Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Margaret jumped up, her voice cutting through the air. "Hold it right there!"

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She turned to General Yardley, softening a bit. "General Yardley, we screwed up, and we're sorry. Let us go, please-I'll hand over the Henderson family heirloom. It's all yours!"

Raven quirked an eyebrow, throwing up a hand to freeze everyone in place.

She hadn't even started hunting for it, and now Margaret was just tossing it her way like a gift.

Well, that saved her a whole lot of hassle.

The Henderson family members stood there, stunned, their eyes popping out at Margaret's offer.

A few of them yelled at once, "Margaret, don't do it!"

One guy stepped up, his voice shaky with panic. "That's the heart of our family! We can't just give it up!"

Another jumped in, his face red and worked up. “Grandpa said before he passed- if one of us can tame that thing, we could get the whole Vyrdenia under control! Margaret, I'd rather sit in a cell than watch that dream die for good!"

Margaret's face tightened, her voice dropping.

"You all know what Bastion Prison's like," she said, "These old bones aren't walking out of there. What? You want me dead?"

She kept going, steady and sure. "Anyway, that thing's been collecting dust with us for years, and nobody's cracked it. Maybe General Yardley can actually put it to use!"

Before anyone could argue back, Margaret leaned toward Jonah.

She picked her words carefully. "General Yardley, can my son go get it?"

Jonah's eyes flicked to Raven.

Raven gave Malcolm a quick look, her tone calm. "Go ahead."

The guy holding Malcolm let him loose.

Malcolm took off toward the Henderson family's safe room, finally free.

Five minutes later, he was back.

He held a small, gleaming white platinum box-about two fingers wide-like it was something holy.

He stopped in front of General Yardley, staring at the box with a pang of regret.

"This thing's been ours forever, but nobody's ever gotten it under control. If people knew about it, it'd just bring trouble," he said, his voice shaky.

to himself. "I hope Mom's right-that General Yardley

didn't say a word,

stepped up to

platinum box, then

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Chapter 17

gasp shot through the

the box opened up,

time, their breathing

eyes lit up, full of greed and

red

its edges, with a sharp, blazing flame symbol smack in

you had warriors who

who fought

Vyrdenia, maybe

a force of nature,

Vyrdenia piled

why the old Mr. Henderson swore-if someone could handle this Starcard, the family would climb to

glued to the prize she'd

breathing picked up a little, but her face

already had four Starcards in her pocket: gold,

the Universal Five, the

her chest and grabbed the

instant it touched her hand, her eyebrow

right corner of the card, zeroing in on an old, gnarled

that "lock" for

quiet

the Universal

shock there if this Starcard didn't have some catch, the Hendersons wouldn't be in

the Henderson

the ancestors ever say anything

frowned, looking

his question and got the

the other

to give it to them-grudgingly-that they

less how

open.

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Chapter 17

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a ding look gripping the tard like it belonged

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