Chapter 20

“Yeah. Some of it was pretty innocuous, but they got their hands on some pretty amazing items. There was even a rumor that they stole the head of Medusa, but I got locked away before I could see it.”

“Wait, Medusa, really?”

She nodded. “It was just a bag that hissed a lot. My ruby got shoved into a safe next to it for a couple decades, so I would usually see it on my way in and out. No idea what they would ever use it for. Something that powerful would be hard to use without getting noticed. But the point is that time is your ally now, and I need you to see the positive. You’re at the beginning of a very long journey, and you need to remain optimistic if you hope to survive.”

“Coming from you, that’s pretty rich.” Dana closed the laptop. “Aren’t you the eternal pessimist?”

“Hey, I’ve got some of the finest therapists and philosophers rattling around in here.” She tapped her head for emphasis. “Again, I’ve had a long time to accumulate my collection. Getting t