When they returned to the conference room just past 6:00am, the sun had already risen; Blaze and Kayden had watched the sky slink through its ice cream color phases during the car ride back from the farm.

There were only a few more things to be done back at Le Lieu. The illusion was nearly complete, but Blaze helped for another twenty minutes with finishing touches. The rest of the time he watched as Joseph had the illusion perform a variety of tasks to make sure it looked as realistic as possible. When the illusion spoke, Blaze was chilled to hear that the voice matched Naven's clipped tones precisely.

Helio had been located wandering down the streets of Los Angeles while they had been at the farm. As he sat in the conference room next to Kayden, Blaze noted that his skin was pale and he kept fidgeting in his seat, murmuring apologies. But Kayden brushed his apologies to the side. With Kayden acting as an interpreter, the Congregation was able to question him to their heart's content.

It was 6:30 when Carsten told Blaze, Helio, and Kayden that they were no longer needed. Helio was given a ride to his father's condo while the others trudged upstairs. The last thought Blaze had before he drifted off to sleep was a half-wish that Kayden had crawled into bed next to him.

He wasn't asleep for long. At 9:30, he was awoken with a loud knock. Mrs. Lee's head poked in through the crack between the door and its frame.

"Wake up, you two! Long day ahead and we need to get moving." And then she vanished.

Blaze managed a groan. "Five more minutes?" he asked to no one in particular. He heard Kayden mumble something from her half of the room.

"Wha?" he asked.

"I said, 'We already had a long night.'" He heard her shift under the covers and yawn. "God, I'm tired."

Unfortunately, they only managed ten more minutes of sleep before Silas Merg's angry bark forced them out of bed.

Blaze took a shower after Kayden, taking time to scrub away the layer of dirt that had accumulated during the night; he hadn't told his father about his nightlong escapade and planned to keep it that way for at least a few more hours. When he heard Kayden cursing at the blow dryer from the other side of the curtain, he grinned.

Lexi was already fully dressed when Blaze emerged from the shower. He watched her enviously as he slipped into his suit jacket and knotted his tie. Then it was a matter of trying to find a clean pair of black socks—which took far too much time—and fixing his hair without a mirror since Kayden and her mother had claimed the bathroom for the remainder of the morning.

"You look nice," Lexi complimented when he finally slumped down on the couch next to her.

"Thanks," he managed. "I like your dress."

"Thank you," she beamed. Her gown was sky blue with sparkling rhinestones dotting the bodice.

"When did you wake up?" Blaze asked.

She shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. I had a terrible time sleeping last night and eventually I just got up and decided to get ready. I... I got another panic attack." Her cheeks flushed. "But since I knew what was happening this time around, I just focused on my breathing. It still took me a while to calm down, so I switched to reading." She held up a book that had been sitting in her lap; it was bound in navy cloth.

"What book?"

"A Progressive Book of Magic. I removed the book jacket; it was so pretty, I didn't want to ruin it."

Blaze raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're reading that. It gives most non-ers headaches."

She shrugged. "A headache isn't that bad compared to heart palpitations. But I thought that after reading this I could be a little more helpful the next time we work on illusions together?" Her voice was hopeful.

He smiled. "Definitely."

"That better not be dirt on those shoes," a voice grumbled from above. Blaze glanced up to see his father standing behind the couch, fiddling with his silver square cufflinks. But his eyes were not on his son; instead they were alternating between the bathroom door and the clock that ticked away on the hotel suite wall.

Blaze couldn't help but smirk. "They're running late, aren't they?"

"Women are very precise in matters such as these," came his father's smooth response, though Blaze knew that he didn't really think so.

"I can go get them," Lexi offered.

Silas was about to protest when the door opened and both Kayden and her mother entered the living room. Mrs. Lee was adjusting a shawl on her shoulders, clearly trying to cover up the minute amount of skin she had exposed. But Blaze's eyes immediately fell to Kayden.

She was wearing the emerald green dress she had bought just a day ago, though it felt like years to Blaze. The gown snaked down her skin like liquid silk, clinging to her curves. Her hair was pinned back, though a few dark brown tendrils escaped to rest on her shoulders, and she wore a sparkling necklace around her throat.

She stumbled awkwardly across the room, glaring down at her shoes. "Your feet are smaller than mine," she muttered to Lexi.

Her cousin laughed. "They look so nice! But you really need to learn to walk in them."

Kayden shook her head and looked at Blaze for the first time. She paused for a moment. "I like your tie."

"Thanks." I like you. "You look really nice today."

She grimaced, but he could see in her eyes that she was pleased. "I'm starving. Let's go eat."

There were no major catastrophes on the way down to the ballroom, though Kayden tripped on her way out of the elevator. Blaze had instinctively caught her by the arm, and when she had looked back at him, he had seen how startled she was. But instead of pulling away, she just cursed her shoes. Blaze could have sworn he saw a quick smile slip onto her face, and he was certain he heard Lexi mutter, "I called this!" under her breath gleefully.

A potestas stationed at the double doors of the ballroom passed out small programs printed on shiny white pieces of paper. Blaze thought it was odd; it made the whole operation seem like some sort of play. But once he entered the ballroom, he could immediately see why they had deemed programs appropriate. The ballroom did not look like a space where people would be performing a spell that would alter the very fabric of the magical world. Instead it looked like a place ripped from the past, the sort of room where the wealthy would court one another to the sound of live string quartets. The ceilings were tall and arched, dripping with tiered golden chandeliers. Silken drapes fell lazily from the windows, letting a dapple of sunlight filter through the tall panes. And the near end of the room was packed with circular banquet tables, each draped in crisp white linens and set with silver place settings.

The other end of the room, barricaded off by flimsy barriers of cream silk, was clearly where the spell was going to take place. A giant rune was inked on the floor in crisp white chalk, with a circumference composed of 200 smaller circles, one for each individual involved in the Le Lieu casting. And then, in the very center of the circle, there was a small table with a large basin atop of it. It was empty right now, but Blaze knew this was where the potion component would sit. The Congregation most likely had the mixture under lock, key, and several protection spells until the official spell casting at noon. Blaze didn't blame them.

"Is someone getting married?" Kayden muttered, glancing at the nearest empty table and picking up a small piece of folded cardstock. "There are name placards and everything."

"I can't believe this is going on all over the country!" Lexi breathed. Her eyes fell on a string quartet playing near one of the walls, and then flicked over to the grand piano in the furthest corner of the ballroom. "This is beautiful."

"Let's a find our table and sit down," Silas Merg said, glancing around. "I'm sure the Congregation wants to start brunch any second now."

"I don't see any of the members, though," Mrs. Lee said with a frown as they strolled through the ballroom.

Silas brushed it off. "I'm sure they're just working out some final minor details before the event."

Or some final major details, Blaze thought, thinking of the night before. He wondered if anyone in the Congregation had managed to get even an hour of sleep.

They found their name placards at Table 14 where two men and a middle-aged woman wearing dark red lipstick were already sitting.

Surprisingly, Mrs. Lee recognized the woman. "Luanne!" she cried, and quickly struck up a conversation; apparently the woman had also volunteered in the kitchen. Blaze tried to pay attention, but the conversation quickly grew tiresome and his lack of sleep made it hard to focus. He glanced down at the place setting in front of him and noticed that along with the plates, silverware, and crystal glasses, there was a thick stack of papers neatly bound with a thin black cover: the spell. He glanced to his right to see if Kayden had one as well, but discovered that she was looking at him, as if to ask him something.

"Yes?"

"Are you nervous?" she asked, glancing down at the bound spell set before him. Blaze finally noticed that Kayden did not have one. Neither did her mother, Lexi, or Luanne.

He laughed. "I was trying to put that out of my mind. Thanks for reminding me."

Kayden rolled her eyes. "We're not just here to eat a snazzy brunch." Though as if to undermine her statement, at that very moment a team of waiters strolled through the kitchen doors, single file, with domed platters. The waiters circled the tables, each dressed in fine black vests and matching bow ties, and set down plates of fresh fruit and thinly sliced prosciutto in unison.

There was a titter of approval as everyone dove into the appetizer. As the sound of forks and knives filled the banquet hall, Blaze whispered, "I'm just hoping the potion works. I'm more concerned about that now than actually reading the spell."

Kayden nodded and took a bite of a strawberry, but then her eyes fell on someone behind Blaze. She swallowed her bite. "Hi Helio."

Blaze turned around and saw Helio Ruke standing awkwardly just a few feet away. It felt like it had been years since he had spoken with him, though in actuality they had exchanged a few tired words the night before. There were dark circles under his eyes, though nowhere near as deep as they had been a few hours earlier, and although he looked tired, he also looked genuinely relieved. He wore a striped blue tie around his neck that almost perfectly matched the color of Lexi's dress; in an alternate universe, they could have been at prom together.

Blaze glanced over at Lexi, but the girl was almost desperately focused on eating a piece of cantaloupe. After an awkward few seconds of chewing, she tilted her head away from the new arrival and tried to join into whatever conversation Mrs. Lee and Mr. Merg were having with the other adults.

"Hi," Helio said, his eyes locked on Lexi's blond curls.

"Enjoying the brunch?" Blaze offered, though he didn't know how Helio could have; the first appetizer had just come out seconds earlier.

"I came over to say hi," Helio continued, completely missing Blaze's remark. "See how things were, how well you slept."

"Decently enough." Kayden answered this time, though she glanced over at Lexi, visibly annoyed. With an audible sigh, she nudged her cousin in the side. Lexi yelped, and when she turned around, her eyes finally locked with Helio's. She didn't say a single word; she just stared at him, composed and subtly angry.

Helio smiled and it was as genuine as Blaze had ever seen it. "Hi Lexi."

Lexi stared at him for a moment longer and then set down her silverware. Carefully, she pushed back her chair and stood up. "I need to use the restroom," she announced, and then, without another word, she purposely walked away from the table.

As she grew farther away, Helio glanced at Blaze. Help me, his eyes begged.

Blaze didn't know what to say. "Follow her?" he offered weakly.

Helio shook his head. "Ugh," he groaned, and a moment later he had vanished after her.