I thought I was going to black out when I heard those words coming from my daughter's lips. I knew without a doubt that Paul was here somewhere on the grounds, but I couldn't sense him or even smell him. And then I remembered that I was no longer connected to him. He could be out of bounds but still close enough to pounce.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I was elated to see Alexis' Elder Council was waiting for us. The cavalry had arrived!

Ran, however, didn't ...