“Not much time has passed,” she reminded me. “But I was able to get an intermediary decision—for you. The other Alchemist leaders have agreed to leave you alone. You and your, uh, husband may go off into the world and do whatever it is you plan on doing.” A small frown in her otherwise proper delivery was the only indication of how distasteful she found that prospect.

“You mean it?” I asked. “Adrian and I are free? No one spying on us or looking over our shoulder?” My dad’s jaw dropped.

“As free as anyone is in this world,” she said ruefully. “Honestly, I think it was a relief to some of them. You’re an awful lot of trouble, Sydney Ivashkov.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “And what about the others? The other detainees?”

“Amnesty for them as well—if you turn over the information,” she added. “I can’t make any guarantees about the future of re-education. That’s a more complex issue.”

It didn’t seem that complex to me, but freedom for me and the others who’d suffered through re-education was a huge boon—if the Alchemists held true to it.

“I meant what I said about my questions concerning the re-education issue,” Stanton told me. “It is one I plan on pursuing. We do need to have disciplinary systems in place—like in the case of the tattoo emergence—but obviously, there are lines we might be able to better redefine.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said. Again, I hoped I was right in my read of her, that she was telling the truth. “I’ll have the laptop’s contents sent to you.”

“Excellent. Now excuse me a moment while I deal with Ms. Hampton and Mr. Li.” She dialed a number on her cell phone and strolled away, leaving me in a slightly awkward situation with my dad and Zoe.

“I don’t know what you’ve pulled over her,” my dad growled. “But there’s no way the Alchemists are going to let you just get away with this abomination of a life. Some might think it’s okay, but others won’t.”

“That’s true,” I said. “But Stanton clearly thinks it’s okay. And I firmly believe people like her will make a strong enough argument to ease up on me and some of the others who no longer want to be part of the Alchemists. In fact, you’re going to help her make that case.”

Fury sparked in his eyes. “Never.”

“Because here’s the thing, Dad,” I told him, continuing as though he hadn’t spoken, “I got Stanton to help with this rescue by giving her four names of people who were working with the Warriors to make more of those illicit tattoos. I gave her four—but I had five. And I think you know who the fifth was.”

“I have no idea,” he said immediately.