Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“Are you on the side of the law?” Sophie asked. “Or are you on your
own side?”
“I could ask you the same question, couldn’t I?” Luzia leaned in
closer. “Tell me, Sophie: How many things are you hiding from the
Council right now? I’d wager it’s even more than I am.”
Another very valid point.
So valid that Sophie was almost ready to concede and turn her
attention back to the still ongoing argument when she realized . . .
“What about the hatching?” she whispered. “It happens on the
eclipse, right?”
“Technically the morning after,” Luzia corrected. “But the eclipse
always triggers it. Why?”
“Because the Celestial Festival is always on the eclipse too.”
Luzia shook her head. “That’s a coincidence.”
“I don’t like coincidences.”
“Neither do I. But that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. My son
doesn’t know what you—and now your order, thanks to you—know
about my properties, and he’s the one who instituted the traditions
that grew into the festival.”
“You never told Orem?”
“I never told anyone. Like I keep saying: I work alone. And I’m done
with this conversation—but here’s some food for thought before I go.
The hatching never takes place anywhere near the festival. And this
year it’s farther away than ever—which is another coincidence. The
Prism Peaks simply have an excellent view of the eclipse’s totality.”
“The Prism Peaks?” Sophie repeated.
Luzia raised one eyebrow. “That’s the festival’s location—or it will
be if they don’t cancel it. Perhaps you should be paying better