The response from Lady Morgana came within days. The Architect council accepted our conditions and proposed meeting in three weeks. That gave us time to prepare security and also time to worry about everything that could go wrong.
I spent those weeks in a state of constant anxiety. Every time someone mentioned the upcoming meeting, my stomach clenched. Every time I held Arianna, I imagined strangers examining her like she was something to be catalogued rather than loved.
"You're going to worry yourself sick," Mira told me as I paced our chambers for the hundredth time. "The baby can probably feel your stress."
She was right. The new baby had been moving more than usual, responding to my agitation. I needed to calm down for both my children's sakes.
"I just can't shake the feeling this is a mistake. That we're inviting danger directly into our home."
