Livia found Alexandra sitting at the edge of the hotel's indoor pool, dangling her feet in the water. Alexandra wore shorts and a tank top, which showed her tattoos. This was the first time Livia had seen them. She paused a moment, before sitting down next to Alexandra, holding Nicholas in her lap.

It had been several hours since Mr. Blaxley had brought them all to this hotel in the middle of a small town far from Milwaukee. Alexandra had been introduced to many people in a blur of faces and names. Federal agents who were protecting Livia and her family, and who really wanted to talk to Alexandra too; Livia's husband, whom Alexandra greeted with a brief, distracted handshake; and their son, Nicholas, a squalling baby whom Livia quickly took away from all the commotion.

Mrs. Wilborough seemed perfectly happy with the accommodations. Hela was tense around the Muggles, and insisted on accompanying Alexandra everywhere. Even when Alexandra told her to go away, Hela followed her out to the pool, where she lurked defiantly in a corner.

Alexandra wasn't in the mood to put Hela in her place. She'd stayed here only with Livia's assurances that Roanoke Territory was not yet under martial law and that Julia and Ms. King were still safe—and that their father was very much monitoring their situation.

Now Livia bounced Nicholas on her knee, and said, "It's about time Nicholas met his aunt properly, don't you think?"

Alexandra glanced at the child. She'd been an aunt since last December, but this was the first time she'd been confronted with the reality of that. Her nephew looked like pretty much any other baby, though she didn't say this to Livia.

Instead, she said, "Considering you never wanted me to meet him or your husband at all, maybe I shouldn't become too attached."

Livia paused, and gave Alexandra an admonishing look that for a moment was remarkably like one of Julia's wordless remonstrances.

"You're being unpleasant and pushing people away because you're upset over Mr. Mudd's death. I understand that." Livia hesitated. "You're also not… entirely, wrong."

Alexandra's eyes narrowed, but she remained silent.

"This," Livia said, gesturing around at the interior of the hotel, with the hand that wasn't cradling Nicholas, "is what I've been afraid of all my life. Even after I became Wandless, I knew I'd never escape being Abraham Thorn's daughter. But Alexandra, I didn't try to keep you away because I didn't want you around my family. I tried to keep you away because I hoped—foolishly, I suppose—that you and Claudia might have a chance at a life free of Father's entanglements."

"What?" Alexandra glared at Livia. "That's bullshit. You didn't want to be entangled with our father. You couldn't possibly have believed after everything that happened to me in the Lands Below, and especially after New Amsterdam, that I was going to have a normal life, even if I'd wanted to hide from the wizarding world like you."

Livia shushed Nicholas, who made a discontented sound at Alexandra's raised voice. Alexandra clenched her teeth together, and in a quieter voice said, "I'm sorry I ended up bringing trouble to you after all. I guess you were right all along. But once the wizard war started, there was no chance any of us were going to avoid it."

"That's true," Livia said. "But you see, I never stopped being entangled with our father."

Alexandra stared at her.

"You…" She looked over at Hela, still sitting in a chair by a sliding glass door that led into the hotel's interior. She seemed to be doing something with her cell phone. Alexandra considered casting a Muffliato spell, then realized none of this mattered any more. "You were in the Thorn Circle too?"

The thought of all the people who'd once again kept a secret from her began to darken her face with anger, but Livia shook her head. "Not really. I was never protected by the Fidelius Charm Father cast on you, and as far as everyone else knew—even Lucilla and Drucilla—I had, in fact, become Wandless and rejected the wizarding world." She looked down at Nicholas. "Occasionally, someone would appear in my clinic in need of healing. Sometimes, Father would ask me to speak to someone in the Muggle government. I really was mostly removed from anything the Thorn Circle was involved in. He promised Claudia would be safe and kept out of it, no matter what."

"You becoming Wandless… was just part of his long game." Alexandra shook her head.

"He knew we'd need contacts outside the wizarding world. I was only one of many people helping him make those contacts, of course. Here, hold your nephew. Stop acting like you're afraid of a baby." Livia gently handed Nicholas over to Alexandra, who took him into her arms as if she were holding a live mandrake that might start screaming at any moment. He stared up at her in wonder. "Nicholas, this is your Auntie Alex."

Alexandra smiled uncomfortably. "Hi, Nicholas. He totally won't even remember me, will he?"

"Not if this is the only time you ever see him, but I'm hoping that won't be the case." Livia eyed Alexandra's shoulder critically. "Did Claudia and Archie actually give you permission to get those tattoos?"

"Nope." Alexandra awkwardly cradled Nicholas in her arms, afraid she'd accidentally drop him into the water. "Could we have saved Mr. Mudd if we'd gotten him to you faster? Or if we'd just taken him to a hospital?"

Livia sighed. "A Muggle hospital wouldn't know what to do about manticore venom. Don't blame yourself for Archibald's death, Alex. You did the best—"

"Don't tell me we did the best we could!" Alexandra lowered her voice again as Nicholas squealed. "It wasn't good enough. What good were we doing anyway, driving around talking to a bunch of spineless wannabe secessionists who won't come out and fight the Confederation openly even after they've seen what it's doing? Was our stupid 'pirate wizard wireless' actually recruiting anyone to our side?"

"Maybe." Livia shrugged. "But it was what Archibald Mudd wanted to do, Alexandra. You had nothing to do with his choices, and he was aware of the risks. If anything, he's to blame—and of course, Father, for sending him on such a mission with a couple of teenagers and a No-Maj."

This wasn't the first time Alexandra had heard that term. It sounded dumb to her, but maybe it was better than "Squib."

She forced her hands to stroke Nicholas's soft head gently. "I didn't even like him very much."

Livia was silent. Nicholas smiled and reached for Alexandra's chin. Alexandra gave her nephew a bemused grin as his chubby little hand touched her face.

"So now what?" she asked.

"Now, I introduce you properly to Ashley, and Blake, and maybe you tell me why that Thule witch is so afraid of you?"

Alexandra glanced over her shoulder at Hela. Hela seemed to be texting, but she looked up at Alexandra, and scanned the room again before looking back down at her phone.

"It's a long story, but I kicked her ass in a duel and then made her swear to obey me. Um, don't worry, I made her fix the damage to the school. Don't look at me like that. She abuses Muggles and she'd do worse if I didn't threaten her. She's the one who let loose that dragon in Times Square! I mean, it was our father who put her up to it, but still. Also, you shouldn't call them Thule, they don't like it. Although she won't tell me what we are supposed to call them."

Livia gave Alexandra a long look. "You know, I think I'd trust you with Nicholas's life, but I'm not sure I'd trust you to babysit him."

Dr. Ashley Farr had dark chestnut hair that was getting a bit shaggy. With a stubbly chin and bags under his eyes, he obviously hadn't been sleeping much. Alexandra wondered if this was a result of being in witness protection, or having to take care of a baby. When Livia wasn't holding Nicholas, Dr. Farr was.

He was holding Nicholas now, as Alexandra sat down next to him in the little suite the feds had reserved for them.

"So what's it like being thrown into the wizarding world?" Alexandra asked.

"Eventful," Dr. Farr said. "Well, actually it wasn't this eventful before. I can't say Livia didn't warn me, but I suppose even after she made me believe in magic, I found it easy to ignore it—until now."

"When did Livia tell you she was a witch?" Alexandra asked curiously.

"The night I proposed to her. She told me there was something she needed to tell me first. I imagined all sorts of dark secrets, but the last thing I expected was for her to pull out a wand. I thought it was a joke at first, until she started turning books into birds and making furniture dance." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm not sure I'd recommend that method to convince someone that magic is real, but it worked."

Alexandra laughed. When Dr. Farr frowned at her, she said, "Sorry. Um, I can't blame Livia. If you have a better way to convince Muggles, I'd love to hear it."

He seemed nice enough, though Alexandra wasn't sure what Livia found interesting about him. When they were done talking, she left their suite and found Hela lurking outside.

Hela had stopped wearing a headscarf or a veil. She now seemed to be trying to imitate some gothic-metal look she'd found online. She wore a long leather skirt and a tight-fitting leather top with long sleeves and dangly cuffs, she'd modified her fur boots, and she'd applied a startling amount of black eyeshadow. She looked like she was planning a night out at a concert, or a bar, and it was about as far from her previous looks as one could imagine. Alexandra didn't know what to make of it.

"Are you actually worried about my safety?" Alexandra asked.

"Can we really trust all these Muggles?" Hela asked.

"Probably not." Alexandra glanced down the hallway, and sighed as she recognized the fed strolling their way.

Agent Curtis was a woman with straight blonde hair and a trim gray suit, with the look of someone who worked out a lot when not walking around muttering orders into her radio. Her bossy professional demeanor and her exasperation at being back-talked by teenagers reminded Alexandra of her aunt Diana, so they weren't getting along very well.

"If you're done catching up with your sister and your brother-in-law, we'd really like to talk to you both," Agent Curtis said. "I've been very patient, but you have a lot of explaining to do, Ms. Quick."

Alexandra rolled her eyes. "What exactly do you need me to explain? Magic? I thought you figured out that part."

Agent Curtis's mouth tightened into a line, making Alexandra think of her other aunt, Lilith. "You've been leaving a trail of destruction from New York to Illinois, and we've got information that you may be responsible for what happened in the Great Lakes as well. We had to pull a lot of strings to keep you off the wires and try to vanish that footage of you attacking a company of West Virginia state troopers."

"I appreciate the string-pulling," Alexandra said. "Except they pulled us over for nothing and we went out of our way to avoid hurting them—"

"The only reason we're having this conversation," Agent Curtis said through clenched teeth, "is that you didn't hurt anyone."

"And because you need us, because the Confederation doesn't care about the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy anymore. If they're letting Muggles see dragons and manticores—"

"Non-magical persons," said Agent Curtis. "Or No-Majes for short. Not Muggles."

"Seriously?"

"You should call people what they prefer to be called," Hela said.

Alexandra stared at Hela. "Seriously?"

"We know that the Governor of Roanoke had the state troopers try to pull you over," Agent Curtis went on. "Through their contacts with state governments."

"Did they really think Muggle—sorry, No-Maj—cops could arrest us?" Alexandra asked.

"I think the troopers were a distraction to engage you until the Confederation Air Force attacked. And if what you say about the Confederation is true, possibly they were also hoping you'd react more… violently. But we aren't getting answers from the Governor of Roanoke or the Governor-General, so we don't know why they'd do that."

"Isn't it obvious? They were trying to kill us."

"They were trying to kill you," Hela said. When Alexandra looked at her, the other girl looked down. "And the rest of us, but mostly you."

Agent Curtis cleared her throat. "Listen, we need to know whose side you're on, Ms. Quick. The Confederation obviously doesn't care much more than the Thorn Circle does about collateral damage. My agency has been instructed to protect you and your sister because your father has supposedly promised to restrain the more radical elements among his followers, but the Confederation has promised the same thing, and as far as we can tell, neither side in this wizard civil war actually cares about harm to the No-Maj population."

"So, like, there's a lot of sides, actually," Alexandra said. "My father's side is against the Confederation. Half the Confederation is against the other half, but not necessarily with my father. And the Dark Convention is against the Confederation and with my father, but only as long as he's against the Confederation, and they're also against you."

"And you? We could really use a few wizards who are on our side."

"But I am on your side, Agent Curtis," said a deep voice behind her. Curtis turned, and Alexandra was surprised at how happy she was to see her father.

Abraham Thorn and Medea both wore black, and had appeared out of nowhere, without even the sound of Apparition. Agent Curtis waved back the other agents who appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Mr. Thorn," Agent Curtis said, catching her breath. She was obviously more unnerved than she wanted to let on. Alexandra could relate. "It's about time you answered our request for a meeting, but it's my superiors you need to speak to—"

"Later," he said. "Right now, I wish to speak to my daughter."

"Mister Thorn—" Agent Curtis said firmly, trying to assert herself.

"Shh," said Medea. Agent Curtis fell silent, and stood there as if in a trance, while Abraham Thorn stepped around her to greet Alexandra and Hela.

"That is really not cool," Alexandra said. "I mean, she is annoying, but doing that to Muggles—I mean, No-Majes—is exactly what makes them afraid of us."

Medea snorted. "No-Majes?"

"What are you wearing, Hela?" Abraham Thorn asked.

Hela seemed to shrink. "I will change, if you do not find it appropriate."

"She can wear what she wants," Alexandra said. She faced her father with a mixture of relief, exasperation, and anger. "Archibald Mudd is dead."

"I know." His face was suitably solemn. "He and his father have both died in my service. They were not the first, and will not be the last."

"Yeah." Alexandra felt an unexpected knot of emotion. "So what was the deal back in Roanoke? Were they really just trying to kill me?"

"Manticores and dragons are a sloppy way to kill one person. But I'm sure they would be quite happy to eliminate you in the process of whatever else they were trying to accomplish."

"So why are you here? To check on Livia? And by the way, add her to the long list of people you never told me the whole truth about." She looked at Agent Curtis, who was still standing motionless in the hallway in front of Medea. "Would you please unspell her? It's creepy and wrong."

Medea glanced at Abraham Thorn, who nodded. Agent Curtis blinked and turned to face him, with the color drained from her face.

"We're sorry," Alexandra said, locking gazes with her father. "My father's flunky is sometimes overzealous. She should apologize."

"Don't push it, child," said Medea.

Alexandra's father held up a hand to silence both of them. "Agent Curtis, my apologies if you were discomfited. I will speak to you and your superiors shortly. We have much to discuss. But excuse me for a moment." He took Alexandra's arm, and suddenly the entire corridor around them blurred, the motions of Agent Curtis, Hela, and Medea slowing to a halt.

Alexandra had seen him do this before. It was one of the things he hadn't taught her yet, temporarily stopping time in a bubble.

"You need to stop antagonizing Medea," he said.

"Okay," Alexandra said. "But she needs to stop bullying Muggles."

Once again, she knew she was testing him. He looked torn between pride and anger.

"The dismantling of the Confederation proceeds apace," he said.

"That's… good?"

"Yes. And your mapping of the cracks—the magical cracks—in the Confederation has been useful. Soon I'll be ready to take full advantage of them, and with the help of the Dark Convention, we will break their power, and their hold over the Lands Below, forever."

"And… that will end the Deathly Regiment? And what does the Dark Convention do then?"

"The Dark Convention is not even as unified as the Confederation. Their ability to mobilize for a purpose will last no longer than the fulfillment of that purpose."

"So you're creating a weapon you think you can just put away when it's no longer useful. But even if the Dark Convention isn't organized, there are a lot of them, and without the Confederation, they'll start doing things to Muggles and wizards alike."

"Yes. I have been telling the Muggle government what they face. The messy business of reestablishing a lawful regime that can manage Muggle relations is something that the American wizarding world will have to undertake, once the war is over. Resistance against Governor-General Hucksteen is growing—it is no longer just me and the Dark Convention, Alexandra."

"But you're not going to help. You just want to break the Confederation."

"Breaking the Confederation is quite enough for one man to accomplish, even with such a capable daughter at his side." Alexandra's father smiled at her. "But I have a task for you, and it's one I think you will appreciate, though it will probably be hard for you."

"What task have you given me that isn't?" she asked. "Does it involve rescuing Lucilla and Drucilla?"

He shook his head. "I have been searching for them, my youngest. Whatever the Governor-General has done with them—and I do not doubt his personal involvement—none of the usual functionaries and lackeys know about it."

Alexandra sighed. "So what's the task?"

"I know you are concerned for the students and staff at Charmbridge Academy."

"Yes." Alexandra's heart leaped into her throat. "Has something happened? Is the Confederation going to attack Charmbridge?"

"No," her father said. "I am."

Alexandra stared at him wordlessly.

"I destroyed Baleswood, and the New Amsterdam Academy. I have been putting off the Blacksburg Magery Institute, but it must go next. All the so-called 'Big Four' schools are built on places that Indian wizards once used to access the Lands Below, and which the Confederation sealed. Those seals must be broken, and Charmbridge is no exception."

He put a hand on Alexandra's shoulder. "I didn't want to kill students or teachers, but some casualties could not be avoided. Perhaps they can be at Charmbridge."

"How?" Alexandra asked.

"Tell them. Tell Lilith Grimm. Tell her that she must prepare for the school's destruction. Tell her that we are coming, and nothing is going to prevent it. I know your relationship with your aunt is strained, but she is your aunt, and she is also the caretaker of Hecate. I will not allow Hecate to be harmed, but without the cooperation of Dean Grimm and her staff, I cannot promise the same for everyone else at the school. But if they are ready to evacuate when warned, there's no need for anyone to be hurt. So convince her, Alexandra. Convince her, for the good of her students, and your friends."

The spell he had cast was wearing off. Alexandra could see a slight blur around the other people in the corridor as time started moving for them again.

"You don't ask for much, do you?" she said, feeling a heaviness in her heart even greater than what she'd been carrying since the death of Archibald Mudd.