition is that while I'm pretending to be the Wild Power, you guys have somebody out looking for the real one."
Keller said smoothly, "I'll tell Circle Daybreak. They'll keep looking and checking other Harmans. They'll do it for as long as you want them to."
They would, too. It was a small price to pay.
"And the other condition?" Keller asked.
"I want to go to Jaime's party on Saturday."
Instant uproar. Even Nissa was talking over people. Keller cut short her own exclamations and gestured for everybody to shut up.
Then she looked Diana dead in the eye.
'It's impossible. And you know it's impossible. Unless you've found a way to be in two places at once."
"Don't be stupid," Diana said. That small, determined chin was tight. "I mean before the promise ceremony thing. I want to go just for an hour or two. Because she's one of my very best friends, and she's gotten attacked twice because of me."
"So what? You're already making it up to her. You're saving her life and her twin brother's life and her parents' lives-"
"No, I'm not. I'm faking being a Wild Power when I know it isn't true. I'm acting a lie." There were tears in Diana's eyes now. "But I'm not going to hurt Jaime's feelings, and I'm not going to break my promise to her. And that's that. So if you want me to go through with your little charade, I'll do it, but I want to go to the party first."
There was a silence.
Well, she's stubborn, I'll give her that, Keller thought. Once she decides on something, she absolutely won't be budged on it. I guess that will be helpful when the Wild Powers fight the darkness someday. But right now, it was simply infuriating.
Keller drew a very long breath and said, "Okay."
Winnie and Nissa looked at her sharply. They hadn't expected her to give in so fast, and they were undoubtedly wondering if their boss had some trick up her sleeve.
Chapter 13
Unfortunately, Keller didn't. "Well just have to work something out," she said to her team. "Make it as safe as possible, and stick by her every minute."
Winnie and Nissa exchanged unhappy glances. But they didn't say anything.
Keller looked at Diana. "The one thing is, you have to be at the Solstice Ceremony at midnight They're meeting in Charlotte, so that's about twenty minutes' drive, and we'd better leave plenty of time for safety. Say an hour at the least. If you're not there, where the shapeshifters and the witches are meeting, at exactly midnight-"
"My coach turns into a pumpkin' Diana said tartly. She swabbed her nose with a tissue.
"No, the shapeshifters walk out, and any chance of an alliance is gone forever."
Diana sobered, stared at the table. Then she met Keller's eyes. 'I'll be there. I know it, and you know why? Because you'll get me there."
Keller stared at her, astonished. She heard Winnie give a short yelp of laughter and saw that Nissa was hiding a smile.
Then she felt a smile pulling up the corner of her own lip. "You're right; I will. Even if I have to drag you. Here, shake on it." They did. And then Diana turned to Galen. She had been watching him out of the corner of her eye ever since she'd first started talking. And now she looked hesitant again.
"If there's anything-any reason I shouldn't do it.. ." She fumbled to a stop. Keller kicked Galen's ankle hard.
He glanced up. He still didn't look like the Galen she knew. Talking about the dragons had done something to him, thrown a shadow across his face and turned his eyes inward. And Diana's announcement hadn't lightened anything.
Keller stared at him intently, wishing she had telepathy. Don't you dare, she was thinking. What's wrong with you? If you mess this up, after all the work we've done and with so much at stake...
Then she realized something. Before, when he'd been telling the history of the dragons, Galen had looked brooding and a little scary. Now, he still looked brooding but unutterably sad. Heart-stricken-and full of such regret.
She could almost hear his voice in her head. Keller, I'm sorry...
Don't be an idiot, Keller thought, and maybe she wasn't telepathic, but she was certain that he could read her eyes. What have you got to be sorry for? Hurry up and do what you're supposed to do. Her heart was pounding, but she kept her breathing tightly controlled. Nothing mattered but Circle Daybreak and the alliance. Nothing. To think of anything else at a time like this would be the height of selfishness.
And love is for the weak.
Galen dropped his eyes, almost as if he had lost a battle. Then he turned slowly from Keller to Diana. Who was standing with tears about to fall, hanging like diamonds on her lashes. Keller felt a twisting inside her chest.
But Galen, as always, was doing exactly the right thing. He took Diana's hand gently and brought it to his cheek in a gesture of humility and simplicity. He could do that without stopping looking noble for a moment. After all, he was a prince. "I'd be very honored to go through the promise ceremony with you," he said, looking up at her. "If you can bring yourself to do it with me. You understand everything I was telling you before- about my family..."
Iliana blinked and breathed again. The tears had magically disappeared, leaving her eyes like violets freshly washed in rain. "I understand all that. It doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything about you, and you're still one of the best people I've ever met." She blinked again and smiled.
Nobody could have resisted it. Galen smiled back.
"Not nearly as good as you."
They stayed that way for a moment, looking at each other, holding hands-and glowing. They looked perfect together, silver and gold, a fairytale picture.
That's it. It's done. She'll have to go through the ceremony now, Keller thought. As long as we can keep her alive, we've recruited a Wild Power. Mission accomplished.
I'm really happy about this.
So why was there a heaviness in her chest that hurt each time she breathed?
It was late that afternoon when the second call came.