Eddie and I were both confused, but Sydney, as usual, caught on fastest. “The Stelle,” she said, referring to the coven of witches she’d joined.

Jackie nodded. “Them and others. Alicia isn’t just your problem—she represents a problem for the entire magical community. And so the entire community will deal with her. I’ll get them together, and we’ll conduct a search, using magical and conventional means. You, meanwhile, will stay somewhere safe—somewhere far away.”

“And I’ll stay with you,” I said, feeling a little bit better knowing that Jill wasn’t being abandoned. It was tough, almost like I had to choose between Sydney and Jill, but it sounded like Jackie wouldn’t be sitting around idly.

“I’ll go with you,” Eddie told Jackie. Then he turned to Sydney and me. “That is . . .” The conflict on his face mirrored what I felt inside.

“Go,” I said. “We’ll be okay. No one knows we’re gone yet. We’ll disappear somewhere and be fine.”

Eddie hesitated again. He hated to have his loyalties torn, but at last he nodded. “As long as you think you’ll be okay. How did you get away without anyone knowing?”

“I’ll tell you some other time,” I said.

I could tell from Sydney’s expression she was interested in that story too. She looked at Jackie instead. “But I want you to call me as soon as you and the other witches have things secure. As soon as you think it’s safe, I want to be a part of the hunt for Jill.”

“Unless we find her first and defeat Alicia,” insisted Eddie.

Sydney gave him a small smile that suggested she didn’t think it’d be that easy. “I would love that.”

The four of us hashed out a few more details before finally parting ways. I could tell it still bothered Eddie to be leaving us, and he was full of advice on how we should lie low and not attract any attention. He also wanted to send for Neil to guard us, but Sydney dismissed that idea, saying it’d be easier for us to just slip away now. We all agreed Neil might be handy in Palm Springs when we closed in on Alicia, so Eddie promised to make that happen.

“Don’t worry,” I assured Eddie, clapping him on the back after a few more of his well-intentioned pieces of caution. “I have no intention of doing anything that’s going to let Alchemists or Moroi know we’ve left Court. You go do your thing, we’ll do ours, and then you can let us know when it’s safe to join you.”