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Chapter Text

"I can't believe we're not going to see each other until Christmas break," Amy complained as Sophie tucked her passport inside her bag and took one last look at her family. Her brunette, green eyed family. Different from her, but that was okay. She could deal with that.

"Like you're going to miss me," she joked to her sister, but she knew that they would miss each other more than they let on.

Sophie had been finally, finally allowed to go to Yale for graduate school. Apparently, almost seventeen was a much better age for her to go to Connecticut than twelve (almost thirteen). Not that her parents looked so convinced at the moment- especially after Amy's complaint.

"We'll talk every day," Sophie assured her mom, pulling her and Amy into a hug while she gave her dad a little smile.

"I still wish you'd come for Thanksgiving," her mom whispered, and Sophie could see that she was going to cry. She also knew that her mom was regretting not coming with her to New Haven just then- but her family had already visited during orientation. Sophie wasn't going to make them pay for a flight again.

"You know there's no use in that, especially since two weeks later Christmas break starts! I need some time to get you guys some gifts," Sophie reminded her.

"Yeah, well, get me something cool," Amy said as Sophie hugged her dad next.

"Text us when you get on the plane and call us when you land, okay Soybean?" her dad asked.

Sophie cringed at the nickname, "of course."

"And when you get in a taxi. And when you eat," her mother added, "and when you get to your dorm."

"And when you sleep. And eat. And blow your nose. And whenever you go to the bathroom," Amy added, earning an eye-roll from her parents and a giggle from Sophie. Her parents were pretty overprotective- regardless of the amount of trust they had given her to get on a plane and take classes in an Ivy League school. But she could deal with that.

Once she stopped laughing, the strange homesick feeling began to sink in. It would be awhile before she saw them again. They all stared silently at each other.

"I'll miss you guys," Sophie said, gripping on her small, plain navy suitcase and shifting her purple backpack. Her other suitcase had just been checked in. "A lot."

"We're very proud of you honey," her mom said, her eyes clearly watering.

"Thanks," Sophie said, and she willed herself not to look back as she crossed the gate to get her bags checked and showed the attendant her passport and ticket. She knew that if she did, she would have started to cry too.

She puffed out a breath of air to keep her voice from wobbling as she thanked the security people for handing her her backpack after it was checked. If she didn't concentrate, she would start to hear people's thoughts again.

Yeah, Sophie wasn't just a prodigy seventeen-year old college graduate. She could also read minds. It tortured her for years. Headaches were constant, and she knew exactly what people thought of her.

Around three years ago, however, after having an unpleasant conversation with her neighbor, Mr. Forkle- an old man who smelled like feet- she'd realized that if she concentrated- she could block the thoughts out. He'd been complaining about his own headaches, and how apparently she was a problem and his solution was to concentrate on his own thoughts. His methods were silly, and Sophie had only gone out to pick up the mail. But something had clicked in her mind just then- and she'd learned how to block people's thoughts. Her life had immensely changed after that. It wasn't perfect- of course. She was still the strange, fourteen year old college sophomore. But it allowed her to walk around without her earbuds blaring out music to prevent her from finding out what the snotty girl who sat next to her in her English lecture thought of her outfit.

Not that Sophie had completely given up her ability either. Now that she could control it, Sophie used it to her advantage. It had come in handy quite a couple times. She didn't use it to cheat or anything- it was just nice to have on some occasions when she or anyone felt unsafe.

"Y en donde están los padres de esta niña?" a woman huffed to her husband from behind Sophie as she made her way to the seats next to the gate. "Estos gringos dejando a sus hijos solos como si fueran adultos!"

"En realidad," Sophie said to the woman, turning around to raise an eyebrow at her, "mis papás me acaban de dejar aquí para que fuera a la universidad de Yale. Y usted? En donde están sus hijos?"

The woman looked very embarrassed for calling Sophie out in Spanish- and finding out that Sophie could also speak it. Her mouth was open in a perfect O. But it wasn't her fault. Sophie had found out that she could also understand every single language. It had been the most bizarre day when her French professor had started speaking rapidly in French to her class and Sophie hadn't noticed that she'd answered him in French until everyone was giving her the glare she'd always gotten.

The Know-it-All Glare. But Sophie had been trying to teach herself to be proud of what she had. Not that she knew why- she hoped to investigate telepathy as a research project for her graduate study at Yale. But ever since she'd learned to control it, Sophie had found pride in that. Control. She could deal with that.

"It's okay," Sophie said to the woman, now in English, "people don't usually assume I speak Spanish."

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized, her cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, "I shouldn't judge others in that way."

Her husband was too busy laughing at her to say anything else.

"If it helps, my parents aren't exactly excited about me moving to Connecticut," Sophie said.

"Please, you don't have to explain yourself," the woman said, pushing her short, dark brown hair away from her face before she turned around to sit somewhere else.

Sophie watched them leave, comments and questions stuck at the back of her mind. It hadn't occurred to her, really, that speaking other languages was another way to eavesdrop on people's thoughts. But it had just happened, and now she knew the bland, uninformed bias that this woman- and probably more people had of her. That kind of sucked.

And yet- this time, the woman had been embarrassed. Sophie had never been able to tell people that she could hear what they were thinking before. It was almost surreal- to tell the woman that she had eavesdropped. That she heard something she wasn't supposed to hear. And a slow grin spread on her face as she realized- she could deal with that.

Sophie could deal with a lot of stuff, including the minimum hour of a wait until they called her group to board the plane. Sophie handed someone her boarding pass, taking a deep breath before she strolled inside.

What Sophie could not deal with, however, was when she realized who she was sitting next to on the plane. As she headed for her seat- D2, a familiar smell of feet wafted around her.

No.

Her eyes scanned the seats, skipping over the Hispanic woman and her husband who were seated next to a sleeping blond man- and she almost groaned out loud when they met her neighbor's, who was conveniently seated at seat D3.

Chapter Text

"Mr. Forkle?" she asked, as he grumbled something about the planet conspiring against him, "What- what are you doing here?"

"You kids and your nosy questions," he answered, which meant he had nothing else to share.

Sophie sighed, lifting her suitcase up to the compartment above their seat and shoving her backpack under the seat in front of her. Why did she have to sit in the middle? At least no one sat at D1. If no one showed up, maybe she could switch to that seat later, without making it awkward.

She considered reading his mind to find out how he ended up sitting next to her on her flight to Connecticut, but she decided against it at the last minute. It was his privacy, and Mr. Forkle was actually a good person- he'd saved her and called the ambulance when she hit her head when she was younger. He was just really grumpy, a little annoying, and smelly.

-Guess who's sitting next to me on the plane? Sophie texted Amy.

-Who?
OMG is it someone famous?

-No :(

-Did dad sneak on the plane with you?

Sophie laughed before she texted back:

-Mr. Forkle!

The last message failed to send. Sophie frowned as the flight attendant's voice came on the overhead about putting their phones on airplane mode.

The plane engines turned, and Sophie put her phone up. There was no looking back now. She was really, really going to Yale.

Her ears popped as the plane began to rise. Sophie watched San Diego grow smaller and smaller from the window, her stomach spinning slightly as clouds replaced her home. She could see the smog and the smoke from the fires that had recently formed in some places in the city coat the white clouds with a murky brown-grey. She wondered what the clouds would look like in New Haven.

The seatbelt sign glowed, accompanied by a pleasant beep and the hum of the airplane engine as they were finally on their way.

"Miss Foster," Mr. Forkle said, and Sophie turned to stare at her neighbor. She would have never, ever expected him to say what he said next.

"I know you're a telepath," he claimed. As if he had just told her that he knew her eyes were brown. As if it had been any other, unimportant fact.

This was why Sophie didn't comprehend what he'd said at all. She didn't know what look she gave him- but it was probably a dumb expression. Sophie repeated his words in her head, over and over until they started to make sense. She opened her mouth to answer him that she didn't know what he was talking about. Her heart beat against her chest as her neighbor studied her reaction.

"What?" she managed to finally choke out.

"You are a telepath. And a polyglot. And I can explain everything."

Everything.

He could explain everything.

That's what Sophie wanted, right? An explanation for why she was how she was? Why she could do what she could do?

But- why did she feel so dizzy? Why was everything circling around her? Why did a sudden feeling of dread creep up her back and an urge to look for the barf bag fill her thoughts?

How did Mr. Forkle know? Was that why he was there? To tell her everything?

Sophie struggled to take her seat belt off. She needed to sit somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"Young lady," a flight attendant reprimanded when he saw her standing up, "Put your seatbelt on."

Sophie turned to look back at Mr. Forkle, who was watching her curiously, as if he were waiting for her to ask what he knew.

But she was afraid. She didn't want to know- not this way.

I can read minds too, a voice in her head made her jump.

"Is this man bothering you?" the flight attendant asked as her thoughts spiraled again in alarm, "Would you like to sit somewhere else? Because if so, then we need to do it fast. There's turbulence-"

The rest of the flight attendant's sentence got cut off as the plane jolted to the left so that both him and Sophie had to grip onto the seats. Sophie's back slammed against her seat and she yelped out in surprise. She was pretty sure her stomach was a scrambled mess by then. Now she really wanted that puke bag.

"Seatbelts on!" the flight attendant yelled, hurrying to help Sophie buckle her belt and sitting at D1.

"Are you alright?" Mr. Forkle asked, worry on his face. And now that she was safely tied to her seat, Sophie remembered what he'd said- no- transmitted. He'd talked to her in her brain.

"I think she's having a nervous breakdown," the flight attendant's words sounded like he was far, far away.

There was a buzzing in Sophie's head and her breathing rate was increasing and the oxygen masks were falling for all the people to use and she felt dizzy. Sweat dripped down her forehead. She was going to be sick.

The plane jolted again, this time to the right. A few people screamed. A child cried. She could hear the hispanic woman yelling in Spanish for her husband to wake up.

"This isn't normal," the flight attendant said in a hushed tone. "We never get that strong of turbulence here. Especially at this time of year."

"Really?" Mr. Forkle said, and Sophie could almost hear them normally again- until the plane dropped a couple feet and everyone screamed.

After the plane settled, the pilot's voice came overhead, explaining the unusual weather and assuring them that he had everything under control. Apparently, his weather monitors had not reported the strong winds in the location. But according to them, they were facing a steady journey for the rest of the trip.

"Steady," Sophie heard someone behind her snort.

"Something's not right," Mr. Forkle mumbled to himself, and Sophie's thoughts immediately went back to what had just happened.

"What did you mean when you said-" she began, but then she noticed that the flight attendant was listening.

"Not now, Miss Foster."

"Uh- seriously? You better tell me how-" the plane twisted and people screamed again. Sophie clenched her stomach.

"Have you ever heard of telekinesis?" Mr. Forkle asked her.

"What?" Sophie asked.

"We need to fix this," Mr. Forkle said, making zero sense.

"Uh, sir?" the flight attendant said, reminding them that he was there too, "you can't exactly-"

"Just imagine that all your energy is helping steady the plane," Mr. Forkle interrupted. "You're going to have to help me."

"I don't understand-" Sophie gave the flight attendant a weird look as his closed his eyes, likely doing what Mr. Forkle had asked. Or maybe he was praying.

You can use telekinesis Miss Foster. Just focus on your energy. Help me save these humans.

"Humans?" Sophie blurted out.

"Come on! Do it!" Mr. Forkle yelled, and he closed his own eyes.

Sophie had a feeling she was going insane, and the jolts, elevations and drops of the plane weren't helping. It did help to close her eyes- but how the heck was she supposed to settle the plane?

Sophie imagined the plane steadying, and she put as much thought, want and something else- was that strength? Will? Whatever it was, it made her feel energized. It took away the jostles and her stomach no longer felt like it had been left behind in San Diego. That is- until she felt like she needed a good, long nap. Sophie opened her eyes and gasped as she noticed that the plane had stopped. Right there in the sky. Miles and miles away from the ground. She gulped in a breath as she noticed Mr. Forkle looked strained. Was he doing this?

No. He wasn't the only one. She was doing it too.

But how?

The flight attendant next to her still had his eyes closed, and it sounded like he was still praying. Sophie nudged him with her elbow.

He opened his eyes and gasped like she had.

"What the-" he stared at the window, and Sophie could tell that everyone was just as shocked. The pilot kept trying to explain to everyone that the engines seemed fine and insisted that the turbulence hadn't been detected. Something was off.

"There's a Guster here," Mr. Forkle spat.

"Guster?" Sophie and the flight attendant asked.

Miss Foster, we don't have much time. Our energy will drain out and we'll stop controlling the plane- or the Guster will defeat us. A Guster is an elf who can control the wind. Yes, an elf. I'm certain that he's here for you. Don't be alarmed, I have a pla-

Sophie screamed along with everyone as the plane twisted around at least three times. Like a flash, items and belongings flew around the plane.

"There's an emergency door behind you," Mr. Forkle yelled at Sophie, "when I tell you to jump, you're going to jump!"

"Are you crazy?" Sophie yelled back, "I don't have a parachute and even then, I could land in the middle of nowhere- or in front of a bus! And what about everyone else?"

Miss Foster. The Guster is here for you. These people will continue to suffer through this turbulence as long as you remain here. All you need to do is think of this place-

An image of a beautiful mansion- or castle- appeared in Sophie's head.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BRAIN?" She asked.

"Sir! You need to sit down!" The flight attendant yelled to the blond man that had been sitting with the Hispanic lady and her husband. But the man didn't obey. He was looking right at Sophie.

"MISS FOSTER! GO!" Mr. Forkle yelled.

"I'M NOT GOING TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE!"

Think of that image. I know you can do it Sophie. It's why we made you.

He said more, but Sophie's head was still spinning.

"Sir! You need to sit down!" The flight attendant yelled as the man began to walk towards them.

Just think of that place. Think of that place and go. And tell those people that the Black Swan sent you there. They'll know what to do next.

And maybe it was because she could read minds and understand and speak all the languages she'd come across- or because she knew she'd temporarily stopped a plane in mid air. Or because her neighbor was speaking to her in her brain. Whatever it was, a crazy part of Sophie believed him. Or trusted him?

Did she seriously trust Mr. Forkle enough time jump out of a plane with no parachute? She froze. No, no she didn't. Never mind.

Sophie grabbed her backpack from under the seat, which had miraculously only shifted a little, her eyes on the creepy man (or elf?!) who was getting closer and closer to them. Maybe she could get away instead.

"Sir," the flight attendant began- and then he was launched against the ceiling by an invisible force.

Sophie and other people cried out.

"Miss Foster! Go!" Mr. Forkle yelled, and it looked like he was struggling to keep the plane steady for her.

For Sophie to jump.

But Sophie was so not going to jump to her death. She was not going to make the news as Yale Graduate Student Dies by Jumping Off Plane Because her Neighbor Told Her To.

No. There had to be another way to stop whatever was happening. Sophie turned to the man who was the supposed Guster. "I don't know who you are," she said, "but if you want to get me, you're going to have to stop hurting everyone else for it. I'm here. And- please stop."

Later, she would regret adding that last "please."

"This is it, little girl," the Guster whispered, "the moment where you either cooperate or die."

Sophie didn't want to die, but she also didn't want to cooperate. Especially with the way everyone kept staring at them. This man- or elf or whatever he was seemed to know about her abilities too. Her whole life, she'd worked to make sure she was never found or taken against her will because of them. And she wasn't going to let this happen now.

"So, will you cooperate?" the Guster asked.

"Fat chance," she said, surprising herself by how brave she sounded. Or maybe she sounded stupid. Yeah, that was probably it.

And then the wind blasted a hole underneath her and Sophie fell to her death. So much for refusing to jump off the plane.

Chapter Text

Sophie saw quite a few things before she fell. First, there was Mr. Forkle. He’d been yelling at her to think, think, think. And he was also yelling at the creepy Guster man. Or elf? But Sophie was too busy falling to comprehend what they were saying.

Then there was the flight attendant. He’d been on the ground, a few feet away from her. His head was bleeding but his eyes were open and he’d been mouthing a word to her. But Sophie didn’t know what it had been. 

Finally, Sophie saw the woman who’d criticized her and her parents in Spanish to her husband. They’d made eye contact a few seconds before all Sophie could see were clouds and sky and- suitcases. Lots of suitcases. 

She gripped onto her backpack straps, trying to think of any way she could get out of this. If she could control the plane- she could control herself, right?

What had Mr. Forkle called it? Telekinesis? 

But another thought filled her head. The same mansion that Mr. Forkle has somehow transmitted to her mind. It was beautiful, and it consumed her thoughts. Was she doing it? Or was Mr. Forkle somehow making her concentrate on it? 

Sophie wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want that mansion to be the last thing she thought about before she died. 

Her throat hurt from screaming, and she wasn’t sure if she was breathing. Below her, she only saw rough stony mountains with scattered trees, getting closer and closer. And the stupid, stupid house kept appearing in her mind. 

    Sophie closed her eyes, wishing she could see her parents and her sister one more time. But no, the mansion with its beautiful lake and the amazing scenery blocked them out. And Sophie finally tried to concentrate on it. She might as well take it all in, right? And there was a crack that had her screaming again as she slipped into a void of darkness. 

    Sophie tumbled across the grass, heaving and gasping for air as the strangest thought filled her mind: she wasn’t dead!

    Sophie looked up and gasped as the same mansion that Mr. Forkle somehow kept transmitting to her brain loomed over her. It was even more astounding in person. And the air… it was clean and fresh, and the sky was thankfully far away from her and dotted with clouds and tall, strange palm-like trees decorated the scenery.

    She coughed, her stomach heaving as she sat up to take her surroundings in. What had just happened? She’d been about to die and- wait. Was someone screaming?

    Sophie turned around to find a girl about her age gaping at her. And she didn’t look happy to have a random girl appear in front yard of what Sophie assumed was her mansion. 

    “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” The girl yelled, and suddenly she disappeared, her voice still very present. This prompted Sophie to scream with her too. 

    “WHY ARE YOU INVISIBLE?” Sophie yelled after they stopped screaming. Her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse. Was Sophie dead? Was this heaven? 

    “HOW DID YOU-” the girl appeared again, her teal eyes widened and scared. “How did you appear in front of Everglen? The gates- the gates are supposed to-”

“WHY DID YOU TURN INVISIBLE?” Sophie repeated, backing away from her by tugging on the grass. She couldn’t seem to stand up. 

“Because I’m a Vanisher. Duh,” the girl said, “and you better tell me how you got here and why you’re here, because this isn’t supposed to happen.”

“You think I know?” Sophie exclaimed, “I was just on a plane on my way to New Haven when my grumpy neighbor is the passenger next to me and then there’s turbulence and then some Guster person who is apparently an ELF turns out to be the culprit? And they made it sound like I wasn’t a human? Or that’s what Mr. Forkle said? And then, the Guster elf dude threatens me and I’m falling out of the plane and-” Sophie gasped. Where was her phone? She needed to tell her parents she was alright. She scrambled around, searching through her pockets and her backpack in vain. 

“Wait. Time out,” the girl said, holding her hands out as if Sophie were going to attack her, “are you saying you’re not an elf?” She gasped, studying Sophie’s clothes “are you a human?”

Sophie felt like her head was going to explode, “are you saying you’re not a human?”

“Gross, no,” the girl said, her perfect nose wrinkling at the thought, and Sophie took in her outfit, which was very different from hers.  

The girl had wavy, chocolate brown hair held back by a lavender, glimmery clip, striking teal eyes and some sort of sparkly purple contraption that Sophie would hate to wear. And Sophie… was wearing a grey sweatshirt over her Yale t-shirt. 

A hysterical laugh bubbled out of Sophie. “You’re an elf.”

“Uh- of course I am. But what are you? Because elves have blue eyes and you- don’t.”

Another hysterical giggle escaped from Sophie’s lips, “I have no idea.”

They stared at each other, unsure of what to say next. 

This was the worst identity crisis Sophie had ever had. “I don’t know what I am. I have no idea. Who am I? What am I? Does anyone know!” Sophie vented, not sure if it was to the girl or herself, “I was born from human parents but apparently I can do magical stuff like stop airplanes in the middle of the sky or read people’s thoughts and now it turns out I’m not a human. Or an elf? Am I an elf? I don’t know?”

The girl looked at her a little longer before she yelled, “MOM THERE’S A WEIRD HUMAN ELF THING HERE!”

Weird Human Elf Thing. Yes, that sounded about right. Sophie no longer felt like laughing though. Now she wanted to cry. 

“MOM!” the girl repeated. Then she offered Sophie her hand, “I’m Biana. Biana Vacker. I know you don’t know what you are, but do you have a name?”

“My name is Sophie Foster,” Sophie reluctantly took Biana’s hand and stood up. Then she remembered what Mr. Forkle had told her to do when she got there. “And apparently, the Black Swan sent me here.”

    Biana froze. “What?”

    “Does that mean anything to you? The Black Swan? ‘Cause that’s what my neighbor told me to tell you when I got here.”

    “Are you sure you heard him right?” Biana whispered. “The Black Swan?”

Sophie nodded, “is that bad?”

“MOM!” Biana yelled again as a response.

“I’m here,” a voice said and a woman who looked almost identical to her daughter appeared out of thin air next to Sophie. Sophie squealed.

“What’s the matter Biana?” Biana’s mother asked, raising an eyebrow as she took in Sophie, Sophie’s outfit and her backpack. “I see.”

“She appeared inside the gates mom. And she doesn’t know what she is and she said her neighbor is from the Black Swan and that they sent her here.”

Biana’s mom paled, “the Black Swan?” She whispered, turning to study Sophie again, but with more curiosity and- hope? Fear? Sophie couldn’t tell.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Sophie said honestly, surprised to hear a crack in her voice. Her eyes flooded with tears. She was supposed to be on her way to college right now. Not with some strange fashion model mother and daughter duo who could vanish and claimed to be elves at a mansion in who knew where.

    Biana’s mother’s expression flickered with concern, “Biana, are Fitz and Alvar home?”

    “I don’t know. I can go check on them. But mom-”

    “Go tell them what happened and hail Elwin. Before we talk to- honey, what’s your name?”

    “Sophie,” Sophie whispered. 

    “Before we talk to Sophie, she needs some medical attention. Look at her Biana, she’s going to faint. She’s turning green.”

    “I assumed that was just the color humans were- no offense,” Biana added when she noticed Sophie staring.

    “Biana Vacker!”

    “Mom! What if she can save-”

    “We’ll see what she can do later. Right now we need to take care of our guest. Get your brothers, hail Elwin, and find a bottle of Youth water to give to Sophie.”

    Biana and her mother glared at each other for a few more seconds before Biana turned around quickly with an angry huff and stomped into her house. 

    “My name is Della. It’s a pleasure to meet you Sophie. How about we get you somewhere comfortable?”

    Sophie nodded faintly, and she barely noticed Della wrapping an arm around her so she could lean against her. Her hands shook. 

    When she was reclined against a very comfortable chair, Sophie asked her first question, “where am I?”

    “Everglen,” Della said, sitting next to her. “This is my home.”

    “But- where is Everglen?”

    “In the Lost Cities.”

    “What-”

    “Alvar said he’d come later,” Biana interrupted, handing her mother a bottle of whatever Youth water was. 

    “He should be here,” a crisp voice said behind her, and Sophie’s queasiness didn’t help her control her heart pace as a boy who was clearly Biana’s slightly older brother came into the room. He studied Sophie, his eyes just as pretty as his sister’s. Sophie wondered if they got it from their father, because Della had cobalt blue eyes. “Hey, I’m Fitz.”

    “Elwin is also on his way. It was kind of hard to explain what exactly was going on but- I managed,” Biana said, saving Sophie from saying something unintelligible, like, ‘hi Fitz.’

    “Take this Sophie,” Della handed Sophie the bottle. 

    “Uh- what is that?” Sophie asked. 

    “It’ll make you feel better,” Della offered, which sounded too much like what a drug dealer would say to someone, but Sophie couldn’t think anymore. And the water definitely helped. Her head cleared. 

    “Good. Can you explain what you told me now?” Biana asked her. 

    “Biana-” Della began, but Sophie nodded. And then she told them exactly how her day had gone- from the moment she’d gotten on the plane to the moment where she’d appeared in front of their house. 

    “But- if you’re a human, then how come you can speak the Enlightened Language?” Fitz asked, “and you’re a telepath?”

    “And a polyglot. Or that’s what Mr. Forkle said,” Sophie explained. 

    “And she can also transport herself without light leaping,” Biana added. 

    “Can you guys not do that?” Sophie asked. 

    The three of them shook their heads. 

    “How long have you been a telepath, Sophie?” Fitz asked, and Sophie decided that she couldn’t look at him in the face without blushing. He was very cute. Ugh, why was she doing that? This was no time to think about boys!

    And so, Sophie told them about how she’d woken up in the hospital at the young age of of five and could read everyone’s thoughts. “I couldn’t block them until I was fourteen,” she added. 

    Fitz winced and a slow grin spread on Biana’s face, “looks like someone here is a better telepath than you, Fitz.”

    “So- am I not a human elf thing?” Sophie asked. “And what exactly are elves? Do we all have different abilities? Is that why you guys can turn invisible?”

    And so, Della, Fitz and Biana explained the basics of what the Lost Cities were, and how some elves had abilities while others didn’t. Everyone had skills such as telekinesis- and everyone had blue eyes. They told Sophie about other intelligent species and how there was no such thing as an extinct creature (Sophie had to stop them when they told her that dinosaurs still existed, and that they were covered in feathers). 

    “But- am I an elf or a human?” Sophie asked. 

    They all turned to look at each other. 

    “We think you’re an elf,” Fitz said quietly. 

    Sophie frowned, “but I was born to humans, remember?”

    “That’s not what the Black Swan has to say about you,” Biana muttered. 

    “The Black Swan?” Sophie asked. 

    They went silent again. 

    “What is that? Is my neighbor part of them? Should I-” Sophie frowned again. They kept giving each other some secretive glances. It looked like it was time to use her telepathy. 

    Sophie had never had to work so hard to hear someone’s thoughts, but Biana’s were loud and clear anyway. “You think I can save your dad?” she blurted out. 

    “Did you just read my mind?” Biana asked, appalled. 

    “Sophie, you can’t do that!” Fitz said, as if she were a five year old child. Sophie didn’t like the tone of his voice. 

    “I need to know what exactly you know about this Black Swan, why you’re claiming that I’m an elf, and why in the world you think I can save your dad. Save him from what, anyway?”

    “See,” Biana turned to Fitz, glaring at him, “how do I know you don’t do that?”

    “Because there are rules!” Fitz said loudly, narrowing his eyes at his sister, and then at Sophie, “there are rules here and you just broke one by listening in on Biana’s thoughts without permission.”

    Sophie rolled her eyes, “Oh relax, I didn’t hear anything private. This is about me!”

    “That is very true,” Della agreed, “but you can get in serious trouble for doing that Sophie. Don’t worry, we know you didn’t know. Just for future circumstances…”

    “I don’t want any future circumstances!” Sophie exclaimed, “I just want to go back to the human world! My parents…”

    “Are not your parents,” Fitz finished.

    Sophie gawked at him. 

    “Ever heard of a Moonlark, Sophie?” Della asked. 

    “No,” Sophie said, but a strange feeling almost made her say yes. 

    Fitz sighed, “Our dad, Alden Vacker, investigated a man named Prentice Endal- who was hiding something.”

    “Me?” Sophie asked. 

    “That’s what we think,” Biana agreed. “He called it the Moonlark Project, or something like that. We’re not sure what it was exactly though. Something about a young girl about your age who was born to human parents but had biological elf parents. Someone stole everything from his office the day of his planting. All we know is, about four years ago, our dad made the decision to stop investigating whatever he was investigating. Prentice Endal had already been Exiled years before for refusing to share where you lived. Alvar knows as much as that. And Alvar and Fitz had been looking for you for a while, until dad told them to stop.”

    “But- why?” Sophie asked. 

    They all shrugged, “that’s what we don’t know,” Fitz explained, “we don’t know why he stopped. All we know is that a few days after he stopped, his sanity shattered.”

    Sophie shuddered. She didn’t want to be connected to whatever this ‘sanity shatter’ thing was. Even if she didn’t know what it was. 

    “But the Black Swan isn’t responsible,” Della assured her, “it wouldn’t make sense for them to get angry at him to stop investigating. That’s why we suspect another group. And we also know this: the Black Swan claimed to us in a letter that their Moonlark project can heal him. But we couldn’t investigate any further. I refused to involve my family in whatever conspiracies these were- I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt,” her voice cracked. 

    “You lost me at so many parts,” Sophie interrupted, “but can you explain what you mean by these rebel groups? You guys made this place sound so perfect… but now it doesn’t. And your dad’s sanity shattering… how am I supposed to help with that? Am I whatever project that is you keep repeating?”

    They went on a longer explanation about the issues elves had with humans and how the Black Swan was a group who worked to point out the flaws in the mistakes of their world. And then, they told her about the Neverseen.

    “The Neverseen?” Sophie asked. 

    “There’s been rumors the past few years,” Della said quietly. “Ever since my husband’s mind broke- there’s been unrest like we’ve never seen before. Less students are showing up at Foxfire, we haven’t heard from the ogres at all, and the dwarves haven’t shown themselves in two years. The Exilium students have banished completely.”

    “Something happened the day my father’s mind broke,” Fitz whispered, “and the Neverseen is responsible for it. I know they are. They’re secretive and…” he stopped talking as Biana shot him a warning look.

    “And what?”

    Fitz cleared his throat, “That Guster you described? I think he’s part of the Neverseen. They haven’t really made themselves public yet, but we know some Emissaries who have heard of them. Or could be in the group. We don’t know. All I know is that the Black Swan hates the Neverseen, and it goes the other way around too. I also know that you- if you are what the Black Swan is hiding- scared the Neverseen. It scared them so much, that I think they were the ones that stop my dad. Because you, Sophie, you must be the Moonlark. And I think you can save my dad.”

    His words filled her head with questions and fears and doubt, but Sophie chose to ask an easier one, “how do you know so much about this Neverseen? What is their goal? And what do they want with me?”

    Fitz, Della and Biana glanced at each other again. They really needed to stop doing that. It was annoying. 

    “The Black Swan made you powerful Sophie. Powerful enough to fix problems. You have three abilities- one we’ve never even heard of before. Your genetic parents are unknown. You could read minds at such a young age…” Fitz stopped speaking to glance at her, as if to see if she understood. 

    And Sophie was definitely understanding. And she didn’t like it one bit. 

    “That Guster asked you to either cooperate or die,” Biana whispered. “The Neverseen is afraid of you, Sophie.”

    “And if they can’t use me,” Sophie finished, “then they’re going to kill me.”

    Silence filled the room. 

    “But I thought you said elves were peaceful!” Sophie finally exclaimed, “and I still don’t understand what the Neverseen wants!”

    “Power. Control,” Biana offered. “You’re in the way of that. I bet you’re the reason they haven’t truly gone public yet. You’re the reason they’re still a halfway rumor.”

    “And how do you know all of this about them? Do you know anyone in the Black Swan? Or in the Neverseen?”

    They all stole glances again. Sophie rolled her eyes. “What?”

    “We don’t know of anyone in the Black Swan,” Della said slowly. 

    “But I do know someone who’s in the Neverseen,” Fitz muttered angrily. 

    “Who?”

    “His name is Keefe Sencen.”

Chapter Text

The Vackers refused to say anything else about whoever this 'Keefe' was, except for the fact that he had been Fitz's best friend until he joined the Neverseen- and Fitz insisted that he was dangerous. Sophie could tell it was a touchy subject, so she left it alone.

After they scared her with more facts they knew about the Neverseen, the Physician arrived, shoo-ing everyone away so Sophie would have some space. Sophie hated all things doctor related- but there was no way to get out of this. Thankfully, Elwin proved that elves had much better health care system than humans.

Sophie was still freaking out about the whole being an elf thing. She asked a lot of questions, but not all of them were answered.

When would she be able to tell her parents that she was alright? Would she be able to go back home soon? Or to college? Sophie couldn't just bail out on Yale. She may have gotten a full ride, but that didn't stop her parents for placing effort, money, emotion and time in ways so she'd be able to go.

Fortunately, Della organized a meeting with the Councillors that would likely answer most of Sophie's questions. Unfortunately, Sophie had to change into a sparkly outfit that belonged to Biana.

"Why does your sister enjoy wearing these things?" Sophie asked Fitz as they followed his mom through the widest hallway, which was lined with fountains that had different colored water. Talk about extra. But she was too busy glaring at the magenta fabric that she was sure to trip over at some point.

"It'd be disrespectful to wear your human clothes to meet the Councillors," Fitz informed her. He gave her a small smile, "and don't tell Biana I told you this, but she loves wearing stuff like that to impress her boyfriend."

Biana had apparently been outside to wait for her boyfriend to arrive when Sophie appeared. This was why she wasn't there with them anymore.

"I'm sure that's not the only reason," Sophie countered.

"Oh no, it goes way beyond that. She thinks sparkles make everything better. But I like to make fun of her for it."

"Classic annoying brother," Sophie muttered. "But seriously, you guys are so fond of sparkly things. It's even your method of transportation," she pointed at his pathfinder and at the nexus she'd been given.

"And it looks like your method of transportation is free-falling," Fitz reminded her. "Hey, don't worry," he said when she grimaced, "We're going to figure this out."

"He's right, you know?" Della said, turning to give Sophie a small grin before she pulled at a pair of doors encrusted with a jeweled mosaic of unicorns, "my husband's job was to find you. Our job now is to protect you."

"And to find out what she's hiding," a voice made Sophie jump before she could take in the formal dining room. Three figures rose from throne-like chairs.

"Councillor Bronte, Oralie and Kenric," Della said with a quick curtsy, "this is Sophie Foster."

Sophie should have curtsied too, but she was too busy gaping at the Councillors.

The clasps on their silver capes looked like glowing, golden keys. And this was just their outfits. Kenric's red hair was playfully untamed, matching his friendly smile and kind eyes he gave to Sophie. Encouragement. Then there was Councillor Oralie, with golden ringlets and rosy cheeks. And she was regarding Sophie with a small smile.

But Sophie's gaping led to a gasp when she noticed Councillor Bronte's ears.

"What's wrong?" Fitz asked.

"Why are his ears like that?" Sophie exclaimed. Then she turned bright red. She likely shouldn't talk like that about a Councillor in front of him.

But Kenric, Della, Fitz and Oralie laughed. Fitz explained the amount of years Sophie was likely to live (infinite as of now) and Sophie's mind may as well have exploded.

"Do you want to go to Foxfire, Sophie?" Kenric asked.

"I mean- do I have an option? It's the only way I can truly succeed in this world, isn't it? Except- I still have to go to Yale."

The cringes everyone gave her then made her heart drop to her stomach, "Or... not? Let me guess. I'm not going to Yale."

"School break just started a week ago, Sophie. This is the perfect time for you to adjust before you'd go to Foxfire- if you prove yourself," Kenric explained.

"But..." What about her parents?

"We'll discuss this later Sophie," Della whispered, "right now, it's time to decide your future here."

Your future here.

"Sophie has been a telepath since she was five years old," Della bragged to the Councillors. Kenric and Oralie gasped, impressed. Bronte scowled and claimed it was impossible. After Sophie proved that it was not impossible by reading Bronte's mind after all, Bronte went on an enormous rant about privilege and responsibility. Especially after Della suggested that Sophie be taught by a trusted Telepath.

"You want her to heal your husband, don't you?" Bronte accused, making the already quiet room feel one hundred times more silent. And colder.

"I want Sophie to strive," Della answered back, "and if she wants to..."

"If I can save him," Sophie began, having no clue where all of this bravery and urge to help the Vackers came from, "I will."

Fitz and Della glanced at her- and Sophie kind of wanted to take back what she'd said. Their expressions were full of so much hope- and gratitude. What if she couldn't do anything?

"If we allow you to save him," Bronte corrected, making Kenric and Oralie roll their eyes and Fitz and Della frown.

"Ugh," Kenric groaned, clearly bored as Bronte began to list more protocols and laws to Sophie, "someone kill me."

Oralie giggled as Bronte turned to glare at Kenric.

"Sophie, it is obvious that you have talent," Kenric said. "I vote in favor- you deserve a chance in Foxfire."

"Fool," Bronte said, his cold eyes glaring at Sophie, "this child- adolescent- whoever she is- we know she's hiding secrets. We know there is more to who she is. And I don't trust her. Alden Vacker hid most of this project from us, and according to your recounter of your day, issues have already emerged in the Forbidden Cities and whoever this Black Swan group is is an endangerment to society. I vote against."

Sophie's heart sank at his words, and not just because he didn't trust her. Whoever the Black Swan was- whoever Mr. Forkle was- she didn't trust them either. And apparently, they'd made her.

But was she made to save people like Alden? To keep secrets as Bronte suggested? Or was she made for something just as good? Or just as bad?

She shoved those thoughts out of the way as everyone turned to face Oralie, who had barely spoken at all the whole time.

"Give me your hand, Sophie," Oralie said with her fragile, lovely voice.

"Councillor Oralie is an Empath," Fitz explained to Sophie, "she can feel your emotions."

Oralie gently took Sophie's hand. "I feel fear and confusion- and something else. Though I don't know how to describe it."

Her azure eyes met Sophie's, "you have my vote Sophie. Good luck."

"For now. I will talk to the rest of the Council about this," Bronte snapped.

"Let's give Sophie a year in Foxfire first," Kenric said. "Some time to adjust."

"Which leaves off what level she'll be starting at," Della reminded them.

"She's almost seventeen. Add three months and almost eighteen. I think she should start as a level six," Kenric decided.

"Won't she be behind?" Oralie asked.

"If she needs to adapt to this world as you two decided," Bronte said, rolling his eyes, "then she must show us that she can catch up."

Sophie tightened her fists as the Councillors exchanged opinions- Kenric kept going back and forth while Oralie and Bronte argued with each other.

"What do you want to do, Sophie?" Della interrupted.

"I-" Sophie didn't know where to look, but Fitz was giving her an encouraging nod. So she met his eyes and her heart stupidly fluttered.

"Can I try it out? You said there's a break. I could try catching up during it. Reading whatever potion or magic books you guys have."

Fitz laughed, "it's not magic, Sophie."

He'd told her this numerous times already. But Sophie didn't care. "You guys have a complicated fungus Hogwarts. I don't care what it is. I'll go and learn as much magic as I can. And I'll try out level six, if you let me."

She turned to stare at the Councillors, expecting them to reprimand her for calling their abilities and skills 'magic.'

But Kenric grinned at her, "bring on the magic then Sophie Foster. The Moonlark Project seems to be magical anyway."

She gave Fitz a smug smile as the Councillors officially gave her a chance to prove herself as a level six in Foxfire Academy.

Sophie's smile faded when Bronte demanded a probe. "What is that?" Sophie asked Della as she and Fitz took her to Atlantis. Jumping into a whirlpool was not fun.

"Just another method of reading your mind," Fitz explained. "There's no reason to worry."

"Uh huh," Sophie said, and apparently there was no reason to worry about probing- because Quinlin Sonden couldn't get past her mental blocking. Which meant Bronte was right- Sophie was likely hiding something. And she didn't like it.

They arrived back at Everglen, and Della looked really nervous for some reason as she led Sophie to an office. It was another strange room, of course- covered in aquarium walls.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked, wondering why Fitz wasn't with them anymore.

"Sophie- I'm going to show you something. And I just wanted to firstly say that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Sophie."

Sophie clenched the arms of the chair as right as she could as Della pulled out a screen. A human screen.

And in it was the news. Sophie gasped as she watched herself from a phone recorded video- yelling at the Guster in an airplane. And then she watched the gap open before she fell off.

What terrified her most was the headline.

Terrifying Turbulence on Airplane from San Diego to New Haven: Young Yale Student Dies

Chapter Text

Terrifying Turbulence on Airplane from San Diego to New Haven: Young Yale Student Dies

Mysterious Hole Appeared Right Under Sophie Foster

No Turbulence Anywhere Else

Sophie watched again as the video of her falling replayed. They hadn't caught Mr. Forkle on the video. It was the wrong angle.

Mr. Forkle. Where was he now?

Sophie covered her mouth as the news lady explained that Sophie's sister had gotten a couple of texts right before the plane went airborne. How Sophie had asked her sister to guess who was on the plane with her. And how Amy had never gotten an answer.

The flight attendant Sophie had seen got an interview. But Sophie couldn't hear what he was saying. A terrible, sinking feeling in her stomach, heart and head seemed to muffle every sound to a faint ring.

    "They think I'm dead," Sophie whispered.

    "Sophie-"

    "I need... I need to go tell them I'm alive!" Sophie couldn't imagine how her parents and her sister were reacting to this news.

    Della looked at her sadly, "even if you hadn't fallen, we would have still had to find a way to take you away from the Forbidden Cities."

    Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You mean you're going to let them think I'm dead?"

    "It's to protect them," Della said. "Humans can't know about-"

    "No," Sophie said. "No, no, no. They- they're suffering!" The tears were already dripping down her cheeks. She didn't know when they had started.

    "The humans will be sending a search party for- for you," Della said, gripping on to Sophie's hand. And Sophie could see her pain reflected on Della's eyes.

    "And they won't see my body," she said quietly.

    "Which is why the Council is planning to send some elves to deal with that as well as the autopsy and other reports," Della explained.

    Sophie shook her head, "you can't do that."

    "Sophie-"

    "No. If you say having them think I'm dead is safe for them- then I'm going to assume it's because of the Neverseen, right?"

    "Yes. But it's more than that-"

    "But then if the Neverseen was no longer a problem... I could see them, right?"

    Della pressed a hand against her forehead, "Sophie. Are you asking me to-"

    "No. I'm telling you something. You know exactly how they feel right now. Exactly. Your husband. Alden, is it?" Sophie watched as Della flinched. "I'm your hope, right? That's why you haven't gone into complete despair. Because there's always been hope for you. Hope that he will come back. Hope that the Moonlark will save him."

    Della slowly nodded.

    "That's what you're taking away from my parents if you confirm my death. Please. Please, give them something to hold on to. Let them not find my body. Give them some hope," Sophie said.

    "It would be more painful for them. To think that they may see you again..." Della began, but Sophie shook her head at her.

    "If there's a chance I'll see them again, then we need to make them hope for it," Sophie demanded. "Even better, they'll start asking questions. Don't you want to see if human police figure something out about Mr. Forkle?"

    "That could also cause issues," Della began. She cut Sophie off before she could protest, "but I- I see what you mean."

    This didn't make her look any less grim as she said, "which is why your death will be a mystery. And someday, if I can help it- you'll see your human parents again."

    Sophie felt arms wrap around her in a hug, but she was too busy squeezing her eyes shut. As if that would stop the tears that came from the knowledge that things would never be the same again.

_________

    "So where is she staying?" Biana asked during dinner, eyeing Sophie with wariness.

    Fitz nudged his sister's arm, "Hey, can you chill? Sophie's been through a lot today."

    "Yeah, well... I have too," Biana shot back.

    Della sighed as her children began to bicker. "I'm sorry about this," she told Sophie. "But- to answer Biana's question... I know a couple who has offered to adopt you."

    Adopt? Sophie stopped eating, the purple tubers quickly gaining a sour taste in her mouth.

    "Who?" Fitz asked.

    "Yeah mom," a new voice asked, "who?"

    "Alvar!" Della said, smiling as Biana and Fitz's older brother sat at the table, "you're here!"  

    "It's been such a busy day," Alvar complained, helping himself to the food spread around the table. "So many issues."

    "I'll say," Biana muttered, earning a glare from Fitz and Della.

    "Hey," Alvar said, his cobalt eyes turning to Sophie, "I'm Alvar."

    "Sophie," Sophie introduced herself, as if he didn't know who she was.

    "So- she's the one?" Alvar asked his mom.

Della glanced at Sophie before she said, "Maybe."

"What were you saying about Sophie getting adopted?" Alvar asked, sending Sophie's head into panic mode again.

    "Sophie has likely had enough of us," Della said, her eyes on Fitz and Biana, who were still arguing.

    "That's not true," Sophie assured her.

    "Regardless, the Councillors did not give me permission to take care of you Sophie. And I honestly agree- I must work on protecting you. It's what Alden would have wanted. But someone unconnected to any of this needs to be there for you. And that's why I think Grady and Edaline will be good parents to you. And you will be a good daughter."

    "Those are the people who-" Biana stopped talking.

    "Who what?" Sophie asked.

    "They lost their daughter in a fire," Della explained quietly. Everyone looked at the ground. They knew what loss felt like. But at least Alden still had a chance. "They helped me cope when Alden-" she stopped talking.

    "Oh," Sophie said. She had a feeling however this went- there was going to be a lot of awkwardness about it. She didn't know how to feel about being adopted. Her human parents still existed. But they thought she was dead- or missing. Most likely dead. No human could survive that fall.

   But you're not a human, Sophie reminded herself as she watched the Vacker family interact. You're an elf.

And it was time for her to find out who she was.

_________

Sophie's purple backpack only carried her laptop- which Della took to give to some technopaths to ensure humans wouldn't be able to find out there was any sort of activity on it- her stuffed elephant, Ella, and nothing else of important use. Money wouldn't be a problem anymore, according to the elve's strange economy.

This was one of the reasons why Sophie felt very unprepared as she arrived at Havenfield with Della. Another was the enormous roar that shattered her eardrums when they walked toward the nearest enclosure.

"That's a dinosaur," Sophie said, slightly dazed.

"Her name's Verdi," Della said, smiling a little. "And if I'm not mistaken, the verminion should be over there..."

    "Always causing trouble," someone said from behind them.

    "Edaline! It's good to see you!" Della said to the woman who watched them a little shyly.

    "It's good to see you too Della. How are the kids?"

    "Fitz is starting his final year at Foxfire. You can imagine how I feel about that," Della said as they hugged.

    "Oh- and this is Sophie," Della gave Sophie an encouraging smile.

    "Hi," Sophie said, not knowing what else to say.

    "Hi," Edaline said, making Sophie feel better about her greeting.

    "Do you want to see the verminion?" Edaline asked. "Grady was going to feed it a few minutes ago. He's probably still there."

    "Is it still eating small creatures?" Della asked, "Biana asked me about Mr. Sparkles before we left. How's he doing?"

    "Mr. Sparkles?" Sophie asked.

    "An imp.The verminion tried to eat him- not much longer after Alden's mind broke," Della explained. "Biana and Fitz were here and they saved him. They named him Mr. Sparkles."

    "He's inside," Edaline said, smiling, "we kept him after Biana and Fitz insisted."

    "Mr. Sparkles is a strange name," Sophie said as they neared the verminion enclosure. The purple gerbil-like creature was sleeping. And Sophie was kind of glad.

    "We did it!" a man who reminded Sophie of a cross between Thor and Robin Hood said as two gnomes followed him happily. "Oh- hi."

    It seemed that Edaline and Grady were just as nervous as she was. This made Sophie feel a little better.

"Want to see Mr. Sparkles?" Edaline broke the silence after Sophie and Grady introduced themselves.

    "Sure," Sophie said, and when she saw the imp she definitely did not agree with his name. "He's not even sparkly!"

The imp was grey and smelly. Nothing sparkle worthy.

"If Sparkles is his last name," Sophie said, watching the imp flitter around, "then he needs a first name."

Edaline smiled, "no offense to Biana, Della, but Sophie is right."

Della laughed, "he'll be Sophie's pet, I assume?"

"If she wants him," Edaline said.

"Then I'm calling him Iggy," Sophie decided as the imp landed on her shoulder.

"Iggy Sparkles?" Grady asked.

"Only if Biana is present."

  Della left after that- making Sophie a whole lot nervous. But not before telling them that they had to go shopping for elixirs for Sophie. And she also told Sophie that she'd see if Biana would stop by with her boyfriend so Sophie would feel more comfortable. Sophie didn't have the heart to tell Della that she'd probably feel more comfortable if her slightly snobby daughter wasn't there.

"So..." Edaline said as silenced filled the room. "Before we go to Slurps and Burps... do you want to see your room?"

The more Sophie studied the couple, the more grief and sadness she saw behind their kind smiles. With a pang, she realized that this was likely how her human parents would be like for the rest of their lives. Grief- no matter how much- would always follow them.

She couldn't help her human parents, but maybe she could do something for Grady and Edaline. Sophie decided she was going to try.

__________

The door belched- making Sophie jump and Edaline smile. "Kesler does that just to make stuffy nobles uncomfortable," she explained to Sophie.

Grady had stayed behind to feed the T-Rex while Edaline and Sophie went to Slurps and Burps. Edaline's brother-in-law, Kesler, owner the elixir shop.

"I'll be right out!" A voice said. "Actually- Dex? Or Rex? One of you two- go see who it is."

"Aunt Edaline?" A boy of about thirteen asked as he opened the door. "Whoa- you're here!"

"Rex! Where are your siblings?" Edaline asked as he hurried to hug her.

"It's their break. They're with mom doing who knows what! Dex and I have to help dad with all of this boring stuff."

A tall boy around Sophie's age, with the same strawberry blond hair and periwinkle eyes as his little brother peaked out of the room, "this isn't boring Rex! And hey! He's not lying dad! It's actually Aunt Edaline! And-" he stopped talking as his eyes met Sophie's. "And someone else."

"Who?" A man who was practically an older version of his sons strolled out, a grin spreading on his face as he saw Edaline.

"What brings you here? Juline is going to get so annoyed that I got to see you!" He hurried to pull Edaline into a hug. "How have you been?" Then he turned to stare at Sophie. "Clearly some things have changed."

"This is Sophie," Edaline explained. "Grady and I are taking care of her."

"Why?" The older boy, who must have been Dex asked. Then he flushed, "Sorry. I guess that's not my business."

"It's okay. Sophie, you can tell him as much as you want." Sophie knew Edaline didn't mean her telepathy, but she still wished she didn't have to keep that a secret here as well. But they were afraid to let everyone know how powerful of a telepath Sophie likely was. At least for now.   

"I'm- Sophie Foster. I thought I was a human until yesterday."

"She lived in the Forbidden Cities," Edaline explained.

"Really?" Kesler's eyebrows shot up as Dex said "Whoa!" and Rex yelled, "that is the coolest thing ever!"

"It's a long story," Sophie said timidly as Kesler shook her hand, followed by his sons.

"I can imagine!" Kesler said. "So, Sophie. Are you going to Foxfire?"

Sophie nodded, "I'll start out as Level Six. If I can handle it."

"I'm a Level Six too!" Dex exclaimed. "Do you have an ability?"

"Polyglot," Sophie said, wishing she didn't have to lie, once again. Well- this wasn't really a lie. It was more like omitting the truth. But Dex seemed like a kind person. She felt guilty.

"She has to study during the break, to catch up to the basics," Edaline added.

"Hey, maybe I could help you!" Dex offered. "If you want."

Sophie grinned, "Of course! The only people helping me right now were the Vackers, and-"

Dex made a face, "Yuck. You know the Vackers?"

Kesler raised an eyebrow at his son. "Dex. You know what that family has been through."

"Yeah- but they're the Vackers," Dex reminded him as if they were poisonous.

Kesler sighed, "why don't you go show Sophie your Alchemy and Technopath stuff while Edaline and I catch up?"

"I'm coming too!" Rex declared.

"No," Kesler said, "someone needs to keep the shop going! Go make sure we haven't run out of these." He handed his son a list️.

Rex groaned and snatched the list, turning to Dex and Sophie. "Tell me everything," he said to Dex before he stormed off to clean stuff up. Edaline and Kesler went to the back, talking about he elixirs Edaline needed for Sophie and about Juline, who was apparently Edaline's sister.

Sophie turned to Dex, "Why do you hate the Vackers?"

Dex shrugged, "you just have to talk to them. But- you have. Wait. Let me guess. You have a crush on Wonderboy."

Sophie hoped she wasn't blushing, "Wonderboy?"

Dex narrowed his eyes, "Knew it."

"I don't have a crush on anyone!"

"Uh huh. You just can't admit it in front of Biana Vacker️. Probably scared she'll step on you with her jewel encrusted heels."

"Okay, now you're sounding a little ridiculous," Sophie said, "but yeah- Biana doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Because you have a crush on Wonderboy."

"I do not have a crush on Wonder- on Fitz!" Sophie exclaimed. "You know what? I think you do!"

Dex laughed, "keep telling yourself that."

"Oh, you have a crush on Biana!" Sophie said, grinning as Dex stopped laughing.

"Uh- has she presented you to her boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah- they're kinda coming here soon," Sophie remembered.

"What? Here? As in my dad's store? As in near my vicinity?"

"Sorry," Sophie said, giving him a small smile. She couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to Dex. She'd never really had a friend like him before. Were they friends? She was afraid to ask. Maybe they were just obligated since they were sort of cousins.

"Wait- you said her boyfriend is coming too?" Dex asked.

Sophie nodded, "Why? You jealous?"

"No. Just wait until you hear all his nicknames."

"What nicknames?"

The door belched as a response. Biana walked in, making a face and holding hands with a dark haired boy.

Dex snickered. "Yup. That's him," he whispered to Sophie as she studied them. "She's still dating Glow-Up Valin."   

Chapter Text

"Do I want to know what that means?" Sophie whispered to Dex as Biana spotted them. Biana's frown deepened when she noticed Dex.

"He used to be- not good at controlling his saliva glands," Dex whispered back.

"Ew!" Sophie exclaimed, glancing at Valin again. He wasn't... bad looking? But she wondered what he had looked like before his "glow-up." And besides, all elves were better looking than any human she'd seen.

"What?" Biana asked, as they walked toward them.

"Hey Biana," Sophie said, "do you know Dex?"

"Beat him at a splotching match once in P.E, I believe," Biana said smugly.

Dex gave her a smug smile back, "What are you here for? Some hair products? Want Valin to grow a ponytail again?"

"Dude," Valin said, crossing his arms, "do you want me to remind you and her-" he gestured at Sophie "of how short you were as a Level Two?"

"Go ahead," Dex said, "and I'll remind you about how you don't have an ability yet."

Biana gasped, "How dare you talk to him like that when-"

"When my dad owns up to the fact that he doesn't have an ability? When he's not ashamed and hides behind a celebrity girlfriend just because he no longer drools and has better hygiene? It's obvious that-" Dex stopped talking as Biana shot him a nasty look.

"Um..." Sophie raised her eyebrows as Biana and Dex continued to argue.

Valin rolled his eyes, then shifted them towards Sophie, "Valin," he said, offering her his hand. But Sophie was too busy looking behind him. She hadn't heard the belch of the door opening again.

Fitz stood there, taking in the scene of his sister and Dex calling each other names. "What is going on?" He asked, and it took Sophie a few seconds for her to realize that he was talking to her.

"I don't think you guys coming was a good idea," Sophie admitted.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Dex said, "Wonderboy is here!"

"Uh- who are you?" Fitz asked, wrinkling his nose.

"This is Dex," Sophie explained. "We just met."

"Come on Fitz," Biana snapped, "Let's leave. This was a mistake."

"Uh- no!" Fitz tugged his arm away before Biana could grasp it, "Sophie's barely getting used to this world. We need to help her."

"Great," Dex and Biana both groaned.

"Um- I thought you said this was only going to take a few minutes," Valin turned towards Biana. "And that Fitz wouldn't be here."

"That's what I thought," Biana said, scowling at her boyfriend, "but it's not."

"Here we go again with you promising things you won't keep," Valin said, his teeth gritted.

"Oh, are we seriously going to do this now?" Biana asked angrily.

"No. See you later," Valin said coldly before he stormed out the door. The belch didn't exactly lighten the mood.

"This is great!" Biana exclaimed sarcastically, "Super amazing! Thanks! All of you!"

Sophie wondered why she was at fault. Then she remembered that Biana was there because of her.

"Relax," Dex said, "He probably just went back to the Drooly Boys to cry."

Fitz snickered as his sister gave Dex a death glare. "He has a point."

"Just shut up Fitz. At least I registered for a match and got my first list."

"What?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, not so funny story," Dex began to explain the entire system elves used to match people to each other.

"That- sounds very unromantic," Sophie said when he'd finished.

"My parents are considered a bad match," Dex explained. "People judge them for that. And the fact that they have triplets."

Biana sighed, "I'm going to have to break up with him soon now, aren't I?"

Fitz silently nodded. He may or may not have transmitted something, because he and Biana exchanged looks for a few more seconds than normal.

Biana groaned, but she looked less upset than Sophie would have expected. At least- she didn't look upset about the breakup part. But something else was clearly bothering her.

"Why were you even dating him in the first place?" Dex asked. "If he's talentless you knew beforehand that-"

"That's none of your business," Biana said, shooting another glare at him, Sophie and Fitz. "Come on then. What do you need Sophie?"

"She needs to be ready to be a Level Six at Foxfire," Edaline said as she came back with Kesler. "And you guys are going to help her."

Sophie took another look at the very grumpy Biana, the very annoyed Dex and the slightly confused Fitz.

What had Dex called it?

Wonderful, she thought sarcastically.

-

Sophie started off by reading books and books of Elvin History. Thanks to her photographic memory, she had a feeling she would do well in this class. Edaline and Grady would answer any questions she had- and even explained how they'd learned it.

In the afternoon of these first days she would work on her telekinesis. She found out that while she was good at levitating other objects, she epically failed at levitating herself. Dex came over sometimes to help, but he was more excited about Alchemy. From what he'd told her... Sophie wasn't really very enthusiastic about it.

Fitz came over a few times too, to show her a few tricks he knew about telepathy. She could project images mentally... something she found creepy. He also offered a few tips about Elementalism- not that Sophie could really practice harnessing tornadoes or anything. She didn't understand how she could bottle lightning.

The gnomes at Havenfield were happy to help her get a head start in agriculture- Sophie spent a week just learning how to prepare dirt to plant stuff on it while Dex read aloud from an alchemy book. It was almost time for them to start practicing this for real.

After Sophie almost singed her eyebrows because she was apparently an idiot at following recipes, she and Dex decided to work at the caves within the property of Havenfield. Dex even found a nook where they could keep a few ingredients and elixirs, and the tide rarely elevated.

Biana reluctantly came one day to discuss Multispecesial Studies- and she was not alone. Sophie tried to keep a straight face when she noticed that Valin was with her. Biana hadn't broken up with him yet- and she also came with her best friend, Maruca.

"What's your ability?" Maruca asked, tossing her intricate braids back as Sophie skimmed through another map for The Universe class.

Sophie and Biana glanced at each other for a few seconds before Sophie answered, "Polyglot."

Maruca nodded, not exactly interested, "Biana, what are we even doing? Can't she just read a book about this class?"

Biana sighed, glancing from her boyfriend to her friend before she explained, "I need to talk to Sophie. Alone."

They way she said it made Sophie hope Biana wouldn't start a fight against her. She had a feeling that she would lose and end up with two black eyes.

"Then why are we here?" Valin asked.

"Because I need you guys to help me teach her stuff after I finish talking to her."

Once Maruca and Valin had gone to the caves to wait however, Biana made an accusation that made Sophie wish she'd challenged her to a fight instead.

"You like my brother," she said, her eyes narrowed.

"Um... what?" Sophie asked, hoping she wasn't blushing.

"Oh, please, don't pretend it's not true. It's obvious," Biana said raising an eyebrow.

"I've only known you guys for a month," Sophie reminded her, "and it's really nice of both you and Fitz to help me get used to the Lost Cities. And yeah, I like him. But as a friend," she said, putting emphasis on the word, trying to convince herself it was true.

Biana shrugged, "I mean- it's not like I'd be against it. It's just that people usually try to use me to get to him. And Fitz isn't in the right mindset to be in a relationship right now. Okay?"

"Is that really all you wanted to say to me?" Sophie asked.

Biana shook her head, "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to see my dad."

"Oh," Sophie bit her lip. She knew they kept Alden as comfortable as they could in a room, and Physicians visited him several times a day. Even though they'd apparently had a funeral for him, they still had hope that he'd return someday. And she was supposedly the answer.

Biana studied her before she said, "I bet you're wondering why I still haven't broken up with Valin."

"It's not my business," Sophie said, hoping she didn't sound rude. "You don't have to explain yourself to me," she added.

Biana shook her head, "but it is your business. We need to be able to get along, Sophie. Especially if you're going to fix my dad."

Sophie chose not to remind Biana that she was the one who hadn't really cooperated in 'getting along.'

"When my dad's mind broke- I was miserable for months. And no one understood me except for my brother. And Keefe..." Biana shook her head, "he left soon after that. I felt like the entire world was collapsing and everyone just kept watching me because I'm a Vacker. I couldn't show my pain to people. And Fitz was the same way. When the time came for him to register for a match... he refused. He didn't want to do it if dad wasn't fixed. He still hasn't done it. He got his packet- but he never turned it in. You should have seen him back then Sophie- his best friend joined the group responsible for our dad's mind breaking. We- we cried a lot back then. I also planned to not register, just like him."

Sophie noticed Biana's eyes watering, and any sort of resent she'd had toward her faded away.

"But by the time it came for me to register- I was at a different mindset, you know? Fitz doesn't understand it, but I was tired of being a Vacker. I was done with following the rules. So I got my list and I started dating people that were specifically not on there," Biana said. "It was a defiance, you know? I'm not planning on staying with Valin forever- and not with the other people I dated. Fitz says I'm being reckless and that I'm hurting myself and others. But- it feels good to know that people are watching me do this and to feel such- such apathy towards their judgment. I don't care. And it's how I've been coping. And guess what Sophie? I don't care if you think it's wrong either. And I'm not heartless... I do care about Valin. I just- I don't think I made myself clear to him when we started dating. And now I am realizing that maybe I did make a mess of things and I don't know how to get out of this and I really, really need my dad fixed."

Sophie hadn't really thought to imagine what the Vacker's lives had been, waiting for an answer. And Biana had just admitted that a part of her had changed.

"Am I broken?" Biana asked, staring at her feet. "Maruca distances herself away from me more every day and Valin has been kind of a jerk, especially that day you came. But he has the right to be a jerk because I'm a jerk. And here I am, begging you to fix my dad after I've been so terrible to you. And I need to stop talking before I say the word 'jerk' again."

"No," Sophie said, "you are not broken. You are hurt. And when we're hurt, we make decisions that suck sometimes. And I don't think you've lost yourself either. What you've gone through... my parents are basically going through it right now. And if it meant that they'd be as strong as you are, maybe I'll be okay with them making a few decisions that suck."

Biana sighed, "I'm so stupid."

"And brave. And you know what?" Sophie took a deep breath before she said, "take me to Alden."

Biana glanced at her in surprise, "I wasn't trying to make you- only if you wanted to-"

"I know. I want to see him. I need some motivation to keep learning about Alchemy from Dex so I can go to Foxfire and get proper Telepathy training. Because if I can help it," Sophie said, repeating Della's words to her a few weeks ago, "I'm going to save your dad."

They light-leaped to the gates of Everglen and Biana gestured for Sophie to follow her. They walked across the beautiful, long hallways decorated with so much intricacy.

"Biana? Sophie? What are you guys doing here?" Fitz asked.

Biana ignored him, grabbing Sophie's arm and pulling at it before she could explain what was going on to Fitz. She led her toward a door which was carved into with designs of wings and sky features very meticulously.

Alden's room was warm. Sophie had to take a few deep breaths before she looked up to the man with the pale face. His eyes were closed and she could see his chest rising very slowly. Biana walked toward him quietly and grabbed his hand. Sophie hesitantly followed.

"Hey dad," Biana whispered, a small smile growing on her lips, "I miss you. Sophie's here today. We think she's the Moonlark. And maybe she can fix you."

Sophie wasn't sure if it had to do with her and Biana's conversation about stupid decisions, but she took one right then.

And she closed her eyes as she tried to read Alden's mind.

Everything was so, so dark. But as she got used to it, it was like she was diving into shattered glass. And it was trying to pull her in.

Sophie yelped- or she may have. She wasn't sure if she had.

Moonlark, moonlark, moonlark, she transmitted. It was the only word that made sense. Everything else stung. Pain. Regret.

SOPHIE!

Sophie opened her eyes and gasped, surprised to see Fitz pressing his hands against her temples in worry. Biana was gripping onto her shoulders.

"What did you do?" Fitz asked frantically. "What on earth-"

"I-" Sophie shook her head as if that could take the ache away from it. "I'm sorry."

Fitz's teal eyes seemed to pierce hers, "did you hear me?"

Sophie nodded slowly, "I think so."

"But- how?" Fitz asked.

"I thought your mind was impenetrable," Biana said.

"I thought so too," Sophie said, rubbing her temples.

"So what did you see? No telepath has been able to stay so long..." Fitz said.

A growing dread in her stomach made her look at the ground, "I almost lost myself in there."

"But you stayed there for minutes! Fitz only lasts like a second!" Biana exclaimed.

"But- I did nothing," Sophie reminded them.

"And you probably should have waited until someone told you you could go in," Fitz agreed, "but now we know that you can do something no one has been able to do! You can do this Sophie."

And both siblings looked too excited for Sophie to tell them that she was afraid. She was absolutely terrified of losing herself. Of being tugged back in. She was afraid to fix their dad.

-

"So you're a Telepath?" Dex asked as he made the elixir to purify iron.

They were in the caves again, and Sophie was telling him about her fears of fixing Alden. And she'd just admitted to him that she was a Telepath. Dex had taken it surprisingly well. Maybe Sophie's speech about how she trusted him and considered him her best friend helped.

"Yeah. It's... a really long story." Sophie said.

"Hey, right now we have to wait for it to cool down before we need to perform the next step. Why don't you tell me?" Dex turned back to grab some more ingredients from the nook.

"Well... have you heard of the Black Swan?" Sophie asked.

Dex didn't answer, still turned around toward the nook, shuffling with vials and paper.

"Dex?"

"The Black Swan... like this?" Dex pulled out a strange, jagged black crystal from the nook. But it's shape, though not perfect, was clearly of a swan.

Sophie's heart began to race as she snatched the charm-thing from Dex. "What is this?"

"I think- I think it's magsidian," Dex said, his eyes narrowing. "I learned about that this year. It's a dwarf thing."

"A dwarf thing?"

"Yeah. Like... they can sense it and stuff. And I think it works as a leaping crystal too."

Sophie's eyes widened, "you think someone left it here for me to go somewhere?"

"I... don't know." Dex frowned, "this vial is new too," he pulled out a vial from the nook, which had a blue glow filled with tiny flecks of darkness and shimmer, swirling like glitter in a snow globe. Sophie took it and traced her finger along the cold, damp glass.

"Lucilliant."

"What?"

Sophie made a face, "I don't know. Something just clicked when I touched it."

"What's Lucilliant?"

"I think... it's a star," Sophie said quietly.

"Never heard of it."

"I've been trying to memorize all the maps for The Universe. Maybe I saw it there?"

"I don't know," Dex said, "I feel like I should've heard of it. I should technically know all the stars by now."

"Let me try something," Sophie whispered.

"Uh- Sophie..." Dex said as she pressed the swan charm to the vial. "I don't think-"

"The Black Swan made me Dex. At least- that's what we think. And that's why I may be able to fix Alden. Maybe this will help me," she said as the charm began to crust with a thin layer of frost. A beam of sparkling, swirling blue light swirled at her feet.

Dex backed away from it quickly, "Sophie-"

"I have my home crystal," Sophie assured him. "Tell Grady and Edaline I'll be back. I need to see where this leads."

And before Dex could protest any more, or before she got scared, she stepped into the icy light.

-

In the month that Sophie had lived there, she hadn't exactly been fond of light leaping. But leaping with this star's light? It was so much worse.

She wanted to scream as so much turning and so much tearing and shredding and cold seemed to combine until she was nothing- but she couldn't scream. She wasn't anything. She was-

She was somewhere new. Sophie tumbled, coughing and heaving for air and scraping her hands, legs and face against the rough grass. She collapsed in a heap, still trying to steady her breathing before she looked... up.

Sophie had never seen such an enormous tower. It made her feel miniscule and meaningless, with its windowless glass walls, its golden door and the smaller towers that spread out of the single, gigantic tower that was at least one hundred floors long.

Basically, Sophie was in the grounds of the Tower of Doom.

She was only getting used to the enormity of the building when a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"You must be lost."

Chapter Text

    Sophie sat up firmly before spinning her head around to face a very good looking young man with ice blue eyes- so similar to the Lucilliant starlight. He was leaning against the building casually, but his expression showed that he was even more surprised than she was about their situation.

    The boy, who looked about seventeen gave her a concerned look before he offered her his hand so she could stand up. "Well? Are you? Or is appearing in people's front yards just a habit you have?"

    His question was too close to reality, bringing back the day she'd appeared in Everglen. She took his hand tentatively, and they both tightened their hold as she stood up. She backed away as soon as she was steady on the grass. "I'm not lost," she said. "I took... a charm and a starlight here."

    She wasn't sure if she could trust this guy. She didn't know anything about him. Why would the Black Swan bring her here?

    "I think you're lost," he said as she looked around again and ended up locking her eyes with his. Nothing of use. Just the really tall... house? Was this thing really his house?

    "I'm not lost," Sophie insisted as the guy ran his hand through his blond, messy and yet somehow stylized hair in thought.

    "Then how come I can feel your panic all the way here? And I'm not even touching you," he added.

    "What?"

    "Empath," he explained.

    "Who are you?" she asked. "Where am I?"

    "Ah, so you are lost."

    Sophie glared at him as he smirked. "You still haven't told me your name."

    He cleared his throat, "why don't you tell me who you are first, and why you're here? And-" he squinted at her, "why you have brown eyes?"

    "My name's Sophie. Sophie Foster," Sophie said, immediately regretting it. People are out to kill you, she scolded herself.

    "Tell me Sophie, are you a human?"

    "Yes, that's why I light leaped here," Sophie answered sarcastically.

    "I guess I deserved that," the guy said, still studying her. "But why can I feel so much..." he paled, "whoa- are you alright?"

    Sophie grimaced. He could feel that? That drainage of energy she was suddenly experiencing? She almost fell back, but she steadied herself.

    The guy rushed to help her but she shook her head at him so he'd back away. She had to be able to steady herself without help. She had to learn to be strong if she could fix Alden. This thought process reminded her of Alden's mind, the shattering pain, and her parents and sister. Sophie didn't know why, but at this moment all of these situations seemed to be laughing at her. At her and her stupid, reckless decisions. What was even her plan? Ask this guy about the Black Swan? They'd sent her here, right?

    Or was this a trap?

    "Hey, uh- Sophie? You sure you don't need help?"

    Sophie did her best to glare at him, "what would help is if you told me where I am."

    "Candleshade."

    "That didn't really help," she admitted.

    "Maybe you can tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

    "I make poor decisions and some of them aren't even my fault," she said quietly.

    "Is someone else forcing you to make them?"

    "I don't know," she admitted.

    "Is there anything you can do to fix this problem?"

    "Maybe. I don't know."

    "Hold on to that 'maybe' then," the guy said. "It's the best thing you can do." Something in his voice made Sophie wonder if he was telling himself the same thing.

    "So are you going to continue to be really mysterious and not tell me your name?" Sophie asked to change the subject. She didn't like having to rely on conversations with strangers to keep herself from having a panic attack.

    "Psh, you're calling me mysterious? You just appeared in a blue light- which I've never seen before, you have brown eyes and your stress is making me want to cry. No, Sophie Foster. If anyone here is mysterious then it's you. I'm gonna have to call you Mysterious Miss F for the remainder of our conversation."

    Sophie crossed her arms. "I'm not saying anything else until you say something."

           He sighed, "this is Candleshade. Home of the worst people in the world. And I did say stuff, you know. I gave you advice. That should count for something! Look, I'll take you to my mom and we can see what she has to say."

    "Fine," Sophie said. "My friend and I were practicing for Alchemy at Foxfire. We found a vial with Lucilliant light, a charm and I took it here. I don't know why or how that thing was there. I took it to see if I could... solve some of my problems."

She frowned when she realized she'd dropped the charm... and she couldn't find it anywhere. She scanned the grass, not noticing that the guy was stretching out his hand.

"See? That wasn't so hard! Even though you're still kinda being mysterious. But I'll let it slide."

Sophie finally looked up from frantically searching for the charm, realizing that he was waiting for her to shake his hand.

"My name's Keefe," he said as she raised her own. But that word made her freeze. "Keefe Sencen."

Coldness seeped into her chest and she felt as if there should've been an alarm going on somewhere as a warning. Anything.

Her hand dropped to her side. She felt her eyes widen as they continued to stare at his outstretched hand.

"Come on Miss F! Don't leave me hanging!" He teased.

But the only words echoing in Sophie's head were her own: they're going to kill me.

And Fitz's warning that Keefe Sencen was dangerous.

"You're Keefe Sencen," she finally whispered, taking a step back and almost jumping when she realized she'd stepped on the charm. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that if he saw the black swan, he'd know she was an enemy. Her foot stayed put, but she still felt at the verge of a panic attack as Keefe gave her a weird look.

"I am," he agreed, his face slightly concerned. "And I'm going to take a wild guess that you've heard about me before. And not about my hair or my looks."

Sophie moved her hand toward her back pocket as slowly as she could. That was where her pathfinder was. If she could escape...

Keefe fanned the air, "okay, I can get you being intimidated or flustered by my presence and overall awesomeness, but that fear you're radiating is lowering my self esteem. I promise you, Foster. I'm not going to hurt you. Whatever you've heard about me is wrong."

"You're in the Neverseen," Sophie reminded him, her fingers delicately wrapping around the pathfinder. Her hand began to shake as she pulled it out and-

"Yeah- that's not gonna happen either," Keefe said and Sophie gasped as the pathfinder tugged out of her hands through telekinesis into his. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry."

"Give it back!" Sophie demanded.

"I'm sorry. Really. But my mom has told me to make sure no one without an invitation arrives here. If she found out about you coming here and me letting you go... she'd kill me." He shuddered. "Not literally," he added when he probably noticed Sophie's mood shifting.

"It was a mistake," Sophie half lied. "Tell her I came here by mistake and that I'm on my way."

Fitz had told her about Lady Gisela- Keefe's mom. She was the reason Keefe was in the Neverseen in the first place. And she was suspected for the murder of Cyrah Endal. And a likely leader of the Neverseen.

Keefe was going to take her to one of the leaders of the group that wanted to kill Sophie. If they found out who she was...

"Please give it back to me," she begged, and Keefe looked genuinely sorry as he wrapped his hands around the pathfinder very tightly while she struggled to pull it out of his grasp with her own telekinesis.

"How about I explain myself to you, we go talk to my mom really quickly about how you got here and then I'll give this to you and we can call it a day?"

"No," Sophie said, her voice still shaky. "Fitz said-"

"Fitz?" Keefe asked, his eyes widening. "Hold on. Whoa. As in- Fitz Vacker?"

"That's the guy."

"Ah, so this explains everything," Keefe said, the annoying smirk back in his face as he regarded her. "The Fitzster got himself a cute girlfriend, didn't tell me about it and now he's turning her against a guy before she even gets to meet him! How long?"

"I- what- no!" Sophie groaned internally, her entire face flushing. "Fitz is my friend! And he told me you're dangerous."

"Seriously? What rumors has he spread about me now?"

"No rumors. Just that you're in a group of murderers."

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Keefe's expression switched to annoyed. "He'd understand if-"

"The Neverseen broke his father's mind!"

Keefe sighed, "Not with this again!"

"Alden Vacker's mind is broken. And whoever this Neverseen group is. Whatever you're a part of- is at fault!"

"No- it's not," Keefe insisted, "it's what I've been trying to prove to him these past years. I mean- it's the reason I joined in the first place! To prove that my mom wasn't responsible for that! The Neverseen isn't at fault at all. They- we didn't do anything to Alden. Nothing. The reason his mind is broken is- a whole other issue."

"What is it then?" Sophie asked skeptically, making sure her foot was still on top of the magisidian charm.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"Well give me back my pathfinder then, if you're not going to be useful."

"I already told you. You're not leaving until we talk to my mom."

"Do you need your mommy's approval or something?" Sophie snapped.

Keefe ignored her, waving her pathfinder around, "follow me if you want it!"

Sophie turned to look up at the sky to roll her eyes, but an idea began to form in her head instead.

"How about I go with you if you take me somewhere first?" She suggested innocently as Keefe turned to check if she was following him.

"Uh- we're not getting out of here Mysterious Miss F. Imagine if Fitz found out if I were taking his girlfriend on a date. He'd get even angrier at me."

Sophie ignored him and the heat that had warmed her face, "I just want you to take me to the top of that tower over there," she pointed at the tallest stretch of a tower on the building. Keefe looked up with her, frowning in confusion.

"Uh- why?"

"If you take me there, I'll go talk to your mom."

"I'm an Empath Foster. I know you're planning something. So whatever it is-"

"I'm under the impression that the Neverseen is a group of murderers and people I should never trust. If you truly want to change my perception of your group... prove that I can trust you. Take me to the top of that tower," Sophie demanded.

Keefe looked up again, and Sophie took this as a chance to take the charm back and pocket it. If only she could snatch the pathfinder he was holding onto very firmly...

"Fine," Keefe said, still giving her a suspicious look. "Ever been on a vortinator?"

Sophie had never been on a vortinator. And she didn't want to be.

"Hold on," Keefe said as they entered the very fancy room that led to the twirly staircase-like vortinator of doom thing.

Sophie grabbed his hand.

Keefe grinned, "I meant the railing."

"Oh," Sophie tugged her hand away, wishing she could run away and never come back... which was actually what she was planning to do anyway.

"200 stories," Keefe said when the vortinator was done spinning and making Sophie wish she'd eaten less for breakfast.

"And your mom is..?"

"She's usually on floor 92. We'll go there next. After you do... whatever you want to do?"

"How do I open that window?" Sophie asked.

Keefe gave her a weird look. "Why?"

"Why are you saying that the Neverseen wasn't responsible for Alden Vacker's broken mind?" Sophie countered, "who is responsible then, if that's true?"

Keefe bit his lip, "I really can't say. It's confidential. And besides, they never tell me anything extremely important. They still don't trust me. And they won't trust me if I don't bring you to my mom."

"Why can't you say it?" Sophie asked, her hands tracing around the window of the tower. "Is it confidential or not important? It can't be both."

Keede grabbed her hand to stop her from likely breaking her nails on the window. Sophie flinched and backed away.

"Come on!" Keefe exclaimed, "I'm not dangerous!"

"You're with the group that broke the mind of your best friend's dad!"

"I-" Keefe groaned in frustration. "Alden Vacker was more of a father to me than my own father! And when his mind broke and Fitz suspected the Neverseen- I was strongly against them! I hated them! And then I found out my mom was a leader."

He took a deep breath before he continued, "I couldn't live with the idea of her being responsible for that. And she told me I had a Legacy with her and she also told me, promised me- that the Neverseen was not responsible for what happened to Alden. And as long as I continue to prove that they can trust me, I'll be able to find out who or what exactly did. Fitz doesn't understand because- well, he's set on the idea that the Neverseen is evil."

"Then who did it?" Sophie asked as Keefe showed her where the hidden window latches were.

"I'm not supposed to-"

"Who did it? Please tell me. I don't understand why you wouldn't tell-"

"The Black Swan. Heard of them?"

Sophie felt like he'd just poured a bucket of ice over her head. "What?"

"Yeah," Keefe said, pulling at another match on the window angrily, "this other group. I don't know almost anything about them. I've tried looking it up on my own- believe me. But I've found nothing. And I know my mom and other people know more. But I need their trust to find out! All I know is that Alden was investigating them. That's why I can't tell Fitz- at least not until I have more information. He'll think he was responsible too."

"And?" Sophie asked.

"They have some sort of project. My mom says it's a weapon."

Sophie's heart pounded as she turned to look at him, "a weapon?"

"The Moonlark Project," Keefe whispered angrily. "Whatever that thing is... whatever the Black Swan created... that's what they used on Alden. That's what's responsible for his broken mind. It's dangerous, and it hurt my dad. My best friend. Me. And I'm going to find it. And I'm going to destroy it."

He pulled at the window then, his eyes narrowed in determination as it finally broke free and all Sophie could feel was the cold, 200 foot story wind breezing past her face. But it was nothing compared to the chilling thoughts tugging at her. The guilt. The anger. The terror.

"What are you doing?" Keefe asked as she closed in on the window, breathing hard as she noticed how far down the ground was.

"Do you need to throw up? 'Cause I can feel it. And if your entire goal of coming up here was to throw up from 200 hundred stories you may just be my hero."

Keefe grinned at Sophie, but she didn't smile back. She couldn't smile back.

Because... what if he was right? What if everything was her fault?

She took a deep breath before stepping back from the window.

"Hey, don't feel guilty about everything," Keefe said, fanning his face. "It's not your fault."

Except... what if it was?

"Foster?"

Sophie ran at the window, ignoring Keefe's cries for her to stop and launched herself out of it, an image of Havenfield vividly in her mind. The wind lapped at her face, making her eyes sting with tears.

"WHAT THE F-"

Keefe's yell faded away as a crack replaced it as Sophie teleported into the void.

Chapter Text

"Please tell me you're joking, Keefe," Lady Gisela said in a quiet, angry voice full of disappointment. Shame made Keefe look at the ground. He couldn't, wouldn't look at his mother in the eyes, in fear of seeing it.

"I'm sorry mom," he answered, wishing his voice wasn't so hoarse from his yelling, "not this time."

"Why," his mother said, standing up from her desk sharply. Keefe flinched as she slammed her hand on the table, "why did you not bring her to me immediately?" Her voice was still soft. It was days like these when Keefe almost missed his dad and his outbursts. He wasn't manipulative. He was direct, candor about his opinions about Keefe and how he disappointed him. Where was he now? Keefe hadn't seen him since Alden's mind had broken and when the Neverseen rumors had gotten out of hand in his house.

His mom... seemed to expect stuff from him. But he always found a way to let her down.

But how was what had just happened his fault?

It wasn't everyday that a girl jumped out of the highest window of Keefe's 200 story tower of a house and somehow disappeared. It wasn't every day that one would appear in front of him and claim it had to do with a random star he'd never heard of. And she mentioned Fitz! Who apparently continued to warn people that Keefe was dangerous! How was he supposed to know that she would jump off his freaking window?

It was everyday, however, that Keefe's mom glanced at him like he was a failure. Every. Single. Day. On rare occasions, she'd told him she was proud.

She did not look proud at the moment.

And yet Keefe decided to dig his own grave by asking her a question to answer hers.

"Why do you even care so much? When you told me to make sure no one came to Candleshade, I thought it was just a precaution. It's not like she saw anything!"

Except he'd said something to her. Something he wasn't supposed to say to anyone. Whoever this Sophie Foster was, she could be telling Fitz what he suspected at the very moment. Keefe swore under his breath.

"Excuse me?" his mother snapped.

"Sorry," Keefe said, cringing when he noticed his mother's stern look. "We were having a normal conversation. So I got her name and some information about a charm? And some star called Lucilliant? But I don't know what that is. And then, before I took her to you she asked me if we could go to the top of the tower. I did not know she was going to jump out of it, obviously."

"And why," Lady Gisela asked, exasperated, "why on earth Keefe did you take her there? You're an Empath, for goodness sake. So please, enlighten me why you took a girl you didn't know anything about where she asked you to and let her escape?"

"Probably because he thought she was cute," a voice said from behind them.

Keefe glared at Linh, one of the Exilium recruits and probably his only friend in the Neverseen. Perfect timing for her to come in.

She gave him a side grin before she sat on a couch a few feet away from them, "I'm done with my training for the day," she said quietly to Lady Gisela. Her voice was sweet and soft- the exact opposite of Keefe. Besides her powerful Hydrokinetic ability, this was probably why Lady Gisela liked her.

"Anyway," Keefe said, giving Linh a death glare a few seconds longer before he turned to Lady Gisela and finally looked at her in the eyes. "The girl said something that stuck out to me."

His mother arched an eyebrow before he continued, "Sophie Foster- that's her name- she gave me a good point when she asked me to take her there. She said we had to prove our trust. So I did. And then she betrayed me by jumping off the window... so I guess she played me on that. But her point was right. We need trust, and you're not giving us any," he gestured toward himself and Linh.

Linh shook her head at him like, 'leave me out of this,' but Keefe knew she agreed with him, if only a little.

"It's been months since she saw her brother. You promised her, remember?" Keefe didn't even care that he was snapping at his mom anymore. He was right. "And you haven't given me any new information about the Black Swan's moonlark weapon or whatever it's called. You told me I could find out who was responsible for what happened to Alden. Fitz... he still hates me, mom. He thinks I joined the wrong side. I need to find out what really happened to his dad. And you're not helping me! All you're doing is getting mad at me for letting some random girl jump from our tower. Does she have anything to do with this? No! She was just confused and scared. I felt her emotions. And she made a good point about trust! So when she asked me to take her to the top of Candleshade, of course I did! I gave her what I want from you. More trust!"

Lady Gisela studied him. Keefe crossed his arms, hoping he looked determined. But all his mother said was, "you're not ready yet."

Keefe groaned louder than he had to. From the corner of his eye, he could see Linh frown in disappointment. Great. Now he was a failure to his only friend too.

"I am going to discuss these matters with Fintan," Lady Gisela said, "no one should be appearing here without our permission. You will no longer be a guard, Keefe. If she shows up again, I need someone who can make sure this Sophie Foster stays until I've talked to her. I don't care if she has nothing to do with this. Someone sent her here, and I want to know who."

Before she left, Keefe muttered four more words. "She has brown eyes."

"What?" Lady Gisela turned around slowly.

"Brown eyes. She has brown eyes. I don't know what that means, but I think there is something to her. But- she's not evil. I would've felt it." Keefe chose not to say anything about the fact that he could feel Sophie Foster's emotions without physical contact. Or that she knew that he was looking for the Moonlark Project to destroy it. He didn't even admit that he technically did think she was cute. And he definitely didn't say that he was going to try to find her again. Because even though Sophie Foster wasn't evil, she was mysterious. And Keefe could tell that his mom knew more than she said. Like always.

"Why didn't you stop her with telekinesis?" Linh Song asked when Lady Gisela had left.

Keefe sighed "Okay, what would you do if someone jumped off your window down 200 stories?"

Before Linh could answer, Keefe yelled, "PANIC OF COURSE!"

"But-"

"And yeah, I was going to use telekinesis to catch her! But she was gone! Literally! There was a crack! And she wasn't there! I checked!"

"How do you think she did that?" Linh asked.

"I have no clue!"

Linh giggled, "thanks for standing up for me, by the way. But I don't think I'll see Tam anytime soon."

Keefe frowned, hating that she was probably right. Tam was Linh's twin, and the very day he hadn't been at Exilium with his sister, the Neverseen had infiltrated it and offered all the students the same thing: redemption. Either leave with the Neverseen to stay in Candleshade (Keefe called it the 'We don't trust you yet' hideout), or stay behind.

No one had stayed behind.

Why would any disgraced elf want to stay in a school meant for punishment when they could join a group that was promising to fight for and with them?

People had heard rumors about the Neverseen, so those that could had gotten their kids out before the Neverseen came. This was why Tam hadn't been there that day. His parents had been able to get him back. But not Linh. Linh had actually gotten in trouble. Tam was just there because he wanted to be with his sister. Their parents had insisted that if Tam came with them to a Tribunal, they'd be able to convince the Council to take Linh back too. Linh told Keefe that Tam had promised her that he'd come back the next day no matter what.

He may have come back. But Linh never found out. Because that day, the Neverseen had given the Exilium students the choice.

Once they became better friends in the past months, Linh had admitted to Keefe that she had considered staying behind. She was used to being the odd one out. But then the Neverseen had offered her redemption and solutions to the unfairness of her life. And a promise to make it better for her and her brother.

So Linh had taken the deal too.

And here she was, in Candeshade with Keefe. The place where no one trusted them yet. Even though Keefe had been a part of the Neverseen for a few years now. To be fair, his reasons for joining hadn't exactly been out of loyalty... He needed to know that his mom wasn't a bad person. And he wanted to find out who of what had truly damaged the closest person he'd ever had to a father. Keefe didn't like to count his dad. Keefe wondered what Lord Cassius' reaction would be if he knew they were housing Exilium students in his old home.

Now both Keefe and Linh were waiting for more information.

Linh had easily become Keefe's friend, insisting that he reminded her of her brother a lot. She stood apart from the other Exilium students. She hadn't broken the law on purpose. Her ability was just too strong- and she was a twin. Two things Keefe knew that the Neverseen could very much work with. But Keefe hadn't become friends with her because of how powerful she was- it was because she reminded him of himself. Judgmental parents. The closest person he'd ever had for a brother was absent from his life. She hadn't heard from her actual brother in months. This had to do with the surreptitious manner of the Neverseen. No one was allowed to contact anyone outside of the Neverseen until they were trusted. Maybe this was also why Keefe's mom had made a huge deal about Sophie Foster.

Keefe suggested to Linh one day, as a joke, that he would be her temporary Tam, and she declared that she'd be his Fitz. The joke became a real thing- and Keefe was grateful for it. It was easier to go through this with a friend. Keefe wished that as one of the Neverseen's leader's son, he could have an actual say sometimes. If he could, he'd take Linh to see her brother. And he'd learn a lot more about Alden and whatever the heck the Moonlark Project was. And prove that even though his mom was a jerk, she wasn't essentially a bad person. His mother still refused to tell him anything else- which was sketchy, much to his disappointment. He didn't even know that many more members! And those he did know either covered their faces or wore disguises. Finally, he would find out who the heck Sophie Foster was and how she managed to not die when she jumped out of Candleshade.

"We're going to figure this out," Keefe finally said to Linh, who also looked deep in thought, "I think things are going to change soon."

"I hope so," Linh whispered. "Because I keep wondering if I made the right choice."

"You did," Keefe assured her, afraid to admit that he was also wondering the same thing.

He stared at the pathfinder he'd forgotten he'd been twirling around in his hands, glad his mother hadn't noticed it. A clue.

"But now we have to take some matters into our own hands."

Chapter Text

Sophie couldn't let Keefe Sencen be right about her having a habit of appearing in front of people's houses and causing a commotion. But this was the third time, and she hadn't even been in the Lost Cities that long.

This chaos was different though, because there was more than one person waiting for her. In fact, there were multiple people in front of Havenfield, and they were all arguing.

Biana was talking to her mother frantically, who kept asking Dex questions. Dex wasn't listening to Della though, because Fitz was yelling at him too. And Dex was yelling back and shaking a vial of whatever elixir he and Sophie had been making in Fitz's face. Councillors Kenric, Oralie and Bronte were also there, talking to Grady and Edaline. Sophie felt a jolt in her heart when she noticed how worried Edaline looked. She was a few seconds away from bursting into tears.

Grady was the first one to see her- still sitting on the ground and trying not to tremble so obviously.

"Sophie!" he cried out in relief, making everyone spin around to look at her.

"Hey," Sophie said weakly as Grady rushed to help her to her feet. "I'm okay," she assured him as everyone else hurried over.

"No, you're not," Edaline said, looking at her hesitantly. Perhaps she was considering hugging her. Sophie didn't know how to feel about that. "You're shaking."

Sophie looked at her arms and realized this was true. She was still trembling.

"How do you know about an unmapped star?" Bronte asked.

"What?"

"Lucilliant," Dex explained, "the star we found and that you used... it's supposed to be a secret."

"Stop asking her questions for a minute!" Grady snapped at them, staring at Sophie worriedly, "are you sure you're alright Sophie?" he still hadn't let go of her arm, waiting for her to regain her balance fully.

No. Sophie was not okay. But she couldn't tell them that. "Just shaky," she whispered. "I don't know what you mean about the star. I assumed I just read about it or saw it on a map or something."

"Is that the magisidian charm?" Oralie asked gently.

Sophie sighed when she noticed the charm had fallen out of her pocket again. "Yeah," she admitted as she picked it off the ground and handed it to Oralie. The Councillor inspected it before she handed it to Della.

"So it's from the Black Swan?" Fitz asked, and Sophie turned to look at him. She'd forgotten he was there too.

"Where did you go, Sophie? Did you talk to anyone?" Biana asked.

Sophie hated to break the Vacker's hope, and sure enough, she felt sick to her stomach when she saw their expressions as she shook her head, "I didn't talk to anyone in the Black Swan."

"Then why do you look so freaked out?" Dex asked worriedly.

"I-" Sophie had to stare at something before she told them. And she found herself catching Fitz's eyes. And immediately felt worse. She gently tugged out of Grady's grasp and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I met Keefe Sencen."

This began another round of yelling and questions.

"WHAT?" Fitz exclaimed. He stepped closer to Sophie and grabbed her hands worriedly. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" He asked, scanning her for injuries. His eyes lingered on her right hand, which was a little scratched up from her light leaping landing.

"He didn't hurt me," Sophie assured him, a part of her touched that Fitz cared enough to check. But another part of her was afraid of how angry he seemed. "I escaped before he could take me to his mother."

"How?" Fitz asked, backing away so that Edaline could check her too. "Where's your pathfinder?"

"Uh... that jumping into the void thing I can apparently do," Sophie explained. "And... Keefe stole my pathfinder."

"What did he say to you?" Biana whispered.

"I think," Della interrupted before Sophie could come up with a way to tell them what she'd learned, "we need to let Sophie breathe. And I'll catch you up later," she turned to the Councillors.

"Or I could," Fitz suggested, earning a sneer from Bronte and a shrug from Kenric.

"Hail me, alright?" Oralie told them before she grabbed both Bronte and Kenric's arms and tugged them away into the light of her pathfinder.

"We'll talk about that later," Della told her son, and Sophie wondered what other things they were dealing with. But it wasn't really her business, so she walked back to Havenfield alongside Dex, following Grady and Edaline. The Vackers trudged silently behind them.

"Is Alvar still in Ravagog?" she heard Biana ask her mother in a hushed tone.

"He hailed me a few hours ago. Said he may not make it back until tomorrow," Della answered gently.

-

The questions began again when they were all in the living room, and Sophie found herself recapping everything she'd seen and heard. Well... almost everything.

"He kept insisting that the Neverseen isn't bad," she explained. "He said he was working to find out the real reason Alden's mind broke."

"The Neverseen," Fitz said, crossing his arms, "is at fault. And he's too blind to see it because his mom is in it. And they're manipulating him."

"I hate to interrupt," Biana said, not sounding guilty at all, "but what is he still doing here?" she pointed at Dex. "This is confidential."

"I was wondering the same thing about you," Dex muttered.

"Dex knows about me. I told him," Sophie explained. "I hope that's okay," she added when she realized how risky it was to tell people stuff. Especially after Keefe said...

No. She wouldn't think about that.

"It's your decision who you trust Sophie. But you need to be safe," Della reminded her.

"Speaking of," Grady added, "you're grounded Sophie."

"What? Why?"

"You can't go anywhere without my or Edaline's permission. And leaving poor Dex here to yell at us that you've disappeared doesn't count."

"You should've seen him Sophie," Edaline said, "he was terrified."

Biana and Fitz snickered as Dex's ears turned red in embarrassment.

"Sorry Dex," Sophie apologized to her friend, and then she turned to her adoptive parents- not that she really considered them parents yet. But apparently they were comfortable enough to ground her. And be worried about her. She tried to focus on the latter as she forced herself to look at both of them. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't realize I would be going somewhere dangerous. I just want to fix Alden."

"And Keefe didn't say anything?" Biana asked.

"We need to make sure he can't use your pathfinder to get to you," Fitz realized, making Sophie gasp. What if Keefe decided to go to the last place she'd been? It would be Havenfield!

"I've been talking to Councillor Oralie about some potential bodyguards for Sophie," Della assured them. Not that Sophie felt very assured about the fact that she was going to have bodyguards. Plural.

"And what about Candleshade? Can't we just send someone to go in there?" Dex asked.

"Yeah, can't we?" Fitz shot his mom an angry look.

"We've already done that. Multiple times. They're prepared for that," Della reminded her son.

"Well we should try again!" Fitz snapped.

"Couldn't the Councillors just send some goblins to destroy the place?" Biana suggested.

"You know why we can't do that."

"Yeah, guilt. Our fatal flaw," Fitz rolled his eyes. "Sophie managed to appear without alerting them."

"But Keefe was there, guarding," Sophie reminded him. "It's almost like... he or someone knew I was going to appear there."

"But the Black Swan gave you that, didn't they?" Biana asked.

Sophie frowned at the magisidian charm, "I don't know. Why would they send me to their enemy?"

"Because you could probably get some information for them. And us," Fitz realized.

"Well so far all she's said we already knew," Biana said, shrugging when her mother gave her a reprimanding look, "it's true. All we know is that Sophie's brain was hiding stuff about unmapped stars."

"And I bet it's hiding more stuff too," Fitz said, turning to Sophie, who felt like sinking into the couch and never coming back up again. "Maybe we could try to see what it is."

"But how? Isn't her mind impenetrable?" Grady asked.

"Well..." Sophie, Biana and Fitz looked at each other before she said, "Fitz was able to transmit to me earlier today."

"When?" Della asked.

"She got into dad's mind mom!" Biana blurted out, earning a glare from her brother and a gasp from everyone else. Sophie grimaced, remembering the shattering, painful pieces in Alden's mind.

"She stayed there for minutes!" Biana said after she told her mom what had happened.

"And she could've stayed there forever!" Della added, shaking her head. "You two need to stop going behind my back before someone gets seriously hurt! I want your father back as much as you do, but I'm not willing to pay the price of Sophie getting injured. She needs time to get used to being a Telepath in the Lost Cities. And you Fitz... conspiring with the Councillors for an advantage. I don't want to hear another word about you being an Emissary until you are out of Foxfire. Stop promising them information about your father. Both of you need to quit endangering yourselves, others and stuff you don't understand. Do you hear me, both of you?"

Sophie, Grady, Edaline and Dex looked away uncomfortably as Fitz and Biana nodded, their faces flushed at their mother's outburst.

"I want him back," Biana whispered, her eyes turning glassy. "I'm sorry."

"Are you sure Keefe didn't say anything else?" Fitz turned to Sophie. "About my dad? How they did what they did to him?"

And Sophie really, really wanted to tell him and everyone what Keefe had said. That the Black Swan, not the Neverseen was responsible for what happened to Alden. That she, the Moonlark was a weapon.

A part of her said it because she was afraid. Afraid of how they'd look at her if she told them. But a bigger part of her knew that she had to face the Black Swan- whoever they were before they tried to assure her that it wasn't her fault. In reality, Sophie wasn't sure what she feared more. What if she told them and they sent her to Exile, the elvin prison? Or what if they dismissed Keefe's claims? What if they told her there was no way that she did anything to Alden and then it turned out she had? Because if they could hide things like forbidden stars in her mind, then they could take away memories too. Sophie had to find the Black Swan and ask them if Keefe was right. If the Moonlark Project was the reason Fitz, Biana and Della were suffering. What if she wasn't a solution? What if she just made it worse?

And so, Sophie glanced at Fitz's teal, concerned eyes and lied.

"I'm sure."

Chapter Text

"Keefe said something else, didn't he?" Dex asked Sophie as she glared at her Opening Ceremony costume.

"Why are you asking me that?" she asked, tossing her yeti costume across her shoulders.

"Because you didn't blush when Fitz asked you."

"Dex," Sophie crossed her arms at him.

He raised his eyebrows back innocently. "Sophie?"

Sophie resisted the urge to tug out an eyelash. She hated lying. "Fine," she looked around to make sure no one else was there. The hallways of Foxfire were empty after their rehearsal. She'd gotten away with not having to talk to anyone thanks to her costume. Everyone looked like everyone else. "Keefe wants to kill me," she whispered to Dex.

"Well yeah, he's in the Neverseen."

"No. I mean... he told me he wanted to."

"And yet he let you roam around Candleshade, giving you a perfect opportunity for you to escape? And I remember you mentioned he didn't do anything to harm you. So he just casually threatened you and let you have your way?"

Sophie rolled her eyes at her friend. "He said he wanted to destroy the Moonlark."

"What? Why? Please don't tell me you told him you were the Moonlark."

"Of course not! And he doesn't technically know the Moonlark is a person. He just thinks it's a weapon the Black Swan created."

"Ohhhh," Dex's eyes widened, "so he's looking for you, he found you, and didn't realize it was you."

"Yeah," Sophie frowned. What if Keefe had realized she was the Moonlark just then? What if his mother or that Guster told him?

"And he's still looking for you," Dex understood, paling as he studied her, "and he wants to kill you."

Sophie slowly nodded. The idea of people being out to kill her made her dizzy and nauseous. Maybe she did need a bodyguard. Not that she left Havenfield much for the rest of her break- she'd been grounded.

"Why?" Dex asked, bringing her back to the present.

"Because he thinks that the Moonlark Project is responsible for what happened to Alden," Sophie whispered.

Dex's eyes widened, "oh crap."

"Yeah," Sophie looked around nervously, "and I haven't told anyone. So... it's our secret, okay?"

Dex grinned, "I know a secret that Biana and Wonderboy don't? Awesome!"

Sophie raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, not awesome that Keefe Sencen wants to kill you. But honestly Sophie? I don't think he would. I never actually spoke to him the times he was here in Foxfire. But he's a guy who's practically our age. And elves... we can't just kill. Someone would have to be very corrupted."

"Fitz is pretty convinced that he's corrupted."

"Fitz was convinced that he was the most powerful telepath a few months ago. Guess how right he was."

"That's not nice Dex. And shhh!" Sophie shushed him.

"I'm just saying the truth," Dex shrugged, "And seriously. We can't do anything bad. Our minds would literally break from the guilt. The only reason the Neverseen is able to do what they do is because they go numb, or who knows what else."

"What do the Neverseen do?" Sophie asked. "What do you know?"

"Well... my mom and my dad have talked a little about them. Like how all the Exilium students banished a few months ago."

"Della mentioned that the day I got here," Sophie remembered, "do you think the Neverseen..."

"Hurt them? I don't know. I think it's more likely that they're using them."

"As an army?"

"And a shield."

"Well... they are people who have been turned down by their world. It makes sense that they'd join willingly," Sophie suggested.

"Yeah," Dex sighed. "This world is more messed up than they make it out to be."

"That's why you don't like the Vackers, right?"

Dex nodded, "imagine... being in love with someone. And then society tells you you can't be with them because of genetics and because your children won't be powerful or amazing or live up to the world's potential."

"I don't know if I can imagine—" Sophie began but Dex cut her off.

"And then you stay with that person anyway. And you have children anyway too. And then you have triplets. Do you know how much they frown upon that? A lot. And for eternity, literally, people will always see you as the person with the bad match. And your children?" He pointed at himself. "Our existence is against tradition. According to the Matchmakers, I shouldn't exist. And you know what kind of people have reminded me of that my whole life? People like the Vackers."

"Oh," Sophie didn't really know how to respond to that. Dex was clearly saying something he didn't trust many people with, and he was refusing to look at her.

"They're just... the exact opposite of my family. And their attitude and little noble nose flares at us are a reminder that no matter what, I will always be the result of something that wasn't supposed to happen."

After a minute of awkward silence, Sophie spoke.

"But it did happen Dex. I don't know about 'supposed,'" Sophie admitted. "But you are here and the best part is that we can make a reason out of it. That whole matchmaking system is crap. Look at me! Freaky Moonlark girl! Who knows where I fit in anywhere in this world. But you Dex? Don't let anyone make you feel like that. Because if you didn't exist I'd be wondering the halls of Foxfire right now by myself. And I'd probably get lost and starve to death until school starts."

Dex laughed, "I guess you do need me."

"Yeah. And I know you don't like this but... I also need the Vackers," Sophie grinned as Dex groaned. "They're not bad people, Dex. Sure, they're a little egotistical. But you've talked to them now. They're not two dimensional."

"Yeah," Dex frowned, "I wonder why Biana's dating people who will clearly not be on her matchmakers list. It's so bizarre."

"Dex."

"What? Don't tell me you know the reason!" Dex have her a curious look. But Sophie knew it'd be wrong to discuss any of Biana's business.

"If I did I wouldn't tell you because she's my friend. And we're connected because my plan is to save her and Fitz's dad. It's her business Dex. Mine is to help them."

"I guess it helps that you have a crush on Wonderboy."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "No I don't."

"Keep telling yourself that," Dex teased. "And uh... lying to him isn't going to help."

"I know. I really wanted to tell them. But first I want to do something," Sophie admitted.

"What?"

"I can't tell Biana and Fitz that Keefe Sencen thinks I'm responsible for what happened to Alden until I've proven that he's wrong."

"I'm sure they wouldn't-"

"That's the thing though. What if he's right?"

Dex gave her a weird look, "What do you mean?"

"My neighbor, Mr. Forkle could transmit stuff to me. That's why I knew what Lucillant was. Wanna bet that he took stuff away too?"

"So your theory is that the Black Swan could be evil too?" Dex asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that I don't know enough about them. And I don't trust them," Sophie muttered, scanning the shadows in the hallway of her new school. Only a few more days before she started. "Who knows, maybe they're responsible for the vanishing Exile students."

"So that's our new plan, isn't it?" Dex asked. "You want to meet the Black Swan."

Sophie nodded, "Does that mean you'll help me?"

"I know something Fitz and Biana don't know and I get to help you find the Black Swan? I'm in!" Dex leaned over to whisper something in her ear, "Oh. And I happen to know a member."

"What?"

Chapter Text

Being a Vanisher was very useful in moments when Biana wanted to eavesdrop. Especially with things having to do with her father. And at that moment, Sophie and Deck or whatever his name was were having a conversation and she'd already heard her father's name several times.

She stayed invisible and had to remind herself to stay silent when she heard what Sophie was hiding.

Sophie could be responsible for her dad's broken mind?

Biana didn't believe this in the slightest bit.

And yet she had lied to them! Right in Fitz's face, particularly. Biana fumed at the thought of it and she had to steady her breath so she wouldn't become visible. Sophie had no right to hide stuff Keefe had said from them. Keefe, who'd also been the guy she'd had a crush on. Who'd sided with the bad group. The guy who'd broken her and her brothers' hearts.

And he'd already gotten into Sophie's head.

Her anger made her want to jump out and yell "CAUGHT YOU!" but she breathed it down and reminded herself that it'd be better to just talk to Fitz about it privately. Not that she'd be able to see him much now that school was about to start.

But among other subjects, like the missing Exilium students, Sophie and Deck (was that really his name? That's what Fitz called him, but Biana wasn't so sure) talked about her and her family.

Deck (okay, maybe his name actually ended with an x, but Biana didn't know if she was hearing Sophie correctly) didn't like her very much, and he seemed to have his reasons. Even though she thought they were biased and unfair. And a little offensive. But Biana was surprised at how Sophie defended her. And called her her friend.

Biana caught her breath when Deck asked about her whole matchmaking list and dating dilemma. And her worry quickly switched to annoyment, guilt and gratitude out of all things as Sophie refused to tell him.

Great. Now you're going to have to keep her secret, Biana glowered at them. It was too late to confront them. She'd have to admit how much she'd overheard. Biana would have to give them a chance to tell her.

And besides, it looked like Sophie had a plan. Deck leaned down to whisper something in her ear, and Biana couldn't hear it. But Sophie looked surprised.

"Not here," Deck said, "I need to talk to her first. Hail me later, okay?"

Sophie and Deck began to walk away, thankfully in the other direction. It looked like Sophie was trying to hold herself from pestering her friend with more questions.

Biana waited a few seconds before she turned visible and headed back to where her family was. And she almost ran into someone hidden in the shadows. She stifled a yelp, and his expression gave away that he was just as shocked as she was.

He'd been eavesdropping too.

The guy had dark hair with bangs that glinted in the otherwise darkness- silver. And his eyes were almost the same tone, with only a tinge of light blue.

Biana had never seen him before. And yet he was carrying a yeti costume like her.

Biana opened her mouth to ask him what he thought he was doing and who the heck he was, but no words came out. He studied her for a few more seconds before he turned around, the shadows clinging to him.

-

Someone knew more than he should. And he was a Shade.

Biana had heard enough about that ability to know she didn't trust it. She had to find him and find out what he wanted and what he would do with that information.

But she also had other pressing matters. Like the fact that she was withholding information from her family. Her mom, Alvar and Fitz deserved to know what Sophie hadn't told them. But Biana didn't want to tell them- and not just because of the drama, but because a part of her liked Sophie and appreciated how she had withheld Biana's business from Deck (Biana was almost certain that wasn't his name but she didn't care). Sophie didn't have to do that.

"Biana?" A voice that made her cringe asked.

Valin.

Biana had been about to say goodbye to Fitz, who was heading to the Elite Level Towers before orientation started in the glass pyramid. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be there. But he didn't seem to care. And besides, she wouldn't see him until the weekend. If he wanted to see her.

Fitz raised his eyebrows at Biana before he glanced at Valin, who still didn't understand that she and him were over.

You haven't broken up with him? He asked.

Out of my head Fitzroy!

"Hey," she said out loud to Valin, who didn't exactly look happy.

"You've been avoiding me."

Biana wished she could vanish right then without consequences. Especially since Fitz's gaze kept turning more judgmental by the second.

"Sorry," she muttered, "it's just been one of those weeks."

"It's been more than a week."

"I know. I just..."

I can't do this anymore, was what Biana wanted to say. We're done. But she couldn't find herself saying those words out loud. Especially with everyone clearly eavesdropping to see how Biana Vacker would dump Glow-Up Valin. So much for not caring what people thought.

"We can talk later, okay?" Valin said, squeezing her hand. Biana tried not to roll her eyes. She'd told him a few weeks ago that she didn't see their relationship going anywhere (that was when their argument had started). Especially since they'd never be matched. But before then she'd also told him that she didn't care about the matchmakers. She hadn't exactly been clear... But that hadn't been what she meant!

"Oh my gosh Biana! You're still dating him!" Fitz accused when Valin was out of earshot.

"No, I'm not!" Biana hissed as everyone around them watched. She really wished orientation would start.

"Then what was that?" Fitz reached out to squeeze her hand, "We can talk later, okay?" He said, his crisp accent sounding weird mixed with Valin's.

"Stop!" Biana pulled her hand away from his, "it's not funny!"

"So you did break up with him?"

"I- kind of did," she admitted, not liking the way some people were still snickering."

"Kind of? I can't wait to tell Alvar about this. He's going to laugh so hard."

"He has three girlfriends Fitz. He'd be one to talk."

Fitz gave her another annoying smile that she really wanted to smack off his face before he waved at her as he left for the Elite Towers. Just a few days until she saw him again.

Either way, you're still dating Valin, he thought to her when she couldn't see him anymore. Biana bristled.

"I am not dating anyone!" She yelled, turning her back and finding a familiar guy with silver blue eyes staring at her. The Shade who'd been spying on Sophie and Deck had been standing right behind her.

He gave her a weird look. "Cool? Uh... me neither?"

Biana finally found her voice, "I wasn't talking to—"

"You're Biana Vacker right? The one the boy and that girl were talking about the other day?" The guy interrupted, brushing his silver bangs out of his eyes.

"Yeah," Biana clarified, "and you're the Shade who was minding someone else's business, as I recall?"

"It was definitely my business," he said, his already deep voice lowering.

"Are you in the Neverseen?" Biana's heart began to pound. They were in orientation. He wouldn't try anything... right?

The guy snorted, "I would never be part of the Neverseen."

"Then you're with the Black Swan?"

"No. I'm with myself. And my sister," he answered. "We were both in Exilium for years. And then a few months ago she was taken. And you seem to know more information about it than I do. And your friends we both eavesdropped on do too. So I need you to tell me everything you know so I can find her."

Before Biana could answer, thousands of bells chimed, meaning that she had to turn toward the far wall which showed a close up of Dame Alina.

"Good morning prodigies! I have a few announcements to make."

"Please help me!" The guy whispered to Biana. Someone shushed him.

"I'll tell you everything I know if you keep the other things you heard a secret." Biana couldn't believe she was agreeing so easily to this. But maybe she'd get something out of it. And he didn't look like he'd quickly let the subject go.

"Of course," the Shade whispered back as Dame Alina continued to ramble on about how forty-seven people had manifested special abilities over the break.

"Fine!" Biana said quietly. Someone shushed her. She glared right back at the Level Three before he mumbled an apology.

"I also have exciting news! We have two new prodigies who will both be joining us as Level Sixes."

Wait... two?

"Where are they... Yes! Everyone welcome Sophie Foster—" a spotlight appeared to Biana's left. So that was where Sophie was. Sophie seemed to shrink under it, but at least she had Deck next to her. The entire crowd turned to look at her, hissing her name and already spreading ridiculous rumors.

"— and Tam Song!" A spotlight appeared so close to Biana that she had to close her eyes and squint for a few seconds. The light shone over the Shade, rather ironically. Tam Song. She'd heard his last name before. And of course he was new. He'd been in Exilium.

Everyone began to whisper again, and apparently some people had seen Biana and him talking, so she heard her name in the mix.

Nosy children, Biana thought when she caught two Level Twos staring at her.

"Is that how we welcome someone?" Alina asked after clearing her throat.

Everyone began to clap, and Biana could tell that both Sophie and Tam looked very uncomfortable about it.

"So what's your sister's name?" Biana asked Tam as they began to walk to the Level Six Tower. "How old is she? And how'd you get here after being in Exilium and not her?"

"Her name is Linh. And she's my twin. Will that be a problem?" Tam asked, glaring at her.

Biana frowned. He was a twin? She hadn't heard of the Songs having twins.

"Of course not," she answered. She knew what it was like to be judged for something you couldn't control. No one deserved it.

He studied her before he asked, "Can I read your Shadowvapor?"

"What's that?" Biana asked, but she had a feeling she'd learned about this before.

"It's harmless, I promise. It's just to see if I can trust you."

Biana turned down another hallway. "What about me? How do I know you won't stab my back and tell the Neverseen everything I know?"

"No Vanisher tricks for that?"

"I'm just saying, trust has to be earned. On both sides. Reading my shadow steam or whatever—"

"Shadowvapor."

"That. You can't just read it and suddenly trust me."

"Of course not. But if you let me see how much darkness there is inside you, that's a start."

"That's just creepy," Biana retorted. "And besides, what do I get in return for helping you?"

"The knowledge that you saved a life. And I know about your dad— enough anyway. Maybe Linh knows something from being in the Neverseen these past months."

Biana considered this for a few seconds before she said, "Candleshade."

"What? You're even further off. It's Shadowvapor."

"No. I mean, Candleshade is a Neverseen hideout we know of. Maybe Linh could be there. But it's dangerous to go there by yourself. Sophie ran into someone—"

"Who wanted to kill her, yeah I remember."

"Right. And the Councillors have gone before but they come back empty handed."

"So we need to be smarter than them," Tam shrugged,

"Not too difficult."

Before Biana could ask what he meant by that, Tam asked her another question, "so your friend clearly knows something important and hasn't told you or your brother about it yet. Why aren't you mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad. But I know Sophie isn't responsible for what happened to my dad. I think she can heal him," Biana whispered. "That's another thing you can't say. Nothing about Sophie. She's our best chance and she's also my friend. If anyone in the Neverseen finds out more than they know..."

"Got it."

"And she also didn't tell Deck stuff I've told her. She did me a favor, I do one for her. But I'm confronting her soon. And you can come with me too, if you want. Maybe the Black Swan could help us find your sister."

Tam frowned as she opened the door to her Elementalism room, "but what about your Shadowvapor?"

"Lunch!" Biana shouted behind her shoulder as a tornado began to form. Did her mentor really think this was necessary for her first day? She hated trapping those.

Chapter Text

"So what's his story?" Maruca asked Biana at their lunch table. Everyone there was studying Tam, who was staring at the food so long the people behind him were passing by him with annoyed expressions.

"I have no idea," Biana admitted. Except that he came from Exilium and that he was looking for his twin sister, but she wasn't going to share that.

"Interesting. We'll find out soon enough. Anyway, I heard from Stina who heard from Marella who heard from some Level Five that you and Valin broke up."

"Does it really spread that fast? Biana asked, groaning as Maruca and the other girls nodded.

"It's the second top thing people are talking about. The first is Sophie Foster. And your new... friend."

"I'm not the top thing people are talking about?" Biana asked, her feelings mixed.

"Nope! A brown eyed girl and a silver banged boy joining as Level Sixes is something you don't hear about every day."

"True," Biana agreed, scanning the room for Sophie. But she didn't see her among the enormous crowds of students.

"I don't think he's sitting with us," a girl from their table said.

Sure enough, Tam had taken one look at Biana's girl-infested table and turned away to find somewhere else to sit.

"Bummer," Maruca said, "he's cute."

"And creepy," Biana muttered, trying to catch Tam's eyes. She was still unsure about letting him read her Shadowvapor.

"I thought you said he was sitting with us," Maruca accused.

"You guys scared him away with your ogling," Biana responded, rolling her eyes.

"You're ogling right now," Maruca pointed out incorrectly.

"Looks like he's just not interested in you Biana," another girl said, not very kindly.

"I didn't invite him to sit with us for that!" Biana said irritably.

"Why then?" Maruca asked.

"It's not my business to tell."

"Right," Maruca snorted, "you just want to replace Glow-up Valin."

"Are we even sure if Valin didn't break up with her?" Someone joked.

"Maybe lying is another funny reaction to her dad's mind breaking," someone suggested, but Biana couldn't tell who. Her vision was blurring in anger and what she hoped weren't tears.

"Valin is cute, but remember back when he hung out with the drooly boys?" Someone else asked. "At least this one has an ability though."

"Are you really not going to tell us what you're up to?" Maruca asked Biana.

"No."

"Ooh, what if her mind is breaking like her dad's," another girl joked. But now she'd gone too far.

Biana pushed her chair back and stood up sharply, "I'm done," she snapped, not caring that everyone around them had stopped talking to stare at her. She snatched her tray from the table, avoiding Maruca's surprised expression.

Most elves didn't realize how much loss affected someone. Only people like the Ruewens (or a boy named Wylie Endal she'd heard of) knew what it was like to lose someone they loved. At least, like Sophie had pointed out, she still had hope. But while the Lost Cities grieved Alden Vacker's disappearance in the best way they could, most had gotten over it quickly. She'd tried her best to be okay with their comments and jokes. They didn't know how much they hurt. But by doing so, she'd made the pain even worse. She'd had enough.

And as Biana scanned the cafeteria for somewhere else to sit, she realized that she knew more people who'd experienced loss. One person in particular still had hope, like her. And just as she relied on Sophie, he currently relied on Biana. And she was going to help him.

Biana stomped towards Tam, who was sitting at a table where a boy she recognized as Jensi Babblos and two others she didn't remember ever talking to. The girl across from Tam was Marella Redek.

"You've got to be kidding me," Biana muttered under her breath. But it was too late to turn away.

"I'll do it," she said as firmly as she could as she placed her tray next to Tam's, who was raising his eyebrows at her like everyone else at the table. Or in the cafeteria. Biana was too busy trying not to cry and too determined to prove them wrong to notice how many people were whispering about her. "Read my Shadowvapor," she said as she sat down.

"Now?" Tam asked, eyeing the spectacle she was creating before his eyes darted back to his food. A lot of food, Biana realized. Stuff she hadn't even tried because of how strange it looked.

"No, let's wait until the next solstice so it's special. Ooh, and we need more snacks!" Biana said sarcastically. "Yes, right now!"

Marella, Jensi and the two other guys stared at them, eager to hear everything.

Tam glared at them until they looked away before he began hissing his answer as quietly as he could.

"If you're mad because I didn't sit with you and the Court of Foxfire Royalty consider the fact that I don't want my business spread around this school like yours does."

Suddenly his shadow crept over to hers and she jumped as she heard his voice in her head.

"And for your information Linh and I didn't have 'more snacks.' We learned to starve where we lived. Whenever gnomes weren't around we only ate in Exilium. And sometimes we didn't get anything there either. So excuse me for eating more food at school than I ever have in my life," he declared as he took another bite of a custard burst.

People were staring, but no one seemed to have heard them. How had he done that?

Meanwhile, Biana felt livid and guilty at the same time, which was so not fair. "For your information, Tam, the Court of Foxfire Royalty, as you like to call them, have been the people I've sat with for most of my years at Foxfire and the nickname you gave us is very generalizing and slightly offensive. And second of all, you sat with Marella Redek! She's more likely to gossip than anyone in this cafeteria! But you didn't know that, did you?"

"I'm right here," Marella reminded them, crossing her arms at Biana.

"You and I are both facing a similar problem. And I want to fix both of them. I'm sorry about the food comment, really. And also the Court of Foxfire Royalty is actually a good nickname right now so forget that part about me defending them."

"You really want me to read your Shadowvapor right now?" Tam sighed.

"Yeah. What do I do? Should I stand up?"

"You have to do three jumping jacks first."

"Really?"

"No, I was trying to see if you could bring even more attention to our table."

"Wait what's happening?" Jensi asked.

"He's going to read my Shadowvapor," Biana explained, turning to them. "Respectfully, feel free to mind your own business," she added with a glance at Marella.

Jensi looked like he wanted to ask more, but he and his friends remained silent.

"Fine," Marella rolled her eyes, "I'll talk really loudly with Jensi about gossip I already know. Hey Jensi, talked to Valin recently?"

"We haven't talked since we were level fours."

"Boring! Well, rumor has it his girlfriend broke up with him."

Biana did her best to ignore them as she turned to face Tam. "Okay. Do it."

Tam must've noticed her hesitate, because he said, "It doesn't hurt. It's just cold."

Biana watched as his shadow spread over her, reminding her of when clouds suddenly covered the sun. She closed her eyes and shivered, surprised by how right he'd been about it being cold. She shut out the noise of Marella's chattering and Jensi's peppering questions. All she focused on was strangely the opposite of darkness. Light. Light and how she always used it to hide herself. It was like she was facing the exact opposite of her ability... but it didn't feel wrong. It just felt... new.

When she opened her eyes, Tam was staring at her.

"So? How dark am I?" She asked, wondering why he looked so expressionless.

"I made rules when I started Exilium. One of the most important ones? Don't make friends. I better not regret breaking it."

Okay then. This meant she'd passed...right?

"I'll help you find your sister," Biana whispered, glancing over at Marella and Jensi. She hoped they hadn't heard her.

Tam nodded and his voice filled her head. Biana realized his shadow was touching hers again.

"This is shadowhispering. You can't speak back, but I can so no one else hears us. Here's what happened: my parents came to pick me up a few months ago. Said some group called the Neverseen was rumored to be looking for Exilium students. The Council gave me an opportunity to appeal for a chance at Foxfire. I insisted on staying, because they wouldn't take Linh. But they said that if I went and proved myself worthy, then we'd come back for Linh. That was the worst decision of my life. Because I promised her I'd come back. And I did, but it was too late. She wasn't in our hideout. The Wayward coaches said the Neverseen came and took everyone. They said they all left willingly, but I don't trust them. Linh wouldn't do that. I know you think the Neverseen also did something to your father, Alden Vacker. And I think whatever happened to him is connected in some way to Linh's disappearance."

His shadow wasn't touching hers or her anymore, but Biana felt colder than ever at the thought that the Neverseen's plans were connected. She shivered. "We'll find her," she whispered so that only he could hear her.

Tam nodded, "first we need to talk to this Sophie friend of yours. And next we find a way into Candleshade."

"Are you guys done?" Marella asked, "and for the record, I never said Princess Prettypants could sit here."

Biana and Tam ignored her.

"Can I ask how you and your sister ended up... there?" Biana asked as quietly as she could.

"Long story. Has to do with the fact that our parents are awful people," Tam's expression told her that she was pushing it. He likely didn't trust her with something personal like that, or maybe it was the fact that Marella, Jensi and the other two guys were obviously trying to eavesdrop.

"Fine," Biana decided, "we can talk about that later." She willed herself to look around at the people staring at them. She cringed, wondering where Valin was. Surely, he'd heard enough of what people were saying. He was probably glaring at her from somewhere, especially after hearing that she was hanging out with the new guy...

Biana was done with people assuming everything about her.

"By the way," she cleared her throat, "when I said I wasn't dating anyone, I wasn't talking to you."

Tam raised an eyebrow, "Okay?"

"I was talking to my brother. I mean... he wasn't there when I was talking to him. That's why I yelled. So he'd hear me."

"Alright," Tam's expression was irritably calm.

"Well, he was close enough to hear me of course. It's just he was being annoying. His voice was in my head." Biana officially sounded like someone who was insane. She held back a groan.

"He's a Telepath," she added with a frown, "that's why his voice was in my head. He was transmitting to me. His voice was in my head because he's a Telepath."

She really wanted to facepalm at that moment.

"Voice in your head. Telepathic brother. Got it."

"Yes, exactly," Biana agreed. "I was yelling at him. Not at you. I didn't even know you were there."

"I know."

"Oh. Well... you didn't make that clear," Biana explained. "I just mean, I'm not interested in a relationship."

"I'm looking for my sister. There are evil elves out to kill others. Do you really think I'm interested or have any time for a relationship?" Tam asked.

"Well... no," Biana wasn't sure why she was flustered. "I'm just saying, I'm not either."

"This is so painful to watch," she heard Marella whisper not so subtly.

Tam looked like he was going to say something else when when someone squeezed their way in between him and Biana.

"Um... Biana?" Deck asked, sounding nervous for some reason.

"What?" Biana scooted away, "What do you want?"

She sighed, remembering that Deck was basically on their team now.

"Tam, this is Deck," Biana said, shooting the Tecnopath a glare. "Deck, this is Tam."

Deck scowled, "it's not D—"

"Hello Deck," Tam interrupted, offering Deck his hand.

"Wait, I always thought your name was Dex," Marella said, again reminding Biana that she was there.

"No, his name is Deck," Tam corrected. "I think," he added as Deck aimed his irritable expression at him.

"Where's Sophie, Deck?" Biana asked.

Deck eyed Tam warily.

"Don't worry. He won't give you any attitude or a little noble nose flare that will remind you of how insignificant you are, if that's what you're worried about. He knows all about that and your existential crisis," Biana said innocently, grinning as Deck paled.

"You spied on us."

"Guilty," Biana shrugged.

"I was there too," Tam added.

Deck whirled on him, "Biana, if he knows about—"

"Oh, relax Deck. He's helping us now and we're helping him. Where's Sophie anyway? Might as well remind her of my Vanisher abilities as soon as possible, right?"

Deck looked nervous again, "that's the thing. Sophie had to put stuff up before lunch so I agreed to meet her at those double doors next to the Yeti statue. I've been waiting for her for the last fifteen minutes. But she didn't show up, so I went back to her locker."

"And?" Biana asked, her heart pounding despite her brain trying to calm her down. Maybe Sophie was in the bathroom. Or with a Mentor. There were millions of possibilities of where she could be.

And yet she still hadn't gotten a bodyguard yet. And the Neverseen wanted to kill her.

"And I can't find her."

"So you lost her," Tam clarified as Biana sucked in her breath.

"I didn't lose her," Deck snapped. "She's not a dog."

"But she's like, human isn't she?" Marella interrupted again.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Just saying," Marella shrugged.

"Maybe she's lost," Jensi suggested, also reminding them that he was there. "I had to help her find her Elementalism classroom. Met her in the morning."

"But there were crowds of people heading to the cafeteria. How would she get lost?" Deck asked worriedly.

"She has a photographic memory," Biana added, "she's not dumb."

"Maybe she's just stressed. It's her first day of school. She needed to be alone," Tam considered, and Biana wondered if he was talking about himself as well. He definitely looked like he wanted to be alone.

"It's okay," she told Deck, whispering it to herself as well. "Let's go find her."

Chapter Text

Sophie's first day of elf school started off with her being blinded by a spotlight. Then Dex led her away from the stares, whispers and judgement of the Foxfire students. After that, she'd asked Dex for the twentieth time if he'd managed to get her a meeting with the Black Swan member he knew. Dex had been quiet about the identity of whoever this person was, and he insisted that he could get them to talk to Sophie. But so far, he hadn't had much luck. And he also protected the identity of whoever this was.

Dex wasn't part of the Black Swan. He knew almost nothing. But he obviously cared about this person. And even though Sophie was still suspicious, it made her feel better about her existence relying on this group.

And then again, she still didn't trust them. She still wanted to talk to them. She wished she could find a way to talk to Mr. Forkle.

"Miss Foster?" Sir Astin asked in his wispy voice, interrupting her thoughts before she left her Universe class. It was finally lunch time. Dex had agreed to meet her outside.

"Yeah?" Sophie asked.

"I heard from the Councillors that you found an unmapped star in a bottle."

Sophie frowned at the memory, "Yeah that was a weird day. It was Lucilliant."

"And you also found a magisidian charm?"

"Yes. It was shaped like a swan," Sophie added.

"Interesting," Sir Astin muttered. "I wonder who'd want you to know about that star."

"I wish I knew the same," Sophie said as she opened the door. "See you tomorrow Sir Astin."

"I think you'll be one of my favorite prodigies Miss Foster. You kids usually have no interest in mapping the stars, and yet you're a natural."

"Thanks. It's really just the photographic memory," Sophie explained, grinning when she saw Dex waiting for her.

"Dex! Where were you between first and second period? Someone else had to help me not walk into a random room," she exclaimed as she closed the door behind her. A guy named Jensi had been kind enough to help her find her way, but he'd made a lot of commotion with his loud chattering.

"Really? Sorry! I had to take my Technopathy class on the other side of this building. The walk is a pain."

"I'm carrying so much stuff my back is going to break," Sophie shifted the maps, papers and books she'd been given for homework in her arms. Not everything fit in her satchel, unfortunately.

"I already have so much stuff to do," Dex whined. "The first day of school sucks."

"It's a good thing it's lunch time because I'm starving," Sophie added to the complaints before she bumped into Dex and both his and her stuff fell to the floor.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" Sophie scrambled to pick his stuff up first, but Dex bent down to help her.

"I think we need to put some of this stuff away," he said.

"But your locker is here and I'm on the other side of this building!"

"Just follow the other Foxfire students. Remember that Yeti statue?" Dex asked.

Sophie nodded.

"Okay, let's meet at the double doors after we put our stuff up."

"Fine," Sophie sighed.

-

Sophie walked down the nearly empty hallway by herself. She scanned the door numbers for her Elementalism classroom- it was supposed to be around there. Maybe.

The eerie, quiet silence was only interrupted by the slight taps of her footsteps. And it reminded her that she wasn't entirely safe. She wished it was time for her Telepathy class- maybe she could learn how to search through her past memories for some that had been erased. She needed to make sure she wasn't responsible for what happened to Alden.

If she hadn't looked down at that exact moment, she would've missed it.

Water was slowly trickling from under a door, which she happened to recognize as her Elementalism classroom. She had that class right after lunch.

Sophie hesitantly neared the door, frowning as she stepped on the water to lean against the door. Was her mentor really going to test her like that on the first day?

"I told you an Elementalism classroom was a bad idea," an unfamiliar, dispirited voice whispered from the other side.

"We just have to wait until lunch is over. You don't even know if your brother--"

"He's here. Your mom didn't just have her schedule. She had a lot more in that envelope."

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Sophie felt her heart race against her chest as water splashed against her legs. She knew the other voice. She'd only heard it once before, but she could recognize it perfectly.

"Because I'd get all anxious and something like this would happen-- look!"

"It's just water. You've been getting better at it and--"

Keefe Sencen stopped speaking.

"And what?"

"SH!"

"Don't shush me!"

"I thought those emotions were just you getting antsy but I don't think..."

And then Sophie remembered that he was an Empath. And that he could feel what she felt without--

The door was whisked open and Sophie jumped back, eyes wide as they could go and heart beating faster and faster against her chest as two Neverseen members regarded her with curiosity. And this time, they were wearing their Neverseen outfits.

She ignored the water splashing around her, drenching the bottom part of her uniform, including the skirt, socks, shoes, and a part of her cape.

"Keefe Sencen," Sophie blurted as her eyes locked with his. She knew it was dumb not to run, but she couldn't help it. She needed answers.

But what if he knew she was the Moonlark?

"Oh, so we're speaking with that sort of formality? Sophie Foster. Good to see you not splattered against my front yard."

Sophie sighed in relief, ignoring his teasing. He didn't want her dead. He didn't know.

"This is Linh, by the way," he gestured with his head to the other Neverseen member who seemed to be trying to... was she controlling the water?

"Sorry!" Linh gritted her teeth, "I lost control of it."

"So... you're a Hydrokinetic," Sophie clarified as Linh pulled the cloak away from her head to reveal long, black hair with silver tips. Her silver blue eyes watered with stress, or worry. Sophie felt as if she were having deja vu. She wasn't sure why, but it was an odd feeling.

"What are you doing here? Stalking me?" Sophie asked, refusing to walk inside.

"Actually, you forgot something the other day," Keefe pulled Sophie's pathfinder out of a pocket in his cloak. "I had to return it to you," he offered it to Sophie. "Although apparently you don't need it as much as you'd think, do you?"

Sophie stared at it suspiciously. She'd heard plenty from Dex, Della and Grady about trackers and other devices that the Neverseen could use against her.

"You can keep it," she said flatly.

"Really?" Keefe's eyes widened as he began to grin, "Linh, we got ourselves a permanent pathfinder! That is... as long as my mom doesn't find out."

"The Neverseen didn't send you here?" Sophie asked.

"You should be more quiet," Linh warned. "We're out in the open," she nodded towards the empty hallway.

"Fine," Sophie walked in, her hand carefully tightening against her imparter. She had to make sure Keefe never stole anything away from her ever again.

Keefe shut the door behind her. "Okay. So, we have more time than we thought we would since we were planning on making your mentor run an errand while we talked to you after lunch."

"I thought you were here to give me that back," Sophie pointed at the pathfinder.

"Nope! You said you didn't want it. You can't take it back," Keefe pulled the pathfinder behind his back as if she were going to snatch it. Honestly, she was tempted just so he'd see what it felt like.

"We snuck away from practice," Linh interjected, "We're here to talk to you and to look for my brother. Have you met a Tam Song today?"

"Ohhhh," Sophie knew why she felt like she'd seen Linh before. "Yes, I saw him talking to Biana actually. He's new."

"Biana? Wow she's... a level six like you right?" Keefe asked.

"Yup," Sophie looked down at her uniform, which was still dripping wet.

"Wait, I can help you with that," Linh said, and she closed her eyes. The uncomfortable cool wetness seemed to be absorbed away from Sophie's clothes.

"Thanks," Sophie said, watching the water go back to the ground, where the puddle had begun to form again. It seemed to be coming from vials and other containers in the room... clearly meant to catch elements. Linh was still anxious.

"Thank me by telling me this: did you talk to him?" Linh asked.

"I didn't," Sophie admitted. "He didn't seem to be a very social person."

"See, I told you he didn't abandon you," Keefe nudged Linh.

"You don't know that Keefe. Tam isn't a very social person in general."

"He didn't look happy," Sophie said after thought. "What exactly is going on?"

Was this Tam who Biana was talking to in the Neverseen? Was he dangerous too?

"We were separated a few months ago when I joined the Neverseen," Linh explained. "He'd been taken back to the Lost Cities the day before. With our parents. We'd agreed that he would find me the next day... but I have to stay in the Neverseen. We came to see if he'd join."

"Why?" Sophie asked, unable to hide the confusion from her face, "You guys haven't heard all those bad things about the Neverseen?"

"Those are just rumors. My mother is a leader," Keefe claimed as he sat down on the prodigy chair. "Like I told you before, she's kind of a jerk sometimes. But she's my mom."

"Tam and I are twins," Linh added quietly.

"And?" Sophie asked.

"And the Neverseen promised me that I could focus on getting rid of the prejudice against twins in this world. It would help Tam, me and anyone who has multiple birth siblings," Linh explained.

"Oh, I forgot elves discriminated against that," Sophie said mindlessly.

Linh and Keefe looked at her in surprise. Oops. She didn't think that revealing where she grew up would help her.

"You said you were struggling with something last time we met," Keefe said after a moment of awkward silence. "You fixed it?"

Sophie tried not to wince, remembering Alden and the Black Swan. "I'm working on it."

"Huh. You're still not going to say what it is?"

"I barely know you."

"Right, but I think you kind of owe me," Keefe said, getting up from his chair and strolling closer to her.

Even though she wanted to back away, Sophie stood her ground, managing a snort, "I owe you?"

"You got me in huge trouble the other day when you free-fell out of my house. I got yelled at for ages. 'Cause I falsely trusted you. So yeah, I think you owe me something."

"I did that because I had to escape," Sophie reminded him.

"Why?" Keefe asked. "You really are mysterious, you know? Because my mom gets pissed at me, takes the only job I like away from me, and she desperately wanted to see you. It's almost like she was expecting you to arrive."

Sophie frowned. Hadn't the Black Swan been the ones to send her the star and the magisidian swan? "What did your mom say about me?"

"Don't worry Foster. Your secrets are safe with her. She doesn't trust me with anything. That's also why Linh and I are here. I need to find out more about what's going on."

"For your revenge on the Black Swan?"

"For what they did to Alden. And whatever that Moonlark thing is," Keefe agreed.

"Well, for one I've been trying to look into both the Neverseen and the Black Swan," Sophie admitted. "To see who really is guilty. Or what."

"You still think the Neverseen could've done it?" Keefe asked.

"Well... yeah."

"Okay, let me get this straight," Linh said. "Lady Gisela clearly wants you because- what did you call her Keefe? Secretive?"

"Mysterious. But that works too."

"Right. You have this crazy power of jumping for transport. You tricked Keefe somehow-- sorry Keefe-- despite the fact that he can feel your emotions without touching you. And, Keefe had never heard of you before. Suddenly you're friends with the Vackers and you know all this information," Linh squinted at Sophie, as if she could see her answer if she concentrated. "Who are you?"

"Sophie Foster."

Keefe laughed at Linh's frustrated look, "Linh, you should get annoyed more often. But she's right," he added. "What's your business in all of this? What side are you on?"

"I'm on my side," Sophie said genuinely. "And I care about the Vackers. They helped me get through a rough time in my life."

The thought of her human parents tugged at her heart. Sophie pushed the feeling away, and as soon as it came it was gone. She'd been trying to block it out for all that time now. It wasn't getting much easier.

"Okay... I just felt something intense and I'm sorry about whatever that is," Keefe said quietly. "But can't you tell me why my mom got so mad at me?"

Sophie didn't like to lie. And she'd been lying so much lately...

Plus, this could eventually help her. It could even turn Keefe against his mom.

"I can fix him," she whispered. "I think I can fix him."

"Fix him? Who?" Keefe asked.

"Alden. That's what I'm working on. Mending his broken mind."

Chapter Text

Keefe froze, his expression astonished while Linh's eyes widened.

Sophie had just caught the two Neverseen members off guard.

"You mean... you could wake him up?" Keefe asked in a hoarse voice, eyes scanning hers as if he were waiting for a painful punchline.

"I hope so," Sophie breathed. Keefe cared about Alden. She could use this somehow.

"How?"

"I'm a Telepath," Sophie filled him in on what she could without revealing the fact that she was the Moonlark. How long she'd been able to stay in Alden's mind. How she was scared to do it again without practice and more information about Alden and the rebel groups.

"I believe that's why your mother wanted to talk to me. And I don't think it's safe for me to do so."

There was another pause of silence and hesitation. Keefe seemed to be debating how crazy she was.

"I'll help you," Keefe blurted out.

"Keefe," Linh said in a warning tone, but Keefe shook his head at her.

"No, Linh. We're not reporting this to my mom. If there's even a minuscule chance that we— that she can save Alden, then I'm going to take it. Plus, if she finds out we snuck away today we'll never be able to do it again."

"But what if the Black Swan does something to prevent it? Shouldn't we tell your mother—"

"No. Foster's right. We don't know enough about the Neverseen. They don't tell us anything useful. And we only know the real names of three official members." Keefe turned to Sophie, "I want you to understand that this doesn't mean we're not part of the Neverseen."

Sophie's eyes darted toward the white eye on his sleeve. She needed to be careful.

"But if you can travel from place to place by just jumping, then why would it be impossible for you to heal Alden?" Keefe seemed to be talking to himself now.

"No one will hear about this. Linh and I will start investigating for real. Just the other day I overheard my mother say something about Nightfall. I don't know what she meant, but I'll look into it."

Sophie nodded, bewildered at how well this was working out.

"So I'm not usually the person who doubts someone," Linh muttered, "but how do we know this isn't another jumping-off-of-Candleshade trick?"

Sophie bit her lip. Because even though she wasn't lying, she was omitting some truth. Again.

"I can feel her hope," Keefe told Linh. "It's not much, but it's there. Along with a lot more emotions."

"So what happens next?" Sophie asked.

"We can meet again the next time Linh and I can sneak off. Tuesdays are best. Usually."

"Around this time?" Sophie asked as Linh gave Keefe a 'we'll talk about this later' look.

"Yeah," Keefe agreed. "And then I'll fill you in on any Neverseen information I have about Alden. And you will have to work on learning anything about the Black Swan and Alden in general."

"I can't believe this is happening," Linh muttered impatiently.

Sophie couldn't disagree. All she was doing was risky... but if she got to convince whoever this Keefe Sencen was that she was on his side, maybe he wouldn't kill her when he found out she was the Moonlark. Plus, he was right. His information could be useful.

Right now, they had a mutual interest. It wasn't trust or acceptance. Just the fact that they both wanted to fix a problem, despite whoever started it.

"One last question before we go look for Linh's brother," Keefe said nervously, opening the door so Sophie could leave first.

"What?"

"Did you tell Fitz what I suspected? How the Black Swan could be responsible for what happened to Alden? And the Moonlark project?"

"No," Sophie said, guilt crawling up her back.

"Good, cause if you had—"

Keefe wasn't able to finish his sentence. Instead, the door slammed shut because he'd let go of it— and then he must've lost his balance or something as he fell face first to the ground.

Sophie and Linh moved back in surprise as Keefe groaned against the floor in pain, his nose bleeding from the impact.

"What are you doing?" Linh exclaimed.

But everything made sense as Biana appeared, apparently having tackled Keefe to the ground.

"Sophie!" She yelled, struggling to keep Keefe from standing up. "RUN!"

Sophie stilled, unsure of what to do. Help Biana? Run? Help Keefe?

Linh made the decision for her.

"Out of my way!" She shot out a hand towards them and a big jet of water pushed Biana out of the way. Biana coughed as she sat up, her eyes glued shut in discomfort for likely getting water up her nose.

"Biana?" Keefe asked as he struggled to stand up.

Biana ignored him, turning to face Linh with a scowl on her face, "Who's this?" She choked back another cough.

Linh crossed her arms, a gesture that seemed unnatural to her for some reason. "Someone you don't want to mess with."

The Vanisher stood up, her clothes dripping wet as she turned to Sophie, "She's Linh Song, isn't she?"

"How do you know who I am?" Linh asked.

"The hair gives it away. A ridiculous style, if you ask me. How do you maintain it so well? Especially since you've been in Exilium for so long. Don't you have split ends?" Biana asked as she moved to step in front of Sophie. Was she trying to protect her?

"You know Tam," Linh realized. "Is he here?"

"He's looking for Sophie with the rest of us," Biana turned around to yell at Sophie, "didn't you hear anything I said? Run! Deck is somewhere nearby! Go!"

Sophie backed away, but she didn't leave. "Deck? Who's Deck?"

Keefe's laugh contrasted against Biana's incredulous stare. "Hold on, there's someone named Deck now? Who names their kid Deck?"

"You're bleeding," Linh reminded him, pointing at his nose. "It makes your voice sound funny."

"Okay," Keefe said as he wiped his nose, "There's no need to make fun of me. Didn't you hear Biana? There's someone named Deck."

"There is no one named Deck!" Sophie yelled before she grabbed her friend's arm. Biana pulled away, rolling her eyes.

Linh glared at Biana, "Where's my brother?"

"He's been looking for you. Good thing you're here. You don't have to be in the Neverseen anymore. And we can get you both a haircut. Come on now," Biana motioned for Linh to follow them.

But Linh stood her ground. "I'd look in the mirror before insulting someone's hairstyle."

Sophie grimaced as Biana brushed her drenched hair out of her face. "Biana—"

"What are you still doing here Sophie? Go! Find Deck!"

Keefe snorted.

"For the last time, there is no Deck!" Sophie yelled. Was she talking about Dex? "Come on Biana!"

"Is Deck your imaginary friend Biana?" Keefe teased.

"You have no right to talk to me like that," Biana snapped. It was the first time that she'd acknowledged Keefe.

"Like what?"

"Like you didn't steal all of my dad's papers the day of his planting."

Keefe paled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were like another son to him, you know that Keefe? And then one day his mind breaks, we find out it's your mom's fault and then you join her stupid murder group. And the day of his planting— you weren't there. And conveniently, his stuff about the Moonlark Project was gone that day as well. All of it. All the clues of what could have happened to him are gone."

"I went to the planting," Keefe said quietly. "I just didn't go up."

"Sure you did," Biana scoffed. "Come on Linh, your brother's waiting."

"No, hold on," Keefe tilted his head, "all this time you guys thought I did that?"

"You're with the Neverseen. Don't you remember how we found out about them soon after my dad's mind broke? Before you knew your mom was a leader?"

"That's enough!" Linh said. "I am not leaving the Neverseen. I just need to find my brother so he leaves with us."

"He won't," Biana said.

"Uh, actually he will. So if you could go find him that would be real nice of you. Tell him this is where he belongs."

"Tam isn't going to join the Neverseen."

"Just step aside Biana," Keefe said. "We're not here to hurt anyone."

"No," Biana stood her ground. "For the last time, Sophie. Go. Find. Deck."

"His name is Dex!" Sophie informed her irritably.

"You're seriously correcting me about this when there's two people that could hurt you in front of us?"

"We're not hurting you," Keefe repeated.

"No, you're not," an accented voice said from behind, making them all jump.

Sophie noticed Keefe flinch at it, or maybe he was scared of the look Fitz was giving him.

There was a hesitant, awkward silence that grew between Keefe and Fitz.

"Keefe," Fitz broke the silence that had been growing between them. His expression grew angrier by the second, his arms crossed against his Level Eight uniform.

"Well," Keefe cleared his throat, "Another party crasher. How many more people did you invite Foster?"

"Don't talk to her," Biana spat.

"Leave," Fitz added, "and don't come back. I highly recommend it."

Linh clenched her fists, "Keefe—"

Keefe's eyes flashed with- anger? Or sadness? Sophie couldn't tell.

"Wow. We're really getting kicked out of our own party Linh. And from what they're saying, more people are coming. Including your brother."

"You could leave the Neverseen," Biana told Linh again.

"I wonder who'll crash it next. My bet is whoever this Deck is," Keefe said, his eyes refusing to stray away from Fitz. Now he looked slightly afraid, Sophie noticed. And he was still making jokes.

What were the Vackers capable of? Sophie wasn't sure, given their strong feelings towards Keefe. Especially Fitz.

"My name isn't Deck!" Dex exclaimed from behind her, right on cue. "And are you sure you have a photographic memory Sophie? 'Cause this is not where we planned to meet up for lunch," he stopped talking when he realized the staredown Biana and Fitz were having with Keefe and Linh. "Uh... what'd I miss?"

Dex did a double take when he realized Keefe was there. He turned to stare at Sophie in alarm.

"So he does exist!" Keefe whispered.

"Where's Tam?" Linh asked. "We'll leave as soon as he's with us. I promise."

"There's no time for that," Fitz said. "You either leave right now or we're getting Dame Alina."

"You'd really let us go?" Keefe asked.

Fitz took a dangerous step toward Keefe. "I just want you to get out of my sight before I do something I may or may not regret."

Keefe sighed, "If only you'd hear me out—"

"No!" Fitz yelled, "These past few years have been horrible! And it's all you and your mother's fault! You're in a group of murderers and my dad is suffering because of your mom! Shut up and get away from us! And don't talk to Sophie ever again."

Sophie watched Keefe and Linh exchange glances.

"We have to leave soon," Keefe told Linh.

Suddenly, the shadows around them seemed to shift.

The same guy with the silver bangs nearly shoved Dex and Sophie aside. "Get away from my sister!" Tam Song demanded.

"Oh goody," Keefe exclaimed sarcastically, "the guest of honor made it to the party."

Linh gasped, "Tam! Come on!" She snatched the pathfinder from Keefe, "I'll explain everything later!"

Biana tensed in front of Sophie. Oh no... What had she told Tam?

But Tam didn't leave. He stared at the white eye on Linh's sleeve. "No Linh. You need to leave the Neverseen."

"What? No! Everything you've heard is a lie. I'm here because they can fix everything. We can fix everything!" Linh said with a small smile. "All that pain you've gone through for me? Because of who we are? We can make sure it doesn't happen to anyone ever again. The Neverseen wants us, Tam. We're not murderers. We just have a vision. And in it, we'll never be banished again."

Tam stared at his sister, something unspoken in his eyes as he said, "all that has happened can't just be erased Linh. Whatever they promised you— they're lying. We're not supposed to trust anyone, remember?"

"Then don't trust them. Trust me!" Linh also had a look in her eyes. But it was much more readable. It was a broken look.

"Linh. Please, come back," Tam whispered. "We can fix it all by ourselves. We don't need them."

"Dude," Keefe said, "Give her some credit. She joined us for you."

Tam completely ignored him, "Linh," he whispered again.

"Why are you still here?" Fitz spat at Keefe.

"Just listen to him," Biana told Linh.

"Heard your name is Deck now," Sophie whispered to Dex so he'd know she was okay. That Keefe still hadn't found out she was the Moonlark.

"The Neverseen is waiting for you Tam. You'll join us eventually," Linh said in disappointment as she blew out a breath she'd seemed to be holding.

Tam shook his head, "Don't leave!"

"They're going to keep telling you we're bad. But they also said being twins was bad. It didn't stop us then. Why is it stopping us now?" Linh said as she grabbed Keefe's arm and raised the pathfinder to the light from the window.

For a second, right before the Neverseen members left, Sophie, Dex, Biana, Tam, Fitz, Keefe and Linh were only seven adolescent elves in a classroom in Foxfire. They all wanted the same thing: an end to whatever disaster was spinning out of control. Not everyone knew each other. Some were working for the wrong side. Some had better intentions. Others doubted what side they were even on. But none of them considered the fact that they could all be working together some day.

Chapter Text

Sophie's Elementalism mentor was not amused at the flooded room or at Sophie's excuse about her wanting to learn "a little bit more" before her class. He gave her, Tam Biana and Dex a week of detention. She didn't know what happened with Fitz— an Elite Level student hanging out with his little sister and younger friends. He'd been sent back to his classes immediately.

They'd been found almost immediately after Keefe and Linh left. Her mentor had walked in.

Now they were headed back to the cafeteria— not taht they had much time left.

"You stood in front of me," Sophie noted as Biana gave her the side eye.

"Of course I did, Keefe wanting to kill you and all," Biana said.

Sophie frowned as Dex face paled. "What do you mean?"

"She's a Vanisher," Dex reminded her. "She can stick her nose in people's business and be right up in their face and they'll never see her."

"In other words," Tam said as Sophie's heart sunk, "She and I overheard you and Deck— I mean, Dex— talk about how you lied to her and Fitz. I'm a Shade," he added.

Sophie scratched her eye, begging her to take out an itchy eyelash. "Oh."

"Yeah," Biana said, crossing her arms, "You didn't think it was important to tell us that Keefe thought you had been the reason my dad's like that?"

"Maybe," Sophie admitted. "I just didn't want to tell you until I found out if he was right."

Biana gave her a strange look, "Well do you remember doing something to his mind?"

Sophie shook her head, "Of course not! But the Black Swan hid memories in me! What if they also took some?"

Biana bit her lip before responding, "And you think you're capable of doing that?"

"No!"

"Well there's your answer. And honestly Sophie, you should've at least told us because this means you're in danger. It's only a matter of time before he finds out you're the Moonlark. And we don't know what he's capable of."

"You really don't?" Sophie asked. "You actually think he can hurt me?"

"Well he wants to destroy the Moonlark, doesn't he?"

"Sh!" Dex reminded them.

"He doesn't know the Moonlark's a person," Sophie lowered her voice.

"Honestly Sophie, you just haven't been here long enough to see what the Neverseen is capable of. And Keefe is part of them. Don't let his jokes trick you, okay?"

"They made me fall out of a plane," Sophie reminded her, "I know what they can do. The problem is, we don't know what the Black Swan is capable of."

"But you have a plan, right?" Biana asked. "You and... Dex have a plan?"

"Congrats," Dex said dryly, "You finally got it right!"

"Anyway," Sophie said before Biana could push Dex out of the way, "We do have a plan. Before I was going to tell you and Fitz about what Keefe said, I wanted to talk to someone from the Black Swan."

"And I know someone," Dex muttered.

"You do?" Biana and Tam asked at the same time, forgetting to be silent.

"I'm honestly starting to doubt it," Sophie said, turning to stare at her friend.

"She just... needs time. I'm not even supposed to know she's part of the Black Swan. I've known for only a little. But I respect her secrecy and she did say she was looking forward to speaking with you. I think she needed to talk to the leader or something."

"Great," Biana said. "After school. Let's go."

"Uh— you're not invited," Dex said. "And besides, she hasn't said—"

"You guys kept something from me. I'm going. And I don't care if she needs "time." I need my dad back."

She walked away before Dex, Sophie or Tam could say anything else.

"I'm going to skip out on this one," Tam said quietly. He must've still been hurt by his encounter with his sister.

-

"So," Sophie said as she, Biana and Dex light leaped to Dex's house— or maybe ice castle mansion was a better term for Rimeshire. "You stepped in front of me."

"Yeah," Biana said, giving her a weird look. "Cause Keefe wants to kill you. We already talked about this."

"You were protecting me," Sophie said, smiling as Biana rolled her eyes. "Did you do that just because I could possibly heal your dad, or does Biana Vacker care about me?"

Biana scoffed, "How insecure are you? Of course I care about you Sophie. You're my friend. Did that raise your self esteem enough?"

"Kind of," Sophie admitted, still grinning as they walked around the five swirling towers that looked like upside down icicles into the clearing with the twisted evergreen trees lining silver stones paths and the wide plains of jade grass leading into the foothills. "She's outside?" She asked Dex.

"Yeah," Dex said nervously. "And she's not going to like the fact that I disobeyed her."

"Relax," Biana said, gazing at the landscape and seeming rather impressed. "Just put the blame on me."

"She's been kind of out of it lately. That's also why it took some time," Dex added as he led them through one of the silver paths. A couple of gnomes strolled around, tending to the evergreen plant life. Sophie couldn't help but admire how beautiful the trees looked.

"You think it's his mom?" Biana whispered to Sophie as they turned around a path. "Or is Dex secretly leading us into the middle of his woods to kill us?"

Sophie shrugged as Dex led them past more gnomes, happily tending plants.

They finally stopped at a clearing, where another gnome stood, whispering to a particularly short tree. No— she wasn't whispering. She was singing. Very softly.

The gnome turned away from the tree to look at them, pushing her braid out of the way as if to see them clearly.

"This is my parents' friend," Dex said.

"The Moonlark," the gnome whispered, eyes wide as they could go as she gazed at Sophie. Once she seemed to have processed what was happening, her mouth twisted into a grin, "It's very nice to meet you Sophie Foster. I'm Calla."

Chapter Text

"You weren't supposed to bring her yet," Calla said, turning to Dex after she stopped gazing at Sophie with awe... which made her nervous.

"That's my fault," Biana said, taking the blame as she'd promised. "I told him to bring us here immediately."

Calla tilted her head as she studied Biana, "You must be one of the Vackers Dex told me about."

Biana turned to stare at Dex in surprise, "You told her about us?"

"Well yeah, Sophie's supposedly able to fix your dad, isn't she?" Dex reminded her.

"Can I? What do you know about the Black Swan? About me?" Sophie asked the gnome.

"I know you are capable of astounding things, Sophie. Especially since I took part in the making of Project Moonlark.

"You were?" Biana, Dex and Sophie both asked at the same time.

Calla nodded, "If I were a leader of the Black Swan, I would give you a lot more information. But I'll have to take you to one of them instead. I was still trying to convince him to let me talk to you. But now that you're here, we might as well take a page out of Miss Vacker's book. Confrontation."

Biana grinned smugly at Sophie and Dex as Calla began to sing. Her song was full of happiness, but also with a hint of melancholy. Like it was asking for help. Not urgent, but necessary.

And suddenly the three of them were taking a path among the roots of the trees and Sophie found herself gripping onto both of her friends so she wouldn't fall flat on her face.

When they arrived in whatever Black Swan hideout Calla had taken them too, Sophie began to panic.

What if Keefe was right? What if they were walking right into a trap?

And what if it wasn't a trap? What would she ask? Would they help her save Alden? Or would they have more and more expectations for her?

They cleared into another forest, only this one had more pures than evergreens.

"Whoa," Sophie breathed after shaking dirt out of her hair.

"Where are we?" Biana asked after frowning at her grimy hands.

"What. Is. That?" Dex pointed behind them, making them all spin around.

"This is where we keep one of the two last alicorns on earth," Calla said as Biana and Sophie both gasped. "She's been here with us for a couple of months. It's more of a safe space for her than a hideout."

"Oh my gosh. She's so sparkly!" Biana exclaimed, her eyes illuminating with something Sophie hadn't seen on her before. Maybe this was who she'd been before Alden had his mind broken.

The alicorn snorted, studying them with her huge, brown eyes.

"We found her in an obscure location. One of our members discovered she has an ability— and we studied your genes," she turned to Sophie, "and I realized that there was a major possibility that you had it too. That's why one of our leaders told you to jump off the plane a few months ago."

"Uh— why would Sophie have the same ability as her?" Biana asked.

"Because some of her altered genes are based on the DNA of an alicorn," Calla said, blowing Sophie's mind. And not exactly in a good way.

"Whoa does that mean she's part horse?" Dex asked, making Sophie panic even more.

"No," Calla said as Biana stifled a laugh. "We just based the DNA on it for some specific uses. Why don't you try having a mental conversation with her Sophie?"

"You think she'll answer back?" Sophie asked as she studied the alicorn. "Why hasn't she escaped, by the way?"

"She's tried," Calla admitted. "But that sky isn't actually real. It stretches enough for her to fly a little, but not high enough for her to teleport. We want to be able to reveal her to the Council. The knowledge of her existence would strengthen the Lost Cities— but that's also why we need to protect her. If the Neverseen got their hands on her..." Calla sighed.

Sophie focused her gaze on the glittery horse, who was shaking her head so that her wavy silver locks cascaded down her neck. She looked sad.

She'd read the minds of other animals at Havenfield before— Grady and Edaline had given her chores and she'd found that she had a way with most animals if they were able to somehow understand what she transmitted. But would this alicorn have a conversation with her as Calla had suggested?

She opened her mind and was immediately flooded by emotions. Loneliness struck the hardest, followed by fear. And maybe a little curiosity. Hey there, she thought.

The alicorn froze.

I'm Sophie. I'm a friend.

Friend? Sophie gasped, "She repeated a word back to me!"

"Incredible," Calla said as the alicorn trotted closer to Sophie, who'd also taken a step forward.

Yes, friend. Sophie transmitted memories of her taking care of the animals at Havenfield, hoping they'd help.

Friend! The alicorn repeated and Sophie hesitantly brushed her hand against the horse's cheeks.

"Ask her what her name is!" Biana said. "And if I can pet her please."

Sophie repeated the requests to the alicorn. And somehow, her polyglot ability translated what the alicorn has to say.

"Silveny," Sophie said. "That's her name. And she's unhappy here."

"You should take her to Havenfield," Dex suggested.

"Yeah, and can I pet her or not?" Biana insisted. "Please?"

Sophie bit her lip before she transmitted an image of Biana stroking Silveny's mane. She's a friend too.

Silveny didn't look convinced.

Friend, Sophie repeated again. We want you to be safe.

Safe, Silveny repeated. Then she shot Calla, Dex and Biana a wary look.

They'll keep you safe too.

The horse seemed to almost roll her eyes as she trotted over to Biana, who still seemed to be trying to contain her excitement. Sophie made eye contact with Dex, and they both shared small smiles as Biana lightly stroked Silveny's face. "Can I keep her?" Biana whispered.

"So uh-- not to ruin the moment," Dex said, "but I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that Silveny is not a Black Swan leader."

"No," Calla agreed, "She's not. As soon as we arrived, the leaders were notified that we're here when we're not supposed to be. Someone should be on their way by now."

"And who are these leaders?" Biana asked.

"I can't share that information. I don't even know all of that information," Calla admitted.

"But you were part of what made me me," Sophie reminded her. "Can't you tell me anything at all? Why do I have DNA based on an alicorn's? Can I fix Alden? Was that what I was made for? Or did I hurt him?"

"You didn't hurt anyone Miss Foster," a familiar voice grumbled next to her. "You kids and your impatience."

"News flash Ruckleberry man," Biana said as she waved her hand across her face, "I've been impatient for years for my dad to wake up. You can understand why, can't you?"

Meanwhile, Sophie was gawking at her old neighbor while Dex frowned at him.

"I have some news for you as well Miss Vacker. You and your family have frowned upon the Neverseen for being responsible for what happened to your father. But I've been investigating his case ever since he took an interest in Prentice Endal. And I have a theory that you probably won't like."

"Did I do something to him?" Sophie repeated, trying not to hold her breath.

"No," Mr. Forkle whispered. "But neither did the Neverseen."

Biana's face turned extremely pale, "What?"

"For a mind to shatter or break, it can either be done by another Telepath performing a mind break, like Alden did to Prentice, who was protecting the Moonlark. Or, it can also be shattered by guilt."

"Guilt," Biana repeated, her voice dry of any emotion. Not even Silveny nuzzling her arm made her move.

"Prentice Endal," Dex said, "he had a kid, didn't he?"

"Maruca's cousin," Biana whispered, "Wylie."

"His wife died while light leaping," Dex remembered.

"And Wylie was left all alone," Sophie understood. "So that means..."

"My dad broke a family," Biana exclaimed in panic.

"He didn't do it on purpose," Mr. Forkle said. "And remember, this is just speculation. Only your father will be able to tell us what happened when Miss Foster fixes him."

"That means I can do it?" Sophie asked, her heart thudding against her chest as Forkle nodded yes.

"Prentice Endal chose to not tell your father his secrets. Your father was just doing what he believed was just. And his search for Sophie tied him down to it. He wouldn't let what he did go to waste."

"But you're saying he could have been so guilty about what he did that his mind broke!" Biana reminded him.

"The thing he's failing to tell you," Calla interrupted, "is that maybe your dad wasn't guilty about that. Maybe it has to do with something entirely different. Maybe it wasn't even guilt."

"But it was likely a strong emotion," Mr. Forkle added.

"Didn't his mind break after he cancelled my search?" Sophie asked.

Biana nodded. "He'd been talking to Fitz about him searching the United States of America- that's a Forbidden City country, right? But then he told Fitz to stop. Him and Alvar were so annoyed that they'd been searching for so long for nothing."

"So the Neverseen is likely not responsible," Sophie clarified. "I'm not either... although it still may have something to do with me."

"And it's not the Black Swan," Mr. Forkle agreed.

"It was likely him," Biana said. "On his own."

"The thing we're not addressing," Dex said, "is why did he cancel the search for Sophie?"

No one had an answer to that.

Chapter Text

"Did I see Mr. Forkle give you a Spyball right before we left?" Dex asked on their way to detention the next day.

"Oh, is that what that was? Grady and Edaline took one look at it and acted like it was secretly a bomb. They confiscated it. But only after they freaked out about Silveny."

Mr. Forkle had informed Sophie that not only could she help Alden, but she could also heal Prentice Endal too. And then he'd given her a letter to give to Grady and Edaline that she wasn't supposed to open— along with what was apparently a Spyball. They'd teleported back with the overexcited alicorn to Rimeshire, where Juline Dizznee has been waiting with her arms crossed. After Juline had brought Calla aside to pepper her with questions about her son's whereabouts, she'd taken them all to Everglen to inform Dell about her daughter— and then she'd taken Sophie and the exhilarated sparkly flying horse back to Havenfield.

Grady and Edaline had made a deal with Sophie— they wouldn't open the letter until she was allowed to use the gimmick Forkle had given her. They hadn't said much else. Only now was Dex explaining what a Spyball was.

And now she was in detention, which was unfortunately listening to siren music— not that she considered it music.

"Pst! Dex!" Biana said, tapping on Dex's shoulder as he sat down in front of her.

He swore under his breath, "What? You don't have to talk to me in school, you know?"

Biana ignored him, "You said Calla wasn't feeling well, right?"

Calla had seemed kind of tired after they'd gotten back to Rimeshire like Dex had told them. Sophie frowned, hoping the sweet gnome was okay.

"Yeah, like I said, she wanted to feel better before she met Sophie," Dex said almost curiously, perhaps wondering why Biana was bringing this up.

"Okay, well— Tam, you tell him."

Tam, who was sitting behind Sophie and next to Biana sighed, "I went to visit one of the places where Linh and I used to live in case—" he clearly didn't want to explain why, but Sophie had an idea. He'd gone to see if Linh had changed her mind.

Tam cleared his throat, "Anyway, I ran into two gnomes who said they were sick. They were weak and I don't know how many days they'd been like that. They'd helped Linh and I survive for years, so I couldn't just leave them there. I brought them to my house and we don't know what to do next. There must be some sort of sickness going around the gnomes."

Dex frowned, "That doesn't sound good. Have you told someone?"

"My parents were going to call the Council," Tam rolled his eyes.

"And with Calla, that's three cases. But that's not all," Biana said. "I hailed Fitz yesterday and he said that there are rumors of a dozen more gnomes who are quarantined and the elite level physician students are looking into it. It's very secretive. That's why he said it's just a rumor."

"What does the disease do?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know," Biana admitted. "But isn't it strange that the Council hasn't said anything? I bet there are already more cases."

Sophie's heart dropped, "You think this could be on purpose?"

Biana's eyes widened, "I was thinking more in the terms of them not wanting to admit that something else was messed up. So I didn't. But I do now!"

"But why would the Council want to make the gnomes sick?" Dex asked.

"Not the Council," Tam told him hesitantly, "The Neverseen."

-

Sophie was too busy thinking about the new conspiracy her friends had discussed— as well as trying to get the horrid siren noises out of her head— for her to notice that her Telepathy mentor (who'd asked her to call him Tiergan) had asked her a question.

"Sophie?" He asked again, and Sophie jumped, finally looking up at her olive skinned, spiky haired mentor.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, "I zoned out."

"I was just asking if it was true that no one can get past your mental blocking."

"It's true," Sophie agreed, but then she remembered the day she'd tried to go inside Alden's mind. "Well... mostly."

"Mostly?" Tiergan repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Fitz Vacker was able to get past it the other day," Sophie admitted.

Tiergan's scowl reminded her of Dex's. "A Vacker," he said, as if the name were poisonous. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I went inside Alden's mind for a couple of minutes and he brought me back."

Tiergan gasped, "You did what?"

Sophie wondered why he looked so concerned, "I'm planning to heal him, remember? I'm sure the Council has told you that."

"He deserves to feel guilt for what he did," Tiergan muttered. "But yes, his family should be able to have him back."

"You mean Prentice?" Sophie asked, and was surprised when Tiergan flinched at the name.

"He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"I'm planning to fix him too," Sophie added. "Did you know him?"

"I did. I adopted Wylie."

"Oh," Sophie bit her lip. "So he was your friend?"

"Something like that."

"Well I want to fix him too. And anyone who got caught up in the mess that is me," Sophie told him.

Tiergan smiled gently, "You're not a mess Sophie. I'm sure you're even better than whoever you were meant to be. Now let's get to work."

-

In the next week, Sophie found out about a lot more that she could do as a Telepath.

Biana, Dex and Tam continued to investigate their suspicions about the gnome disease, but they got almost nowhere. Sophie visited Calla again with them, but she seemed mostly fine if not a little tired.

The last day in detention, Sophie recognized Valin sitting close to them as they ironed a mentor's capes.

She giggled as Biana rolled her eyes.

"Has anyone said anything else about the disease?" Sophie asked her friends, trying to veer the conversation away from Valin.

"Not yet," Tam admitted. "The Council quarantined the gnomes we knew of. They still haven't said anything to the public!"

"Calla's still free cause the Black Swan helped her find another quarantine," Dex added. "All the gnomes at Rimeshire are being tested. We still don't know what exactly it is... but if we keep having contact with the Black Swan, then maybe—"

"Excuse me," Valin interrupted, "Do you mind if we talk?" He asked Biana.

Biana's gaze remained strictly on the cape she was ironing. "Not right now Valin."

"I'm not joking Biana. I just wanted to—"

"I don't think it's the right time to talk with her," Sophie said as kindly as she could.

"I wasn't talking to you," Valin snapped.

"Seriously dude," Dex said, "I think you may want to back off."

"Biana—"

"I'm sorry Valin," Biana said. "But no. This is o—"

"Stop!" Valin shouted, making all heads turn towards them, including the mentor, who narrowed her eyes at them. "I'm just trying to be helpful," he hissed. "I heard you talking about sick gnomes. The gnomes at my house are getting really tired. We live close to a Neutral Territory."

Sophie could tell that he had caught her friends' attention, but Tam shook his head anyway, "Talk to us later. You're going to get us in trouble."

-

And then Sophie was heading back to Telepathy, certainly not expecting Fitz Vacker to be awkwardly sitting there next to her seat facing Tiergan— who made it clear that he did not like the Vackers.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked as Fitz flashed a smile at her.

"I have a proposition," Tiergan said. "You said this boy could get into your mind?"

"Well... yeah," Sophie's heart dropped.

Was he going to make them practice together?

"I'm going to make you practice together."

"Why?"

"Because there's such thing as teamwork among Telepath work. And I'd like to know why Fitz is able to get past your mental blocking, wouldn't you?"

Fitz looked so proud and excited that Sophie didn't have the heart to decline. "Okay," she agreed weakly.

"It's okay Sophie," Fitz assured her. "This is just another step to figuring everything out. I won't do anything you don't want me to."

"Thanks."

His promise helped... a little. And so did his pleading look with his teal eyes. Sophie's heart fluttered to her embarrassment. This was going to be interesting.

And after that, Sophie and Fitz had Telepathy together— although their classroom was quickly changed to the Elite Tower so it wouldn't be weird for an elite student to leave his tower (apparently it was better for Sophie to be lost and out of place than Fitz. Naturally).

"You see Fitz every other day?" Dex asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah," Sophie decided not to look at her friend in the eyes a week later as she grabbed the items she needed from her locker. She'd hidden this as long as she could.

"And even after that you still have a crush on him?" Dex asked exasperatingly.

"I do not!"

"Yeah you do. I bet your favorite class is Telepathy."

It was— and Sophie felt her face burn as she slammed her locker.

"Ha! It is! What do you even do in there?" Dex asked as he hurried to catch up with her. "Stare at each other's eyes?"

"Trust exercises," Sophie admitted. "Which means I kinda told him a lot about what we'd been hiding."

"And how'd he take it?"

"As well as he could," Sophie said carefully.

"Does that mean he got mad?"

"No, but he did get understandably upset." Fitz had been silent the rest of the day after she'd told him about what Keefe had said, making her feel awful about lying to him. But she deserved that.

"What's the difference?"

"That he quickly forgave me!"

"Mhm."

"Do you want to fight me Dex?"

"The splotching match in P.E. is next Tuesday. You're on."

"What's a splotching match?" Sophie asked, but Dex had already turned to go to his class. And she had to go to Telepathy. She sighed as she realized she was excited again.

-

"Today I want you to tell each other something that's bothering you— and it can't be something the anyone knows," Tiergan said. "I need you two to figure out a solution."

"What's up with all these trust exercises?" Fitz asked. "You do realize I'm able to get into Sophie's head normally now, right? It only took those words you told me and more practice."

He still hadn't told Sophie the words he had to say to get past her blocking.

"What if I told you it's possible for you two to be Cognates?"

"Really?" Fitz asked, looking adorably excited again.

Sophie had learned about Cognates from a book she'd read that Della had given her when she first got her. And she knew that it consisted of her having to share a lot with Fitz... like the fact that she and Keefe still had plans to work together. Or that she may possibly have a tiny crush on Fitz.

"You think this could help Alden and Prentice?" Sophie asked.

"It would make you both stronger," Tiergan agreed. "So maybe."

"Okay," Sophie said, hoping they couldn't tell she was nervous. "Let's do it."

She opened her mind to Fitz's.

So what's something that's been bothering you? Fitz asked.

Sophie tugged out an eyelash, You sure you don't want to go first?

Mine's kinda lame. I really want to be an Emissary but my mom doesn't want me to. Maybe it reminds her of dad, I don't know. I guess you technically already knew that though.

That's not lame. You just have to prove to her that it's what you really want to do. I don't know the entire process, but go through it with her and make a deal. If it becomes too much for either of you, you'll take a break from the idea.

Fitz flashed her one of his movie style smiles, See? I feel better already. We just have to be smart like you and we'll solve everything.

Sophie blushed at the compliment, Well I don't know if you can help me with mine. I have a Spyball that the Black Swan gave to me the other day. And I'm scared to use it.

Whoa! What do you want to use it for?

My human family. I want to see them. But I'm scared of what I'll see.

Oh, Fitz frowned, I'm sorry you got put into this position. Why do you think the Black Swan gave it to you?

I don't know, Sophie admitted.

It's the weekend tomorrow. How about I go to Havenfield and we try looking at the Spyball together? Would that help?

Sophie wasn't sure if it would, but maybe she had to try.

You get to help me convince Grady and Edaline to use it.

Alright Cognate!

-

And so, despite Dex's teasing and Biana's weird sister comments, Sophie was a little excited to have Fitz over.

But she found out that convincing Grady and Edaline about using the Spyball was harder than she thought.

"I'll tell you everything I see," Sophie promised. "And I'll not just help with Silveny. I'll also help with the Verminion."

That had been Fitz's idea. Apparently it worked with his mom.

What was she getting herself into?

Fitz got there after she hailed him to say the plan was on, but it only got awkward after Edaline and Grady didn't let him go to her room, so they settled for the living room.

"Okay," Sophie said, staring at the Spyball in her hands as millions of warnings pushed at her brain. "This is it."

"Just say their names," Fitz said.

"I know," Sophie's heart thudded, "I just don't think I can do it."

"You can," Fitz assured her, reaching out to hold her hand. "I'm here. You just see your family, and it's over."

Sophie nodded, her brain insisting that this was not a good idea. But she needed to see them.

"Show me William, Emma and Amy Foster."

Chapter Text

     "What's wrong?" Dex asked Sophie, who was staring at the ground. She hadn't said a word during lunch. "Monday mood?"

    "No," she muttered, "I have to do something."

    "Oh," she clearly didn't want to talk about it, but he noticed her tug out an eyelash as her eyes welled up with tears.

 "Let me know if I can help," he said worriedly. Sophie nodded, heading for her Telepathy lesson in the Elite towers. If Fitz had said something... Dex was going to hit his arrogant face with a particular gadget he'd been working on.

    "Hey, Dex," Valin said from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. 

           Dex sighed. "What?"

    "I was wondering if you guys wanted to come over to see the gnomes. The Council is supposed to take them away to quarantine them later today, so this is your only chance."

    "Sure," Dex said. "I'll ask Tam and Biana if they want to come too."

    "Oh, yeah," Valin said. "But what about Sophie?"

    "Sophie?" Dex asked, raising an eyebrow. "What about Sophie?"

"That's what I just asked. Is she coming too?"

"Gross. Don't tell me you like Sophie now."

Valin turned red, "I don't. She was just part of the conversation the other day. How you guys were suspicious that the Council could be hiding whatever is happening with the gnomes."

Huh. So Valin eavesdropped. That was good to know. Dex glared at him, "Sophie's busy with other stuff. She's not going to come. And you might as well get over her."

Valin eyed him angrily right back before he turned his back on Dex. "Just meet me at the leapmasters when class ends."

-

"So. You might want to talk to your boyfriend because I think he likes Sophie," Dex said to Biana when he caught up to her.

Biana rolled her eyes, "Valin isn't my boyfriend anymore. And why are you talking to him again anyway?"

"He invited us to his house to meet the gnomes he told us about last Friday."

"Ugh, I don't want to go," Biana whined. "My hair gets so frizzy when I go there and my eyelashes droop and—"

Dex snickered, causing her to scowl at him. "It's not funny."

"We have one class left Princess Prettypants," Dex said, dubbing her what Marella had nicknamed her. "Tell your other boyfriend he's invited."

"Tam is not—"

Dex ignored her, "Just show up so he keeps his Sophie questions to the minimum."

This caused a new burst of annoyed statements and questions.

-

"Whoa," Dex said as the four of them light-leaped to Valin's house. "I get it now Biana. My eyelashes are drooping beyond the acceptable level."

"What are you even talking about?" Tam asked.

"He's being rude," Biana said. "Ignore him."

The land around Valin's house was humid. Dex, Tam and Biana followed him toward a section of Pures and other vegetation.

"Hey," Tam whispered to Dex. "Did you talk to Calla yesterday?" 

"She's fine... she communicates through an imparter the Black Swan gave her. And no, I can't track the signal. I already tried. She's worried about her grandniece Flori. And she's still looking into the disease as much as she can."

"You guys talk to the Black Swan?" Valin asked.

"I've already told you what we know," Biana reminded him. "They could possibly fix my dad."

"Last time I heard about them it was that you didn't know if they were good or not. What changed?"

Biana's eyes locked with Dex's, and then Tam's before she carefully said, "The alicorn." 

Every elf knew about Silveny now. They were supposed to hold an event around the end of the school year in which the supposedly trained alicorn would swoop in. Sophie had told Dex that her process had currently gone no where.

"Oh the one Sophie has?" Valin asked. "She's the female alicorn that could fix everything in the timeline of extinction, right? How did Sophie get her?"

"The Black Swan talked to us. Calla brought us to Silveny. And we also talked about my dad," Biana explained. "We think they can help us. So yeah, I think they're good."

"Huh," Valin said. "Are you close to fixing him?"

"I don't know yet," Biana answered quietly, and Dex felt an annoying pang of guilt for being mean to her and Fitz. But then again... they had called him Deck. 

"Is this an infected tree?" Tam asked after clearing his throat. His gaze hardened as he closed up on a tree which had a strange looking trunk— it was twisted and cracked, and its branches were sagging. The many leaves that had fallen off were mixes sallow yellow and mold green. 

"See? Drooping," Biana said, pointing at the branches.

"Those aren't eyelashes Biana," Dex reminded her.

"I'd be a little concerned if they were," Tam said, giving him a strange look again.

"Almost all of the trees look like this!" Biana exclaimed. "This is horrible! Do you guys still think someone's capable of doing something like this on purpose?"

"Don't forget the gnomes," Tam added, "We still don't know what exactly it is that they're going through."

"That's right," Biana turned to Valin, "Where are the gnomes?"

Valin opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by a deep grumbling in the ground.

"Earthquake?" Biana asked, reaching out to hold on to Tam's arm. 

"No," Dex said, trying to keep his balance, "Look!" He pointed at the pebbles bouncing in the ground. He knew that motion and estimated friction from anywhere. He'd learned a lot about this in his lower level Technopath class. Basic physics even a human child could understand. Maybe. "There's something coming underground! Levitate!"

They all followed suit except for Valin, who'd fallen rather ungracefully. 

"I know what this is," Tam exclaimed. 

"What?" Dex and Biana asked. 

"It's an ogre!"

And he was right. Well... 

"Correction," Dex said, his eyes widening as three lumpy creatures shot out of the new escalated holes. "Ogres."

Biana was the first to touch the ground again. "Run!" She shouted, trying to help Valin to his feet. But Valin was apparently very clumsy, because he kept stumbling as Dex and Tam also made a run for it.

Dex was in the lead, refusing to look back for a few seconds before he realized he should probably help.

And that's when the force field appeared in front of Dex, making him shoot backwards as the wind was knocked out of him. 

"Dex!" Biana yelled, as pain shot up his back and his lungs screamed for air, "Are you alright? Tam, is he awake?"

"Never better," Dex groaned, holding a hand up with what he hoped was his thumb and not another finger. He didn't want to open his eyes and his hands and arms had gone numb.

Then he remembered the ogres. 

"Relax," an unfamiliar voice said, and Dex gasped when he noticed the white eye on his black sleeve as well as his cloak hidden face. "My forcefield won't hurt your friend permanently. It's just here to contain everyone so we can have a friendly chat. You can call me Ruy."

Dex backed away, hearing a chuckle come from the Psionipath. The Neverseen had found them. He tried really hard not to panic as he attempted to look around, his neck aching badly. 

Biana had her hands in the air as an ogre pointed a nasty looking weapon at her, Tam was scowling at Ruy, and Valin was trembling under the glare of another ogre. 

"Sorry about my ogre friends. They're just here in case you try to run."

"So the ogres work with the Neverseen," Biana said with more bravado than Dex would have imagined given the fact that a deadly weapon was pointed at her face. "Doesn't that violate a couple of treaties?"

"You could see it that way," Ruy admitted, "But you could also consider the fact that they're in a friendly alliance with elves."

"Friendly alliance?" Tam snorted, "Then why are you having them point weapons at us. That's not friendly."

"Unfortunately, you've caught the attention of the Neverseen with your investigating. We want the Council to announce the plague, but we don't need the blame for it. They do. That's why you can tell me what you know, who else knows and then we'll be on our way. And don't worry— I'm not allowed to kill you Miss Vacker. Or you Shade. You however..." Dex's heart beat rapidly against his chest as the Psionipath stepped closer to him, his forcefield still blocking them away from Valin's house.

"Your friend here is expendable," Ruy announced. "So if you tell me everything, he won't die painfully. Maybe I'll even take him to the hideout where I'll be taking you and kill him there instead. If you don't..."

Dex yelped in surprise as Ruy lifted him by the tunic.

"He dies right now."

"Stop!" Biana shouted. "We don't know almost anything. No one else has been investigating. Just take us and let him go. Please!" 

"Really?" Ruy asked. "What about your connection with the Black Swan?"

Everyone went silent.

"I was expecting the Moonlark," Ruy continued. "I wanted to know more about this gnome you befriended. Calla, is it?"

How did he know so much? 

"And yet— she's not here. I'm afraid we'll have to resort to more painful measures to get this information out of you. Starting with you," Ruy spat, throwing Dex to the ground again. He was taking out his own ogre weapon when Valin began to shout.

"Wait! Wait! You said you weren't going to kill anyone!"

Ruy clicked his tongue, "And you were supposed to bring the Moonlark."

Chapter Text

Sophie knew why the Black Swan had given her the Spyball now. She closed her eyes, the memory of the Spyball rolling out of her hands engraved in her head. Fitz telling her everything would be alright. 

But it wouldn't. Not until her family stopped living through the pain of her 'death.'

Now her mind circled back to her human family. Her sister petting Marty while she stared at a picture album, her gaze empty of emotion except for the redness of her eyes showing that she'd cried recently. Her mom was in a support group, unable to speak. And her dad... her dad was reading over documents and documents about airplanes, looking for something he'd never find.

    This was why she and Fitz had hailed Della and then Tiergan to find out if there was a way for her to erase herself from her human family's memories. She'd learned enough about washers to know that this was possible... even though it could be hard. 

    She barely heard Dex's questions as she headed towards her Telepathy lesson. It would consist of her and Fitz going to the Forbidden Cities. And Sophie wasn't emotionally prepared. At all. 

    She was about to enter her classroom when she heard her name being called by a familiar English-Australian accent. 

    "Are you alright? You look like you haven't slept," Fitz said, his eyebrows crinkling. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

    "You saw my dad rambling to himself about airplane physics Fitz. He shouldn't be doing that. This is good for them."

    "But what about you?"

    "I'll manage," Sophie grimaced. 

    Fitz sighed, "I'll be with you the whole time, okay? Trust me."

    "I do," Sophie said, surprised at how much she meant it.

    "Good," Fitz said, and after Tiergan went over what they were allowed and weren't allowed to do before the washers got there and got dressed in human clothes, they leaped into Sophie's old neighborhood. 

    "I feel like I went back in time," Sophie whispered as she let go of Fitz's hand to clutch her shoulders. It was hot, but she still felt like shivering. 

    "Huh. I guess if my dad hadn't decided to cancel our search for you I might have found you here," Fitz said as he followed her toward her house. "Uh... what are those?"

    Sophie spotted what he was looking at— Mr. Forkle's garden gnomes. And judging by the light coming out of the window, someone was home. "No way!" she hissed, sprinting over to the door. 

    "Is this your elf neighbor?" Fitz asked. 

    "Yeah! What is he still doing here?" Sophie said as she knocked. 

    "You kids really think I'm capable of abandoning a mourning family?" a familiar voice said before the door swung open. 

    "Is that why you gave me the Spyball?" Sophie asked. "So I could have their memories erased of me?"

    He looked at her sadly, "I wish there were another way Miss Foster. But your death is affecting them deeply. I've done as much as I could... I found that support group for your parents for example. In reality, this is a lie and it's not doing any good to them."

    "I think erasing Sophie's existence is also a lie," Fitz pointed out. 

    "Yes," Mr. Forkle agreed, "But it takes away unnecessary pain."

    "And then Sophie gets it!" Fitz exclaimed. 

    "But it's what I have to do," Sophie told him. "I already told you Fitz. I'm not changing my mind."

    "They'll give them a new life," Mr. Forkle said. "A better one. And you can keep up with them with your Spyball."

    "Okay," Sophie said, "But before I go in there... what do you know about the gnomes?"

    "Calla is safe and there has been no change. She's been listening to the songs in nature, and she believes that there is a cure... but who knows how much time it will take. The goal right now is to find the pathogen. None of our other gnomes have been affected. For now, just look into the history behind Serenvale, Wildwood, ogres and gnomes. And the Council of course. Calla suspects the ogres are behind this. But we can't be certain without proof."

There was not much to talk about afterwards— nothing that he'd answer anyway, and Sophie was running out of time. So she quit stalling, shoved her thoughts about gnomes and ogres aside and headed toward her house with Fitz behind her. 

    Sophie took a deep breath before she pressed the doorbell. She backed away quickly, running into Fitz, who tried to steady her.

    "I don't think I can do this," she said in panic. 

    "Yes you can," Fitz assured her as Sophie's human mother's voice was heard from inside. 

    "Amy! Can you get it?"

    "Fine!" The locks on the door shifted, and Sophie found herself squeezing Fitz's hand as a squeak signaling the door opening made her look up. 

    Her eyes met her sister's. She paled. 

Sophie herself felt like fainting or vomiting. Or both. 

    "Who is it Amy?" Sophie's mother asked. And then she also looked outside, the color draining from her face too. 

    "Hey mom," Sophie whispered.

    "WILLIAM!" Her mother screamed, which prompted Amy to scream. 

    "Uh... maybe I shouldn't be here," Fitz said as Sophie's father rushed down stairs and also began to scream. 

    "WHO IS HE?" Sophie's mother yelled, "Call 911!"

    "NO!" Sophie interrupted, "Wait! I can explain!"

    "Explain how you're here when you fell out of a plane?" Amy yelled. 

    "I think we should take this inside," Sophie said, noticing that neighbors were beginning to poke their heads out. Surely they'd heard about her death. 

    "He's not coming in," her dad pointed at Fitz. 

    "He helped me get here! He's good. Don't call the cops. Amy, I mean it," Sophie said when she noticed her sister reaching for her phone. 

    "He helped? Really?" Sophie's mother cried before she tackled Fitz with a hug. 

    "Mom," Sophie began, but she was quickly caught in a group hug, including poor Fitz. 

    "What happened? Where were you? How are you—?"

Their questions were plenty, but Sophie knew they'd forget them all in a few minutes, so she stayed silent, taking in the love in their eyes for the last time.

"I love you guys," she whispered.

"We do too!" Her mother said. "Please, sit down. Both of you. Let's get comfortable and you can tell us everything. I promise we won't go to the cops or the doctor until you're ready. But we'll have to go eventually."

"And who's this?" Amy asked. "I mean, I know he helped you get here. But is he... anything else?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Sophie, and Sophie had to resist whacking her with the throw pillow that said Family in fancy purple letters that she was sitting against. Instead, she felt herself blush and felt even more embarrassed when she noticed Fitz had also turned red.

"Look," Sophie said as they all sat down, "I want to tell you guys everything. But just know this: I was safe. I have a new family that may adopt me. And they're pretty great. They are sooo different from our family. And I'll miss you guys, so, so much. And I know you would too if you could."

Now they were staring at her in confusion.

"Uh... adopted?" Amy asked, "We're right here Sophie. We didn't forget about you."

"It's better that you do," Sophie whispered. "I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you."

"What are you talking about Sophie Elizabeth Foster?" Her mother asked. "Are you... are you on drugs? Is that it? You can tell me the truth Sophie. No matter what, we're here for you. We can fix it."

But they couldn't. They couldn't know that she was an elf. It was dangerous and beyond idiotic. Even though for a few seconds, Sophie considered spilling everything. Her parents had always known what to do when she had a problem. But this time they wouldn't. 

And that's why she turned to Fitz. "Do it," she ordered, her heart heavy as she faced her human family one more time. Thankfully, they were all still sitting down. Fitz took a round silver disk out of his pocket. 

"I love you," Sophie repeated as her parents stared at the disk in confusion. It hit the ground, but Sophie had already covered her face with her shirt. They hadn't.

I can't see them fall, she transmitted to Fitz, and he nodded, reaching out with his free hand (his other covered his face with his shirt as well) to pull her away from her drugged family. 

She didn't look back when she heard the first thud.

As soon as she was outside, she burst into tears and sunk to the ground, memories of her life as a human attacking her with guilt and sadness.

Fitz kneeled next to her, pulling her into an embrace. Thankfully, he didn't say anything. Sophie didn't want to hear another word any time soon. Right then, all she wanted was to cry— immediately forgetting that she was probably leaving snot and salty tears on his cape.

-

Grady and Edaline seemed to know exactly what Sophie needed— quiet, light hand squeezes and just being there. She found herself transmitting to Silveny, who somehow knew what she'd gone though. The alicorn sent Sophie memories of beautiful night skies and sunset oceans. 

She didn't bother to check her imparter for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

Biana was not having a good day. Dex was about to die at the hands of a creepy Psionipath, whose forcefield was blocking away any opportunity for her to help. Tam was trying to get his shadow close to hers likely to shadow whisper, but he wasn't having much luck. The ogres kept staring at them, and she had a feeling that if she moved any more than a muscle without a plan, she'd be stabbed in the face. 

Oh. And Valin was currently trying to come up with an excuse as to why he hadn't brought Sophie to the Neverseen.Valin.

"She was doing something else! I don't know what, but Dex said she wasn't coming. She's not involved in this like you said she was."

"Valin?" Biana asked. "What are you talking about?"

"He's in the Neverseen," Tam snapped. "This was a trap. Were there ever really gnomes here?"

"There were," Valin said, without a drop of guilt in his voice. "We started a part of the plague close to here, actually. Ever heard of Wildwood?"

Tam narrowed his eyes at the name, and Biana realized why. This was around the place he'd told her he and his sister had lived in for a couple of years.

"How could you?" Biana yelled, "And how long have you been with them?"

Valin didn't answer, but that was enough for Biana to put two and two together. "That's why you asked me out, didn't you? To spy on me and my dad? It was all for the Neverseen, wasn't it?"

"You don't know anything Biana."

"Yeah I do," Biana gasped, "That day you, Maruca and I went to see Sophie in Havenfield! You went to the caves. You're the one who put that magisidian charm that led her to Candleshade. You framed the Black Swan and tried to get Sophie captured. Why?"

"I don't know if you've noticed this," Valin said, strolling closer to her, "But I'm talentless. And you and your family and all the noble elves are going to pay for the demeaning you've been doing to talentless elves in the last centuries. The Neverseen has a plan, and I'm going to do what I can."

"Okay, seriously," Tam interrupted. "If you have a problem and some creep comes along and offers you a solution, do the words 'too good to be true' not show up anywhere in your brain? Is that how it is with everyone in the Neverseen?"

"The words are true," Ruy snarled, "The Council will pay for what they've done. There are more problems in the Lost Cities than anyone realizes. And this plague is just the beginning. Not that it's our fault. You can ask the Councillors about that. Or actually... you can't. You'll either be imprisoned," he turned to Dex, "Or dead."

But in their hasty conversation, Tam had stretched his shadow to Biana's. I CAN TAKE DOWN HIS FORCEFIELD. YOU TRY TO GET ONE OF THOSE OGRE WEAPONS. VANISH. AND RUN. NOW. 

Biana wanted to remind him that she'd never held an ogre sword in her life, but she didn't have time to do that. 

She Vanished as soon as the ogre in front of her was distracted by Tam's shadow, and he snarled, swiping his sword in the place she'd been. But she'd tumbled to the ground.

"I told you not to kill her!" Ruy yelled, distracting the other ogres so that Tam's shadows sped up and pierced through his forcefield.

Biana took this moment to tug at a sword from behind the ogre who was disoriented from looking for her. It was heavy. 

She'd played plenty of tackle bramble, so she knew she had an idea of fighting techniques. Maybe if she had a sword she could lift without her back and knees crying...

"HEY!" The ogre yelled when he realized one of his weapons was gone, and Biana raised the sword to defend herself from his swipe at her, appearing from the strain of the weight of her weapon. 

Meanwhile, Tam was fighting Ruy's forcefields with his shadows as Dex tried to sit up, reaching for Ruy's weapon which had fallen on the ground. 

"Watch out!" Biana warned when she noticed the second ogre was raising a dagger to throw it at Tam. Did she know what she was doing? Nope. But she still shifted away as if she were in a bramble game with Fitz to avoid Ogre Number One. Then she told herself the weight of the sword was nothing, and she put as much mental strength into her arms as she could, numbing the ache in her back when she deflected the daggers.

Then, without knowing exactly how she was doing it, Biana gathered up all the anger, sadness and betrayal in her heart and used it to strengthen her telekinesis, launching Ogre Number Three into one of the infected trees. She stayed on the ground, dazed. 

The other two ogres stared at her in bewilderment.

"Grusom-Daj?" One asked Two. 

Before Biana found out what this was, Tam and

Dex were next to her, Ruy nowhere to be seen. The other two ogres also flew back, despite her friends' injuries. 

After this, both Biana and Tam had to catch Dex from falling to the ground. Biana dropped her sword so that they could lower him down. 

"I don't like forcefields. Don't trust them," Dex informed them helpfully.

"Thanks Dex," Biana said, a hacking sound reminding her that they weren't done yet.

Valin was regarding them with shock.

And then Biana said, "You're dead to me" and she stabbed him.

Okay, that last part didn't actually happen.

But a tiny part of Biana was considering it.

She stormed over to him, sweat trickling down her neck and reality finally striking her.

She could have died. She could have been captured. Valin was in the Neverseen, and he'd dated her to spy on her. And now she was a hundred percent sure that the Neverseen was capable of murder. 

"What were you on when you joined a group that did this?" She pointed at Dex and Tam.

"I didn't know he was going to do that," Valin argued. 

"You're releasing a disease on the gnomes you moron!" Biana yelled. "And you dated me to spy on my dad! What do they want with him, Valin? What were you looking for? I'll gladly tell you!" She shoved him out of the way. "Huh?"

"The world doesn't revolve around you Biana," Valin spat, closing in on her. "There are bigger things going on than your broken dad."

Biana punched him in the face as hard as she could, finding the crack of bone a little bit satisfying.

Valin stumbled, nearly losing his balance. His gaze darkened as he locked his non-shut eye with hers. His other eye was already turning black.

 "Sorry," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But the world doesn't revolve around you either and if you're uninjured it'll be harder for us to drag you to the Black Swan."

She turned her back on him to find both Dex and Tam gaping at her. 

"What?"

"Nothing," they both said quickly.

"Do you actually have a way to contact the Black Swan?" Tam asked, not bothering to hide his question from Valin.

"Yeah. Calla."

"I think we need to get out of here," Dex said, still sitting on the ground, "I don't think those ogres are going to stay there much longer."

"Does Rimeshire sound good for us to hail Calla? She's been there."

"Sure," Dex said. "But my mom is going to freak out when she sees me like this. And when she sees Valin."

"I'll hold onto Valin," Tam said, clearly worried Biana was going to start punching him again. She didn't need to be tempted.

"Alright. Dex, can you stand up for a few seconds and lean on me?" She asked.

The Technopath nodded, taking her hand begrudgingly. "You're never going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope," she said, ignoring Valin's glare as Tam dragged him over to light leap. "Never."

Chapter Text

"So I have some news for you," Tam said when he caught up to Sophie the next day. 

Sophie tried not to groan. She'd already had a bad morning— some family called the Hekses had terrified Silveny wayyyy too early, insisting that they could take better care of her than Sophie. Sophie had proved them wrong, but they still told Grady and Edaline that they'd be back by the end of the week with the help of the council. The girl named Stina had just walked by, and she'd shot Sophie an evil look.

    "Where's Dex?" Sophie asked, wishing her friend were there. "And Biana?" 

    She really needed to talk to one of them about what had happened the day before. Not just about her family, but about the gnome situation Mr. Forkle had suggested they look into. And so far, they hadn't shown up. 

    "They'll be fine," Tam said, "But uh... we were kind of attacked by the Neverseen yesterday."

    "WHAT?" Sophie yelped, "Where? When? How?"

    "Keep your voice down! And this Psionipath who called himself 'Ruy' was waiting at Valin's house to attack with three ogres."

    "Ogres?" Sophie stopped walking. Then she realized what else Tam had said. "Valin? Why were you guys at his house?"

    "Yeah, see, he was in the Neverseen. But we turned him in to the Black Swan so they could ask him stuff. Turns out Dex's mom is part of the Black Swan."

    Sophie's head spun with the new information. "Why was Valin working for the Neverseen?"

    "He's stupid, that's why. And the world sucks. But he told us he knew more infected gnomes. His house is close to Wildwood."

    "Wildwood," Sophie repeated. "That's one of things Mr. Forkle told me to look up!"

    "That's where Linh and I used to live," Tam explained, "And I think it's one of the places that the ogres stole from the gnomes a long time ago."

    "Calla was right!" Sophie exclaimed. "Whatever the pathogen is, it could be related to the ogres!"

    "What were you doing yesterday?" Tam asked. "Biana hailed you, but you didn't answer."

    Sophie sighed, "Fitz and I went to see my human parents one more time before they got their memories erased."

    "Oh. I'm... sorry," Tam said. "That explains why Valin couldn't get a hold of you. The Psionipath was expecting you too."

    Sophie shivered, "And how come you're here but Biana and Dex aren't?"

    "They'll probably be here tomorrow. Or at least Biana. Her mom's making her stay at home. Let's just say she's not in a good mood about Valin. Dex got blasted by a forcefield. But hey, don't look so worried. He's going to make a full recovery."

    He gave her a slight wave before he turned around to head to lunch. But Sophie had another plan this Tuesday. She hurried to her Elementalism classroom, looking around to make sure no one was watching her before she opened the door. 

    "She's here!" Keefe exclaimed from her mentor's chair. "Linh couldn't make it today, sorry."

    "What do you want?" Sophie snapped. 

    "Whoa," Keefe fanned the air, "Are you alright?"

    "Oh I'm excellent, since I wasn't at the Neverseen ambush yesterday."

    "Ambush?" Keefe repeated. "What?"

    "A psionopath attacked my friends yesterday. And ogres. And dare I mention the plague?"

    Keefe stared at her as if she'd spoken in a foreign language.

    "Do you not know anything?" Sophie exclaimed. 

    "I'm not an official recruit yet," Keefe reminded her. "All Linh and I know is stuff we eavesdrop on. I don't know any psionipaths. Check my mind if you don't believe me."

    "Fine," Sophie said, and she stepped over to him, leaning over the desk. "And what about you?" she asked before her hands touched his temples. He was raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you believe me?"

    "I think I need more information than psionipath attack, ogres and the word plague. But yeah, your emotions are all over the place. I believe that you believe it."

    Sophie closed her eyes as she dove into his mind, Tiergan's directions and suggestions in the back of her head. She looked for Neverseen members... but Keefe had been telling her the truth. He knew his mother, an unfamiliar man whose name was apparently 'Fintan' and two other people who had their heads covered.

    "That's Umber and Trix," Keefe explained when Sophie had backed away from him. "They train us sometimes."

    "Are any of them Gusters?" she asked. 

    "Yeah, Trix is. Why?"

    Her heart sank. This had been the guy who blasted her out of a plane. "I've heard of him."

    "Huh. Interesting."

"Well, Ruy the Psionopath attacked Biana, Tam and Dex yesterday."

Keefe gasped, "Linh's brother? Sulky Bangs Boy? Are they alright?"

"Yeah, no thanks to the Neverseen. And by the way, we found out that Alden Vacker likely broke his mind on his own— because of guilt."

"Guilt," Keefe repeated. "And you found this out from—?"

"A Black Swan member," Sophie admitted, causing Keefe to snort.

"How do you know the Black Swan didn't frame the Neverseen?" Keefe asked. 

"Because one of the Black Swan members is a gnome and she's sick. With a plague the Neverseen started with the help of the ogres."

"So that's where the ogres came from," Keefe said. "You really think we'd unleash a plague?"

"I don't think. I know. And if you don't believe me, I can show you," Sophie said.

"Fine," Keefe said. "But first, I wanted to invite you to a Neverseen hideout Linh and I found. There's supposed to be a meeting there that we "don't know" about," he said, smirking as he made the quotation sign with his hands. "Then we can prove that the Neverseen has nothing to do with those ogres and that gnome plague or the attack on Deck."

"When?" Sophie asked.

"Now. That's why I could sneak away again. There's less supervision than usual."

Sophie laughed, "You seriously think I'm going to go to a Neverseen hideout with you?"

"Well... yeah."

"Huh. You really don't know me. Hold on, let me reintroduce myself," Sophie said, finally sitting down. "Hi, I'm Sophie Foster," she stretched out her hand in a mock greeting, "And my friends were almost murdered yesterday. There are ogres and gnomes and elf conspiracies making my life super crazy. And there's a bunch of other stuff that I am not telling you. I'm supposed to fix Alden Vacker, and I'm not an idiot. Meeting you here is about as dumb as I get."

Keefe looked at her in surprise, "Uh— Okay. Should I leave or—"

"No, hold on. I'll introduce you too," Sophie squinted at him, "Your name is Keefe Sencen. You're arrogant, privileged, spoiled and easily manipulated."

"You're forgetting the painfully attractive part."

"Shush. You're also so quick to drink the Neverseen kool-aid just because-"

"Wait, what?"

"It's an expression. Google it."

"What?"

"Ugh! You don't have Google!" Sophie glared at him.

"I'm sorry?" Keefe apologized, clearly confused as to why Sophie was furious that he didn't have Google. "How do I get one?"

"You can't! This would be so much easier if we had Google!"

"What about kool-aid? I don't know what that is, but I don't think the Neverseen has ever served it."

"It's an expression!" Sophie repeated. 

"Do you have a Google? Maybe you can—"

"No!"

"Sheesh," Keefe fanned the air again, "You clearly have your mind made up about me. Arrogant, spoiled, privileged and lacking a Google. But guess what Mysterious Miss F? You're not just wrong about me drinking Neverseen kool-aid. You don't know me at all."

"You do drink the kool-aid," Sophie insisted.

"Whatever. You also called me— what was it... easily manipulated? Can I just say, ouch? That hurt me Foster, especially since I'm trusting you with my own information. And I know what'll convince you to go," he grinned.

"Try me," Sophie said.

"Fine. Read my mind."

"Again?"

"Don't worry," he winked as she reached out to touch his temples again, "You don't have to be scared."

"Who said I was scared?"

"I'm an Empath," he reminded her.

Sophie felt her face heat up in embarrassment, closing her eyes quickly as the memory began to play in Keefe's mind.

"Keefe? Come here," Sophie heard the infamous Lady Gisela's voice for the first time.

Keefe rolled his eyes at Linh, "you think she'll finally say something useful?"

"No," Linh looked sad. This memory was recent, Sophie realized. 

Keefe walked by a couple of hooded Exilium students. "Hey, you're finally talking to me again! What's up?"

"Follow me," the woman said, and Sophie was surprised at the resemblance between her and her son. 

Once they weren't in the sight of anyone else, Lady Gisela took out some sort of hairpin.

"Uh... I'm sorry mom. But I think my hair looks better without—"

Lady Gisela grabbed her son's hand and sliced it, shock freezing Keefe's reaction.

"The star only rises at Nightfall," Lady Gisela breathed. Then she turned to her son, "Don't worry Keefe. The washers are coming soon. You're not ready to remember this. Yet."

And this was followed by a much older memory of Keefe— little and afraid as his mother used his blood to create a lock in a door. A door she referred to as "Nightfall."

Sophie pulled away from Keefe, eyes wide as they could go. "What on earth was that?"

"Ha!" Keefe said, "You just drank the kool-aid!"

"That's not how it works!"

Chapter Text

"So mind if I ask why you're letting your mom do that to you? She erased your memories and she physically hurt you. Do elves not classify that as harrassment?"

    "Like you said, I'm spoiled," was Keefe's only answer as he pulled out Sophie's pathfinder. Or technically it was his now. Whatever. 

    "So the meeting's at that door?"

    "Yup! And a friendly Hydrokinetic is one of the guards!"

    "But tell me you see how there's already something off about this."

    "Don't worry, we can get in with my blood," Keefe said, as if that were supposed to make her trust him. "I saw the pin the other day and those two memories came back. My mother isn't bad. Now I can prove it."

    "This is literally the definition of drinking the kool-aid."

    "Okay, can you stop being a smarty pants for a few seconds and tell me what a kool-aid is? How cool is this aid?"

    "It's cool with a K."

    "I'm cool with a K!" Keefe said. "Get it? Cause my name starts with a—"

    "Kool-aid is a human drink. This guy had kool-aid poisoned and he got about 900 people who were part of his cult to drink it even though they knew that it was poisoned. And they all died. That's where the phrase comes from. Blind trust, false loyalty. All because of peer pressure or maybe a little coercion. Or brainwash."

    She avoided Keefe's stare as she offered him her hand. "Come on then Keefe. Lunch time doesn't last very long in Foxfire. I have thirty minutes, max. Let's make sure your kool-aid isn't poisoned."

    "You're a little scary," Keefe noted, finally taking her hand and raising the pathfinder to the light. 

Right before they left, Sophie found Tam's mind and transmitted what she was doing. She didn't wait to hear his response.

At least someone knew where she'd be if she died.

-

"What about Google?" Keefe whispered as they glanced at the door to whatever Nightfall was. "Is that another cult?"

    Sophie ignored him, glancing from behind a pure. "Is that Linh?"

    "Yeah. She's the only guard today."

    "So this meeting must not be that important."

"Don't underestimate Water Girl. You don't want to see her angry."

    "But she's an Exilium student. They don't trust them as much as real members, right?"

    "Right," Keefe said. "Because they qualify as children. Okay, I don't see anyone else. Follow me."

    Sophie pulled out an eyelash before checking her watch. Twenty-seven minutes. She followed Keefe, trying not to sigh too loudly. 

    "You made it!" Linh whispered when they were next to the door, glancing around before she asked Sophie a question. "How's Tam?"

    "The Neverseen attacked him yesterday, but he seemed okay today."

    "Attack? The Neverseen wouldn't do that! They're trying to help us."

    Sophie turned to look at Keefe and gestured toward Linh with her head, "Kool-aid."

    "Don't ask," Keefe said when Linh scrunched up her eyebrows. "Believe me, you don't want to know."

    "Well whether you believe it or not, someone tried to hurt Tam, Biana and Dex yesterday. His name is Ruy. He's a Psionipath. And he was accompanied by ogres. Ogres, who by the way, are helping the Neverseen unleash a plague against the gnomes. And I bet this is a distraction so I can't heal Alden. But it's not going to work."

    "If you ask me," Keefe said, "That makes no sense. I haven't seen an ogre in the Lost Cities in years."

    "Um, actually I saw a couple today," Linh told him. 

    It was Sophie's turn to smile smugly. Keefe crossed his arms.

    "It was the King," Linh added. "And four others."

    "Not helping Linh," Keefe muttered. 

    "Sorry."

    "Either way," Sophie said, "This guy didn't want them to investigate the plague. That means we may be close to something. Whatever we hear in this meeting— can you both keep an eye out for anything that could be related? I think it has something to do with where you and Tam used to live in— Wildwood?"

    "Yeah," Linh admitted, looking a bit surprised. "Okay, I'll be on the lookout."

    "And now for the fun part!" Keefe interrupted. "Who wants to stab me?"

-

    "I have seventeen minutes left," Sophie reminded Keefe once they'd stopped roaming around endless hallways. "And I don't see any ogres or Neverseen members. Are you staging an ambush for me?"

"Hey, you trusted me."

"You showed me those memories because you're doubting something. And we both want Alden back. That's what I trust."

Keefe was quiet for a while before he responded, "You know, I can tell something's hurting you."

"I have to make a lot of hard decisions," Sophie said honestly, avoiding his glance. "Like coming here." 

She hoped this was enough to dismiss the subject. She knew it could give too much away if she discussed having to erase her family's memories with Keefe. But for a few seconds, she'd wanted to.

"Well what about a Google? Can't that help find the meeting?"

"You can't have a Google Keefe. There's only one Google and you either have it or you don't."

"Is that a metaphor?"

"No. Google is a search—" Sophie gasped. "I can be Google!"

"Huh?"

"I can open my mind to them and track their thoughts!"

"Is that what Google is?"

"Not exactly," Sophie stopped walking as she closed her eyes, Tiergan's instructions again in the back of her mind as she began to listen. For a bit, she didn't feel anything. And then—"

"Whoa, I feel something!" She whisper-shouted, nearly losing her balance when she opened her eyes. Keefe saved her from face planting by catching her by the arms. 

"I think it's safer to walk with your eyes open," he teased, quickly letting go.

"It's easier to tell where it's coming from if I close them though."

"You can hold onto me if you want," Keefe offered was he held his arm up for her to take it. "Unless you're scared..."

"Come on. I have ten minutes left," Sophie said as she took his arm hesitantly and closed her eyes.

She had six minutes left when they began to hear voices coming from a closed door.

"So we all agree the most important thing to focus on is Vespera?" Lady Gisela's voice made Sophie shiver, even though she'd never actually met her. Keefe's memories had been enough. 

"Well, what about the Black Swan? And their Moonlark?"

Sophie paled, hoping that Keefe wouldn't guess why her mood had shifted. 

"How did the Moonlark survive when you tried to get rid of it Redek?" Someone else asked.

"Enough," a voice Sophie didn't recognize rasped. "It's better this way. Maybe we could use the Moonlark to our advantage instead of getting rid of—"

"I still think questioning Wylie Endal is a higher priority," a strangely familiar voice grumbled. "I can keep an eye on the Moonlark."

Sophie pulled out another eyelash. Keefe stared at her strangely as he lightly pressed his ear against the door. She did so too, her knuckles turning white from the pressure she was forcing on them.

"What about you, your majesty? You're helping greatly with the drakostomes. And we've all agreed to give it a few weeks before we proceed."

"Why are you so scared?" Keefe whispered to Sophie, making her jump. "It's not like they're trying to take over the Council."

"I just want results. You said your group is planning to take over the Council?"

Sophie quirked an eyebrow at Keefe, but internally she was freaking out. Take over the Council?

"All of these options are steps," another voice said, "And we still haven't talked about your plan with your son, Gisela."

Keefe tensed.

"As long as we have Umber, it's a safe work in progress. He's not ready yet." 

"King Dimitar, your opinion is valuable, as is your daughter's and her husband's."

"She's still not back from her break?" Lady Gisela asked. 

Keefe and Sophie turned to stare at each other in alarm. There was an ogre somewhere in the halls? 

"Romhilda is soft-hearted. I shouldn't have included her in the plans this early on. Either that or she's just refusing to agree with me like she always does."

Sophie looked up first, and her heartbeat skidded to a stop.

Her watch said she had one minute to get back to class. She had a feeling she wasn't going to make it.

She tugged on Keefe's cape, and he turned around slowly.

An ogre with pink dyed hair was staring at them, suspicion and a little humor making her eyes glint. But she wasn't smiling. 

"I would like an explanation for this please."

Chapter Text

The Princess had a very dangerous looking sword pointed at their backs as she led them past a couple of hallways. Sophie tried to take this as a good sign. This meant she wasn't going to turn them in... right? 

Or maybe she was taking them somewhere private to kill them.

 "So?" She hissed, once she'd ordered them to stop, "I'm giving you a chance to explain yourselves. Worst case scenario, you were spying on that meeting. Best case scenario, you were looking for a place to flirt."

Keefe shrugged casually as Sophie rolled her eyes. 

"Can we switch those two around?" Sophie asked.

"Hurts, Foster."

"I'm not lying to Princess Romhilda Keefe."

"Ro," the Princess corrected her, narrowing her eyes. "And good choice. Good, but stupid."

"Whoa," Keefe said as Ro took a step towards Sophie so that she'd turn to him instead. "I'm Lady Gisela's son. I'm not trusted to know these kinds of things yet, but I'm sure you know how I feel, being the King's daughter and everything."

"Comparing yourself to me isn't going to help. What are you planning on doing with what you've heard?"

"Figure out what the Neverseen is doing," Keefe said honestly. "I can't just blindly trust them with everything."

"And you?" the Princess asked, turning to glare at Sophie.

"I'm..." Sophie bit her lip. This was who the Neverseen has called Romhilda, who apparently didn't agree with whatever alliance the ogres had with the Neverseen. "I'm trying to find out more about the plague."

The ogre stiffened, "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. And I need a name."

"Sophie. And I do. I've met some of the gnomes who are infected and I know that the Council hasn't said anything. And I know that it has something to do with your alliance with the Neverseen."

"And that's all you'll know for now. This is my father's business. I may not agree with a lot of it, but I am loyal to the law. So why shouldn't I turn you both in?"

Sophie wished she hadn't eaten so much for breakfast. Keefe looked equally alarmed. 

Ro raised her eyebrows at them, "I'm waiting."

"We were looking for a place to flirt," Keefe stated suddenly. 

Sophie scowled at him, "Hey—"

"We were looking for a place to flirt," Keefe repeated, his teeth gritted. He glared at Sophie.

"What were you doing, Blondie?" Ro asked.

Sophie tried not to roll her eyes, as she crossed her arms indignantly, "We were looking for a place to flirt."

Ro nodded to Sophie's surprise, giving them both a knowing grin, "Good. Now I don't have to turn you in. Continue flirting. You guys are cute."

She winked before she walked away. It seemed that the ogre Princess wasn't a complete ally to the Neverseen.

"Not a word," Sophie said to Keefe, who was already smirking as if he'd been about to say something annoying. 

"Just let me know when we can investigate that plague. I don't like what I'm hearing," he said genuinely.

-

"Drakostomes?" Dex asked a few days later, when he was finally cleared to go to Foxfire again. Sophie had just informed him, Biana and Tam everything she'd heard from the Neverseen. She'd made it sound like she'd gone there by herself and the door had happened to be open when she got there, but Tam gave her a knowing look. He knew she'd gone there with Keefe. 

"I bet you I can search that up on my Twiggler!"

"Why does he call it that?" Sophie asked Biana. 

"I don't know, but I'm just as concerned as you are."

During his time away from Foxfire, Dex had made several gadgets for them-- including panic rings, sucker-punchers and whatever this Twiggler was.

"So the Neverseen has a hideout they can only go inside if they have Keefe's blood," Tam said. "And they want to ask this Wylie Endal some questions--"

"—He's Prentice Endal's son," Dex reminded him. 

"—and they also want Sophie, obviously. And someone is apparently keeping an eye on her? Not that it's Valin anymore. There is some sort of Vespera involved—"

"I can look her up in the Twiggler too!"

"And they need this Umber person for some reason because they have a plan for Keefe," Biana added. "Oh, and for some reason, the Neverseen didn't want to kill Tam or I."

"Umber, Trix and Fintan are the new names we know. And they're planning to take over the Council," Sophie reminded them.

"And, there's a Redek in the Neverseen," Tam said, and they all turned to look over at Marella, who was on her way to their table.

"What's up?" she asked. "I know you're talking about me. I can see it in your faces. Dex looks so guilty, it's kind of hilarious."

    "What's your dad's ability?" Biana asked bluntly.

    They all knew about Marella's mother, who'd fallen off a balcony after drinking too much fizzleberry wine. But Sophie hadn't heard about Marella's father. 

    "Oh," she said distastefully, "His ability's boring. All of these years I thought I was going to be a Guster like him, but I never manifested and-- wow you guys look so solemn. There's nothing wrong with being a Guster, really. And I've come to terms of being talentless."

    "Where was your dad last Tuesday?" Sophie asked. 

    "I don't know. Work or something."

    "What have you heard about the Neverseen?" Dex said, and they all seemed to hold their breath. 

    "Uh-- do you mean that conspiracy you guys are always playing detective about? Yeah, Jensi and I have ears, you know," Marella informed them. "Wait. Why are we connecting this to my dad?"

    "Because I wasn't here last week for an accidental injury," Dex said slowly. "We were attacked by a Psionipath. And Sophie was attacked by a Guster a couple months ago when she still lived in the Forbidden Cities."

    This was common knowledge in the table. Sophie hoped it wasn't something the entire school knew.

    "And you think my dad attacked Sophie?" Marella snorted. 

    "We think he could be the Neverseen Guster," Tam explained. 

    "Why?"

    "Because we know for a fact that there's a Redek in the Neverseen," Sophie said, hoping they could trust her. 

    "Fine," Marella retorted, "If you wanted me to sit somewhere else, you could've just told me instead of including my family." She stood up and left, leaving them all speechless as she sat down next to Stina, the girl with the family that wanted to take Silveny.

"You need to be less mean Dex," Biana broke the silence.

"I was respectful! You're the one who just blurted out that insensitive question!"

But Biana wasn't listening anymore, "Sophie," she gasped. "Did you mention a Fintan?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I only know of one Fintan. And he used to be a Councillor."

-

The new information flooded Sophie's brain for the remainder of the week— Dex had been searching for the names of the members— and found almost nothing except for Ruy's last name: Ignes. 

He'd also talked to his mother so the Black Swan knew what they knew. Sophie wished they'd had to stop relying on these types of methods of communication. It wasn't like she could storm to Rimeshire and yell at Edaline's sister. 

She was careful with what she told Fitz during her Telepath classes, which she had a feeling would limit their cognate successfulness. Maybe he could tell she was holding things back, but he didn't seem to mind— likely because he thought it was about her human family, whom Sophie checked on whenever she got home from school. 

And then came the day when Sophie was hailed three times.

The first was when Dex looked up the gnome plague and the drakostomes on his Twiggler. He'd found information in really, really old documents in the Lumeneria files. Which meant... that the Councilors knew about the plague and never warned the gnomes.

The second hail was Biana, who ranted about Dex's information after Sophie told her. And then she told her something that immediately sent chills up Sophie's spine. Tam's Shade mentor, Lady Zillah, had been found dead in her office.

Sophie had been about to go to bed after talking with Grady and Edaline about the horrible news when she got the last hail from an unknown caller.

She covered the screen before she answered it, "Hello?"

"Gah, why can't I see anything?" Keefe's voice blurted out of the gadget. Sophie gasped. 

"How'd you—?"

"Good, you can hear me at least. So this has to be quick," his distorted voice interrupted.

Sophie stopped covering the screen to reveal a disheveled, nervous looking Keefe. 

"Hey! Were you covering the screen? Doesn't matter. I need to see those infected sites you told me about. Linh saw one while on patrol with some Exile kids. But I'm not allowed to go anywhere. And... I think you're right. Something's off. I overheard Fintan say something about the second part of the plan happening soon."

"So do you want to meet at Foxfire or something?"

"No, no. I can't do it at that time tomorrow. How about after school?"

"After school?" Sophie asked, "You'd have to come to Havenfield and... no. Grady and Edaline can't see you here."

"I won't show up at your front door. I can be slick."

"Never use that word again."

"Seriously, I could just meet you somewhere in the front, or the back."

"This is a really bad idea. Why can't it wait?"

"I already told you! There's a plan in motion and I want to find out what it is. Have you learned anything else about the plague."

"Maybe."

"That means yes! You can tell me tomorrow."

"I don't think so."

"I have like, twenty seconds left before I can erase this hail from the memory of this imparter. Please tell me where I can see you tomorrow."

Sophie sighed, hoping she'd get something out of this. "Fine. Meet me next to the Verminion enclosure."

"It's a date Foster!"

Sophie scoffed as he disconnected. Another secret. Excellent. 

-

Sophie did as much of her homework as she could during study hall and hurried to change when she got home.

"I'm going to train with Silveny!" She called to Edaline. She would need an excuse for her absence. 

"Make sure you feed her first! She's  probably hungry!"

Sophie assured her that she would, making sure to grab some swizzlespice before she hurried toward the alicorn, who'd already started to transmit happy images of food and—

"Keefe?" Sophie yelped when she realized the Neverseen member was grazing the side of the alicorn's cheek. 

"Uh— can we talk about how you've never mentioned her ever?" He asked.

"It's not like I see you on a daily basis."

"Well sure, but you're my friend. Friends tell each other about their sparkly winged horses!"

"We're friends?" Sophie repeated, raising an eyebrow. 

"Don't sound so doubtful," Keefe teased before he turned to Silveny again, "This has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen! And I bet she's thinking the same thing about me, right Glitterbutt?"

Silveny nickered and transmitted a word over and over to Sophie: FRIEND!

That's Keefe! He's not—

KEEFE! FRIEND! KEEFE!

"How'd you get so close to Silveny?" Sophie asked Keefe as she rubbed her temples. "She's not this friendly with everyone."

"I have that effect on people," he bragged. "Glitterbutt loves me, naturally."

"I shouldn't have taught her your name," Sophie grumbled. "She keeps transmitting it."

"Hold on. Are you communicating with her? How?" Keefe asked, clearly amazed.

"Telepath. And Polyglot," Sophie explained.

"The Vackers have nothing to worry about. Your mysterious, talented, genius mind's got nothing against Alden's broken one," Keefe exclaimed. "You can talk with a freaking alicorn! Is Glitterbutt the only female one?"

"Yeah," Sophie admitted. "And don't call her that. She doesn't like it."

"Nah, you're lying. Glitterbutt likes her name!"

"Silveny likes swizzlespice," Sophie corrected as she tossed some to the excited alicorn. "And she likes to fly. Are you up for that?"

Keefe gasped, looking like a small child who'd just been offered a trip to Disneyland. "Are you serious?"

Sophie couldn't help but smile, "Dead serious."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"First you have to give her more swizzlespice," Sophie said, handing him some. 

"Correction," someone said from behind them. Sophie felt the blood drain out of her face as Grady stepped in front of them, his eyes narrowed at Keefe. "First you tell me who you are."

Chapter Text

Sophie's mind tried to come up with an explanation, thankful that Keefe wasn't wearing a Neverseen cloak. Not that this alone would save them. Grady was expecting an answer, and so far, she had nothing. 

Keefe broke the silence, "I'm..." 

"He's here to check on Silveny," Sophie interrupted after realizing that Grady didn't recognize Keefe. How would he? He and Edaline had been isolated for years. She just hoped he wouldn't realize Keefe's similarities to his parents. Did he look like his dad? Sophie had never seen him. 

"He's going to try to fly with her today. He's part of that family that wanted to check on her. You know, Stina? He's her uh... cousin. But Silveny likes him a lot more than them. See?" She gestured at Keefe, who was currently stroking Silveny's hair through her enclosure.

"Oh," Grady said, "So you're related to Vika?"

Keefe nodded, "Yes. Vika. She's my... aunt."

"Interesting. I don't think she or Timkin have mentioned you before. What's your name?"

There was more silence. Keefe eyed Sophie with alarm. He coughed, probably to stall. "My name is--"

"Deck," Sophie blurted.. "His name is Deck." 

"Yes," Keefe cleared his throat, frowning slightly at

Sophie. "That is me. Deck."

There was more silence.

"So... your name is Deck Heks?" Grady asked slowly, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Keefe said as Sophie tried not to facepalm. "My parents named me Deck Heks. I don't know what they were thinking with that one," he joked, obviously jabbing at Sophie's fib.

"Well, Deck. Remember that Silveny is essential and we don't trust just anyone with her. Sophie is really giving you a chance. I've been refusing your family's help since they've offered, not only because Silveny didn't seem to like them, but because Sophie here is working with her almost every day to prepare her so she can join the other alicorn in the Sanctuary. I'm sure Sophie's told you about being new to the Lost Cities, and she doesn't deserve other elves to demean her for it."

Sophie cringed as Keefe turned to look at her in surprise. Grady had just revealed something in his sweet attempt to defend her from the Heks' insistence of training Silveny. They hadn't been very nice the other day, and maybe he thought Keefe (or Deck) was trying to take the alicorn away from her.

"And be home by dinner, okay Sophie? Are you going to fly too?"

"Yes. I'll keep in touch," she assured him. 

Grady was about to walk away when Sophie pulled him into a hug, hoping it wouldn't be awkward.  

It wasn't. Grady looked surprised, but he quickly hugged her back. 

"Thanks," she said, realizing how much she meant it. 

"No problem Sophie. Let me know if you want me to call Vika to get his nephew."

"Don't! I mean... it's fine. He's a friend."

-

"Is he not your biological dad?" Keefe asked Sophie after Grady had left and they'd gone inside Silveny's enclosure. 

"No. He and Edaline are... taking care of me."

"So if you're not from the Lost Cities then that means... you're from the Forbidden Cities?"

Sophie nodded as she fed Silveny the last of the swizzlespice. 

"I told you you were mysterious! But... who are your real parents then?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "But the ones who took care of me were human. Are human."

He tilted his head at her, "Are your human parents okay?"

Sophie felt her eyes tear up, and she swore under her breath before she blinked them out, trying to look busy as she transmitted to Silveny that they were going to fly.  "They're good."

"I'm sure you think this is obnoxious, but remember how I'm an Empath and can feel what you're feeling?"

Sophie didn't answer, watching Silveny excitedly flap her wings. She turned to look over at Keefe, who was staring at her worriedly. 

"You don't have to tell me anything," he said when she opened her mouth to explain. "Just... let me know if you want to. It helps to tell sometimes."

She nodded before she quietly told him how she and Fitz had recently gone to say goodbye to her parents so their memories of her would get erased. 

"And there was no other way?" Keefe asked after a few moments of silence.

"Killing me off was torturing them," Sophie admitted.

"I'm sorry," Keefe said as she levitated onto Silveny's back.

"Not your fault," she said honestly, brushing a tear out of her cheek. "Ugh, let's forget about this conversation."

Keefe sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Sophie tried not to stiffen. "Could I ask how the heck you managed to find yourself living in the Forbidden Cities?"

I'm the Moonlark, Sophie thought ironically. But she only said, "It's a long story. Ready to fly? 'Cause Silveny is!"

She didn't wait for an answer as she transmitted Fly!to the alicorn, and they were launched into the air. She pictured Wildwood in her mind like she'd seen in Biana's memories and made sure Silveny did too.

Keefe yelped as they soared over Havenfield. "Wait, does Glitterbutt know where we're going? How long will it take?"

Sophie grinned, "A few seconds!" 

"How?" Keefe shouted over the wind.

"Remember when I jumped out of your window?"

"Yes, why? Oh. Oh no. Wait. Wai—"

Silveny dove toward the ground, Keefe yelling that he hadn't signed up for this while Sophie laughed as there was a crack in the void.

"I'm never going to eat again," Keefe groaned as Silveny landed a few yards away from the trees.

Sophie looked around, a sudden thought forming in her head: what if the Neverseen decided to show up again? 

"This has to be quick," she said as she jumped off Silveny. "I don't like it here."

"Well then I guess you need to talk as we walk. You found out more about the plague, didn't you?"

Sophie caught him up on what Dex had learned.

"Wait. Is his name Dex or Deck? Or has that terrible name just been transferred to me?"

"Dex," Sophie informed him. "And stay on topic! Don't you see how bad this could be? The Council knew about the plague and they didn't say anything!"

"But you still think the Neverseen has to do with it?"

"Yes. It explains their whole alliance with the ogres!"

"Thought you'd say that. And well... I guess I already told you about what Fintan said."

"Yeah. I wonder why. I don't know if anything's changed with the gnomes," Sophie added. Then she remembered what Biana had said. "Well... someone died."

Keefe stopped walking, "What?"

"A mentor at Foxfire. Tam's, actually. Her name was Lady Zillah. They're supposed to hold a ceremony at the tree place?"

"The tree place," Keefe repeated, giving her a comical grin.

"We're talking about a death, Keefe."

"I know. Sorry. It's just... the tree place. That's actually the Wanderling Woods, by the way."

"Anyway," Sophie didn't like being corrected, and Keefe could probably tell, "Someone obviously killed her. And I think that someone was in the Neverseen."

"I don't know—"

"You have to admit they're shady."

"Well yeah, but so is the Black Swan. And besides, what if someone else killed her? I don't see how this is connected to anything."

"How many murders happen in the Lost Cities Keefe? As the resident Human Girl I can vouch for everyone who's ever talked to me that you all make it seem like the Lost Cities are sooo much better than the human world. I've never heard of an elf committing homicide except for their suspicions about Cyrah Endal until this one. And the gnomes, obviously."

"So that's where your weird phrases come from," Keefe muttered. "Sorry. How's Linh's brother handling this? I'm going to have to tell her about it."

"He's... frightened. He wasn't at school today. Biana said he's probably getting a new mentor soon. But shades are rare and after this... I don't think people are going to want the job. They're actually looking for elves with similar and more common abilities."

"And it's confirmed that she was murdered?"

"I don't know all the details! But yeah, she put up a fight."

Sophie scanned the trees, looking for what Biana had described as the plague symptoms. "Look! There!"

They found several trees with drooping branches, cracking trunks and fallen, ugly yellow leaves.

"Oh no," Keefe breathed, his eyes widening. "The Neverseen did this, didn't they?"

Sophie didn't answer, studying his reaction. He looked surprised, sad and yet... he didn't look betrayed. Yet. He was still holding on. 

"Do you still think your mother was right by doing that to you when you were younger?" Sophie asked him.

Keefe shrugged, "You should meet my father before you judge my mother."

"I'm just judging how she literally stabbed you for your blood. And how she's part of a group that did this," she pointed at the tree.

"I'm part of this group too."

"Are you though? You have to find out stuff like this from me because they keep you isolated in your Rapunzel tower!"

"My tower isn't made out of that... what is that? Another human cult?"

"No," Sophie sighed, and she was about to tell him to get back on Silveny when she heard something. It was faint, but it was there.

Help!

"What's wrong?" Keefe asked as she snapped her head to the right. 

"Someone is hurt," she whispered, before she ran towards the cry.

"Foster? What is going on? Who needs our help?"

Sophie found him quickly, a young looking gnome who seemed too weak to move. Keefe caught up to her as she promised the gnome that she'd get him somewhere safe.

 Keefe gasped, his face significantly paler. "What do we do?"

"Here," Sophie carefully picked up the gnome and handed him to Keefe. "I'm going to get on Silveny and I need you to hand him to me."

Keefe obliged, and soon they were teleporting not to Havenfield, but to Foxfire after Sophie had hailed Elwin.

"You can leave," Sophie told Keefe. "Don't you think Elwin will recognize you?"

"Oh, I guarantee he'll recognize me. But no way am I leaving you here alone with this sick gnome until we find out what's wrong." He gestured at the gnome, who was currently sleeping in Sophie's arms.

"It's the plague, Keefe. This is what it's doing."

Keefe shook his head, "But—"

"I know it's hard Keefe, but there is something off about the Neverseen!"

"Then I'm going to fix it!" He exclaimed. "I am going to make sure this can be fixed!" He took out his pathfinder and patted Silveny's head. "Take care of them, okay Glitterbutt?"

"Keefe—" Sophie began, but he'd already raised the pathfinder to the light. 

"See you again soon Foster. Be careful," he said right before he was gone.

"Tell me I didn't just see Keefe Sencen," Elwin exclaimed.

"No," Sophie muttered as she handed him the gnome. "That was Deck Heks."

Elwin was too busy helping the gnome to ask her any more questions, but she knew he didn't believe her. 

"Deck Hecks must get confused for Keefe a lot," was all he said about the subject before he assured Sophie that he could take things from there.

Chapter Text

Why did Tam have to end up being a Shade? Why couldn't he have been something less rare, like a Froster? Frosters didn't fit right in at Exilium. Frosters didn't get weird looks when they walked down the hallway. Plus, it might've been easier to help Linh control her power. Frosters didn't end up dead in their office.

But Shades did. Darkness immediately had a negative connotation, and bad things always seemed to happen around him. First there was Exilium. His parents. The Neverseen. Linh. And now Lady Zillah was gone, forever.

Tam shuddered, obscuring this vulnerability by scowling at three level fours who were gawking at him. They quickly looked away, as if it weren't too late for him to notice that the entire school was whispering about him. 

Death didn't happen in the Lost Cities. And yet it had. 

It'd been close to him, Biana and Dex beforehand too, with that Neverseen attack. Especially Dex, who hadn't said much about it— that Tam knew of. He wondered if he'd talked about it with anyone. Maybe Sophie. Sophie, who was still hiding secrets. 

"I saw Keefe again," she whispered when she'd caught up to him. Tam still had no clue why she'd chosen to confide in him. Didn't she have Fitz?

But suddenly he realized why— Linh. Had Sophie been seeing Linh too?

His throat suddenly felt suffocated, as if he was going to do something lame like cry. He swallowed it back before he asked, "Why? What are you doing? What about Linh?"

"We found a gnome," Sophie explained. "And I saw Linh the other day. Sorry I hadn't told you. She said she'd be on the lookout for anything suspicious about the plague. And she went to Wildwood and that's where Keefe and I found the gnome."

Tam nodded, "So they're starting to get suspicious?" He didn't know whether to feel hopeful or not.

"Yes, they are. That's why Keefe and I have decided to start searching the places where the plague hit. Linh's giving us the heads up. They want to make sure there aren't any more helpless gnomes like the one we found yesterday. I'm going to Merrowmarsh tomorrow."

"I'm guessing I'm invited?"

"Well... we're taking Silveny so I have an excuse to keep leaving. You'd have to meet us there."

"Is Linh going to be there?" Tam wasn't sure if he wanted to see his sister yet. He didn't want her to try to convince him again.

"I don't know," Sophie admitted unhelpfully.

"Let me know if she is. I need to get to class. I have a  new shade mentor that isn't even a shade," Tam grumbled.

-

Tam's new mentor was a Flasher.

A Flasher? 

Whoever hired him had to be joking! 

And he wasn't just a Flasher. He looked twenty one, max. And because it was obviously his first time teaching, there was someone supervising. Or maybe they were making sure his instructor didn't get murdered again. 

"I hope you realize my ability is the exact opposite of yours," Tam said to his mentor, who went by Wylie.

"Flashers and Shades have a lot more in common than you'd expect Mr. Song," the supervisor, Lady Adyn cleared her throat. 

"Tam," he corrected. "Please don't call me by my parent's name."

"You don't ally yourself with your family," Lady Adyn noted, pushing her short, dark brown hair away from her face before she wrote something down on her clipboard. "Interesting."

"It really isn't," Tam contradicted.

"Anyway," Wylie said, "Like Lady Adyn said, my goal is to learn from you as much as you learn from me. In the process I'll give you some Shade books to read, and we're probably going to practice with both of our abilities."

"Why?" Tam asked. 

Wylie looked over at Lady Adyn, before he answered, "There are very few registered Shades in the Lost Cities, Tam. None want to teach you, given what happened to Lady Zillah."

Tam glared, "So now I get fun theory classes and experiments with a guy who's hardly four years older than me and a babysitter?"

"Mr. Song," Lady Adyn reprimanded. "You just came back from Exilium."

Tam frowned at her refusal to call him by his first name. "The reason I was there in the first place was because—"

"I know. You have a twin sister who is currently in the Neverseen, a group whose existence hasn't been officially announced to the public and who took all the Exilium... students."

"How do you know all this?" Tam exclaimed, looking over at Wylie. But his new mentor looked just as surprised.

"Your ability controls shadowvapor, a substance coincidentally found in the infected trees from the plague I'm sure you've heard about as well. You are in a bad spot with your well known, respected, decent family. And you are notorious for your bad mood and lack of etiquette."

He had to snort at this, but all humor left him as Lady Adyn leaned closer to him. "Tam Song, your mentor was murdered and the Council would like to know who did it and why. And you are a suspect."

He stared at her, having to take in everything she'd just said over and over again. 

So he'd been wrong. Lady Adyn wasn't here to supervise Wylie, or to protect him. She was here to observe. To spy. 

"You think I killed Lady Zillah," he repeated. "You think I work for the Neverseen."

"No," she said. "I'm here to make sure that you didn't. Mr. Endal is here to instruct you in a method that the Council has deemed appropriate for this... situation."

"You're here to make sure I don't learn anything useful," Tam spat. 

"Dangerous," Lady Adyn corrected. "Now, I will usually not be talking during your classes. Today is just the introduction, right Mr. Endal? So, class dismissed!"

Tam shook his head, "This is unbelievable," he growled.

"Remember how I said your negative attitude is notorious? I think you want to make a good impression on me Mr. Song. I suggest that you give smiling a try."

O

"Uh... why are you smiling during a funeral?" Biana asked Tam a few days later.

"I already told you," Tam whispered. "I'm a suspect for her murder," he reminded her. He'd been trying to smile more. So far he hated it.

"And you smiling really creepily at her service is going to help... how?"

"It looks really unnatural," Sophie added. 

Tam glared at them.

"Ugh, that's better. I like you because you're not cheery all the time," Biana said. Then she must've realized what it sounded like, because she jumped to correct herself. "I mean—"

"You don't strike me as a non-cheery person," Tam interrupted, pointing at the many, many sparkles on her flowery emerald skirt.

"Hey, just because I dress like this doesn't mean I have to be happy all the time. There's not much to be happy about these days," Biana said, tossing her wavy hair to the side. "It's not my fault I have a good sense of fashion."

She was right— not about the fashion (Tam still thought it was cheery). Her dad was still in his coma, and Sophie hadn't made much progress— that Tam knew of. Of course, now they had Tam's mentor, Wylie Endal to talk to. But Tam hadn't found a moment to discuss the Black Swan and Prentice without Lady Adyn's prying eyes and her annoying clipboard.

"Your sense of fashion is too sparkly and too pink," Sophie complained. 

"There is no such thing as too sparkly and too pink," Biana said, aghast.

Dex, who'd been silently sitting next to Sophie snorted. "It is when you're wearing it."

Biana frowned, "I'm sorry I was a snob to you when we were twelve. Can you get over it now?"

"You're being a snob right now," Dex muttered.

"Stop! Be respectful," Sophie hissed, nodding over to Lady Zillah's family, who were preparing for the speech.

"What did my sister do now?" Fitz Vacker asked as he sat next to Biana. 

"I was defending myself. And you. You were a snob too Fitz." Biana said. 

"I would stop calling me that, because mom and Alvar are on their way here."

Before anyone could say anyone else, the Councillors walked onto the stage, talking about Lady Zillah and how she'd influenced everyone around her. Tam rolled his eyes as they assured people that they were taking the correct measures to find out what had happened. Her tree was planted, and right as another speech from her family was about to begin, a rumbling from the ground brought flashbacks to Tam's mind. 

Ogres.

Dex yelped, Biana turned white and Tam hurried to hold on to both of them. Sophie gripped her cousin's hand, asking him what the matter was while Fitz, Della and Alvar tried to calm Biana down. And Tam only had them.

The rest of the elves also began to exclaim in surprise as King Dimtar and four other ogres appeared out of the ground.

And the fire started on the stage.

Crowds screamed, and from the corner of his eye, Tam noticed Sophie's adoptive parents step back in horror.

"Don't worry," a voice said, and everyone seemed to have trouble finding its source. It was a man in a dark cloak with a white eye on the sleeve. The Neverseen. 

"Fintan?" Councilor Emery shouted as the Councillors quickly backed away. Councillor Kenric pulled Councillor Oralie behind him. "What is the meaning of this? Put the fire out immediately!"

"It's controlled," Fintan assured him. Previously Councillor Fintan. "It just seems that you haven't announced the existence of my group yet. It's a shame. We've been excited to introduce ourselves for years!"

"So the Neverseen is real," Emery said. "And you're part of them?"

"I'm a leader," Fintan informed him. "And we're sorry to see that you withhold so much information from these people... and other species in the Lost Cities."

"Oh no," Sophie whispered as King Dimtar stepped onto the stage.

"I believe you've noticed a certain plague," Fintan said. "A plague that believe it or not," he turned to a particularly large crowd of gnomes, "the Council knew about."

Gasps and murmurs surrounded the Wanderling Woods.

"That's right," Fintan said as he explained the history behind the plague, and how the ogres had always held this threat against the gnomes.

"We have a cure," King Dimtar added, his mouth forming into a sly grin as he held up a small bottle, "And I'll give it to all the infected if you all come work for me in Ravagog."

Sophie and Biana cursed simultaneously. 

"And what do you get out of this Fintan?" Emery asked. "What do you get out of forcing the gnomes to become slaves?"

"Honesty," Fintan said, "A revelation. Now everyone knows that the Councillors are liars."

"Your ancestors asked us to keep it a secret!" Councillor Emery yelled at the gnomes, but they weren't paying attention.

"We'll give you two weeks to consider the offer," Fintan told the gnomes. "Around that time, the first of your species that got infected will be in critical condition."

"And here's the sample of the cure, so you know we keep our promises," King Dimtar added as he tossed the bottle at the gnomes, who scrambled to catch it.

"Oh, and my condolences to the shade," Fintan said, turning to Lady Zillah's tree before he added, "Sorry we're not wearing green."

And then the ogres and Fintan were gone, leaving the crowd silent for a few seconds before everyone erupted into questions.

"Valin hasn't said anything about their plan?" Sophie asked Biana.

"No, he's useless. He doesn't know anything!"

"So you stay in touch with the Black Swan?" Fitz asked.

"It's more with Calla. And then Dex talks to... you know. His mom."

"I think it's time we have a real conversation with the Black Swan," Sophie whispered.

Chapter Text

Dex eyed Keefe suspiciously as Sophie recapped everything about the Wanderling Woods a couple days later after school, when she was supposed to be training Silveny. Keefe smirked right back. 

They were standing on an empty hill that faced Havenfield. Silveny was obviously waiting for them to fly, but Sophie didn't have anywhere to go. With Keefe at least.

Sophie had finally decided to tell Dex everything. She'd invited Tam, since he knew she'd been meeting with Keefe. But the Shade rolled his eyes at her, which she assumed meant "no" in the nicest Tam way possible. For the moment at least. He was obviously still shaken about the accusations the Council and Lady Adyn were making about him. And the fact that Lady Zillah's murderer was still out there, along with the rest of the Neverseen members. 

She still hadn't told Fitz or Biana.

"Do you think that whole deal was Fintan's second part of the plan? Because it's definitely causing unrest and the gnomes are still trying out the supposed cure and—" Dex began.

"Supposed?" Keefe's interrupted.

"I don't trust it," Sophie said honestly, and Dex nodded with her. She and Biana had gone to meet Calla a few days before, where she insisted that nature was calling out the real solution to her. 'The brave ones' as Calla had put it. But no one knew what that meant. 

Keefe sighed, "You and Deck think the Neverseen lied."

"They're definitely capable of lying if they're capable of killing," Dex said, "And you're Deck, last time I checked."

Keefe ignored the last part, "Ha, when I told Linh her brother was a suspect for murder she laughed for at least three minutes. Nonstop. Anyway, if that meeting we eavesdropped on the other day was right about the Moonlark, that means someone's confronted the Black Swan's weapon!" Keefe said. "I know you don't agree with me about this, but if we found it, we could find a way to get rid of it just in case, you know? Who needs a weapon anyway?"

Sophie continued to stroke Silveny's hair, aware of how her heart had begun to beat faster than normal. And Dex's not so basic poker face wasn't helping.

"You know something," Keefe said, squinting at them. "Is it about that gnome you know who's in the Black Swan? Does she know about the Moonlark?"

And of course, Calla decided to appear out of the ground at that very moment, the sound of melancholy singing and roots filling the air.

"Calla?" Sophie yelped as the gnome brushed some dirt out of her hair. 

Calla curtsied before Sophie, "The Moo—"

"—usic! Sophie finished quickly in alarm. "Music is great. I don't understand why it's not a bigger part of elven culture."

She transmitted her situation to Calla as fast as she could.

Keefe frowned. "Is this you going off about another human thing?"

"Yes it is. And no, it's not another cult."

"But then—"

"Music is bigger among gnomes," Calla interrupted. "And I believe Dex is a technopath. Can he not fix your laptop?"

"That's right!" Sophie exclaimed, "They haven't given me my laptop back! And no Keefe, I'm not going to explain what a laptop is."

"Is she always going on human rants to you?" Keefe whispered to Dex.

"What's going on Calla?" Sophie asked before Dex could start talking about her with Keefe as if she weren't there. She frowned when she noticed the gnome looked better than she had a few days before. "Wait—"

"I got the Neverseen's cure," Calla said slowly, "And it seems to have worked. And a lot of gnomes are planning to go to Ravagog soon to save the lives of everyone else."

"They can't!" Sophie exclaimed. 

"I know," Calla whispered. "And I know what the real cure is. It's not this. I've been listening to the Brave Ones."

"The real cure?" Keefe asked, "What do you mean?"

"A sacrifice is the real cure," Calla explained. "That's what the brave ones were. Panakes."

"Pancakes?" Sophie asked. 

"Panakes. Flowers from the tree that used to be a gnome."

Sophie wasn't liking the sound of this. "A gnome has to turn into a tree?"

"I do," Calla agreed. "The rest of those trees were uprooted and destroyed back when a part of Ravagog belonged to us."

"Time out," Keefe said, "Did I miss the part where the cure you took that helped you turned out to be fake?"

"It's temporary," Calla told him. "I'll make a recovery and I believe that once the time limit is over, which is in eight days, I'll get worse again. By that time, I won't be strong enough to do my part."

"Your part," Dex repeated as Sophie's heart sank. "You mean—"

"No," Sophie said, "No you can't. That means you'll..."

"Change," Calla finished. But she must've known what word Sophie had thought of, because she reached out to take her hand.

"I know I haven't been part of your life here as much as I've wanted to," Calla said, and it took Sophie a few seconds for her to realize that she was speaking in another language. "But this is what's best for my people."

"But you're letting the Neverseen get away with this! And the reason they did this... you can't say it doesn't have anything to do with me arriving here in the first place!" Sophie exclaimed in gnomish. 

Dex and Keefe both looked at them strangely.

And then Calla went back to the Enlightened language. "There's a thing about nature, Sophie. And it always finds a way."

"Well this way is dumb," Keefe said, watching Sophie worriedly. "Can't you wait out to see if the Neverseen has the cure? We could probably strike a different deal with the ogres, or—"

"I know you wish it'd be different," Calla said. "Maybe in  another life, we would've had more time to get to know each other. But either way, nature would lead up to this. No matter what Sophie. Ultimately, nature chose this for me."

Sophie shook her head, "This isn't right."

"It's not," Keefe agreed. He turned to Calla, "Hey gnome lady. I don't know you. I think you're technically the enemy to me or something. But all this crap about sacrifice when we literally have a cure that doesn't involve you going all photosynthesis on us? You can't just accept that something has been laid down by nature. I bet you I can change nature's plan."

Calla stared at Keefe before she turned to Sophie. "Who is this again?"

"He has a connection with the Neverseen," Dex reminded her.

"And I am begging you to let me see what I can do," Keefe insisted. "This isn't just to prove my mom isn't a bad person," he added, his gaze shifting to Sophie's for a few seconds. "I need you to give me a chance."

"And what are you going to do, exactly?" Dex asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I have my connections. And I'm going to get you that cure," Keefe said. "Don't start your glycolysis just yet."

"The Panakes—"

"Are you going to give me a chance or not?" Keefe interrupted.

"If the cure isn't a fake, I could die before I can sacrifice myself," Calla reminded him.

"Give me a time limit."

"I don't think this is a good idea Keefe," Sophie began, "if this makes Calla feel worse—"

"Hey. You're the one who's always going on about there being another way. I'm going to find you guys another way. I'll steal that cure if I have to."

"But—"

"I've got Linh and someone on the inside."

"Who?" Dex asked.

Keefe grinned, "My new babysitter."

-

"You're actually giving him two days?" Dex asked Calla after Keefe had left. 

"I'll begin to change in exactly forty eight hours," the gnome said. "I also believe we wanted to get rid of him?"

"Yeah," Sophie called from the air as she told a reluctant Silveny to land. They'd been flying low to the ground for a bit. "I don't think I can keep the whole Heks cousin charade going for much longer. What will happen when they decide to actually come here and Grady asks them about Deck?"

"You'll have to face the consequences," Calla admitted. "But am I allowed to inform the Black Swan on what you know about the Neverseen?"

"You'd really hold it in if I told you to?" Sophie asked.

"You're the Moonlark. I trust you."

"That's another thing," Dex said. "Keefe is supposed to get rid of the Moonlark. His mom told him Sophie's responsible for what happened to Alden."

"That's not true," Calla said again. "And that brings me to the other thing I came here to say."

"Besides you sacrificing yourself?" Sophie asked, a lump in her throat making it hard for her to swallow.

"What?"

"Why don't I show you two how to make some starkflower stew while I tell you how the Black Swan is planning to rescue Prentice from Exile so you can fix him first?"

Chapter Text

Sophie knew she should've been thinking about Prentice's rescue. This could help Alden. This could help her wake him up.

But all she could think about was Calla. Even though the gnome had assured her that she was at peace. Even though a part of Sophie understood that there had to be some sort of sacrifice to fix everything. 

She wished she didn't feel so useless. Even Keefe, a Neverseen member, was reaching out to do who knew what. 

Biana still didn't know about Keefe, but Sophie told her and Tam about Prentice. If Alden was guilty about what had happened to him, maybe Sophie could find a way to let Alden know that she could fix it. 

"Have you talked to Wylie yet?" She asked Tam at the lunch table, hoping she could derive herself away from the Calla subject. Jensi and his friends were now sitting with Marella, Stina, and some other people Sophie didn't know, clearly feeling excluded. Sophie hoped she could fix that soon.

"No. Lady Adyn takes notes on everything I say. And by everything, I mean she took notes when I sneezed yesterday," he muttered. 

Biana laughed, "You must have some pretty threatening sneezes."

    "Don't get me started on when I swore. One word. She acted like I had just threatened her life," Tam complained, rolling his eyes.

    "What word did you say?" Dex asked. 

    "I said—"

    "Calla's sacrificing herself," Sophie revealed before Tam could poison Dex's innocent brain. 

Great, now she was back to where she'd started. Worrying about Calla.

    "Sacrificing herself?" Tam and Biana both asked at the same time. 

    Sophie and Dex took turns explaining what Calla had told them, leaving out Keefe's ridiculous plan to fix what his mother had done. 

    "And there's no way to make sure the ogre's cure is real?" Biana asked. 

    "No," Sophie said. "Once it wears out, it'll be too late for her to change. She's doing it tomorrow. That's why she came to talk to me yesterday. And also the Prentice thing."

A few seconds of silence seemed to sadden them. Sophie took a few deep breaths, her eyelashes itching.

    "I don't think anyone's broken into Exile before," Biana cleared her throat, likely noticing Sophie's discomfort with the Calla subject. "You think we can do that?"

    "We?" Dex asked. 

    Biana wrinkled her nose at him, "What, you think I'm going to stay sitting back looking pretty? I can do that while I'm being helpful, thank you very much."

    "You do realize this is going to be dangerous, right?" Sophie asked. 

    "It's for my dad. And even if it wasn't, this is someone innocent like him, isn't it?" Biana asked.

    "I don't know the whole story," Sophie admitted. 

    "I'm in too, by the way," Tam said. "Might as well get to know my new home."

    "Don't say that! You're innocent. You're not going to go to Exile," Biana insisted. 

    "How many innocent people have we mentioned in our conversation today, and how many of them have a wonderful life?" Tam asked.

    "Hey, you know me," Biana said, arching an elegant eyebrow. "That's pretty wonderful."

    Dex fake coughed to hide his laugh. Sophie shook her head at him, trying not to giggle herself. Even Tam was smiling. 

- 

Her conversation about Calla hadn't gone very well with Fitz. His concerns had only worried her more, and filled her with dozens of questions she had to ask the gnome. But he assured her that he was in for the Prentice plan. She wished she could tell him about Keefe, but when she'd tested out his name in a conversation, Fitz's mental voice had turned sharp and the rest of the conversation was uncomfortable.

    "Calla was wondering if she can change on that hill," Sophie said to Edaline and Grady during dinner, a few hours before Calla was supposed to show up. They'd just finished discussing some sort of flood that had happened in Ravagog. Grady didn't know all the details yet. And now they were talking about Calla.

"I wanted to tell you before, but... I didn't want to accept that it was happening."

    "Of course she can," Edaline assured her, reaching out to squeeze her hand tentatively. "Is she coming soon?"

    "Yeah," Sophie stared at her food, not exactly hungry. She was surprised to see a tear plop on her plate. 

    "Whoa, Sophie, it's going to be alright," Grady said, setting down his silverware so he could reach out to hug her slowly.

    "It's not. Calla is giving up her life for the gnomes and she says it's not my fault, but the Neverseen chose to do all of this when I came. What if I hadn't shown up? Maybe she wouldn't have to..." Sophie sniffed, hating herself for crying. 

    "You don't know what would have happened," Edaline said softly, also embracing her. "And it's not your fault Sophie. The Neverseen did this, and there is nothing else you could have done. You just need to be there for Calla. Eat what you can, do your homework and once she arrives we'll give you some space to talk to her. You have to be strong for her, okay?"

    Sophie sniffed, "Sorry."

    "Just let us know if you need anything," Grady emphasized. "And you don't have to be sorry about anything."

-

Sophie stared at the ocean from the hill, wondering what the panakes tree would look like. Probably beautiful. Sad. Happy? Sophie hoped Calla would be happy. Could trees be happy? 

    She wondered where Keefe was, and what he'd tried to do. Ask the Neverseen for the cure? The ogres? Who even was his 'babysitter?' And did he and Linh have to do something with the flood in Ravagog that Grady had mentioned? A failed attempt?

    "This spot is perfect," Calla whispered from behind her. 

    Sophie nodded, unable to look at the gnome. She continued to stare at the ocean, Edaline's words echoing in her head. She had to be strong. "I wanted to say goodbye to you. And... thank you. And I need to know if it hurts, or if you want me to talk to someone or—"

    "Don't trouble yourself with any of that," Calla assured her, sitting next to her. "Just go to bed and I'll have changed by tomorrow. Take care of my tree," she tilted her head, giving Sophie a small, green toothed smile. "You're still so new here Sophie. Never forget how you grew up. That's the purpose of Project Moonlark, you know? That you remind us that we can be united even when we are different. Now, why don't you head back to your parents? Do you call them that yet?"

    "I don't know," Sophie admitted. "I don't think it feels right yet. But they are family. I think."

    "Then go back to them. They'll be there for you, just like I will. Right here. And you don't have to cry. This is good for my people."

    Sophie nodded, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to know each other."

    "Me too," Calla said as Sophie stood up.

    And Sophie was walking back to Havenfield, mentally warning herself not to look back when a familiar voice yelled, "WAIT!"

    Sophie spun around, eyes widening when she saw Keefe, standing on the hill with Calla as he waved at her. 

    "What? Did you think I wasn't going to show up?" Keefe asked.

"We had our doubts," Calla said and Sophie frowned, curiosity getting the best of her. Calla had already told her that the cure the Neverseen had was fake. The only real cure were the panake blossoms. 

"It's a really, really long story," Keefe said, looking proud of himself. "But to shorten it... we got the cure! Linh is currently at Wildwood giving it to some gnomes over there. Couldn't have done it without her."

Sophie sighed when she met Calla's glance. The Neverseen had probably tricked them. And then she realized... What if whatever Keefe had was the plague instead of the cure?

This could be very, very bad. 

"And where did you get it from? The ogres?" Calla asked. "I don't think that's the real—"

Keefe pulled out a bunch of flowers out of one of his cape pockets. "Not exactly."

Calla stopped speaking, her huge eyes widening even more as Keefe offered her a pink one.

"This... where did you get this?" Calls breathed as she cradled the delicate looking blossom in her hands. 

"Ravagog," Keefe said, grinning as Calla gasped. 

"But I thought they took all the trees down!" Calla exclaimed, closing her eyes as her hands wrapped around the petals delicately. "From what used to be Serendale."

"That's the long story," Keefe explained. "Along with Linh and the ogre princess and me being totally awesome."

"Is that—" Sophie asked Calla as the gnome hesitantly placed a petal in her mouth and swallowed. 

"These are panakes," Calla confirmed, and the weight that had been dragging Sophie down the past couple days seemed to magically fly away. "These can save my people." 

    "Those are panakes," Sophie repeated, staring at the pink, blue and purple flowers in Keefe's hands and then back to Calla, who still looked about as shocked as she was.

    "But-- how long had they been there? Did gnomes sacrifice themselves?" Sophie asked, alarmed. 

    "Of course not!" Keefe said. "Like I said, it's a long story. But the four trees I found weren't the result of a recent gnome sacrifice."

    The meaning of what Keefe had accomplished was slowly sinking in. Sophie gawked at the flowers in his hands. He had the real cure. The gnomes could be saved. "Those are panakes," she breathed again. 

    "And there's more where this came from!" Keefe said. "A lot more. You are not going to believe what Linh and I have been thr—"

    Sophie pulled him into a hug, while the thought that Calla was going to be okay kept repeating over and over in her head. Keefe stiffened, clearly surprised. 

"Oh sorry, am I pressing on the panakes?" Sophie asked, backing away quickly and hating that her face felt hot. 

"There's more where those came from," Keefe assured her, smirking as he handed the rest of the blossoms to Calla. "Clearly, I need to have Linh flood Ravagog more often."

"What is this about flooding Ravagog?" Calla asked, hugging the blossoms closely. 

    "Remember the ogre Princess? Ro?" Keefe asked Sophie, who nodded. "Well... she found the roots of some panakes near a river in Ravagog. She'd been hearing about the plan the King had for a while, and she realized the whole Ravagog versus Serendale dilemma. So she used her creepy biology knowledge to grow those panakes again about three years ago, I think? She's been hiding them somewhere all that time now."

    "And you and Linh were not casually invited there, were you?" Sophie asked. 

    "Nope. That's where it got tricky. We had to create a diversion against the ogres, so Linh just let the river do its job while Ro made sure no one got hurt. See, her dad is not going to be happy when he finds out she helped us."

    "What about the Neverseen?" Sophie asked. "I'm guessing they're not happy about this, are they?"

"On the contrary," Keefe said excitedly, "This is exactly what they wanted!"

Sophie frowned, "Wait, what?"

"This is all thanks to my mom! The Neverseen saved the gnomes!"

Chapter Text

Before...

Keefe had disliked the idea of him having a "bodyguard" also known as a "spy" or "babysitter" until that moment. He'd seen the desperate look on Sophie's face, he'd understood enough of Calla's plan to sacrifice herself and he'd heard enough nagging from Linh that they needed to make sure the Neverseen hadn't hurt the gnomes on purpose. 

"I'm back!" he said to the ogre Princess, who was sharpening a dagger. Linh was in the room too, and she was giving him her classic 'shame' look.

    "You realize you're late, right?" Ro asked. "I can't cover for you if you keep doing that. You can go on your cute little dates with that blonde girl, but you need to meet your curfew."

"They're not dates," Keefe said, giving her a glare of his own, "We're trying to fix what your dad started. And it just got a lot worse."

    "What do you mean?" Ro asked, finally putting her dagger away. 

    Keefe told them everything he'd heard about Calla. "So they think the cure your dad has is fake. And the only way we can save them is whatever those panake flower things are. Which happen to come from gnomes who have sacrificed themselves."

    Linh looked horrified, "She didn't sacrifice herself, did she Keefe?"

    "She gave me two days," Keefe said, turning over to Ro. "So, is it true? Is the cure fake?"

    Ro sighed, "I don't know Keefe. My dad doesn't trust me with these assignments after I spoke out against him. All his Neverseen business is confidential, even from me. It's why I'm stuck with you. But... do you know what those panakes look like?"

-

"That water has something icky in it," Linh frowned, pointing at the green river that flowed along Ravagog.

"No kidding," Keefe said, wrinkling his nose at the odor. "Don't you have bathrooms here Ro? Or is this where the sewage goes?"

"Do you want my help or not?" Ro snarled. 

"Yes, and I would also like to have a sense of smell when I'm back."

"So where are the trees?" Linh interrupted before Ro could clobber Keefe. Keefe was grateful.

"They're hidden. Some weird elf illusion I got when they first started growing," Ro said (because she'd apparently heard about the whole ogre and gnome conflict a few years ago, when the Neverseen had first brought it back to them). "And remember, you're going to need to cause a distraction. The guards are everywhere, and they won't question me. But they'll have a problem with you two. Even though you're wearing those," she pointed at the strange microbe wrapped around Keefe's necklace.

    "So an elf knows about these?" Keefe asked. 

    "A discreet one," Ro admitted, her grey eyes scanning across the mostly empty terrain. "Okay. The guards are hidden over there," she pointed at a plain hill. "They don't know about the things I've been growing, alright?"

    "Can't you just tell them we're with you?" Keefe asked. 

    "No. But I'll give you a head start. Just remember, a part of the river isn't river. Linh will know."

    "Um..." Linh interjected. 

    "Eh, I'm not worried about you," Keefe assured her. "I just don't think—"

    "Now!" Ro shouted as she sprinted towards the hill. 

    Keefe swore under his breath, "I guess it's time to find some fake water!"

-                  

The fake water looked just like water.

But it wasn't water, or at least that's what Linh assured him before they stepped into it to find the panake trees that Ro had been growing in secret. 

The four trees were clearly still in the process of growing (probably because they had been chopped down before), as Keefe could reach the top of the tallest one if he stood on his tiptoes. But they were amazing anyway. 

Linh stood guard next to the river as Keefe handed her as many blossoms as she could carry in her satchel, tunic and cape pockets.

"So," Linh said, "You're picking flowers for Sophie," her smile widened as Keefe rolled his eyes.

"Don't start," Keefe warned as he began to stuff his own cape pockets. "Does Ro realize we're probably going to have to tell someone about this?"

"Have you realized it?" Linh countered. "To save the gnomes, everyone needs to know about this."

"Do you really think the Neverseen did this to them?" Keefe asked, wishing he could prove the thought wrong. Could his mom really be part of this? Could he?

"I think there's a lot going on that we're not being told," Linh answered honestly. "Speaking of, there's an ogre over there and I think... yeah he's coming."

Keefe's eyes widened. "What?"

"He's coming!" Linh exclaimed, startling him to look up. "Keefe, he's coming!"

    "Well do something!" Keefe yelled. 

    "I don't see Ro and... there's more! Keefe!"

    "Splash him!"

    "I don't think that's a good idea!"

    "Linh! You've been practicing enough! You can control it!"

    "Maybe he can't see us."

    "He's shouting and waving his sword at us! I don't think he'd wave one at the air! Or call us that!"

    Linh groaned frustratingly, raising a hand in the air as a jet of water from the river hit the ogre right in the chest. His four friends yelled in defiance. 

    "I just made them angrier!" Linh said. "Please tell me you're done!"

    "Fine!" Keefe said, stuffing the last few blossoms into his satchel as delicately as he could. "Run!"

    Linh let another giant wave crash against the ogres before they hurried along the river like Ro had told them to. 

    But Linh was clearly getting tired from using her ability, and Keefe kept looking back to scan the place for Ro. The guards were catching up. 

    "Jump!" Linh shouted. "In the river!"

    "Are you crazy?" Keefe yelled back. "What is it with people jumping everywhere to escape?"

    Linh didn't answer as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the green, displeasing water. 

    Keefe didn't think about the panakes until he was submerging from the water, gasping for air, and the panic didn't help with that. "LINH! THE FREAKING FLOWERS!"

    "Your pockets have zippers or buttons, don't they?" She asked, trying to steady the water as it began to tug at them toward the direction they weren't supposed to go in. 

    "MY TUNIC POCKETS HAVE VELCRO!"

    "VELCRO?" Linh shouted as she lost control on the flow of the river. "NO!"

"YES! THE SATCHEL IS FINE AND SO IS MY CAPE BUT—" Keefe coughed trying to stay afloat. "BUT NOT THE VELCRO!"

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TUNICS WITH VELCRO POCKETS?" Linh yelled as she used a wave to knock down a bridge that was in front of them. "DUCK!"

After they'd both resurfaced and Linh had shoved a large piece of wood she was clinging to at him so they'd stay afloat, Keefe went back to yelling at her. "WHY ARE YOU JUDGING MY POCKETS?"

"BECAUSE THEY HAVE VELCRO!"

"BUTTONS WOULD BE EVEN WORSE!"

For a moment, Keefe had forgotten that because the river was headed in the wrong direction, that meant that they were also headed toward the ogres who were chasing them. But he made the mistake of looking up right when they were passing by the very pissed off ogres. 

Linh and Keefe stared right back at them as the water sloshed over their heads, tension rising as the ogres turned their heads to watch them go.

"We're headed to a neutral territory," Linh said, as Keefe tried to wonder why the ogres had just let them go. "They're going to have someone wait for us there."

"And how are we going to prevent that?" Keefe asked.

"Just get ready. I don't think they'll hold on until the end to attack."

"Okay, but the fact that they didn't want to jump in the water has to say something," Keefe complained. "Even they can't handle the smell."

"Just hold on to the wood," Linh ordered him. "How are your panakes?"

"Well, the velcro ones are probably not doing so hot thanks to your brilliant jump into the green water plan."

"It's more genius than a seventeen year old having a tunic with velcro pockets," Linh said unhelpfully. 

"Ugh, first you judge me about Foster, and now I'll never hear the end about my pockets."

"Ah, back to the Sophie subject."

"You do realize that just because I have a friend that's a girl doesn't mean I like her, right?"

"Of course not. But you flirt with her."

Keefe scowled at her, "I flirt with all the girls. My charming qualities naturally insinuate that I'm flirting."

Linh snorted, "Sure."

"I'm serious," Keefe said, looking up again so that he realized that they had just entered what must have been a village in Ravagog. "Um, Linh?"

"What?"

"Ogres, two o'clock."

"Hold on."

"Wait, what? Why?"

The Hydrokinetic gestured at several ogres who were on top of a much more elegant looking bridge than the one she had broken a few minutes before. "It's time for that distraction."

"Linh..." Keefe said, studying his friend as she closed her eyes in concentration before the water burst the bridge away from the river along with the yelling ogres. Water splashed everywhere with so much force that he almost lost his grip on the wood as jagged rocks and pieces fell into the water. He took in a deep breath as they both dove under water when they passed what remained of the bridge. 

"Ro is not going to be happy," Keefe warned when he noticed all the damage Linh had made. 

"I'm not done yet," Linh nodded over to more ogres, pointing swords and daggers at them.

And as they went along the river, she caused more and more destruction when ogres approached them. But she was getting weaker.

"You never flirted with me," she said, trying to make a point, and the worry left Keefe for a few seconds as he rolled his eyes. 

"That's different. Don't you like girls or something?"

"What?" Linh yelled as another wave erupted out of the river. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"I thought it was common knowledge!"

"This is really none of your business!" She yelled as a couple more bursts of water launched ogres aside. Less and less ogres confronted them, likely learning that they were no match for Linh and the river. Or maybe they were going back to make sure their homes weren't destroyed.

"Uh— are you hearing yourself right now?"

"So you admit you like Sophie?"

"So you admit you like girls?"

"Keefe!" 

"What? It's not like I didn't know. Plus, if you get teasing privileges then I get teasing privileges."

"No! Keefe!" Linh raised a weak arm so he would turn to see what she was looking at.

They were in the neutral territories. And his mother was waiting for them, her face unreadable.

-

Lady Gisela took her time yelling at them once they were back in her office. 

"So? Do you have a sane response?" She spat, causing him to flinch and Linh to look down at the ground in shame.

"I do actually," Keefe mumbled.

"What?"

"I do! We were looking for a real cure!" He yelled, pulling out a ruined panake from his velcro pocket. "This is what can fix the gnomes and all the terrible stuff you've done to them!"

"How do you know all this?" Lady Gisela asked, curiosity glowing in her eyes, which were directed at the soggy panake blossom. 

"It's not like Exilium people can't talk," Keefe said. "And Ro!" And Sophie, but Keefe chose not to tell her about that.

Because his mother didn't answer, Keefe took this moment to explain everything he knew about the Panakes and the sacrifice the gnomes had to make, as well as Ro's secret project of growing the trees without knowing the full context.

When he finished, he glanced at her, half afraid she'd confirm that it was true— that she and the Neverseen has planned to hurt the gnomes this way.

"Oh, thank goodness you found them!" Lady Gisela exclaimed, her voice completely altering to relief after the long moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Linh asked.

"We made an alliance with the ogres a few years ago. We asked them if they had any way to expose the Council, and they assured us they did. We didn't know it'd be something as horrible as what happened to the gnomes. Once we found out— we tried to back away. But the ogres blackmailed is. They've threatened us into leaving this alliance. They're the ones responsible for this. We keep having to do it for the sake of everyone."

"Everyone except for the gnomes," Keefe reminded her.

"That's what I was afraid of. But I investigated this plague and discovered that there were solutions to it. Who do you think sent out the whisper that eventually caught the attention of the ogre Princess about those roots near the river? We've been frantically searching for those ever since this started."

"So... you're the reason there's a cure?" Keefe asked, relief taking a weight off his shoulders he hadn't realized he had. 

"It's my way of fixing everything. But the ogres..." his mother paled, "They won't like this."

"They won't like their own Princess betraying them," Keefe reminded her. 

"My plan ensures the safety of everyone," his mother said. "Not that it won't be hard. We'll all have to embrace the change."

-

"And Ro made it back safely?" Sophie asked after he finished telling her about his past two days. Keefe could have felt her skepticism from a mile away. He'd gone through all that to save Calla and the gnomes and proven his mother to be a hero. And she still didn't trust the Neverseen!

"Yeah. Mom sent us to quarantined places and to gnomes everywhere with Panakes. She said she'd have a talk with Ro before sending her somewhere else to help."

"Couldn't your mother have made that story up?" Calla asked. "No offense. It's just... how surprised was she when she hears about the Panakes for the first time?"

Keefe sighed, "Why would she do that? We're helping!"

"You're helping," Sophie corrected. "Your mom could just be adapting to the situation."

"You two need to adapt to this situation," Keefe scoffed. 

"Very well," Calla said, making Sophie's emotions burst with protest. "You can ask me one question about the Black Swan. You saved me, after all."

Keefe frowned at Sophie's tightened feelings. Was she hiding something else? 

But he had only one chance. So he took it. For Alden. "The Moonlark. What is it and where do I find it?"

He felt fear. Was Sophie scared of the Moonlark? Did she know more than she let on? Had this thing hurt her before?

"That was two questions," Calla noted.

"They go hand in hand," Keefe said.

Calla furrowed her brow at him, and her big grey eyes seemed to stare right through him as she stepped closer to him. "Have you heard of the Moonlark bird?"

"Don't tell me I have to kill a bird," Keefe said, feeling a little queasy.

"The Moonlark," Calla said, reaching out to grab his hand, "is here," he had to almost kneel so that she could place his hand where his heart was. 

Keefe wondered if a symptom of the plague was craziness. "Uh... What?"

"We didn't create the Moonlark as a weapon. We made it to change the world, if it needs it. And it clearly does. So yeah, the need for change is the Moonlark. And you have it right there. Your heart is being manipulated. You need change."

Her words made almost no sense, but he understood the last part. And it made him pull away in anger, especially since Sophie was also giving him a rather judgmental look. "Didn't I just stop you from changing?"

"That was a sacrifice," Calla said. "I needed to change too. But now I don't, because you slightly changed instead."

"I think I officially prefer hearing about your Google," Keefe told Sophie. "It makes more sense."

"I just found out my mom isn't terrible. Can't you just leave me alone on that?" He asked. "And for the record, she wants me to change too."

"How?" Sophie asked.

"I'm not sure. It has something to do with some sort of legacy or whatever."

Embrace the change. 

That's what his mother had said.

"Look," Sophie said, "I'm sorry if I'm suspicious. Not everything adds up. But I do trust you, Keefe. To an extent, I guess. You just saved Calla, and the gnomes and—" she looked like she was going to hug him again, which Keefe wouldn't have complained about, but he backed away.

He backed away because a few steps away, Fitz and Biana Vacker had just appeared.

And they didn't look happy.

Chapter Text

Sophie had gotten to know Fitz pretty well over the course of their Telepathy lessons together. She knew what some of his greatest fears were. She knew how he had a few doubts about becoming an Emissary, even Councillor. He'd even admitted to her that he'd started to consider applying for a matchmaking packet, which totally didn't make her stomach flutter. Nope. 

But if there had been any butterflies in Sophie's stomach in that moment, staring back at the shocked Vackers with Calla and Keefe, they were probably still caterpillars, munching on her insides. Or maybe the butterflies had withered away. 

Biana had gone pale, her eyes narrowing as they darted from Sophie, to Keefe, and then to Calla. 

And Fitz?

"Hey," Keefe said nervously. "How are you guys?"

"Oh you know," Fitz said, pacing over to them, a calm, unnatural smile spreading on his face, "We're doing great!"

Biana looked just as confused as Sophie felt as her brother got closer to Keefe, his smile wavering with emotion. Keefe clearly wanted to back away, but he stood still. 

Sophie wasn't as brave, deciding to step closer to Calla. "Fitz," she began, "Keefe was just--"

Fitz threw a punch at Keefe's jaw, making Sophie, Calla and Biana yelp in alarm as Keefe managed to remain standing. But now he'd gone silent as he stared at his best friend. 

"I told you to stay away!" Fitz yelled as Keefe brushed his hand against the newly forming bruise. His expression had turned stony, like he was trying to hide how hurt he was. But somehow, Sophie could see through the cracks. 

And yet she didn't see that Keefe was planning to push Fitz out of the way. "You don't know anything Fitz," he grumbled as he tried to walk away. But Fitz's pride must've been hurt by Keefe's shove, because now he was the one pushing him until they were both glaring at each other. 

"I was going to leave," Keefe tried again, but Fitz shoved him again, harder. 

"Stop!" Sophie shouted, looking over at Biana for help. 

But Biana just stared at them coldly as Keefe tightened his hands into fists. Fitz looked about a few seconds from throwing another punch. 

"Fitz!" Sophie snapped, trying to use telekinesis to separate them. But it wasn't working, and she could feel panic form a lump in her throat as Keefe dodged the next blow. 

Then something happened. Sophie wasn't sure what it was, exactly. Only that her mind seemed to take over. Like telekinesis, but with the strength coming from somewhere else. Keefe and Fitz flew backwards down the hill with the strange force as Sophie felt her head begin to hurt. 

Fitz stood up first, his glare dangerous. "I told you to stay away from Sophie."

Keefe opened his mouth to argue back, but Biana interrupted him, "I don't think it's just Keefe who's not following the rules."

Sophie felt her face burn as the three of them turned to look at her and Calla. The poor gnome looked just as afraid as she felt. "Keefe helped me save the gnomes."

Fitz's glare was scarier when he aimed it at her. "What?" he asked as Biana snorted. 

"This is the part where they tell you you're drinking my kool aid," Keefe informed Sophie.

This was so not the time for him to finally get the phrase right. 

"You drunk something he gave you?" Fitz exclaimed. His head whipped toward Keefe again, "Did you poison her?"

Keefe's chuckle quickly turned into a laugh. 

"It's an expression," Sophie said quietly. 

"A human expression," Keefe bragged, quite unhelpfully. 

"You told him?" Fitz and Biana shouted. 

"Grady told him," Sophie admitted. 

"He knows Keefe is here?" Biana asked. 

"He met him a while ago. But he thinks his name is Deck," Sophie said, staring at the grass as she told them how she and Keefe had been working to fix the plague. And how he's succeeded. 

"A while ago," Biana repeated.

"We were coming here so you wouldn't be alone while Calla changed," Fitz told her, but he didn't look at her directly in the eyes. He looked betrayed.

"So, I think it's time for me to go save some more gnomes," Keefe said to break the silence. He turned to Calla, "Keep those. I have more."

-

Sophie was not looking forward to the next day at lunch. Biana didn't even hesitate to tell Dex everything that Sophie had told her and Fitz after Keefe had left. Everything. 

"Sophie's been hanging out with the enemy!" Biana accused. 

Dex blinked, choosing not to look at her in the eye. 

"Oh, of course you knew Dex," Biana snapped. 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sophie stared down at her food, trying to ignore Dex and Biana's bickering. 

"What are they arguing about today?" Tam asked as he sat next to Sophie, maybe assuming that she was the sanest one in the table. 

"Sophie has been talking to Keefe! From the Neverseen, also known as the group who tried to kill us!" Biana said, her glare encouraging Tam to get mad with her too. 

But Tam bit his lip, shifting a glance at Sophie before he muttered, "How dare she?"

Biana’s growing confidence crumbled, "You knew too?" 

Tam joined Sophie at staring at his food. 

"You knew," Biana said again, and Tam had the decency to mutter an apology before she stepped away from their table. Sophie lost her appetite when she noticed Biana wiping a tear out of her eye as she stormed out of the cafeteria.

-

Biana barely said anything to Sophie over the next month or so, and according to Tam and Dex, they didn't have much luck either. 

Sophie was already stressing out about her upcoming midterms, and Biana's anger just added to it. Just a few more weeks and her fate at Foxfire would be determined.

Fitz had stopped coming to their telepathy lessons entirely. 

No one seemed to care that Keefe had saved the gnomes— despite his misguided thoughts about it. To them, Keefe was still a dangerous Neverseen member who wanted to kill her. 

The Black Swan had made little contact. Only Calla showed up once in a while, telling her about the cure and how all the gnomes were getting better.

The Lost Cities were told that the mysterious elves from the Neverseen had regretted their mistakes and fixed the problem.

But now the ogres were threatening war. Especially after their city was flooded.

Sophie wondered how Keefe's bodyguard, Ro, was handling everything. Maybe better than she imagined, since Ro had saved lives.

And then she'd wondered about the mysterious force she'd used to separate Fitz and Keefe. It had come from her, right? According to Tiergan, I sounded like a brain push. But that was apparently nearly impossible for her to be able to do.

Why could she do it? 

Dex had suggested several elixirs that could help her head clear, or refresh. Sophie eventually gave in, asking him to bring her some Nogginease— which supposedly had a mineral known as limbium that would clear her mind.

Sophie wasn't sure if it could clear her guilt every time she made eye contact with Biana.

She shoved the elixir in her bag, prepared to take it when she most needed it. Maybe when she was alone, sulking and feeling sorry for herself was the best moment. 

That day, she was also going to meet Lady Adyn, Tam's supervisor or spy. Lady Adyn was apparently interviewing all of Tam's friends and acquaintances. And Sophie was on her list.

"Sorry about it," Tam said when he told Dex his turn was first. "But on the plus side, I finally have some time with Wylie without her writing everything down. I can ask him about Prentice and whatever the Neverseen may want with him."

"We just keep Lady Adyn distracted," Sophie agreed. "What's she like?"

"I don't like her."

"That really doesn't tell me anything Tam. You don't like people in general."

"What is there to tell? She has short brown hair and an attitude. And she loves her clipboard."

"She hasn't revealed anything to you that could keep the conversation going?" Sophie asked.

"Just talk about clipboards. You're after Biana."

"How do I make conversation about clipboards?" Sophie yelled at him as he walked away without responding.

"So, is Princess Pretty Pants still mad at you?" Marella asked as she passed by Sophie's table a few minutes later.

Sophie nodded, "I made a mistake."

"Sure you did," Marella said, raising an eyebrow. "Or she's just petty. It's been weeks since she's talked to you."

"Thanks for the observation."

"Hey, I was going to invite you to sit with us since you're here all alone," Marella gestured at the table where Stina, a couple girls Sophie barely knew, Jensi, and a few other people sat.

"Thanks," Sophie said. "I appreciate it. But I have to go to an interview with Lady Adyn soon."

"Lady Rachel Adyn? Never shed a tear in her life? Scary Emissary who's very organized and placed three elves in Exile?" Marella asked.

"You know stuff about her?"

"I know stuff about everyone," Marella said, grinning proudly.

Sophie gave her a small smile back, "Tell me everything you know about her."

-

Sophie was an all things expert on Lady Rachel Adyn— at least in Marella terms. She went over her mental notes as she turned down the hallway, nearly bumping into Biana.

"Sorry," Sophie said as she tried no to trip.

"It's fine," Biana answered stiffly. 

"It's not. I shouldn't have kept anything a secret from y—"

"We'll talk later. Just make sure you don't mention Keefe to her."

"I haven't talked to him since we all last saw him," Sophie told her friend honestly.

"Good to know," Biana said, still leaving an awkward sort of air between them as she headed back to class. 

Sophie hoped the fact that they had a conversation meant they would be friends again.

 It took her a few more minutes before she opened the door to Tam's classroom.

"And you must be Miss Foster," the lady said from her desk, looking up at her with her ice blue eyes. "Please sit."

The strange thing was, this lady was blonde. Her hair was tightened into a fancy and severe knot. And there was no clipboard in sight. Something about her seemed familiar.

"You're not Lady Adyn," Sophie said. 

"Good observation," the woman said, "Sit."

"Who are you?" Sophie asked, staring at the chair as if it were going to eat her.

"Just sit dear."

"What did you do to Lady Adyn?"

"She's alive and... mostly well. You just missed her, really. She had a bland talk with Miss Vacker about that talented Shade friend you have."

"So she was just here?"

"It's alright Sophie Foster, just sit."

Sophie stared at her, wishing she knew why this woman looked so familiar. She hesitantly sat down, making sure to back away slightly.

"My name is Lady Gisela Sencen," the woman said, and Sophie's eyes widened. "I'm from the Neverseen. And I'm just here to threaten you."

Chapter Text

Biana had had the most boring conversation about Tam with Lady Adyn, which had somehow turned into questions about Keefe, Lady Gisela and Lord Cassius— who was under suspicion as being part of the Neverseen as well, since his house was a Neverseen residence. 

And all she could think about during that time was that she hated being lied to. And Sophie had already done it. Twice.

But she hadn't been the only one to lie this time. It had also been Dex. She didn't really care about Dex. He clearly didn't like her, and the feeling was mutual.

But Tam had known too. And for some reason, this bothered Biana the most. 

When he'd asked her to talk to Lady Adyn after Dex, Biana had been tempted to ignore him. But this was important— she had to help him clear his name.

She was lost in her thoughts when she'd heard a loud crash from where she'd come from. She'd almost turned around, her heart leaping in her throat as her distracted self had almost run into Sophie... and Biana knew that she had to get past this. Past her anger.

She didn't want to be like Fitz.

"How did it go?" Tam asked her when she spotted him and the guy who was probably Wylie Endal sitting on a bench near the cafeteria. He looked like he wasn't expecting an answer, but Biana spoke anyway.

"She asked me if you'd lied to me before. Didn't know how to answer that one."

Tam sighed, "Biana... I told you I'm sorry."

"Right. Well, have you learned anything useful from Wylie?" Biana asked, remembering that it was partly her dad's fault that Wylie was an orphan. 

"It's more like I learned from him," Wylie admitted. "I heard you guys want to rescue my dad. And I just want to say that I'm in. And... I hope it can help you wake up yours," he said. 

He'd forgiven him. He'd forgiven Alden. Biana didn't think she'd feel so relieved at that, but she did. "Thank you," she told him, still standing awkwardly in front of them. "I'll go away now—"

"No, now we need to talk," Tam said as he stood up.

"We don't. I already forgave you," Biana dismissed, and she began to head back to where she'd come from.

"Maybe," he said, hurrying to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"

"I wanted to talk to Sophie."

"But not me?"

Biana groaned, "What do you want, Tam? You left Wylie over there," she said as she pointed at his mentor.

"I was done talking to him. He hasn't been contacted by the Neverseen so far and he doesn't know what they want with him. And I'm going to keep following you until you hear me out."

"I'm listening."

"You're not angry at us. You're hurt."

"What a wonderful observation."

"You're hurt," Tam repeated, "and you're trying to hide it. That's what you've been doing these past few months that I've known you."

Biana stopped walking, crossing her arms at the evaluation, "You're wrong. I was angry. And this isn't helping."

"You were angry because we hurt you. And I'm not really a touchy-feely type," Tam said as he leaned back against a locker, "But I need you to know that you don't need to hide that part of you all the time. We all still think you're strong."

"What does strength have to do with anything?" Biana asked, her voice wavering.

"Hey," Tam said, reaching out to touch her arm tentatively, "That's what I mean. You're not just hurt about this. You have valid reasons to want to yell at people— your dad's mind is broken. We lied to you," he cleared his throat. "I lied to you. And I won't do it again, okay? It was a bad call."

Biana stared at his hand from the corner of her eye, still brushing against her arm. 

"I'm here for you, okay?" Tam said, and his silver blue eyes locked with hers.

And all she wanted to do at that moment was to burst into tears and bury her face in someone's arms. In his arms. But a weird, fluttery feeling she hadn't felt in ages made her stomach flip-flop at the thought. 

Oh no. Biana pulled away from him, urging her tears away with the sternest frown she could muster. "Don't touch me," she snapped as she tried to hide her blush by turning her face away from him.

When she turned away, she saw a blood stained handprint on a door, a few feet away from them. She gasped, "Tam..."

They were close to his classroom now, where Sophie was being interviewed by Lady Adyn. And this was where she'd heard that crash from.

She neared the door, her heart pounding against her chest as she turned the knob, quickly so she wouldn't lose her nerve.

"Oh my gosh," Tam said under his breath as Biana covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming. "Lady Adyn, what happened?"

The woman was sprawled on the floor, the back of her head soaked in blood, fresh bruises forming on her tear stricken cheeks and jaw. "Help," she whispered. 

They both hurried to her side, and Tam quickly took his cape off to press against the head wound while Biana lifted her onto her lap. "Hail Elwin Tam. I'll keep pressing that."

As Tam explained what he could to Elwin on the imparter, Biana tried her best to clean the blood away from Lady Adyn's face. "Lady Adyn. Can you hear me well?"

"Yes," Lady Adyn answered weakly. 

"Good. That's good," Biana tried to remember what little she knew about physicians and their check ups for head injuries. She was supposed to flash a light at her eyes, right? It had something to do with her pupils. 

"Biana," Tam said, taking her out of her spiral thoughts about head injuries. He sounded scared, and when she met his gaze, she knew what he was thinking about before he said it. 

"Sophie," they both whispered.

"Can you tell us who did this?" Biana asked Lady Adyn.

"N-never—"

"Neverseen?" Tam asked. 

"Yes," Lady Adyn sobbed, shattering the last bit of hope Biana had that they weren't facing the Neverseen again. 

"Elwin is on his way," Tam assured Lady Adyn. "He's going to help you." Lady Adyn gripped his hand, her eyes thanking him silently. 

"I'm here," Elwin said from the doorway, carrying a bag of elixirs and other supplies. "Do you think you're up for light leaping Lady Adyn?"

"No. No light leaping," Lady Adyn hissed under her breath. 

"Alright," Elwin said, stress showing on his face. "Will either of you tell me what happened?"

"She says the Neverseen attacked her," Tam said. "And she was supposed to be with Sophie—"

"Don't go anywhere," Elwin told them sternly as they both stood up when he'd taken Lady Adyn away from Biana to pour an elixir down her throat. 

"But Sophie—"

"You guys are not facing whoever did this," Elwin demanded. "I've hailed Dame Alina. She should be here soon and she'll have adults look for Sophie."

"I need some air," Biana said genuinely, realizing how stuffy the room was. It smelled of blood.

 "I won't go anywhere," she assured Elwin, whisking the door open to gulp fresh air into her lungs. Tam quickly followed, and they both stared at the floor in silence. She was shaking, a lot. And he looked green. 

"We need to go find Sophie," Biana said. "We need to make sure they didn't hurt her or that they didn't—" she choked back a sob. 

And then he'd pulled her into a hug, and she'd finally, finally allowed a couple tears to fall when someone cleared his throat.

"Bangs Boy and Fitz's little sister. Who would've thought," Keefe Sencen said, raising an eyebrow at them with his annoying smirk. And he wasn't alone. A goblin loomed behind him, his gaze suspicious.

Biana's hands curled into fists and Tam had to hold her back from lunging at the Empath. "What are you doing here?" She snapped. 

Keefe raised his hands in peace, "I'm here to show Foster this note I found."

"A note," Biana repeated. 

"And who's that?" Tam asked, nodding at the grumpy looking goblin.

"Ah, ignore Gigantor. He's my new bodyguard. Insists on going everywhere with me," Keefe rolled his eyes. 

"My name is Sandor," the goblin corrected angrily, "And this isn't safe Mr. Sencen. Their clothes are covered in blood," he pointed at Biana and Tam's hands. 

Keefe's eyes widened, "What is going on?" He seemed to register the negative mood, quite ironically since he was an Empath. He'd probably thought Biana just hated him. 

"If you want to show Sophie your note," Biana said, "you may want to make sure she's not hurt."

"What do you mean?" Keefe asked, looking surprisingly concerned. 

"She was supposed to go to an interview with Lady Adyn," Tam explained. "About me. But we found Lady Adyn in here, beaten up." 

Keefe froze, "So you're saying whoever did this is trying to hurt her?"

Biana nodded. 

"Well then what are you doing here?" Keefe yelled, making Biana jump. "Which way did she go?"

Chapter Text

Could reading Lady Gisela's mind be dangerous? Sophie wasn't sure, but she had a feeling there would be consequences. That was why she was waiting until the right moment to do it. 

Meanwhile, Lady Gisela was studying her, her elegant eyebrows arched intently, "I know what you want to do Sophie. And you need to know that it's a bad idea."

"Why would it be a bad idea?" Sophie challenged. 

"You may be the Moonlark, but that doesn't mean you're undefeatable. You're still a child. And like I said, I'm here to threaten you."

Sophie's stomach dropped. "What do you want?"

Keefe's mother pursed her lips, "The Neverseen is facing quite a few issues, including you. The most prominent one is our alliance with the ogres. I assume you are caught up to the plague we had planned. Unfortunately, the ogre Princess was plotting against us," she rolled her eyes. "I even had to lie to my son and tell him we were sending her off to help the gnomes, along with a wild story about the Neverseen's intentions. She's actually just a new insufferable prisoner. I had to get him a new bodyguard."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sophie asked, wondering how much Lady Gisela knew about her and Keefe's meetings. 

"Because you've met him before. Probably more times than I know."

Sophie's head spun with this information. "How?" she choked. She wished she could clear it. Maybe if she took some Nogginease...

"You've realized that that boy we sent to give you that fake Black Swan magisidian charm was working for us, right?"

"You wanted me to meet Keefe?" Sophie asked. 

"No. I wanted him to turn you in. To prove himself."

"But I escaped."

"That's right. And he continued to see you and yet he hid this from me," Lady Gisela said distastefully. "You encouraged him to work against the Neverseen, and he found that annoying cure for the plague, while turning the ogre Princess against us. This has taken an unfortunate toll in our plans."

"Why don't you just capture me and get it over with?" Sophie asked. "Why are you playing mind games with him?"

"Because until recently, you weren't causing us any major issues. You're generally a test to see if my son is ready to fulfill his legacy."

"His legacy," Sophie repeated. "Is that why you haven't told him I'm the Moonlark?"

"That's right. I'm hoping he'll learn to use his brain."

"I still don't understand what you want," Sophie said. 

"I need you to give this to my husband," Lady Gisela answered, pulling an envelope with the name "Cassius" scribbled on fancy, loopy letters on the back. "The Shores of Solace. Keefe will tell you where that is. He may even take you."

Sophie took the envelope carefully, as if it would explode if she handled it incorrectly. "So you still want me to work with him?"

"Of course. For me," Lady Gisela added. "If you make him work against me again... there will be consequences."

"I never made him do anything," Sophie snapped.

"He's still looking for the weapon that hurt Alden Vacker. You don't want him to find out you're what he's looking for, do you? Because rest assured, if he finds out, he'll work against you."

"You're wrong," Sophie said, paling at the thought.

"Am I? You don't know him even half as well as you think you do. If he finds out you're the reason Alden's mind broke—"

"But I'm not!" 

"Do you know that for sure, Sophie?"

Sophie stayed silent, as Lady Gisela's lips curled into a creepy smile. "That's what I thought. You are very misguided."

"And what's in this?" Sophie asked, gesturing at the envelope.

"It doesn't concern you. And I'll know if you opened it, so don't even bother to try." 

"So let me get this straight. You want me and Keefe to deliver this to his dad. And Keefe can't follow anyone else's orders?"

"Precisely."

"And what happens if I don't follow this?"

"That brings me to my threat. I'll have to inform him you're the Moonlark. And then I'll kill him."

Suddenly, Sophie felt very lightheaded. As if the blood had completely been drained from her face. "You wouldn't."

"You don't know what I'm capable of Sophie. So I suggest you follow my instructions. If I learn that Keefe did anything against me, he dies. And the Neverseen will come after you."

"What even is his Legacy?"

"It's the reason he needs a bodyguard," Lady Gisela answered carefully, which made no sense. Why did she protect Keefe if she was planning to kill him anyway? 

"Are we at an agreement?"

"By when do I need to get this to your husband?"

"I want him to have it in his hands by next week."

Sophie stood up, staring at the woman's calculated gaze. "Fine."

"Good. Whether you choose to contact my son or not for help is your business. Oh... and if you tell him that I know anything or my threats, I'll also have to get rid of him. Even if I don't want to. The Neverseen has given me that choice." 

Sophie's head spiraled as she slammed the door shut. Not only was she worrying about finals and Biana and Fitz and Alden and Prentice and the Neverseen trying to kill her— now Lady Gisela was threatening to tell Keefe that she was the Moonlark— and to kill him. She had to find Keefe's dad and deliver the envelope. And now she couldn't warn him. She rubbed her cool hands against her temples, wishing her head would stop hurting. 

Fitz, she thought, hoping he wouldn't ignore her this time. But this only made her head hurt more. Fitz. The Neverseen is here.

No answer. And it wasn't like Lady Gisela was going to stay there. She was probably already gone. 

Her head ached so much, Sophie decided it was time to take Dex's concoction. She looked around the hallways, wondering where Lady Adyn was before she took out the Nogginease. 

She was going to give herself one minute. One minute to take it, calm down, think things thoroughly, and then she was going to find Dex, Tam and Biana. And they could freak out together. 

She took a gulp of the cold liquid, hoping her head would clear sooner than later. Maybe she'd need more than a minute. 

A minute. Or... a few. A nap.

But... Sophie didn't want to take a nap. Did she? 

Her head turned foggy, and she let out a cough. Something was wrong. Why did she keep coughing like a seal? Why was it suddenly so hot? And why did her stomach itch?

She tried to unclasp her cape, but she was quickly distracted by the angry, red bumps on her arms. 

Was she having an allergic reaction?

She leaned against the wall for support, trying to stop her vision from blurring as she sent out another plea, Help! Allergy!

She hoped someone got it. Anyone. 

She stretched her consciousness as far as it could go, but this only made her dizzier, and in one moment she was awake, leaning against the wall. And in another, her chest felt as if something were crushing it, and her vision began to dim. 

The last thing she remembered was the twisty, hot rumble in her stomach, darkness, someone's arms breaking her fall, and voices that sounded very, very far away. 

-

"She's awake!" Biana exclaimed from somewhere to Sophie's left. 

"Don't speak Sophie," Elwin said, and Sophie couldn't have even if she wanted to. After the blurriness had turned into his familiar wild hair and Biana's worried face, they both explained how Tam and Biana had run into Lady Adyn, and then into Keefe, and then they'd gone looking for her to find Fitz, who'd caught her right before she'd collapsed. And how they'd hurried her back to Elwin, who'd managed to save her life. Barely. 

Elwin handed Sophie and elixir to drink before she spoke.

"And where is everyone?" Sophie asked. 

Biana gave her a weak smile. "Tam went to get Dex. Fitz is getting cleaned up from your... uh, vomit. And Keefe—"

"I threw up?" Sophie groaned as Biana and Elwin nodded. "On Fitz?"

"He doesn't mind. He's too preoccupied with the fact that Keefe is here," Biana assured her. But Sophie wasn't in the least bit.

"This is the worst day ever," Sophie said, pressing her hands against her head.

"I can agree on that," Elwin said, "Can you tell us what happened, Sophie?"

"I took some Nogginease that Dex made. It has something called limbium, I think? To clear my head."

"Why did you need your head cleared?" Biana asked. Sophie wondered why she'd been chosen to stay with her. It wasn't like they'd gotten along in the past few weeks.

"Well... um. Lady Gisela was in the room instead of Lady Adyn."

Biana's gaze immediately turned cold, but not directed towards Sophie. "Can we bring them in now?" she asked Elwin. 

"If Sophie's up to it," Elwin said. 

"Wait. Why is Keefe here?" Sophie asked Biana. "And how are you and Fitz not strangling him right now?"

Biana shrugged, "Believe me, I want to. And now that you've confirmed that his mom did that to Lady Adyn..."

"Where is she?" Sophie asked. 

"She's resting in the cot over there," Elwin pointed. 

"Okay..." Sophie took in a deep breath. "I guess I can see them."

"I'll go see if Tam and Dex are back," Biana said, and as soon as she opened the door and told them to come in, Sophie's friends stormed in, and they all looked worried. 

"I'm so sorry Sophie," Dex said, clearly still in shock from what Tam had probably told him. "I would've never--"

"It's okay. I'm fine, see?" Sophie assured him, sitting up and immediately regretting it. "Well," she winced, as Elwin propped up some pillows, "I will be." Then she turned to Fitz, who was standing out in an oversized level four p.e. uniform  "And I am so sorry that I--"

"It's fine," Fitz said, flashing a smile before he took her hand. "I'm sorry for the way I dealt with everything. I overreacted and I should have been there with you. I was a jerk. I'll never do it again."

Sophie shrugged, "I deserved it a little."

"Nah, you were hiding me," Keefe said, and Fitz's soft grin immediately turned into a scowl. "I mean, let's be honest. I made a pretty cute secret, didn't I?"

Sophie chose not to answer him. "Why are you here?" she asked. "And why aren't they attacking you?"

Biana's scowl was close to her brother's, "Before you show her Keefe, you should know that the person who did that to Lady Adyn was your mom."

Keefe paused, and for a second, Sophie thought that he believed Biana. But then he shook his head. "I don't buy it."

"She gave me this," Sophie said, reaching out slowly for the envelope. "For your dad."

Keefe frowned, "She knows where he is?"

"The Shores of Solace," Sophie added. "Does that ring any bells?"

"Unfortunately," Keefe admitted. "But did my mom have any blood on her? Lady Adyn was beat up pretty badly."

"Well... no," Sophie said. "And really Keefe, I hope your mom didn't do it. But..." 

But she'd threatened to kill her own son. 

"Do you know what happened to Ro?" she tried out with a different angle. 

"Oh yeah, she's busy doing something with the gnomes and stuff. I don't think the ogres are happy with her part in what happened at Ravagog. Even though it was mostly me and Linh. But don't worry Foster. I got a more cuddly bodyguard. He's hiding over there," Keefe pointed at a spot that seemed empty at first, until a bulky goblin with a flat nose materialized out of it. 

"Revealing me to your enemies defeats the purpose of me hiding," the goblin snarled. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you haven't noticed, Gigantor, Foster is my friend. And she scared everyone here to death. Believe me, I have not recovered from the banshee screams," He turned to Sophie again. "I'm being serious. You can't make nearly dying a habit."

Fitz, Biana, Dex and Tam all glared at Keefe. 

"So... your name is Gigantor?" Sophie asked. 

"No!" the goblin squeaked. "I'm Sandor. And if any of you attack my charge, I will have to retaliate."

"One day, you'll end up fighting yourself to keep yourself from clobbering him," Biana muttered.

"I cannot disagree with that," Sandor admitted. 

"Nice try," Keefe said, wagging his finger at Biana. "But Sandor enjoys my company. Plus, he let me come here."

"To deliver a message," Sandor reminded him. "It was supposed to take a few minutes. It has been a couple of hours."

"So this message," Sophie said, turning to her friends. "I'm guessing that's why Keefe is being so freely annoying?"

"It's the Black Swan," Fitz explained.

Sophie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You got a note from the Neverseen," Keefe said, "Which, by the way, we are so not going to deliver. Just ignore my mom.  And I got one from the Black Swan. Calla gave it to me, actually."

He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it gently to Sophie. She opened it, her heart beating faster and faster as her eyes scanned the letter. Lady Gisela's threats echoed in her head. 

"What does it say?" Dex asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Pure nonsense," Tam said. 

"It's worth considering," Biana admitted. 

"I checked his memory," Fitz grumbled. "It's real."

Sophie read it a second time, this time aloud:

"You want to save Alden Vacker

Prentice's safety is important too

Our plan to save him from Exile

Requires some help from you

We need to see Sophie Foster

To see that everything's in check

Bring the alicorn and this compass

And also bring Deck Heks

-The Black Swan"

Chapter Text

"I'm Deck," Dex argued like he'd done the first time he'd heard the Black Swan's letter. Now they were in Everglen, casually sitting in the front yard like they weren't trying to decide who got to risk their lives. Even Fitz was there, and he looked very impatient. And cute. But Sophie tried not to notice. 

"No," Keefe said, "I'm Deck."

 This was the kind of discussion Sophie had somehow found herself a part of. 

They had decided two days ago when Sophie was still in the healing center that Keefe had to go to the Shores of Solace, since he was the only one who'd been there before. Even though he complained about it a lot.  

Then, because Lady Gisela had asked Sophie to deliver the letter, it had been decided that Sophie go too. Tam had insisted that he go too, and Fitz included himself after his glare fest with Keefe.

They were supposedly going there that very day, but first they had decided to discuss the other job they'd been given. Or more like the job Sophie and Keefe had been given by the Black Swan.

But Lady Gisela had threatened to kill Keefe if he did anything against the Neverseen. And Sophie had a feeling this included working for the Black Swan. 

"I should go," Dex stated. Sophie had told him, Fitz, Biana and Tam about Lady Gisela's threat. They hadn't said anything to Keefe, despite their arguments about it. 

Biana groaned, "Can we talk about how I haven't been included anywhere?"

"Don't worry," Keefe assured her. "Dex hasn't either."

"Deck!" Dex corrected. 

"You're not a Heks, are you?" Keefe asked, smirking at Dex. "I know. How about this: you can have the honor and privilege to be Keefe today."

"You're not getting out of going to the Shores of Solace, Keefe," Sophie warned. 

"And no one wants to be Keefe," Biana added.

"Maybe you don't. But I bet Fitzy does! Look at all the attention I'm getting from Foster!"

"Don't call me that!" Fitz snapped.

Sophie groaned along with Biana. "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go with me tomorrow Keefe."

"Deck," Keefe corrected. "That's Keefe," he pointed at Dex.

Everyone rolled their eyes. 

"Besides," Keefe said, "Glitterbutt likes me. And I got the note and the compass. Not you, or you, or you..." 

"And I got this one, and you're helping us," Sophie insisted. "We agreed to go take it to your dad today. We can argue about tomorrow later. I actually got a note that goes with yours."

She hadn't planned to tell him this yet.

Keefe's eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

"Yeah. It says 'Follow the pretty bird across the sky,'" Sophie held up the magisidian charm she'd found in Silveny's enclosure the day before. Grady and Edaline had not let her go the day she came back dizzy and nauseous from her allergy. They were obviously worried, and Sophie felt bad about that. But she couldn't just ignore the Black Swan... Could she? 

"Huh, I guess that's what my compass is supposed to point at," Keefe said.

"Can we go now?" Tam asked. 

"Please," Fitz added.

Keefe sighed dramatically, "I don't want to see my dad."

"How awful can he be?" Sophie asked. 

"I bet mine is worse," Tam grumbled. 

"I guess that's a positive of me not going. I don't have to see that awful man," Biana admitted. "Good luck Fitz. Oh, and by the way Keefe? You still haven't told Tam anything about Linh. Don't think we didn't notice." 

"There's really nothing to tell," Keefe said, leveling his gaze with Tam's. "She's training with the rest of the Exilium students. I haven't been able to see her much."

"But she's okay, right?" Tam asked.

"Of course."

"Well, she should come here. There's not enough logic in this group. It's only Sophie and me," Biana complained. Sophie had to agree... for the most part. 

"Linh isn't being very logical right now," Tam reminded her. 

"At least tell me I'll have something to do while you're over there! Hey Dex, what are we going to do?" Biana asked.

"We?" Dex asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sophie laughed, "I don't think it's a good idea to leave you guys alone."

"I'm being serious," Biana said. "Tell me you're going to do something important."

"Well... I was going to fix this," Dex pulled out Sophie's laptop from his bag. 

"Ew, what is that?" Biana asked, wrinkling her nose. "It looks human."

"It's my laptop. I finally got it back, but I can't really charge it here," Sophie explained.

"So it looks like we're going to fix it!" Biana understood, Sophie had to stop herself from giggling at Dex's exasperated look. "You can stay here. Sophie brought Mr. Sparkles, so we can play with him too. And we'll be here in case you need us."

"Sounds like a blast," Dex muttered as Sophie corrected Biana on Iggy's last name.

-

"Anyone else worried about Dex and Biana staying behind with a human laptop?" Sophie asked. She was trying to keep herself from worrying about more pressing matters. Like the fact that she was going to meet Keefe's dad— who was hated by Fitz and Biana even more than they disliked Keefe. 

"Is that the thing where the Google comes from?" Keefe asked, trudging ahead of them across the sand. Sandor followed closely behind him, grumbling in his squeaky voice.

"Yup," Sophie told him.

"That is so not fair!" Keefe complained. "I want to go back!"

"Too bad," Fitz muttered. He hurried to catch up with Sophie as they neared the fancy beach house. He gave her a half smile, and Sophie's heart fluttered. She hoped Keefe didn't notice her mood shifting as he stepped closer to her, hand lingering near hers. Sophie quickly looked away. 

 "How are you doing?" Fitz asked.

"Is Lord Cassius really that terrible?"

"I'm sure you're used to Keefe's... personality by now," Fitz said, and Sophie hoped his tone wasn't meant to sound so accusatory. 

She nodded.

"Well... Lord Cassius makes him very not Keefe. Keefe rarely talked about his parents to us, but from the times I met them... they weren't good."

They trudged across the porch, which faced a beautiful landscape of turquoise clear water. The waves brushed against the sand peacefully, and a part of Sophie wished they could just have a beach day. 

"Keefe? What are you doing here?" Someone shouted as the door slammed open.

Sophie and Fitz backed away as Sandor sprinted to the front. The man was pale, and an older replica of Keefe. His eyes were narrowed, and from the corner of her eye, Sophie saw Keefe gulp. 

"How did you find me?" The man who Sophie assumed to be Keefe's father asked. "Did your mother send you here? Did she finally realize what a disappointment you are?"

Sophie expected Keefe to retort back with a witty comment, but when she looked at him, he was almost... withering? "Not exactly."

"Well of course not. You brought Mr. Vacker, that girl, a goblin and... are you Mai and Quan's son?"

"Unfortunately," Tam answered, distaste obvious in his expression.

"Actually, I'm the one who was sent here," Sophie clarified, taking out the envelope. "It's from your wife."

Lord Cassius looked taken aback, "Wh-what?" 

"Your wife. Is there something wrong?" Sophie asked.

"I can't take that."

"Sure you can," Keefe said, a little bravado back as he narrowed his eyes. "Why won't you read a note from mom?"

"I don't want to get involved—"

"Then tell us what it says," Fitz suggested. "We can work it out for—"

"No. I need all of you to leave. Right. Now."

"Can you just throw the letter at him?" Tam asked Sophie. "Then we can make a run for it."

She shook her head, "I have to make sure he reads it. And like Fitz said, it's best that we find out what it says."

"That's quite a shame," Keefe's father said. "Have an excellent day."

"No, wait!" Sophie said, hurrying to place her foot between the door so Lord Cassius wouldn't be able to close it. "Can't you read it and tell us what it says, at least?"

"I want nothing to do with that woman. She'll know if I open it," Lord Cassius snapped, stepping out again. 

 "But it's important!" Sophie argued.

"Look, Lord Cassius," Fitz began, "Whatever it is, we can deal with it if you don't want to. Just open it and tell us what it is."

Sophie offered him the envelope again, "Like he said."

"He just doesn't want to get his reputation ruined again," Keefe muttered. 

"You've done enough of that for everyone," Lord Cassius accused. 

"Can you just get this over with?" Keefe asked. "I don't want to be here any more than you want me to."

Lord Cassius stepped around Sophie, closing in on Keefe. Keefe flinched. 

Sophie had had enough. She shoved the letter at Lord Cassius' face, hurrying to stand in front of Keefe. Sandor's hand rested against one of his weapons, and he looked seconds away from stabbing Lord Cassius. 

"Just open it," she snapped. 

Lord Cassius snatched the letter from her bitterly, "I assume my son doesn't know everything about—"

"Shut up!" Fitz shouted, stepping next to Sophie. Now they were both shielding Keefe, but Sophie had a feeling Lord Cassius had been about to say something against her this time. 

Lord Cassius sighed, ripping the envelope to reveal a parchment with more fancy letters.

They all waited patiently as he scanned the letter, brow furrowing after every word. Then his eyes widened. 

"What does it say?" Keefe asked.

Lord Cassius crumpled the letter before he tucked it in his pocket. "No."

"It clearly said a lot more than that," Keefe said, his tone humorless as Sophie and Fitz began to argue.

"You said you'd tell us!" Sophie yelled.

"That was before I read it," Lord Cassius said, and for some reason, he looked afraid. His forehead glistened with sweat. "I can't say anything. Not yet, anyway."

"Typical," Keefe grumbled.

"Now, I suggest you leave," Lord Cassius stated. 

"Not until we get any answers!" Sophie accused. 

"Leave," Lord Cassius snapped again. "Now!"

"No way," Keefe said. "You haven't even invited us inside. You invite people in all the time. Why?"

"Because," an unfamiliar voice said from inside the house, stopping Lord Cassius from answering. 

Sophie forgot how to breathe as someone whose face was hidden under a dark hood stepped into view, a strange triangle shaped gadget with a sleek curved handle pointed at Lord Cassius' head. "He already had visitors."

Sandor pulled out a goblin weapon, and Keefe looked just as panicked as Sophie felt, the blood draining from his face. His dad stared at the ground, an echo of what Keefe had looked like a few minutes before as he handed the person the envelope. 

"Well," the person said as they seemed to scan the letter. Their voice was clearly distorted, and they had some sort of black fabric mask covering their face too, and Sophie had no idea if they were a man or a woman. "It's time to kill him."

Sophie and her friends simultaneously spun around to run, but a sudden circle of fire erupted around them, engulfing the sides of the porch. Another person in a dark cloak and mask walked out the door casually as they raised their arms to control the flames. A pyrokinetic. 

"I wouldn't point that at me, goblin," the person holding the contraption to Lord Cassius' head sneered at Sandor. "Or I'll shoot him with the melder."

"And I'll slit his throat," another distorted voice warned, and Sophie gasped. Another mysterious figure had a hold of Tam, an ugly, disproportionate and sharp dagger almost brushing against his neck. 

"I told you to leave," Lord Cassius reminded them, scowling at the person who had what Sophie assumed a melder pointed at him.

Chapter Text

Tam was trying really hard not to cough, afraid whoever had a grip on him would take this as an attempt to break free. But all he was inhaling was the hot, thick smoke, and his eyes were tearing up too. 

Tam? Sophie's voice echoed in his head. Blink twice if you can hear me.

Tam assumed Sophie could see him, because he couldn't see her as he did so, wishing his lungs would stop screaming for clean air. Tam tried to remember his Exilium lessons, but the fact that he was close to dying wasn't helping. The dark figure had a strong grip that somehow disabled any way for him to move his arms. And the dagger... it was almost touching his throat.

Fitz is going to take on—

No, Tam thought. No, Sophie. Listen to what they want first. If they move... I'm dead. 

The thought continued to echo in his mind after Sophie had left it, and panic ensued. Maybe if he used shadowvapor somehow... 

"So?" Dagger person said. "Do you want me to kill him or do you want to?"

Tam's angle didn't perceive what was happening with Sophie, Sandor, Fitz and Keefe. But he heard Sophie's voice loud and clear.

"You're not killing Keefe."

"Hate to correct you right now," Keefe's voice said back, "But they're holding Tam. Not me. Tam."

Tam's eyes widened. This was true. What if he was just a hostage? They'd kill him without a second thought. The Neverseen has threatened to kill Keefe. But hadn't that been only if he worked for the Black Swan? Wasn't what he was doing technically for the Neverseen?

"We're following Lady Gisela's orders!" Sophie yelled. "She said she wouldn't—"

"Only one person will die today Miss Foster. And it won't be you," the melder person who was next to Lord Cassius said. 

"Tam's sister is with you guys," Fitz argued. "Didn't you guys have an order not to kill him?"

The figures stayed silent. Then—

"The four of you. Get on your knees or we'll kill both of them. Starting with the Shade."

The sound of his friends collapsing on the porch made Tam's heart sink. They didn't have a plan. 

"Our pyrokinetic friend will lower the flames for you to leave," Melder person said. They seemed to be the leader. "We can start with you Miss Foster. Mr. Vacker can go next. And then we'll have a... chat with the Empath."

"What?" Sophie asked. "No! You're letting all of us go. Including Tam and Keefe. And Lord Cassius."

The pyrokinetic laughed, "And why would I do that?"

"BECAUSE YOU CHOSE A PERFECT LOCATION FOR A FIGHT WITH A HYDROKINETIC!" A familiar, heart shattering voice shouted from behind the flames. 

Tam saw the wave before he saw his sister. It surged from the ocean and broke the porch swing, some planks, and it took down the fire as it submerged them all for a few seconds. The pyrokinetic face planted on the sand, and yet, Dagger person kept a firm grip on Tam— regardless of how drenched they were. And how salty the water was. Gross.

"Linh?" Keefe yelled, coughing along with Sophie and Fitz. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butts apparently!"

When Tam finally made eye contact with Linh, Dagger person shrieked— a very weird shriek, since their voice was distorted. And Tam saw the strangest, most horrifying thing happening to their hand. 

It... twisted? Like they were trying to stretch but it'd gone too far. Or like those times when he'd stolen Linh's stuffed animal and she'd wrestled him for it by twisting his arm until he let go. Only... this was happening by itself. Their hand spun so that the dagger fell on the porch, and Tam broke free from their hold, hacking from both the water and the smoke. 

Newly daggerless, Dagger person lunged at him, but Tam dodged them and ended up knocking into an invisible force. 

It all made sense when Biana appeared, raising an eyebrow as she steadied him. He'd just blown her cover.  "I'm here to save your butt too," she said, flashing him a smile before it diminished into a concentrated frown. "I learned that trick as the designated younger sister."

"How are you here?" Tam stuttered, shocked to see his friend. 

"Duh, remember the panic buttons Dex made?" Biana gestured over to his left, and Tam turned to see Dex and Melder person having a stand-off. "Apparently, he gave some to Keefe so Linh would have one too a while ago. We got an alert from Sophie a few minutes ago."

The pyrokinetic was nowhere to be seen. They'd left. And Melder person still had the melder against Lord Cassius' head. 

"Move!" Biana shouted, and Tam realized that Dagger person was trying to get their dagger back. But he levitated it off the ground and caught it before sprinting to another side of the porch, using the shadows to distort his movements to confuse the enemy. 

He couldn't see Dagger person's face. But he assumed they were sad.

"Take it!" He yelled as Dagger person ran at him. He probably shouldn't have been throwing daggers at people. But Biana caught it perfectly as he was tackled to the ground. Tam hissed in pain as his shoulder hit against the edge. 

Thankfully, Dagger person was not having a good day. A jet of water splattered them far away into the sand before they could hurt Tam any more. 

"Do Biana and I really have to keep saving your butt?" Linh asked as she helped him up. 

Tam pulled her into a hug, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes as his sister wrapped her arms around him eagerly. He wished he had time to stay in the embrace longer, but they were still fighting the Neverseen. Then, he pivoted to see if anyone else needed help... but Melder person was gone. And when he turned back to the sand, Dagger person had also disappeared. 

"Guys! Did no one see me catch this dagger?" Biana said excitedly. "It's the coolest thing I've ever done!"

Tam grinned, and he was about to say something when Biana's face paled, and her hand lost its grip on the dagger. 

Tam and Linh gasped at the same time when they realized what had shaken Biana. 

Sophie, Fitz and Keefe were standing over Dex as Lord Cassius talked frantically on his imparter. Sandor stood guard, glaring at everyone. He didn't look happy with how much danger his charge had just been put into. 

"Yes... he was really close to the melder— I think I can get him there. I don't know how long ago. I was the one being threatened—"

O

The Healing Center would have been crowded if Elwin had let everyone in. But only injured people and patients were allowed inside, and Tam was one of them. His shoulder ached painfully, but he was fine with waiting until they made sure Dex was okay.

He still hadn't woken up.

"Tam Song?" A familiar voice asked. Aside from Tam and Dex, Fitz had also gotten injured. But Fitz wasn't the patient who'd spoken to him.

"Lady Adyn?" Tam realized. "What are you doing here?"

His supervisor still had some fading bruises and bandages on her arms. She gave him a weak smile. "I have to come here every day for a check up." 

"She's been here for a few hours," Elwin added from his alchemy room. "She's taking her recovery seriously. Like I told her to. 

Lady Adyn sighed, "I just heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"I just hope he is," Tam gestured at Dex.

"It was the Neverseen again, wasn't it?"

Tam nodded. "They were there to kill Keefe."

Lady Adyn frowned, "Are you sure about that?"

"Well... yeah. Who else would they be there for?"

"Tam. Another elf with the Shade ability was killed yesterday."

Tam's heart paced against his chest. "What?"

"Did these people threaten you?"

"Yeah," Tam admitted. "They did."

"What if they weren't there for Keefe? What if they were there for you?" Lady Adyn asked. "I'm investigating these crimes together Tam. And from what I've heard... I don't think you're a suspect anymore."

"Wait— really?" Tam asked. He didn't know how to feel. Someone had died. 

"I can't get rid of that officially just yet. But the Neverseen? Those are my prime suspects. They're targeting Shades. They attacked me," Lady Adyn said angrily. 

"You're a shade?"

"I apologize for the way I've been treating you," Lady Adyn said, and she cleared her throat. "You helped me the other day. You and that Vacker girl..." her eyes teared up. "You saved my life." 

Tam suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do when an adult was crying in front of him. "You're... welcome?"

"Now we need to work together," Lady Adyn said. "If you want to, of course."

Tam stayed silent as an agreement, allowing her to continue. "I promise you Tam. I'll find out whoever did this to you. Whoever is killing Shades will be caught."

Tam didn't know how to explain to her that the Neverseen had also threatened Keefe, so he stayed quiet. It looked like he was getting on her good side... there was no need for him to ruin it. 

Then he remembered that Linh and Keefe were outside. And that they were technically Neverseen members. But it turned out that he didn't need to worry. Lady Adyn discussed something with Elwin before he handed her two elixirs. And she light leaped away. 

Elwin cured his shoulder next, and Tam was almost too busy thinking about what Lady Adyn had said to him to notice the pain. He gritted his teeth at the sting, his mind a cycle of the same question. Had they been there to kill Keefe? Or him? 

A cough startled him out of his thoughts, and Fitz yelled for Elwin. "He's waking up!"

"Let Sophie in, Tam," Elwin told him as he hurried to Dex's side, elixirs and crazy glasses in hand.

As soon as Tam opened the door, Sophie hurried in quickly, followed by Keefe and Linh. He had a feeling Sophie still hadn't said anything about Lady Gisela. 

Biana followed after, and she wasn't alone. Her mom was with her. "Is he awake?"

"I think so," Tam said, wishing his heart didn't flutter whenever they made eye contact. Did he really have to like someone right now? It wasn't like it was going to go anywhere, so he shrugged it off (As much as he could with his throbbing shoulder).

Sophie rushed toward her friend. "Dex? Dex are you alright?"

They all watched as Dex's eyes slowly opened. He looked startled by the attention, but he opened his mouth to say something. Elwin quickly handed him an elixir as he checked his vitals. 

"Dex?" Biana asked from behind Sophie as the Technopath chugged on the elixir. 

Dex squinted at them. "Who's Dex?"

The entire room gasped— Sophie backed away, and Biana and Linh covered their mouths with her hands. Tam and Fitz stared at each other in shock. What if this was his fault? 

And then Dex burst out laughing. "Sorry. I had to do it."

"I hate you!" Sophie exclaimed, but she seemed to be holding back her laughter too.

"I'm sorry," Dex said again, as more people began to laugh. 

"He's okay?" Biana asked Elwin as he used his flasher abilities to check on Dex.

Elwin nodded, "It appears so. That melder must've malfunctioned. From how close you described it—"

"Ow!" Dex complained when Biana punched his arm.

"Okay. He's my favorite now," Keefe snickered, "That was the best thing ever."

"Where did your dad go?" Fitz asked him. Keefe shrugged in response. 

Fitz turned to his mom, "Hey mom. Have you heard from Alvar?"  

At this, Della spoke up. "Alvar said he'd come as quickly as possible. He's busy. And I talked to everyone's families and they're all on their way," she assured them.

"I guess that's a cue for us to leave," Keefe nudged Linh. Tam felt a pang of anger and disbelief. 

Linh glanced at him, and for a second, she may have hesitated. But she nodded with Keefe. "Let's go."

"Um, hold on," Sophie said. "Are we just not going to discuss what happened?"

"What? We were attacked," Keefe said. 

"Yeah Keefe. By who?" Sophie challenged. 

"If you say they were the Neverseen--"

"They were!"

"You are missing a significant detail."

"No Keefe," Sophie sighed, "You are."

"Am I? 'Cause I'm talking about the lack of that white eye symbol on their sleeves. Anyone else notice that they didn't have them?" Keefe asked everyone. 

"He's right," Biana gasped, "I didn't see it on them."

"That's because they're trying to trick you Keefe," Sophie said. "Your mom told me she would kill you if you worked with me again!"

Keefe laughed, "No way."

"Why else do you think we were so insistent on getting that note to your dad Keefe?" Fitz asked. 

Keefe stopped laughing. "Assuming my mom actually told you that... did you actually believe her? She gave me a goblin!"

"I am not your goblin!" Sandor squeaked from outside. 

"Regardless," Keefe said, reaching out to poke Sophie's nose. Sophie didn't look pleased, but she didn't back away. "My mom is great at manipulating. She probably just said that so you'd do her work."

"And didn't they say they'd only do that if he worked against them?" Linh added.

"Maybe she heard about the next task we have," Sophie reminded them. "This could've been a warning. And besides, how else can you explain the fact that they didn't have eyes on their sleeves? They didn't want you to know they were the Neverseen. Because you are the one being manipulated!" 

"What if..." Tam hesitated as they all waited for him to continue. "What if they weren't there for Keefe though? What if they were there for me?" He told them what Lady Adyn had said. 

"They wanted to keep him there after we left the fire!" Biana reminded him. "Although... they also had you."

"What if they were the Black Swan?" Keefe interrupted. "Maybe I'm getting close to finding the Moonlark and they're scared I will."

And then came the awkward moment of silence.

"Either way you're not coming with me," Sophie said. "You're not risking your life."

Keefe groaned, "My mom isn't going to kill me!"

"Just let him go Sophie," Fitz spoke up, to everyone's surprise. "If he wants to see the Black Swan, and they want to see him, then maybe we should let him."

After Keefe and Linh left, Dex was with his parents, and Sophie with hers, Biana sat down next to Tam. His parents hadn't gotten there yet. 

"What do you think Tam? Were they there for you or Keefe? And why is the Neverseen killing Shades?"

Tam shrugged, "I don't know. But I hope I never find out."

Chapter Text

"Do you think your parents believed that Sandor is a nice goblin friend of mine who likes to inspect elven houses?" Keefe yelled over the roaring wind.

"No," Sophie admitted, checking the compass again before transmitting to Silveny that she had to fly a little more to the left. "I'm going to owe them a better explanation about that."

Sophie wanted to tell them everything. The only reason they'd let her go in the first place was because this was for Alden, and Keefe (or Deck) was with her. She didn't want to betray their trust. 

"I'm guessing you didn't tell them you think my mom wants to kill me?"

Sophie sighed, "Can we not do this right now? I'll knock you off Silveny."

"If you do that I'm dragging you with me," Keefe warned. "You can teleport."

"Not if I can help it."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's a threat," Sophie said, "Like the one your mom gave me about you." If he wanted to talk about it, then she might as well be the one to start it. 

"She gave me a bodyguard!"

"She gave you a wound with a hair accessory too!"

"She gave me life!"

"So did your dad, and you don't seem to like him."

"Yeah, well. It's obvious why," Keefe muttered, his tone shifting.

Sophie realized then why Keefe was holding on so much to his mother— he already had one awful parent. He couldn't have two. "I'm sorry Keefe. The way he spoke to you..."

"Whatever. At least I have my mom," he said, but there was still bitterness in his voice. 

Sophie stared at the clouds, wishing there were a way to prove to Keefe that he couldn't trust Lady Gisela. But without any solid proof... she doubted he'd truly believe her. He loved his mom. And even though he insisted that she was probably just manipulating Sophie, he didn't realize that she was manipulating him.

Her mood must have changed, because he squirmed, "We need to fatten up Glitterbutt for next time."

"Next time?" Sophie asked, telling Silveny to shift to the right. 

"You can't say hanging out with me isn't awesome!"

"We are not flying somewhere random that could be dangerous on an alicorn on the daily," Sophie informed him.

"Aw, come on! Glitterbutt loves it as much as I do!"

"It's different for me Keefe. We're doing this because it could help Alden."

"Right, and whoever this Prentice Endal is."

"Yeah," Sophie said, thinking about Alden and his family. They stayed silent for what seemed like forever. But it had likely only been a couple minutes. 

"Are we there yet?" Keefe asked.

"What do you think?" Sophie countered. 

"Well, I have a favorite cloud now. It's hanging back there. What should I name it?"

"Why do you do that?" Sophie asked, still saddened by the image of Biana talking to her unconscious father. 

"Pick favorite clouds?"

"No. Why do you always joke? You make everything something to laugh about. Do you even care?" 

She realized how rude the question sounded, and she wanted to smack herself. Of course he cared about Alden.

At first, he didn't answer, but Sophie's heart paced a little faster as he leaned in closer, so that she could feel his breath on her ear. "I know I crack a lot of jokes, Sophie. It's one of those coping mechanisms, you know? And I do care. A lot. Also..."

Sophie moved her head to face him as much as she could. He seemed to be waiting for her to do so, because he flashed her a smirk when he caught her eye, "You deserve to be happy, Foster. And anything is worth it if it makes you smile, including my lousy jokes."

Sophie couldn't hide the slowly forming grin that slightly took away the sadness that had begun to build up on her. Some of his jokes were pretty lousy. 

"See? Totally worth it," Keefe said, and he leaned back, taking his warmth with him— which made her realize how close he'd been. She turned around to stare at the compass again, hoping it was too dark for him to see her blush. Hopefully he hadn't noticed the shift in her mood. 

She was hyper aware of the way his arms were wrapped around her waist for the rest of the way, and she tried to convince herself it didn't mean anything as Silveny landed on land, where a small, yet wide cave stood over them.

"What if this is a trap?" Keefe jumped off Silveny first. He wobbled on the ground, "Whoa. My legs are no longer able to function properly."

"Calla gave you the note right?"

"Yeah, from the Black Swan!" He reminded her as she took his hand to jump off too. He'd been right. Her legs were basically jelly. "And this location is super creepy."

"Remember I'm the one who's supposed to protect you," Sophie said. She told the tired alicorn to stay, and Silveny was happy to rest her wings as they walked towards the cave. "Sandor informed me of this many times."

"Ah, he's just being overprotective."

"Well I promised him I'd take care of you, so you better cooperate."

"Use Foster as a shield, got it," Keefe joked, pulling her towards the cave so that she was in front of him.

Sophie pushed him away, "Do that again and see what happens." 

Keefe smirked, "Your constant misfortunate choice of words is cute."

Sophie was about to retort when the ground began to shake. They both froze, "Ogres?"

Keefe looked even more alarmed than she felt, the blood draining from his face as they tried to keep their balance. Apart from Ro, Sophie had only been close to them during Lady Zillah's planting. Keefe had fought them with Linh, and he seemed to know exactly how dangerous they were.

Was Keefe right? Had this been a trap all along? 

"Run!" Keefe yelled, grabbing her hand and dragging her back to the beach. 

"Where's Silveny?" Sophie cried, when they were met by plain sand and water. They turned to look back towards the entrance of the cave, where the ground was still shaking. 

But instead of an enormous hole with an angry ogre like Sophie had expected, a small hairy creature popped out.

"Oh!" Keefe said in relief, "it's a dwarf."

Sophie noticed they were still holding hands. She pulled away quickly, "A dwarf?"

"That's right," the dwarf shouted, squinting at them. "And don't worry about your alicorn. She's safe."

"Huh," Keefe said, crossing his arms. "Where?"

"That's none of your concern for now. But she needed water and food after your trip."

"And you're from the Black Swan?" Sophie asked the dwarf.

"Obviously," the dwarf said, clearly not in the mood to be questioned. "Come on then, Sophie Foster. You're both going to different meetings."

"Different?" Keefe repeated, sounding suspicious. Sophie had to agree. She didn't like the idea of being separated by an irritable dwarf. 

"Yours is with me," the dwarf said to Keefe. "Right here. But first I need to take her to hers."

"Please tell me you're not considering this," Keefe begged Sophie, but she bit her lip nervously. She had to do this, didn't she? It wasn't like they could talk about her being the Moonlark in front of Keefe.

"It'll be fine," she finally said, tugging out an eyelash. "We'll see each other back here when we're done."

Keefe gritted his teeth, "Promise?"

Sophie couldn't help but smile, "What?"

"You need to promise me we'll see each other back here. And I'm going to hold you to it."

The dwarf groaned, "Oh, stop being dramatic. She'll be back in no time," he said as he pulled out a cookie. "And my friends are about to bring your alicorn back. She'll keep you company." 

"Now who's being dramatic?" Keefe countered. 

"What's the cookie for?" She asked. But she already knew. It was a sedative. 

"You can't see where I take you," the dwarf explained.

Sophie didn't have anything against sedatives, except those given to her by weird hairy creatures. But she had to do this. For Fitz. For Biana. For Alden. For Prentice.

"We could take him," Keefe suggested as she hesitated. He glared at the dwarf. "He's short enough."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," the dwarf said gruffly as he stomped on the ground. A hole appeared next to Keefe.

"Yeah, that made me trust you a lot more," Keefe muttered to break the moment of shocked silence. 

"You sure you want to stay alone with him?" Sophie asked the dwarf. 

"Hey!" Keefe protested.

"I can eat the cookie Keefe."

"Yeah, and you can drink the koolaid too." 

"I'll be fine. I promise. Just stay with Silveny and your new friend."

"I don't think he considers me a friend," Keefe pointed at the hole. 

"You're not going to throw him in a hole, are you?" Sophie asked the dwarf.

The dwarf smiled for the first time, "Unless he gives us a reason to."

"Us?" Keefe repeated, sounding even less convinced.

A horse whinny made Sophie sigh in relief. Silveny trotted toward them, being led by Calla and two other dwarves. 

"Come on Keefe Sencen," Calla said, "It's time we go over our plan to save Prentice Endal from Exile."

Sophie nodded at Keefe, and she grabbed the cookie from the dwarf and shoved it into her mouth before he could argue anymore. Her head immediately became fuzzy and her stomach churned. She sat on the ground as everything dimmed, including Keefe's voice promising her he'd be there when she was back.

-

Sophie opened her eyes, a familiar odor of feet making her feel queasy. "Mr. Forkle."

"Miss Foster," he said, "I'm sorry the circumstances for you to get here have been so uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable," Sophie repeated. That was a huge understatement.

"I'm afraid Mr. Sencen's loyalties and your newness to this world make it so."

"And what do you want him for?" Sophie asked.

"Interesting that you ask about him before you ask about yourself."

"That's because I already know what you want with me," Sophie countered. "You want me to go all Moonlark on Prentice when we rescue him."

"That's part of it," Mr. Forkle admitted as he helped her sit up. 

They were in a dark room, with cots that reminded her of the healing center. "And what's the other part?"

"You're taking part of his rescue. As is Mr. Sencen. If both of you want to, of course."

"How?"

"There are several limiting factors we have over breaking into Exile. Namely, the Council the dwarves allied to no one but their own, and the Neverseen. We have dwarves, as you can see. And my plan against the Council and the Exile dwarves is mostly in motion— provided that your technopath friend wants to help ours. Mr. Sencen will also be offered a position in this plan, but it won't be the primary objective."

"What is it then?" Sophie asked. "You do realize he's technically in the Neverseen. His mother threatened to kill him and threatened me if he works for you again. And the only reason he agreed to come today is because he believes he's helping Alden. That's what all of this is for to him. For Alden."

"And it is for Alden, and for Prentice," Mr. Forkle assured her. "And if we are successful, his mother will not realize that he is helping us. And I know this must all be very confusing, but I assure you that we'll let you know more of the plan once we've gotten all the factors. Today is just a step closer to it."

"And what exactly is this step for me?" Sophie asked. 

Mr. Forkle smiled, "How do you feel about getting a new ability today?"

Chapter Text

Triggering an ability was apparently not as painful as Sophie thought it would have been. All her smelly ex-neighbor did was talk about her being a Moonlark, and apologizing over and over again for the pain she'd been through. 

Mr. Forkle gave her a brief explanation about inflicting, and how she supposedly had had the ability before. He'd reset it back then with limbium. And that made no sense, but it did explain why Sophie remembered having an allergic reaction when she was younger. He also said that he hoped that he didn't have to use limbium again. 

Did he explain why all of this happened? Of course he didn't. But Sophie had a feeling that inflicting was something dangerous. Perhaps it was the weapon part of her... although Mr. Forkle suggested she try out positive emotions when she healed Prentice and Alden. Which meant that this ability could help her wake them up. Also, it could be used against anyone who tried to hurt her. 

And that was all Sophie had to know to accept that he trigger it. 

He'd pressed his hands against her temples, and after a while, she began to feel rather exhausted. After he'd given her some water, the dwarf came back and handed her another dreaded cookie.

-

Sophie's eyes fluttered open to register Keefe petting Silveny and whispering something to her. Her emotions must've alerted him that she was awake, because he was at her side immediately.

"Oh gosh, are you alright?" He asked, eyebrows inclined in worry.

"I think so," she rasped, trying to sit up and immediately feeling light headed. "Whoa..."

He hurried to help her, gently pressing an arm against her back, "What happened? Is this just a symptom from the evil cookie?"

And the fact that Mr. Forkle had just triggered a new ability, but Sophie couldn't tell him that. "I'm fine. What about you? What happened?"

"I don't even know if I can explain everything," Keefe admitted as she continued to try to stand up. "Are you sure you should be doing that?"

"Let's go home," Sophie said, grimacing.

"Is it alright if I hold you here? To take you to Silveny?" Keefe asked, pointing at her waist.

Sophie nodded, wishing she didn't feel so weak as he helped her onto the alicorn. She didn't like depending on others. 

Let's go home, she transmitted to Silveny. You can teleport, right? 

They launched into the sky, and when she could barely hear the waves crashing against rock and taking sand and pebbles farther into its depths, Silveny dove.

-

 They teleported to Havenfield, but Silveny didn't land immediately— she flew around the pastures, and if it weren't for the fact that she'd just had an ability triggered, Sophie would've wanted to stay there to gaze at her beautiful home from this angle. Her head spun as she held onto the alicorn as tight as she could. 

"You're not okay," Keefe told her when she groaned from a forming headache. 

"Wait... can you feel how I'm feeling right now?" Sophie asked.

"Well, uh, kind of," he admitted. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sophie exclaimed. She hated to burden anyone with her pain. 

"It's only a small portion of it, and I don't know how you can handle it all Mysterious Miss F. And no," he said before she could apologize, "It's not your fault."

"You should stay away from me," Sophie told him as Silveny landed. 

Keefe laughed, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm hurting you," Sophie reminded him. And lying to you, she thought. 

"Need I remind you that we have a task ahead of us that requires that we hang out together?" Keefe asked, jumping off the alicorn.

"Then maybe we shouldn't be friends. You're in the Neverseen anyway. It's dangerous for you. We help Alden, and that's it."

"What happens when you eat another evil cookie and you need a cute guy to help you?" Keefe teased as he offered her a hand.

Sophie begrudgingly took it, "You really want to be my friend?" She jumped off, wishing the stars would stop spinning. 

Keefe was probably trying to hide his own grimace at the pain, but instead he asked, "So we're at the hug stage in this friendship, right?"

Sophie frowned, "What?"

"Hug stage. You hugged me the other day when I rescued the gnomes."

"Oh. Well, I guess we are in the hug—"

Keefe gently pulled her into an embrace, his cloak brushing against her arms. Sophie felt stunned for a few seconds, and then she hugged him back. Was he really risking to feel the pain she was feeling for this?

"Good, 'cause I've been needing to do this since that rude dwarf brought you back all pale and drugged," he murmured before they both pulled away. Sophie could feel her face heating up big time.

 "Also," he added, crossing his arms,  "Regardless of how Alden turns out, I'm still going to want to be your friend, Foster."

Sophie felt another tinge of guilt at his words. He probably thought it was about hurting him with her own pain... which was true. But she'd been lying to him ever since she knew him. And right now, they were standing rather closely in front of Silveny's enclosure. He'd just dropped her off, and he cared. Or, at least she thought he did. He trusted her enough to face the people he thought were enemies in a sort of alliance. It hadn't just been because of Alden. It had been because of her. 

And she was still spinning the lie, a fib blocking something between them. Even then, as she stared at his ice blue eyes, and he assured her that he was her friend. Even then, she was lying.

"Keefe, I'm—" the Moonlark, Sophie wanted to say it. She knew her lies were another way she was hurting him, and they were something she could control. But what would happen if she said it, right then, when he was about to go back to the Neverseen? When they'd just hugged?

Oh yeah, Keefe. By the way? That was a nice hug, and also I'm that weapon you've been looking for. Go home to your evil mother who wants me dead now! Bye! 

She couldn't. So she cleared her throat, surprised to see him waiting for her to continue her sentence so patiently. What was he expecting? How had he interpreted the flurry of emotions coursing through her? 

"—I'm glad you were part of this. It's great that Fitz thought it was a great idea," she added, frowning a little at her words. Fitz? Really? Why had she just brought him up? And had she just said "great" twice in the same sentence? 

"Oh," Keefe said, widening the distance between them as he brushed his hand across his hair. "Right. Fitz. Great..." he awkwardly backed away. "I'm glad too," he finally stated, giving her what she could only consider a nervous smile.

They walked back to Havenfield in silence after they wished Silveny a good night. She knocked on the door. Sandor was probably still tormenting Edaline and Grady with his gobliness. Hopefully he had stuck to their plan... although Sophie had decided that she was going to tell them who Deck Hecks really was. 

"We can talk about what we learned later, right?" Sophie asked, rubbing her hands against her temples again. She wanted to know what Keefe had been told, but she didn't really have anything to tell him. 

"Later sounds great. Get some rest," he said from a few feet away. She wondered what was taking them so long to open the door.  "See you again soon Foster."

"Right," Sophie repeated, and Keefe must've felt her uneasiness, because he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Hey Foster, what did Fitz do when I told him a joke?"

Sophie wrinkled her eyebrows, "Uh... What?"

"He skipped to the punchline."

Sophie opened her mouth to tell him she had no idea what he was saying, when she caught the too-proud smirk on his face. Had he... had he just made the worst joke about Fitz punching him ever? 

She felt the corners of her mouth tugging into a grin, despite her efforts to diminish it, "That was horrible!"

"It's worth it if it makes you smile, remember?" Keefe asked, "And it looks like it worked! Stay happy Foster. You deserve it."

He waved at her as she stared incredulously, covering her mouth with her hand so he wouldn't see her grin. She even forgot her headache (well, mostly) and she turned back towards the door. She just had to tell Sandor that Keefe was ready to leave. 

But Sandor opened the door before she could knock again. "Wait just a second Keefe," he yelled in his high pitched voice. Grady and Edaline followed behind him, and it took Sophie a few seconds to register what had just happened.

She froze when it hit her. Sandor has just called Keefe by his real name. 

"I can explain!" she blurted to her parents, but they shook their heads.

"Sandor already explained who he is," Grady said, glaring at Keefe. "And no, we're not dumb. We knew before today. We've known since you told us you had to talk to Cassius Sencen."

"Oh," Sophie whispered. 

Edaline sighed, "We were hoping you'd be honest. But this goblin who by the way, inspected every inch of our house told us everything he knew instead. And Sophie... we're disappointed in you."

Keefe coughed awkwardly, "Uh... Sandor?"

Sandor shrugged casually. He hadn't seemed to care. In fact, he likely did all of it on purpose so Keefe would stay away from danger. "We'll be leaving momentarily."

"I'll be right back," Grady said, walking around them toward the pastures. "I need to check on Silveny."

"For what?" Sophie asked.

"To make sure this boy didn't put a tracker on her," he said, gesturing at Keefe, who was smart enough to stay silent.

"He didn't. The Black Swan gave us a plan," Sophie insisted as Grady left anyway. She turned back to Edaline, "I really am sorry. I was planning to tell you guys as soon as possible, I promise."

"I appreciate that Sophie," Edaline said, taking her hands. "We just wish you'd told us from the beginning."

"You wouldn't have let us go. Would you?"

Edaline shook her head, "Probably not," her eyes creased. "You're grounded."

"But—"

"Just because you planned on telling us doesn't mean you did. An overachiever Neverseen goblin told us. Even though I'm sure there's plenty more to tell," Edaline eyed Keefe suspiciously. He grinned back, but it looked more like a grimace. "Please, leave Keefe."

Keefe nodded, but Sophie shook her head, "You have to listen to what he has to say before he goes. I haven't even heard it. But all of this, it's for Alden!"

"And what about you Sophie? What about your safety?" Edaline cried, her eyes watering. "Grady and I... we've lost a daughter before. If anything happened to you, I swear, I don't think we could handle it. We— our— our minds would break. And yet!! And yet! We give you permission to go on these ridiculous quests to save a man you don't even know! And yes, I know him and I'd love for him to be back. But not at your expense! Look at you! You're all pale and you lied to us and went on a journey with some random guy!"

"I—"

"If you dare disobey us again the consequences will be far worse than they will be this time young lady. Far worse."

"You should've told me you knew!" Sophie couldn't help but shout back. "And then—"

"And then you'd go through it the easy way," Edaline explained, still looking irritable. "And Sophie, I am very upset with you. I just... I need you to go to bed. Right now."

"Well I'm sorry mom! But I need to at least find out if the 'random guy' has any information since it looks like I will be prevented from seeing him for the rest of eternity!"

Edaline opened her mouth to argue back, but then she gasped. "What did you just say?"

"That Keefe talked to the Black Swan privately because... well I'll explain that later once he tells me!"

"No... no. You just called me mom," Edaline whispered, her eyes widening. 

Sophie froze. "I did."

"You just called me mom!" Edaline exclaimed, all the remaining anger vanishing from her eyes as she embraced Sophie. She even laughed, and Sophie couldn't help but do the same. 

She didn't know why she chose that moment to do it, exactly. Sophie had been thinking about it for some time now, but it hadn't felt right. She hadn't even thought about it as she'd called Edaline her mom. Maybe, that was the right moment all along. When it caught up to her, and when she wasn't paying attention.

"GRADY!" Edaline yelled. "GRADY!"

"What? What?" Grady ran back, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"Sophie called me mom!" 

Grady looked stunned for a second, and it set the three of them into another fit of laughter.

"And you're my dad!" Sophie told him. 

Grady gasped. "She just called me dad!" He told Edaline.

"She called you dad!" She repeated, taking an arm away from Sophie and pulling him into their group hug. From the corner of her eye, she could see Keefe smiling at them, while Sandor looked hilariously concerned. 

"It's like she's a newborn who's learning new words," Sandor whispered to Keefe. 

"I love you guys," Sophie said, her eyes still watering. "I'm sorry I lied. I truly, genuinely am. I— I consider you my parents. These past months have been the strangest of my life. But having you as a family... that's what made it best."

After Grady and Edaline had stopped being overly excited about Sophie's new words (this took quite a few more minutes) she remembered that she was exhausted. And Keefe was still there, next to a grumbling Sandor.

"I'm guessing you want to know about my part in the rescue Alden plan now, right?" He asked Sophie.

Sophie nodded. "I actually didn't get much about my part. More about what comes after the rescue."

Edaline clenched her hand, and Grady squeezed her shoulder. 

"Well... there are three main things that are issues for the whole Exile plan."

"The Council, the dwarves and the Neverseen," Sophie remembered from what Mr. Forkle has told him."

"Right. I'm obviously part of the Neverseen plan. The communication they have with the dwarves can be limited. I'll have to send these dwarves on some sort of task, along with placing this," he helped up an oddly shaped magisidian, "in the communications room in Candleshade. It sends them on  a wild goose chase, along with this— he showed her a gadget. "I need to stop the reception from working at all that day. Hopefully your technopath friend will want to help."

"He probably will," Sophie assured him, trying to ignore Sandor's new protests. "Is that it?"

He frowned, "Not exactly."

"Well, what else?" Edaline asked. 

"Didn't he tell you our excuse to get into Exile in the first place?"

"For the Councillors?" Grady offered. 

"He didn't," Sophie grumbled.

"The dwarf told me that they are going to use some sort of interception to let the Councillors and the other dwarves know that someone is going to turn in a Neverseen prisoner into Exile that day."

Sophie gasped, "You?"

"Not exactly. I'm just a decoy, if I want to."

"Then who's the prisoner?" Sophie asked, but she got it before Keefe told her.

"Some guy named Valin? Never heard of him before."

Chapter Text

"Valin?" Biana yelled from her room. "They're sending Valin to Exile?"

Fitz laughed, "Wait, what?" He asked, putting down his study material on his desk and rushing to see where she'd gotten that idea from.

Biana was talking to Sophie on the imparter, and she was cracking up. "This is the best thing I've heard all day."

"Well... he's not actually going to stay there," Sophie said as Fitz sat next to his sister.

"But does he think he is?" Fitz asked. "Hey Sophie."

"Oh, hey," Sophie said, looking a little surprised that he was there. "He's actually... cooperating. They'll let him go if he helps. He doesn't have any useful information."

"Ugh," Biana rolled her eyes. "What else is in this plan?"

"Well... Keefe is another fake prisoner. To confuse the dwarves or something. In case the Councillors arrive. And..."

"And what?" 

"I sort of have a new ability," she said, and her face flushed.

Fitz tried to take down the jealousy he felt as Biana gasped. Really? Sophie was already a better Telepath than him. She was a Polyglot and she could also teleport. It was humiliating enough that he had to stay back and watch her rescue his dad. Did the Black Swan need to give her all of these abilities? 

So much for him being the best Telepath of his age— Sophie was younger than him. And she was better. He needed to step it up if he wanted to get a job his dad would be proud of when he left Foxfire. The only thing helping was the fact that she and him could be cognates. And hey, he'd found the way to get inside her head by himself. He was sure he wouldn't have been able to do this a few years ago. 

He kept telling himself this as Biana and Sophie chatted about the Inflictor ability. 

And on top of that, it was rare. 

He zoned back into the conversation when he heard his sister asking Sophie about the saving Prentice from Exile plan. 

"It's going to happen a few days after midterms," Sophie explained. "I'm sort of... grounded. So all the before stuff is what Keefe's going to do. I also talked to Dex, and Calla already organized a meeting with him and the Black Swan's Technopath. If you guys want to do anything, talk with Keefe. Otherwise, I'll be in my room studying for my midterms."

She sounded a little nervous, and even though this made Fitz feel a little better, he knew she didn't have to be. "You don't have to worry about midterms Sophie. You have a photographic memory, you're smart and as long as you study— and it sounds like you're going to have plenty of time to— you'll do great."

"I hope so," Sophie said. "Thanks."

"Maybe I can help you study sometime? Unless you're grounded about that too?" Fitz blurted out.

Biana gave him a quizzical look. He made sure he was out of the imparter's view to stick his tongue out at her.

"I'll ask my parents," Sophie said, and he could almost hear the blush in her tone.

As soon as Biana hung up she stretched out on the bed, elbows pressing down and hands holding her chin up as she squinted at Fitz, "So... spill."

Fitz glared at her, "There's nothing to spill."

"Uh huh, and what about that last... offer."

"Sophie needs help. We literally have the same class on Telepathy. We have to study together anyway."

"I'm sure that's all it is," Biana said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Seriously Biana. Drop it."

"I thought you were just jealous of Sophie. But now I think you like her!" She teased.

Fitz groaned and left her room before she could come up with any more ridiculous ideas. He didn't like Sophie... did he?

"Did you know she likes you?" Biana asked, and to Fitz's annoyment, she followed him into his room and started rummaging through his desk.

"What are you doing now?" Fitz complained. His answer was a stack of papers being waved at his face. Or more like a packet. Biana swiped it before he could grab it. "Biana!"

Biana flipped through the pages he'd hastily written randomly on. "You barely wrote anything. Good. You won't have to get a new one."

"I'm not turning that in!" Fitz argued, trying to snatch the matchmakers packet from her again.

 She swiftly turned invisible with it, appearing on the other side of his room. "You didn't turn it in because of dad. But he's going to be healed now Fitz. Do you want him to wake up and realize we altered our lives because of him?"

"Well we did! You and Alvar are dating random people you don't even like. At least I was decent enough to focus my time and commitment to him on a career that would make him proud. He's going to wake up and be happy that I am on the path to being the youngest Emissary in the Lost Cities."

When he noticed the hurt in his sister's face, he wished he could take back half of what he said. "Wait—"

"Have you considered what you're going to say to him, Fitz?" She asked, her voice wobbly. 

Of course he had. He'd thought about this forever. And when Sophie arrived... the idea that Alden was going to open his eyes had plagued his dreams.

"Are you going to tell him that you were ashamed of being a Vacker?" Biana continued, throwing the packet at the floor. "Because I know that's why you were so intent on becoming an Emissary. You want to save the name on our behalf."

Her words stung, and Fitz could feel anger bubbling above the annoyment. "Get out of my room."

"I know I was being annoying a few seconds ago," Biana said, obliging irritably. "But you know what I said is true. I know that your weird Emissary career is your dream. I also know that they're going to require that you not be involved in matchmaking at all. And I think that's stupid. Someone should be able to have a job and a love life. It's not like you're going to become a Councillor. Or... is that your plan?"

Fitz gritted his teeth, "That's none of your business. But if you must know, it's to show I have a focus on being an Emissary and being one only."

"Well if it is your plan, shouldn't you look into matchmaking first? Think about what you want to tell dad when he opens his eyes. That you gave up your life, or that you made a new one?"

She slammed the door before he could reply. 

-

"So... how are you?" Keefe asked the next weekend at Everglen. Yup. Fitz was talking to Keefe in his living room. The explanation didn't even make sense to him— they were supposed to arrive at Candleshade casually, get into the fourth room on the left on floor 43, place the Black Swan magisidian in the communications center without being noticed. There was also another gadget that Dex and the Black Swan's Technopath has worked on. And somehow he'd gotten involved. Along with other people. 

 "Well, Biana is officially mad at me," Fitz grumbled. 

"Oh yeah, that's obvious," Keefe snorted. "Too bad she's coming with us. Her and Bangs Boy."

Fitz begrudgingly agreed with a nod. Biana and Tam had found themselves easy spots in the mission by playing the "I can hide myself" card. 

He wished Sophie were there instead. Not because he liked her or anything. Nope. 

She was still grounded, busying herself with studying for midterm exams and helping Dex with hacking into who knew what. 

He'd met her only once in the past week, when Grady and Edaline allowed her to practice for her Telepathy

exam. Not that she needed the practice. Except he did.

"So..." Keefe said, obviously uncomfortable. They were waiting for an all clear from Linh, who was supposed to supervise and distract. Biana was upstairs, and Tam was outside with the imparter. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Fitz glanced at his... friend? Best friend? Obnoxious buddy who joined the wrong side and was yet still being an ally in helping to wake up his dad? 

Fitz didn't know what to call him. But he missed having someone to talk to. And if Keefe was the latter, or any for that matter, then Fitz had to show that he could cooperate too. "She wants me to register for matchmaking."

"Ohhhh interesting," Keefe smirked, and Fitz could see the faint ghost of a bruise on his jaw. From a punch he'd delivered.  "Does that mean you have someone in mind?"

Fitz shrugged, "I don't know."

Wait. Had he just said I don't know? I don't know? When had his answer gone from "no" to "I don't know"? 

"I want a job as an Emissary," Fitz explained. "But in order to get it at such a young age, the Councillors I talked to said they didn't recommend me getting into anything matchmake-y."

"And you can't just wait a few years when you have your life in order and you didn't just graduate from Foxfire?"

"That's the thing though. I want to do this for my dad."

"And to prove yourself," Keefe added, squinting at him.

"Sure," Fitz admitted. And then he asked, "Do you think Sophie likes me?"

Keefe's expression was unreadable, "What?" 

"It's just... you're an Empath. And you've hung out with her a lot and I don't know... this is going to sound so conceited. Ugh! Forget I asked." Fitz was out of practice or talking with friends. He'd been so busy with his studies, and clearly he'd said something wrong, because Keefe was giving him a funny look.

Or maybe not. "Foster definitely has a crush on you Fitzy," Keefe said, "For what it's worth."

"You're not just saying that so I'll make a fool of myself?"

"Nah, you don't need my help for that."

"Thanks."

"So you're going to register?" Keefe cleared his throat. 

"I don't know," there it was again. "We'll see."

Before Keefe could reply, Tam rushed inside, waving his imparter. It was time. 

-

"Okay. You and Tam are our lookouts," Keefe told Fitz. "Just... use your fancy abilities and stuff to let us know if someone's coming."

Biana was already inside the room, carrying the magisidian. Keefe carried the gadget, looking casual as he glanced around before entering, leaving the door open for a quick getaway. 

"That entrance was... interesting," he whispered to Tam. "Are you okay?"

Tam and his sister had reunited for a few seconds before she had to go to her training again. He looked angrier than usual, like whatever conversation they'd had had not gotten great results.

"Two other Shades were killed yesterday," he grumbled.

"Again?" Fitz whispered. The Council had barely addressed this as an issue, more focused on the currently churning treaty between them and the ogres. Things were already starting to get out of control.

"Yeah. You know how many of us are left?"

"No," Fitz admitted. "But I'm guessing it's not a lot."

"It's not. And no one is doing anything about it because Shades are creepy and it's not like anyone else has been in danger."

"But it's elves killing them. The Neverseen tried to kill the gnomes off with a  plague. Now they're killing off Shades. They should know that something is next," Fitz said.

"I told Linn what was happening, and she still refuses to leave the Neverseen. She thinks they didn't do anything," Tam said, gazing at the door. 

"Sisters," Fitz muttered.

"Agreed."

Keefe walked back before Biana, and it took him a bit to find them, hidden under Tam's shadows and also a table. "No one has passed by?"

"No," Fitz answered, scooting to make room for him. 

"Biana's taking more time because the magisidian is hard to place on the machine thing. I tried to help, but she made me leave to check on you," Keefe whispered.

"Should I go help?" Tam suggested.

"And leave you and Biana alone in a room?" Keefe asked, "Definitely not. Fitzy won't approve."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fitz asked, scowling at both of them. 

"Nothing," Tam said, shooting Keefe his own glare.

Fitz's stomach churned. Biana had told him she was done with dating for a while. Secretly, he was glad. He didn't want to see her hurt again. Especially since their dad was going to wake up.

"Wait!" Tam hissed. "I feel someone coming."

"What? How do you feel someone—" Keefe began, but Tam shushed him.

"It's a Shade," he answered, his eyes widening.

Keefe swore under his breath, "that's Umber."

Before any of them could do anything, a dark cloaked figure passed by them and entered the room where Biana was in.

Chapter Text

Fitz tried to stand up, but Tam and Keefe immediately pulled him back down by the shoulders. "Biana's in there!" He hissed desperately, his heart beating faster and faster as Umber shut the door. 

"Yeah, but you'll only make it worse!" Keefe reminded him. "Plus, she's invisible!"

"Can't you transmit to her?" Tam asked.

Fitz nodded, and it took him a few precious seconds to reach her mind, Biana? This Neverseen Shade just walked in. 

I noticed. 

He couldn't tell if her answer was sarcastic or panicked. It was hard to tell sometimes when he was transmitting from such a long distance. Did you do what you had to do? 

Yes but—

"What are you doing here?" Someone yelled from the room.

Fitz gasped along with Tam and Keefe. 

"I'm going in," Keefe whispered, crawling from underneath the table. 

"But—"

"Neither of you are supposed to be here. I, on the other hand, am in my house. Do you have any better ideas?" 

He left before Fitz or Tam could answer, whisking the door open to reveal a shocked Biana staring at the dark cloaked figure. Umber blocked her from moving, her hand wrapped around Biana's right arm. The room seemed darker than before, with the shadows slowly creeping around the walls.

Fitz turned to Tam, "If Keefe fails we're both going in there."

Tam nodded, eyes narrowed towards the scene that was about to unfold.

"There you are!" Keefe said, laughing as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"You know her?" Umber snapped. "I'm supposed to be guarding this room, but that Hydrokinetic friend of yours flooded the room above it. See that leak over there? It ruined the floor and the ceiling. Your mother is going to kill me. Imagine what she'll say when I tell her I caught this girl Vanishing and sticking her nose where it didn't belong when I checked for shadowflux in this room."

Umber was still holding onto Biana's arm, and Biana was still speechless, eyes urging Keefe to get her out of the mess.

"Yeah, she's my er... friend. Potentially new recruit," Keefe said, shaking his head. "This must be my fault. I told her I'd meet her on floor 34 and this is floor 43. You got confused, didn't you... Deck?"

Biana opened her mouth in shock. 

"Deck? What kind of useless name is that?" Umber asked. "And why isn't she talking?"

"Deck is a very talented Vanisher, for your information," Keefe said, stepping closer to Umber, "Unfortunately, she doesn't speak the Enlightened Language. Her name is... Trollish. I think. Isn't it Deck?"

Biana nodded and gave Umber a thumbs up with her free hand along with a wavering smile. 

Umber finally let go of Biana, but before Fitz and Tam could sigh in relief, she grabbed the neck of Keefe's cloak. A dark substance pooled from herdarkly manicured fingernails, which curled menacingly around the fabric. Almost like claws.

"If I see you in here again this shadowflux will go straight through your hand. Or worse. Both of you. Make sure you tell Deck this." She snarled.

Keefe gulped. "Got it."

Biana whispered something in Trollish. Fitz recognized it as a badly pronounced vocabulary word from his Level Five Multispeciesial Studies class. He didn't think Biana knew what it meant, but this seemed to satisfy Umber enough to let them walk away... even though she clearly did not buy Keefe's story. But she didn't say anything else. 

When she closed the door on them angrily, the four of them bolted for the Vortinator, and then to the grounds to light leap. It wasn't until they were outside Everglen that Fitz felt safe enough to hug his sister, surprised to feel himself trembling. 

"Ew, stop that," she muttered, but she squeezed him back. He may have imagined it, but she might've been trembling too.

-

"What happens if I don't pass? Do I get sent to Exile? There's no Exilium anymore... What do I do?" Sophie asked worriedly as they waited for their parents to come back with their exam results. Fitz had already gotten his, and he'd gone over to the lower level towers with his mother to get Biana's results. He'd gotten the top scores. 

"Which class are you most worried about?" Dex asked. 

"Alchemy," Sophie admitted.

"But you said your final solution fit the description in your textbook!" Biana reminded her. "I, on the other hand, made mine have the consistency of yeti pee."

Dex snorted, and Biana shot him an evil glare. 

"Uh, what is this?" Tam asked, pulling out a crush cuff from his thinking cap. They were supposed to be opening presents, but Sophie's freaking out moment had momentarily stopped it.

"You and your Exilium culture," Biana said, snatching the cuff. "Huh. Looks like someone wants you to be her hopeful."

"Hopeful?" Sophie asked.

"You and your human culture," Fitz joked. "It's just a way for people to tell you they like you. In a crush way. And hopefully, they'll be a match on your packet."

"Fitz gets plenty of these," Biana said. "Too bad he's not registering any time soon."

"You're not?" Sophie asked— and then she blushed. "Oops, that's not really my business."

"It's fine. It's not Biana's business at all," Fitz said, eyeing his sister. But he was done being mad at her after she'd almost gotten caught by Umber. Well... mostly. "And I threw all the crush cuffs away. Those aren't the best presents anyway."

"I just made everyone some rippleruffs for their presents, given that I wasn't allowed to leave the house," Sophie muttered. Fitz grinned at her to assure her that he didn't mind. He'd gotten everyone silly pens, and he was beginning to feel bad at how considerate everyone else had been. 

"Hey, they were great!" Dex assured her, "I can't wait until you see everything I did to your laptop."

"What we did," Biana corrected him. 

"You just played with that weird paint application and took pictures of yourself," Dex reminded her.

"Uh... I made the screen pretty."

"Let me guess. Is it a picture of Biana's face?" Sophie asked Dex, raising an eyebrow. 

"I wanted to take it off, but I guess you can do that later," Dex admitted.

Sophie pulled out her laptop from her bag. "Whoa... is it solar powered now?"

Fitz laughed when she showed him the screen: sure enough, Biana had taken a picture of herself with an angry Dex in the background.

"Wait, I kind of want to keep it now because of this," Sophie said, showing it to Dex. 

Dex scowled as everyone else laughed. "I should've deleted it when I had the chance."

"Nonsense. And besides, my present is the best. Now Sophie doesn't have her lame 'I don't have any eyeliner' excuse," Biana bragged. 

Sophie looked into her hat, "There's over thirty different shades in here!"

"And half of them are sparkly!" Biana added excitedly.

"Ooh, Tam. Not a smart idea to throw those crush cuffs away in front of everyone. You'll hurt their feelings." A voice said from behind them.

A short girl with dozens of tiny braids woven into her blonde hair passed by and snatched one of the cuffs from Tam's trash pile. 

"Prella is going to cry when she finds out you don't like her back."

"Who the heck is Prella?" Tam asked.

"She's the one who—"

The doors to the cafeteria slammed open, and the parents began to flood in.

Fits noticed Sophie tugging out an eyelash as the news of people's grades was revealed by their parents.

His mother was the first to arrive at their table, overly content with Biana's scores. She did question her about why her Alchemy mentor had had more than a few notes about her elixir.

Dex's dad, Kesler Dizznee was very excited about Dex's scores, "No complaints! Your mother is still with Bex's mentor."

Fitz noticed Kesler eyeing Biana, his mother and him strangely, like he wasn't expecting the Vackers to be hanging out with his son. 

Tam's parents were weirdly formal, nodding at him respectfully when he caught their eye. They looked satisfied enough with their son's scores. 

The girl with the braids turned out to be Marella Redek, someone Fitz had heard of plenty of times as the one who knew all the gossip. Her father talked with her happily, but Fitz noticed his eyes continuing to stray over to them. 

Fitz frowned when he noticed Marella's father give Sophie (who wasn't paying attention) a particularly long look. A suspicious one. Sophie was still waiting for her parents, and she was clearly getting more and more worried. However, Fitz wasn't expecting her face to pale and her eyes to widen when she spotted Marella's dad.

What's wrong? He asked. 

Marella's dad. He's the Guster who attacked us on the plane. He's from the Neverseen.

Fitz sucked in his breath. Now what? They couldn't just accuse him in front of everyone. The best thing to do was to get Sophie away from him.

Follow me, he thought to her.

Sophie nodded, Where do we go?

Just walk with me. Transmit to Dex or someone. And make an excuse. Unless you want me to? 

"Maybe Edaline and Grady are over there!" She said aloud, and they both headed as far away from Lord Redek and their friends as possible. 

"There could be more of them," Sophie finally said when they were out of earshot. Fitz noticed a couple of people watching them, and he could tell Sophie was also conscious about it.

"There could," Fitz agreed. "But I'm with you, and there are hundreds of people here. It'd be a dumb move on the Neverseen's part." 

"I told Tam, Dex and Biana. I don't want them to be in danger," Sophie said. 

Fitz hadn't thought about that. Wasn't the Neverseen killing off Shades now? And what if they went after Biana? But he shook his head, partly to calm himself, "That should be enough. Lord Redek must've known you'd recognize him. Just stay out of his way."

Sophie sighed, leaning against the wall, "How do we tell Marella? Or do we even tell her? I already told her we suspected her dad as the Guster that threw me out of a plane."

"We wait," Fitz said, "I guess that's all we can really do. You know, when I was in the Forbidden Cities looking for you, it usually took a whole bunch of just waiting."

Sophie considered this, "Do you think you would've found me, eventually?"

"Maybe," Fitz said, studying her. "Although I might've made a mistake because of your eyes."

"Oh, yeah. My boring brown eyes. Probably would've ruined it."

"They're not boring. They're unique."

"If you say so."

"I think I may have found you. Taken you to the Lost Cities. Where did you say you lived again?"

"San Diego."

Fitz frowned, "Huh. That's in the United States of America, isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That was our next place to search before... you know."

"Oh, yeah. I think Biana mentioned that before."

Fitz closed his eyes, memories calling to him.

Alden, running from the gates to Everglen, muttering that there was no reason to worry as he clenched fourteen year old Fitz's hands. Making him promise he'd never go back to the Forbidden Cities.

"Stop looking. We need to stop looking."

"But I learned a lot of new English words! Plus, I've been working on my Telepathy. I'm the best of my age. And Councillor Terik said-"

"I know Fitz. But it's time we stopped looking for the Moonlark."

"Why?"

"No reason to worry."

"Fitz? Is everything alright?" Sophie's voice brought him back into the present. But the next flashback had already been in his mind.

Alden, on the ground. Eyes closed, but not peacefully. He'd fallen, and no one could help him. Not even Fitz...

He blinked. "I know we haven't been able to talk much about... our project," he said, knowing she'd know he was talking about Exile. "But I do know you and Dex have the files ready and hacked. And Keefe and Valin are the fake prisoners and whatever. But... What about my dad? When does he come in?"

"If I can fix Prentice, I'll be able to fix your dad," she whispered. "Especially if I find a way to let your dad know that Prentice is fixed... or can be fixed."

"If that's the reason he broke in the first place," Fitz reminded her, hating how little they really knew.

"I think my Telepathy is stronger," Sophie said. "After our classes and all. I'm going to need you there when we wake up your dad."

"Really?" Fitz asked, surprised that she depended this much on him.

"Of course. You'll be there to tell me what to say. And you can give me mental boosts and stuff."

"Thank you for trusting me," he said honestly.

"Are you kidding?" She said, with a small smile, "Thank you for trusting me."

Before he could say anything else, Grady and Edaline enter through the door.

"Now, what are you two going all the way over here?" Edaline asked.

"Lord Redek is the Guster that threw Sophie off the human plane," Fitz explained when he noticed Sophie freeze at the sight of her parents.

The four of them looked over to their friends. Marella and her father were gone. No one looked harmed.

"It was a right call to stay away," Edaline said, "We don't know what he would've done if you'd confronted him." Both her and Grady looked slightly nervous though.

"Yeah. Although that means there's probably more Neverseen members here hiding in plain sight."

"But they won't do anything, like Lord Redek," Fitz assured them.

"I guess," Sophie muttered. Then she tore her eyes away from their friends and back to her parents. "So... do I get to stay?"

Grady laughed, "Relax Sophie. You passed."

"I passed?" Sophie repeated.

"Extremely well. We got really good feedback from all of your mentors. Alchemy was your lowest score though," Edaline said, squeezing Sophie's shoulder. "We knew you could do it Sophie."

"I passed!" Sophie exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

"It's all because of you Sophie," Grady said. "And all the effort you gave."

"And my friends," Sophie said, turning to look over at Fitz. "Thanks for all the help. During the break and last week."

"Tiergan was particularly impressed with your possible cognate bond," Edaline remembered, and this made it all the better for Fitz. His pride soared. "You two should be very proud of yourselves. Alden would be proud too, Fitz."

"Thank you," Fitz said, and he nudged Sophie with his arm. "I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah," she stammered, and it may have been Fitz's imagination, but she seemed to blush, "I guess we do."

-

"Fitz and Biana Vacker! You have six weeks of break! I better see your impeccable rooms by the time you start school again."

Biana groaned dramatically, "Mom!"

"Were supposed to be helping with dad and Prentice!" Fitz reminded her.

"When your dad wakes up, I don't want him to faint again from the sight of this house."

"It's not like we're going to hold a party in our rooms for him," Biana grumbled.

"Cleanest room tonight doesn't have any chores tomorrow," Della declared, because she knew just how to bribe them.

"On it!" Biana yelled, darting towards the stairs before Fitz could even step inside.

"You do realize she's going to win, right?" He asked his mom. 

"She will if you keep standing there."

"No, she will because she's scary competitive and her room is already mostly cleaned."

"Come on Fitz. Alvar's coming home tomorrow."

"Your favorite son," Fitz joked as he headed towards the stairs.

"That is not true! I don't have favorites!"

"Uh huh," Fitz called when he got to his room. He stared at the many, many papers, books and journals on the floor. Not to count the jerseys and socks.

He got to work, making piles and throwing notes he didn't care about out. He stacked books and put them in order on his bookshelf, and organized his clothes drawers as well. He'd missed staying home on the daily since he'd started his final Elite Level. 

When he was almost done, he noticed the matchmakers packet under his bed, from the argument he and Biana had had the other day. 

He tiptoed over to her room, to make sure she wasn't spying on him. Sure enough, she was talking with someone on the imparter. Maybe Sophie, or Tam.

Something about Exile.

Before he knew it, Fitz was staring at the matchmakers comet again. He almost rolled his eyes at himself as he flipped through the pages. How ridiculous. Why was he caring about this now? 

His few answers had been insipid too— lacking any sense of his own personality. 

He was about to slam the packet shut when a particular section caught his eye. Physical attributes? How shallow minded were people for there to be an entire section to be focused on physical attributes.

Before he knew it, he had a pen in his hand. And he was reading a question, over and over again.

What shade/s of blue do you find the most attractive in someone's eyes? 

He and Sophie made a good team. They'd agreed on that. And she could possibly like him... and they could also be cognates. Maybe Biana had been right. What other way to make his dad proud when he woke up, than to show him that he had a life, and still be one of the most powerful Telepaths in the Lost Cities? 

Sophie trusted him. And he trusted her. And what if? 

Besides, it wasn't like he had to turn in the packet. If he did, they wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe she wouldn't even apply to get her own packet for a while.

But a part of Fitz hoped she did. He'd considered doing it just to get a list and get it over with. But before, he couldn't imagine anyone's name on it.

What if he wanted Sophie's name on his list?

Fitz scribbled an answer, making up his mind. He would do this. He'd consider it for a while. He'd take his time over the break. Just out of curiosity.

He read it over and over again, the answer that didn't exactly make sense. But maybe that's how it was supposed to be:

What shade/s of blue do you find the most attractive in someone's eyes? 

Brown

Chapter Text

"The Valin group is to go through the main entrance," Juline Dizznee said— except she didn't look like Juline. Her code name was Squall, and she was covered in ice. They'd decided that Everglen was the safest spot for them to gather in, especially given that Valin and Keefe were both there.

Valin stared at the ground, scowling when Biana said, "I call that group."

"You've already been assigned to groups," Calla told her. "But don't worry Biana. You, your brother and Tam are all in that group. He is the one the dwarves that are not in the Black Swan are looking for."

"And we're taking Keefe," Dex clarified, motioning to Sophie and himself.

"Yes. With a member of the Collective each to pass as an Emissary. Nubiti here gave us two magisidians carved rarely enough to pass through undetected," Calla handed Biana and then Sophie the magisidian rocks. Sophie hadn't expected to be so jagged. "You two are in charge of your groups."

Granite, a member who looked like a rock sighed, "What about Squall and I, Calla?"

"You're part of the disguise. And hopefully, with Sophie and Dex—"

"—And Keefe!" Keefe added.

Calla smiled, "And Keefe. You'll be able to find Prentice."

"Then what am I for?" Valin grumbled.

"You're the distraction," Squall informed him. "You're the reason we're there in the first place."

"The dwarves are under the impression that someone is going to bring a teenage boy to Exilium," Dex explained. "I altered the feeds so they think some Emissaries are coming. The Councillors only know that someone is visiting today. We planted some fake details."

"And we only have so much time until someone figures out that something is off," Granite added. "So be prepared to cause some chaos."

Keefe smirked, "You should've started with that."

Granite and Squall left them alone with Calla to plan a few more things... not that they told them what they were.

"So... why'd you choose us Neverseen people?" Keefe asked, pointing at Valin and then at himself. 

"Great prisoner excuse. Plus, the Neverseen dwarves— is there are any— will be frantically trying to warn someone without leaving their post. And they will fail," Dex explained. 

"Assuming you guys accomplished everything alright the other day," Sophie added, wondering why they hadn't said much except that it had been successful.

She had a feeling Keefe's widening smirk had to do with that, "Deck managed it quite well."

Biana groaned, "I can't believe I used to have a crush on you!"

Fitz cracked up.

Keefe looked quite offended, "Everyone here can believe it, can't we Foster?"

Sophie shook her head, unwilling to take part of the conversation. 

Tam looked particularly annoyed, "Has anyone ever heard of shadowflux?"

"Umber used it," Fitz remembered. "That... thing she threatened Keefe and Biana with. That wasn't shadowvapor. She called it shadowflux."

"Oh yeah," Biana shivered, "She used it like a weapon."

"It's what magisidian is made up of," Valin muttered. "All matter has darkness."

"I don't remember anyone giving you permission to talk," Biana informed him. Sophie had to give her friend some credit for the way she was handling herself in front of Valin— even though his information could be useful.

"Yeah, is anyone going to update me where he came from?" Keefe asked, pointing at Valin.

"He's Biana's ex," Dex explained, looking very amused.

"You've heard of shadowflux?" Sophie interrupted before Keefe could make a comment that would result in Biana punching him.

"Yeah. I mentioned it to one of the people who interviewed me," Valin said. "I guess they assumed it was just shadowvapor. I don't know any more shades, but the Neverseen one threatened me with it if anything went wrong."

"Something went wrong," Biana pointed out.

"Obviously."

-

"So... you and Biana," Sophie said as she, Keefe, Dex, and Granite followed behind Calla. They'd taken the strangest form of transportation... roots of a really old tree in California into the very underground system of Exile. 

"No need to get jealous Foster," Keefe said, and Sophie was almost certain she heard Dex snort with her. It was hard to tell with the lack of light.

"We only ever kissed like... on the cheek. Or mostly anyway."

"Mostly?" Sophie didn't know why her fists were clenched so tightly, or why she suddenly felt annoyed. 

"You're a hard one to read Mysterious Miss F," Keefe said, and soon they reached what Sophie assumed was really Exile.

The smell was sharp, bitter, and sour. Sophie wrinkled her nose at it, trying to step carefully so their footsteps would make so much noise against the cold metal. She envied Calla for not having to follow them. 

The door behind them vanished.

"Um. Did anyone else see that?" Keefe whispered, but his voice echoed loudly. 

"We're in the somnatorium " Granite said. "This is where gnomes usually enter, so they'll think we're here to deliver food from those herbs we sprinkled on you. At least until we arrive to the Room Where Chances are Lost."

"That doesn't sound good," Dex noted. 

"It's not," Granite sounded rather bitter as he motioned for them to follow him. "The main corridor is where that light is. We'll be going over there—" he pointed to the opposite path. "Our friends will get here soon too, after they're done distracting the dwarves at the entrance, and for when the alarms start to go off."

"That doesn't sound good either," Sophie said, grimacing at the thought. But this wasn't what made the most nauseous. That was the thought of what she had to do next

The ground became sand, and when they were near the entrance, a dwarf appeared out of the ground. 

"You here with the kid?" He asked.

Sophie frowned. This wasn't the Black Swan dwarf they had been expecting.

"He's here," Granite gestured at Keefe, holding him by the shoulders firmly. 

The dwarf glared at Keefe, "He's a traitor?"

"He'll have an... interview soon. With telepaths," Granite said plainly. 

Keefe gulped for effect. 

"And you are..?" The dwarf asked.

"An Emissary. Don't mind my disguise... it's because I don't want him to know who I am," Granite said, and this was technically true. Sophie could tell something was off though... They hadn't prepared to have to lie this early in the plan. "These two are my partners. They're learning and are trusted with the secrets of Exile."

"Huh," the dwarf said as he slided a magisidian disk into a hidden hole near the borders of the door... like a vending machine. "Only two of you may go in with the prisoner."

Sophie bit her lip. She was needed to find Prentice quickly. And Dex was supposed to be the one to open the gate. 

Granite must've come to the same conclusion, because he sighed, "Alright. Be quick with it," he told them.

Sophie and Dex both grabbed Keefe by the arms.

"No! I'm sorry for what I've done!" Keefe exclaimed dramatically as they tugged him into the Room Where Chances are Lost. They had not planned for this either. 

Sophie rolled her eyes, "Don't be a pain."

"At least you'll be the last thing I see," Keefe said with a wink, and even though Sophie knew he was acting for the dwarf's benefit, the words made her blush.

"You'll see his cell. It's open and marked. Down the hall, two rights and a left," the dwarf called, giving them a weird look. "I'll stay with the Emissary."

Sophie and Dex pulled Keefe into the Room Where Chances are Lost.

Now came the worst part. Sophie had to open her mind to the Exile prisoners.

First, she had to check in with Fitz. We're in. I'm about to open my mind to them. 

Great! I mean— not great for you. Are you ready? 

Yeah. I have to be.

Fitz stayed silent for a few seconds, before he told her that they were still going down the thousands of stairs in the main entrance, but that they were almost there. After that, they'd meet with another dwarf, and distract him long enough so that they could open Prentice's cell and bring him out. 

The only problem, Sophie informed Fitz, was that the Black Swan dwarf that was supposed to help them wasn't there. The position had been taken by the dwarf who hadn't let Granite in. She hoped Granite had a way to distract him too. 

After she held onto both Keefe and Dex's hands, she closed her eyes and opened her mind. 

-

Sophie had expected scary things of course. But this? Blood, hate, violence, death, murder, sadness, anger and a terrible numbness all spun through her mind so that she opened her eyes and found herself gasping for air, like what she'd seen had stolen it. 

Dex was staring at her in worry, and it took her a second to realize she was leaning against Keefe. Then she remembered he could feel her emotions. 

"Oh no! I'm so sorry," she jumped back, and she realized that they had moved plenty along the hallway with the red letters to display the names of the prisoners. If only they had time to skim through all of them, she wouldn't have to struggle against this. 

"You haven't found him yet, have you?" Dex asked.

"I don't think so. Maybe it'd help if I transmit something. Maybe the name of his son—"

"Whoa," Keefe said as she tightened her grip on them and closed her eyes. "I'm all for you being all feisty and strong, but those emotions you were feeling... isn't there anything we can do to help?"

"Just keep holding on to me. Let me know if we reach a point where we have to choose between left or right."

They both gave her doubtful looks as she began to transmit Wylie Endal's name.

The fourth time did the trick.

Wylie. 

"We're close!" Sophie exclaimed, surprised and relieved. 

After taking a left, and then going down some steps to the right, they were in a new, dark corridor where it was more quiet than everywhere else.

A monster lunged at them from its cell, startling the three of them into yelping.

"So... I guess we're looking away now," Keefe said. 

"He should be here..." Sophie muttered, and after tracking his thoughts one more time, she found him. She pulled away from her friends and gathered as much courage as she could muster to look.

Prentice's room was small. And Prentice... he wasn't what Sophie had expected. He was shifting forward and backward, eyes twitching, dark skin drenched in sweat. And he was mumbling. 

"Alden... he was the one who did this?" Keefe whispered next to her. 

Sophie nodded, "Prentice knew things he wouldn't say."

"Like what the Moonlark weapon is," Keefe said. "Do you think the Black Swan will tell me what it is if I keep helping them?"

Sophie ignored his look as she transmitted an update to Fitz. As soon as Dex opened the cell, the alarms would probably start blaring. It was important that their friends be where they were supposed to to earn them some time.

We're here. Valin is stalling with a story, and Biana Vanished, so I don't know where she is. I don't know how longer we can take.

Then it's good that Dex is opening the cell now.

Dex tried to hurry, but the lock was complicated. 

Keefe's words about the Moonlark had brought back doubt, and Sophie turned to him. "We're doing exactly what your mom doesn't want us to do, you realize that?"

"Oh yeah, that she'll kill me?" Keefe grinned.

"It's not funny. It's a real threat!" Sophie hissed.

"If you're going to give me another speech about trust and friendship and how I shouldn't be here, save your energy, because—"

"Actually, I have a request."

"Oh?"

"Promise me you won't hate me," the words surprised Sophie as much as they surprised Keefe. Even Dex, who raised an eyebrow at her before getting back to work. 

Keefe snorted, "That's a no brainer. Why would I hate you Foster?"

Sophie looked away, "Because I got you into this mess. And—"

"Well I promise," Keefe assured her. "Even though that was a weird request."

"Got it!" Dex yelled, and the cell door clicked open.

It's open Fitz! Sophie transmitted.

A few seconds later, alarms began to blare.

"Okay, we go back where we came from right?" Keefe asked, gently lifting Prentice with Dex's help. "How good are you at telekinesis Dizznee?"

Sophie ran at their heels, with Keefe in the front and Dex levitating Prentice in the middle.

According to a quick conversation with Fitz, they were doing fine with being a distraction. Enough dwarves were busy trying to keep them safe from the unknown threat, and they were making this quite difficult. Tam was the most helpful, and Biana was still nowhere to be seen. 

It was working out quite well until Keefe yelled for them to turn back.

"GUYS! RUN!" He exclaimed. 

At first, Sophie thought he'd spotted a dwarf.

But the people she saw were much less expected.

All twelve Councillors, led by Councillor Emery, Kenric, Oralie and Bronte. Meeting her eyes with confusion.

"Back that way!" Dex yelled, and Sophie tried to erase the Councillors' shocked gazes from her mind as they headed down an unknown path, this time with her at the front and Prentice floating behind them. Hopefully it would lead to an exit... right?

It didn't lead them to an exit. But it didn't lead them to a dead end. Well... not exactly.

It led them straight to Lady Gisela, and several other dark cloaked figures with white eyes on their sleeves.

Chapter Text

There was the group of people who wanted to kill both her and Keefe, and then there were the group of people that were angry and would likely punish them, but keep them alive.

Sophie chose the latter. She didn't feel like dying.

But after a few seconds of shock, she spun around to sprint back to the Councillors and almost ran straight into Councillor Emery.

Turns out her second option was closer than she'd thought. 

Except... Dex wasn't there anymore. Though Prentice was still levitating in the air. Meanwhile, Keefe was staring at his mother, embarrassment quickly replacing his own surprise.

"Where did Dex go?" Sophie yelled.

"Your technopath friend has been apprehended by us. He will face the same consequences you will, Miss Foster. After we confront your friends," Councillor Emery nodded at Lady Gisela, who was staring at her son with her own sadness and anger. 

"They're not my friends," Sophie told the Councillor. "They're the Neverseen."

"And she's with the Black Swan," Lady Gisela added, her expression cold as she glared at her son, "And it appears that my son is too."

Sophie felt goosebumps form against her skin. Keefe wasn't supposed to be working with her. Or else...

"I can explain mom," Keefe began, but Sophie stepped in front of him.

"How dare you turn him against me?" Lady Gisela hissed at her. "I told you to stop! I told you what would happen!"

Sophie wrapped her hand around Keefe's wrist. Keefe, she transmitted. I need you to get away from here. Now.

"It's fine Foster," Keefe said aloud. "I'm about to get grounded for a century but nothing worse will happen... right mom?

I'll kill him, Lady Gisela had threatened. If Sophie involved him in any more Black Swan missions, his own mother would kill him.

And now, Lady Gisela and her three other Neverseen members had caught them red handed.

Lady Gisela didn't speak a word to her son, and to Sophie's horror, she pulled out a sharp blade from inside her cloak. "Umber, Fintan."

Suddenly, the balefire on the lamps in Exile turned into smoke. And any remaining light was replaced by darkness.

Sophie gasped, and she heard a scuffle behind her. There was a cry, somewhere from Councillor Emory. She was trying to move, but she couldn't. 

Was she stuck? 

Her hand was still wrapped around Keefe's, and he seemed to be clinging onto her too, as the nonsense abruptly came to an end.

Darkness gently seeped back into Umber's hands and fire erupted on the lamps to illuminate what had happened.

But now, Lady Gisela was closer to them with a pained expression.

And Sophie still couldn't move her feet, and she noticed Keefe was struggling too. 

"Telekinesis," a voice she didn't recognize spat out. "Useful to learn in Exilium."

Sophie looked up for the first time to notice the fourth member of the Neverseen click his tongue at them, his face unidentifiable. The addler. This had to be Ruy. A forcefield appeared behind Sophie and Keefe to confirm her suspicions.

"Of course," Ruy boasted, "There's always my ability to stop you too." 

But Sophie had stopped gazing at Ruy. Now she was staring at the figure who had to be Umber, with a crumpled Councillor Emery at her feet. Fintan had a hold of Prentice, and Lady Gisela was still stepping closer and closer to them.

Sophie pulled her hand away from Keefe's when she noticed Lady Gisela scowling at them. "Keefe hasn't done anything wrong," she pleaded. "You can't kill him."

"What I can and can't do is my decision," Lady Gisela said, "Unlike what you seem to have done to my son."

"Seriously mom," Keefe said from behind Sophie, "I'm doing this for the Neverseen. And for Alden. The Black Swan—"

"The Black Swan," Lady Gisela snapped, "is our enemy. They did that to Alden in the first place. Or did you forget?" She took another step closer. The blade gleamed against the balefire, which also caused her face to be illuminated creepily. 

The light bounced around them as Lady Gisela took yet another step. "You've disappointed me Keefe. Again."

Sophie still couldn't move. But at least she was in front of Keefe. 

"How dare you disobey me and follow behind these people?" Lady Gisela yelled. "You let them brainwash you, didn't you?"

Keefe stayed silent, and Sophie couldn't see his expression. But a new thought was coming to her head. An uneasy one.

Sophie did have a new ability. This was what Mr. Forkle had prepared her for. Even if she had no idea how to do it. 

"I'm afraid it can't be like this any longer," Lady Gisela said, sadness breaking her voice. "I thought you could be someone Keefe. But clearly..."

Sophie hadn't practiced inflicting yet. She didn't know how it would feel. But she took one last look at Lady Gisela, still coming closer and closer, slowly— as if she didn't want to do what she had to do. And then Sophie shut her eyes, letting her fear spike the ability. And panic.

She had to save Keefe. She had to save Prentice, Councillor Emery, and herself.

Anger, sadness, confusion, and most of all, determination turned into red. All she could see was red. All she could feel was disgust at Lady Gisela and her audacity to want to kill Keefe. Confusion, as to how they had found them. All Sophie could feel was how much Keefe didn't deserve this. All she could feel was that she had to make. It. Stop. 

It stopped, just as sudden as it had arrived. Sophie opened her eyes and nearly screamed at the sight. Her head pounded in exhaustion. 

The Neverseen members were on the ground with Councillor Emery, and so was Prentice. Except they were still awake. But writhing in pain. 

Lady Gisela was the closest, groaning as if she had the ultimate headache. 

Pain Sophie had caused.

She stumbled as she glanced behind her— glad she could move again. The force field had disappeared too. Keefe wasn't in pain, thankfully. At least... not physically. 

He stared at his mother, eyes wide as he turned to stare at Sophie next.

"What—"

"I'm an inflictor," she explained. "Come on, we need to—"

"Mom?" Keefe hurried to Lady Gisela's side, kneeling to look at her. "What were you going to—"

Sophie gasped, "Get away from her, Keefe!" 

Lady Gisela took a deep breath. Her writhing had stopped, and now she was staring at her son. The blade had swept out of reach, and she was trying to sit up. 

The other Neverseen members were also trying to move, but they were just as disoriented. 

The calculated look in Gisela's eyes chilled Sophie to the bone. 

She stopped urging Keefe to back away. 

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry I disobeyed. I thought I was doing the right thing," Keefe said. He hesitated, "You weren't going to hurt me, were you? You weren't going to hurt Sophie?" 

Lady Gisela shook her head, wincing at the movement. "Of course not, son. I love you. Even if you do have to face the consequences of your actions."

"What?" Sophie gasped as she pulled her son into a hug. 

After their hug, Keefe stood up, frowning at Sophie. "I told you my mom wasn't going to kill me."

"But she said she would," Sophie argued. "She—"

"You're the one who tried to kill me," Lady Gisela spat.

"No I didn't!" Sophie shouted. 

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding—" Keefe offered, his expression still contorted in confusion. "Elves can't kill without—"

"No," Lady Gisela said. "We can't. But maybe she can."

Sophie's heart stopped. "I was trying to stop you from killing Keefe!"

"Haven't you realized how she's manipulated you?" Lady Gisela asked her son.

Keefe frowned, turning to Sophie, whose heart was beginning to pound. Faster and faster as his eyes lingered on hers. 

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the Neverseen members struggle to light leap away with Councillor Emery and Prentice. And she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't have the mental energy to inflict again. 

"Keefe—" Sophie began, but Lady Gisela shouted over her.

Lady Gisela should have looked weak, sitting in the ground of Exile. But she didn't look weak. Umber, Ruy, and Fintan were gone. She should have looked alone. No, she looked triumphant. As if she had planned this all along.

Sophie stiffened, "You tricked me," she realized. "You were never going to kill Keefe. You—"

But no one was listening to her.

"Haven't you noticed all the lies? Come on Keefe, use your common sense if not your ability. Sure, she's trying to fix Alden. But have you ever wondered why?"

The air turned colder as Keefe took his eyes away from Sophie's. "What are you saying? What are you accusing her of?"

"What task did I give you ever since I found out what happened to Alden?" 

"To find the Moonlark Project," Keefe said slowly. "To find the Black Swan's weapon. And to destroy it. But mom, we're not sure that actually did anything to Alden any—"

"And has it ever occurred to you that the weapon the Black Swan created was what Alden was searching for in the first place? The thing he and his sons were trying to find in the Forbidden Cities?"

Sophie felt her heart drop as Keefe's eyes widened. "No," he whispered.

"Yes," Lady Gisela insisted. "Did it ever occur to you that the thing they made was a living being? A child? A symbolic Moonlark, left alone to fend for itself with its abominable, altered abilities that could be used as weapons? An elf, capable of fixing minds that shouldn't be fixed all for their supposed greater good? Who can hurt without guilt?"

Keefe stepped away from his mother. And Sophie didn't realize how much pain there'd be in her heart when he stepped away from her too, glancing at her as he took in what his mom had just said. "Is it true?" He asked Sophie, his eyes full of betrayal.

Sophie felt a tear slip down her cheek. What would his mother make him do?  Or would she have to tell him to do it? Would he kill her himself? Was that what the blade was really for? Or would they hold her captive to ask questions? 

Would he hurt her? 

"I'm the Moonlark," she answered, trembling as the words echoed eerily. "It's true."

Keefe stared at her, the silence dragging her down into acceptance.

And then the Empath's expression flickered with anger as he stepped in front of his mom and Sophie. 

"Step to the side Keefe," Lady Gisela barked. "Grab her."

But when he turned towards Sophie, she realized that he had no intention of doing that.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at her, his face contorted in rage. "Get away from here! Go!"

Sophie was too surprised to move immediately, but once she'd processed the fact that he was letting her go, she began to run.

Lady Gisela's shouts of surprise and frustration echoed through the halls. 

Sophie had been afraid that they'd leave Exile without Prentice. 

But she hadn't considered that she'd leave without Keefe too.

Chapter Text

Biana had been invisible for most of the chaos. She'd tripped dwarves and yelled out for them to follow her voice only to find no one. She'd run around and stumbled on rocks when Tam's shadows had darkened her vision.

Fitz had stepped on her right toe four times. 

She was tired, grumpy and slightly wounded. And Sophie still hadn't contacted Fitz.

Dex's mother had just managed to trap the dwarves behind ice walls and ground to save them some time. The only problem was that they were trapped too. And it was getting cold. 

She'd been able to jump into their enclosure just in time. Valin had not been so lucky.

She tried to hide her smirk as the dwarves' warped voices yelled at him. He sounded scared, shouting about him being forced into this.

"Now what?" Tam asked. 

"I'm trying to get to Sophie now, but I don't think I can..." Fitz muttered," Especially with all that noise Valin is making."

"Everyone just gather next to me. If things keep happening I'm going to have to take you back," Squall said over Valin's yelling.

The three of them obeyed, distancing themselves as much as they could from the icy walls.

But the floor was also cold, and Biana was starting to feel it. 

Now she wished she was back in the desert, where the sun had been burning against her skin. 

"You guys never learned about temperature regulation in Foxfire, did you?" Tam asked, raising an eyebrow at Fitz, whose teeth were chattering.

"N- no, because only weird people know how— how to do that," Biana said between her own shivers. Great.

"Typical Vackers, my husband would say," Squall teased, but it wasn't mean. "Just concentrate on all things hot. Like where we were at the beginning of our journey here."

Biana had already tried this, and it hadn't helped as much as she wished. She was almost grateful when she noticed the dwarves trying to break through the ice. 

Squall covered up the cracked parts quickly. But it wouldn't last. She was getting tired.

"Here," Biana jumped as Tam offered her his cloak.

"What— I'm not that cold. Why doesn't Fitz get it?" She pointed at her brother, who was raising an eyebrow questionably. 

"Because his lips aren't turning blue," Tam said, with a teasing tone. "And his cloak is thicker."

Biana sucked up her pride and wrapped the cloak around her arms, "Thanks."

They remained like this for a few more precious minutes— Valin yelling outside, dwarves crashing into the ice walls and the ice floor, Biana trying to warm herself up so she would stop shivering— before Fitz cursed.

"It's not good," he said, probably having finished a conversation with Sophie. "The Councillors and the Nevers—"

"Wait," Tam interrupted, "Valin stopped yelling."

They all stopped making noise to listen. Had the dwarves taken Valin? 

An enormous crash was followed by a storm of jagged ice. Squall deflected them the best she could, while Biana covered herself from the icy shrapnel.

Then she saw what had made that crash. A dark, strange consistency backed away before colliding with the ice again. The wall completely fell down to reveal a familiar figure in a cloak.

"Umber," Biana whispered, Tam's cloak falling off her shoulders. 

"Deck," Umber snarled. "Or should I say... Biana Vacker?"

"Hide!" Fitz hissed at her, but this only brought Umber's attention to him.

"Even better. Two Vackers!" 

The dark consistency was shadowflux, Biana remembered. This was what Umber had threatened her and Keefe with the other day. 

This was Biana's last thought before the shadowflux launched towards her.

Tam raised his own shadowvapor, quickly wrapping it around Umber's shadowflux. He tossed it aside, cracking his knuckles. This was his fight.

The remaining dwarves on the other hand, were glaring at them. 

Biana tumbled before another wave of shadowflux hit her. She wanted to Vanish— but she was afraid that Umber would only have Fitz as a target then. If they moved quickly, Umber would grow exhausted from fighting first. 

Squall tossed her own shields of ice for them and herself, exhaustion causing her own disguise to begin to melt. 

"Biana! Move!" Fitz yelled, pushing her away before another burst of shadowflux crashed right where they'd been.

She held onto her brother, afraid that he'd get hit too. "We need to leave."

Tam was losing control, being overpowered by Umber's shadowflux.

Umber closed in on him, "You know, I'm going to let you live because you have potential. Nothing to do with your annoying twin sister. Your Vacker friends, however..."

Biana clenched her brother's arm as Umber turned her covered head towards their direction. 

"Vanish!" Fitz urged. 

But Biana had a feeling Umber had a plan for that. 

She hissed a couple of words Biana didn't understand. But the shadowflux pooling from her nails didn't go to them as she'd expected. The shadowflux knocked Squall off her feet. 

"No!" Biana yelled, as the darkness stabbed Dex's mother through the arm.

A sickening crack suggested that it had broken something. Squall cried out in pain. 

"And now, which little Vacker is next?" Umber sneered as Tam struggled fighting against the darkness. 

"Neither of them," someone said from being them.

And a flash of light hit against the shadows, so bright that Biana had to shield her eyes.

"Wylie?" Tam yelled. "Lady Adyn?"

Sure enough, both of Tam's mentors (or babysitters, as Biana had teased him) looked like they'd just run a marathon. And they were there. In Exile? 

Biana took this moment to hurry to Squall's side. Her arm was broken, and they needed to get her to Elwin. Immediately. 

Umber growled in frustration. "You dare defy me with your weak light?"

"Weak?" Lady Adyn laughed, "Mr. Endal's light is the opposite. It's about to get rid of your darkness."

"How are you here?" Tam asked. 

"What Emissary credentials did you think the Black Swan used to get here Mr. Song?" Lady Adyn asked as Wylie stepped towards Umber.

"You're in the Black Swan?" Tam steadily raised his own hands to fight. 

"Only when it's convenient. And your friend here said something about his dad..?"

"Dads," Wylie scowled. "You're here for Prentice, and my adoptive dad is here too. Have you guys seen Granite?"

Umber laughed, "The Neverseen has your real dad, Endal. And if you want to see him again, I suggest you stop fighting and come with me."

Biana froze, turning to Fitz for confirmation. He grimly nodded. 

The Neverseen had Prentice.

"Never," Wylie countered, after a moment. But he looked shaken. The fight began again.

Meanwhile, Biana was trying to prop up Dex's mother. "We need to get her out of here."

Fitz helped her, "You think Tam can handle himself with Lady Adyn and Wylie?"

"I don't know about Lady Adyn. She's not doing much," Biana nodded towards the Emissary, who was watching Tam and Wylie face Umber. "But she did get Wylie in here. And us apparently. She's on our side."

"Get her to Elwin!" Tam yelled from a few yards away. 

Fitz nodded, raising his pathfinder to the light... of which there was plenty of. They hailed Elwin as soon as they arrived on the grounds of Foxfire.

-

Keefe was gone. Dex was currently in custody of the Councillors. Prentice was with the Neverseen.

And Valin had been captured by the dwarves. 

Sophie was staring at the floor. Fitz had just punched a wall— another thing for Elwin to heal. They both hadn't taken the Keefe and Lady Gisela news well. 

But Biana had expected it.

Tam was talking to Lady Adyn and Wylie about Umber, and whatever this shadowflux was. 

And now it was Biana's turn to talk to the Councillors. She rubbed her temples before she left the Healing Center to the classroom closest to it. 

Of course, she was the least wounded. Only her toe hurt.

She knew she should be grateful, but did they really have to throw her to the wolves like that?  

Councillors Oralie, Kenric and Bronte were waiting for her. 

She nervously curtsied, mentally cursing the outfit she'd chosen that day. It wasn't as professional as she'd like.

"Please sit," Kenric said kindly.

Bronte glared at him, and Oralie sat next to Biana, offering her her hand.

"I'm not going to lie," Biana muttered, taking the Councillor's hand anyway. "We just wanted to save Prentice. He shouldn't be there. My dad made a mistake. And we thought that by waking him up, my dad would wake up too. That's all we wanted to do. I don't know how the Neverseen got there. I'm... I'm so sorry."

They listened to her tell them the extent of what she knew. She was careful to make it sound like they were doing the right thing. And yet—

"We must get Councillor Emery back," Oralie said. "It's the decision the Council came to. Your punishment won't be severe if this happens. I'm sorry, there's not much we could do to persuade them."

"But he's with the Neverseen! We didn't take him."

"We know," Bronte admitted. "But you initiated this mess."

"You initiated it when Prentice was forsaken to being like that," Biana reminded him. "How do you expect us to get Councillor Emery back?"

"I'm sorry Miss Vacker," Kenric said. "But it really is the most we could do. The three of us... including Grumpy pants here all vouched for you. But you, your friends and Juline Dizznee will have to face consequences."

Somehow, Lady Adyn Tam and Wylie had avoided being found as guilty as everyone else. Lady Adyn's status probably had to do with that. Granite, or apparently Tiergan had managed to escape without being noticed.

They hadn't seen him since he'd found out that Prentice was in the hands of the Neverseen.

He hadn't taken it well at all.

"Dex Dizznee will remain in custody until Councillor Emery returns," Oralie added, clearly not agreeing with this ruling. The distasteful look on her face said enough. 

"Dex?" Biana asked, bewildered by this decision. "Why him? You're seriously imprisoning him? I already told you, we can't do anything!"

"We caught him allying himself with Keefe Sencen. A suspected Neverseen member," Bronte said. "Miss Foster will have a tribunal like him. But due to her unprecedented circumstances, she will not be taken there. For now."

"And Mr. Dizznee will not go through any harm," Kenric added. "He'll be taken care of in Lumenaria."

"Lumenaria," Biana repeated. "That's a prison for diplomatic prisoners!"

"Which Dex technically is," Oralie explained softly. "For now."

"Until the Neverseen magically gets Councillor Emery back."

The three Councillors nodded.

Biana shook her head, "This... this is wrong. Dex did nothing wrong. He was trying to get my dad back!"

She stood up, "You need to come up with better policies."

Before she left the room, she remembered to curtsy. And she slammed the door all the same.

Biana explained the peculiar decision to her friends when she got back to the healing center. Their reactions were expected. 

Juline was obviously vivid, "They can't hold my son in there!" She cried, and she tried to get up. But Elwin stopped her, and so did Kesler and her triplets when they'd gotten there. The shadowflux had maimed Dex's mother terribly, and she was going to have to stay there for a while.

-

"We failed," Sophie whispered to Biana after a few days. She and Fitz has gone to Havenfield to visit Sophie, since Grady and Edaline hadn't let her out yet. "We lost Prentice and Councillor Emery. Dex is in Lumenaria. Even Valin is missing. And..."

She didn't say Keefe's name. She'd already told them what happened. How Lady Gisela had tricked her into hurting her with her abilities in front of Keefe.

How Keefe knew she was the Moonlark now. He knew was supposed to kill her.

And for some reason, he'd let her go.

"We didn't fail. Keefe betrayed us," Fitz snapped.

"His mother has too much of a hold on him," Biana said sadly. 

"And yet..." Sophie muttered.

"What?" Both Biana and Fitz asked.

"He let me go."

They didn't have an answer for that. But Biana frowned. "Sophie... you're not thinking about—"

"I spoke to Sandor before he left to Candleshade. He told me the exact time Keefe and the Exilium kids are given a break. And where he can be found in the grounds. I haven't tried hailing yet, but..."

Sandor had taken the news that his charge was back home and not with them irritably. They hadn't exactly informed him of everything that had happened.

"You want to talk to Keefe?" Fitz asked, staring at Sophie as if she had just told them she wanted to talk to an inanimate object. 

"This is crazy Sophie," Biana warned. "He's supposed to kill you. You said it yourself. Just because he let you go once doesn't mean he will this time. And what if someone else sees you. You can't..."

"Do you want to save your dad or not?" Sophie asked.

"Maybe I can get him to let Emery go, for Dex. And I can get him to bring Prentice back. He knows that we just want to wake up your dad. He wants that too."

"Maybe someone else should go," Biana suggested. 

"No," Sophie stood up. "He needs to hear this from me."

"This is a bad idea," Biana said again.

But Sophie wasn't listening to them anymore. "I'll just talk to Calla. She can get me there safely. I'll be quick. And safe."

"And I'm coming with you," Biana added.

Sophie frowned, "But—"

"No buts. I'll Vanish. I'll stay with Calla. But I am not letting you go alone to Candleshade. We're saving my dad, Councillor Emery, Prentice and Dex. And maybe even Keefe," Biana cleared her throat. "You're not alone in this Sophie."

Sophie sighed. "Deal."

Fitz frowned, "I'll stay in touch with you. When will you be going?"

"Tomorrow."

"You've had this plan for a while now, haven't you?" Biana asked.

Sophie nodded. "Yup."

"Thanks for telling us," Fitz said. "Even if... have I mentioned that this is insane?"

It probably was. But it was a plan. And Biana had something to do. She really hoped Keefe hadn't changed his mind about letting Sophie go.

Chapter Text

Sophie's party of two became a party of three when Biana insisted that she go with her to Candleshade. She'd already talked to Grady and Edaline about it— and they thought her plan was just as crazy and Fitz did.

But Dex still hadn't been released and Prentice was in the hands of the Neverseen.

And Keefe was her only chance at fixing that. 

Even though Sophie was scared of what could happen. 

Her, Biana and Calla left just ten minutes before the time Sandor had given her. She hoped the protective goblin would still let her talk to his charge.

They walked under the ground for a bit, Biana and Calla discussing Vanishing and how Biana couldn't find a way to fully hide from Calla.

"Remember they gave us fifteen minutes," Calla whispered as they resurfaced under some very tall pures.

Sophie looked around, trying to remember what Sandor had told her. 

The Exilium kids practiced in the forest, North of Candleshade. 

Sometimes, Keefe would be a little more to the West.

Biana was already invisible, "If you need any help, I'm a few steps behind you."

Sophie nodded, "Let's do this."

Calla stayed where their escape was, assuring them that she'd be there when they were done.

The first person they ran into was Linh.

Linh was practicing with the water of a small creek, where tiny, colorful fishes swam in peacefully.

She was startled when Sophie headed into the clearing. "Sophie?"

"I need to talk with Keefe."

Linh gave her a weird look, "And why would I let you do that? Why not just turn you in?"

"Because it's two against one," Biana said, appearing from a few feet away.

"You know, it's not smart to threaten a hydrokinetic near a water source," Linh warned. "And the last I heard about both of you is that you manipulated Keefe. And you, Sophie are what happened to Alden. You're what Keefe has been looking for. And you're the reason he's in huge trouble with his mom."

"His mother told me she was going to kill him!" Sophie snapped.

"Yeah, Keefe and I already talked about this. Even if what you're saying it's true, you shouldn't have tried to kill her." 

"I was never going to kill her. I was inflicting on her so she wouldn't hurt Keefe!"

"Even then. You lied to him. And I don't think he'd want to see you."

"For goodness sake," Biana rolled her eyes. "We're not going to kidnap him, if that's what you're asking. Remember Dex? He's in prison because you guys have Councillor Emery!"

"Maybe they could trade him off for Gethen," Linh suggested.

"Gethen?" 

"Oh, they're keeping that silent? Weird. Gethen was captured the other day, working on a secret project."

"Well even then," Biana said, "We still need Prentice to wake my dad up. Something Keefe cared about a few days ago..."

"He doesn't believe you anymore," Linh said, snapping her fingers so that a trickle of water made graceful swirls around the creek. "And for the record, neither do I."

"So you're going to turn us in?" Sophie asked.

"We'll see. Keefe would kill me if I didn't let you talk to him first."

"So you're getting him?"

"I'll hail him right now. But there's a condition. Only you can talk to him," Linh pointed at Sophie. "I don't want any unnecessary business."

"I'm unnecessary now?" Biana asked. 

"On the contrary. If someone's going to kill Keefe, my bet's on you. And I have a few questions about Tam. I can also bet that you know him better too." 

After that pleasant conversation, and Linh hailing him, it took Keefe two minutes to arrive.

Biana and Linh left, discussing who knew what about Tam. They stood close enough to see them, but far away enough so that they couldn't hear them.

Suddenly, Sophie missed having a friend around. She'd prepared for this conversation, but in the last few minutes it had completely disintegrated from her brain.

They stood on opposite sides of the creek, staring at each other painfully.

"What are you doing here?" Keefe asked, scowling at her.

Okay. He was mad.

Not a good sign.

"I was trying to protect you."

"I told you my mom is good at manipulating, Sophie! I told you she'd never kill me! You shouldn't have believed her!"

"Like you believe her?"

"Well are you the Moonlark, or not?"

"I'm also your friend."

Keefe shook his head, "You were right before. We shouldn't trust each other. This... whatever this is— it's not about us. It's about Alden and saving him. That's it. That's all we are."

"And that's why you're not going to kill me right now?" Sophie asked. "That's why you let me go?"

"Yeah. You're just the Moonlark, trying to fix her mistakes. I'll help you with that."

Sophie felt as if she'd been slapped.

Keefe sighed, unable to meet her eyes, "Just... let me know if I can help with Alden. Otherwise, stay away from me."

"We need Prentice!"

"I don't believe you!" He yelled. "The Black Swan just needs their member back. And I'm not going to hand him to you!"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Dex is in Lumenaria because you guys have Councillor Emery! Can't you do anything?"

"No! And even if I wanted to, I don't know where either of them are being held. And if I let them go, my mother is not going to be happy. She already hates me, by the way. For letting you go. Heard she told you that this was a test to see if I was ready for my Legacy. Apparently, I'm not."

"Well then—"

"Don't you get it Foster? I have to kill you! I'm supposed to hurt you! So just... leave!"

"Or else what? I still don't understand," Sophie knew she was testing it, but she needed for him to see that his mother was wrong. Not the Black Swan. 

"I don't know! And I don't want to find out!" Keefe snapped.

"Why?" Sophie asked, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

"Just stay away from me, Okay?" He repeated.

"Keefe—"

"Come on Sophie, it was eventually going to lead up to this. I get why you lied. I mean— I basically talked about killing you with you all the time! Like an idiot! But it's over. Leave."

"So this is all for Alden," she clarified. "The only reason you're not killing the Black Swan's weapon. What happens when I heal him? Are you going to kill me then?"

"No," he grumbled, finally turning his head to look at her in the eyes. His glare made her heart ache— maybe because it was sadder than angry. "No, I don't want to hurt you. Because..." he sighed, "Because I care about you, okay?"

"Then—"

"I care about you, Sophie! But you're the reason we're all in this mess in the first place and maybe I'd be better off if I didn't care about you. But I do, so please leave."

Sophie huffed, refusing to let Keefe have the last word. She stormed over to him, past the creek and until they were both facing each other angrily. 

"Let's hope it doesn't come to you having to kill me, because I'll be winning that fight. You stay away from me."

She turned around, not wanting to see his reaction. 

She hoped she never saw him again.

Chapter Text

Dex had been in his cell for who knew how long. The goblins would bring him meals at the most random times— and he'd been woken up from what he swore was a twenty minute nap once.

His accomodations were alright. The food was pretty good. He had books to read. A comfy bed.

And he even had letters from his parents.

But confinement without seeing anyone was getting boring.

Also, Iggy was there too.

Yes. And Dex had dyed him neon yellow. And there was another imp somewhere...

Why were there so many imps? Had they caused trouble too? 

Dex hadn't done anything bad. He'd just broken into Exile to save Prentice! And somehow he'd ended up captured by the Councillors while Sophie and Keefe ran into the unknown.

That day, Dex had just woken up from a nap and he was reading a letter from Rex when the cell door creaked loudly.

"What—"

"Dex?" Biana shouted, struggling with the lock. "We're here to get you out of here!"

Dex hurried to her side to help. "I know how to open this lock! The problem's the goblins. Where are the goblins?"

The imps flew around him desperately. They wanted to leave too. 

Biana breathed a sigh of relief as the door swung open. "No time to explain! Come on!"

"You know how to get out of here?" Dex asked following her around the hallways and hallways of cells and rooms.

"Yeah! Just follow me!" Biana insisted, reaching out to tug his hand so he'd move faster.

But they weren't getting anywhere. Dex stiffened at the next turn, so she'd stop.

"You don't know where you're going, do you?" He asked.

Biana groaned, "This is all my fault. Fitz is going to get so mad at me."

"At least you're here," Dex tried helpfully. Biana looked so distraught... her pretty teal eyes shone with prospective tears and her hands had dropped to her sides.

"I missed you," she whispered. 

Dex's heart beat against his chest at what seemed an impossible pace. "I missed you too."

And suddenly she was cupping his face and she was getting on her tiptoes. And his hands were lightly touching her hair and she kissing him and—

Dex woke up in a cold sweat. He sat up quickly, the dream immediately coming back to his mind

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled in his imp-free, good food-free, letter-free and thankfully Biana-free cell in Lumenaria. And the bed was not comfortable at all. In fact, he'd just confirmed that it was prone to bring him nightmares. 

The only thing his dream has gotten right was the weird schedule and how boring it was. Also, he had no idea how much time he'd been there. A week? Two? 

"Something wrong?" His goblin guard asked from the door.

"I need to get out of here," Dex informed her. 

The goblin snorted, "You and me both buddy."

"No. I'm serious. Either that or... you got a sedative that will knock me out without any dreams?"

"Ah. Nightmares," the goblin's grin flashed in the darkness. "What was it about?"

Dex groaned, "The worst thing in the world."

"Really? And what's that?"

He'd kissed Biana Vacker in a dream.

He was officially going insane. 

"Please get me a sedative!" He begged.

"I'll ask the next guard to get some," the goblin said. 

"I'm not going to sleep anymore today. Might as well pretend it's morning," Dex grumbled.

"Smart. It usually takes prisoners longer to figure that out, from what I'm told." 

"Maybe it's because I'm not supposed to be a prisoner!"

"I know your story. But they're waiting for the Councillor to show up. They can't release you before that."

"They can't release him! We're not even in the same group! The Neverseen—"

A faint creak interrupted him.

The goblin cursed, "You woke her up!" She hissed.

Dex could hear scuffling from a few yards away, but he could see nothing but his goblin guard who was tossing her slick ponytail from side to side as she shook her head. "They're going to get mad at me for letting you make such a ruckus."

"Should've gotten me that sedative."

"Ooh, you're snarky too. Not getting you any pointers for when I talk to your Councillors about you."

"Whatever," Dex muttered. "Just tell them I'm going crazy. Because that's true. My brain is dying."

"I'll let them know."

-

A few uneventful days passed until Dex heard a distant shouting.

"The new prisoner," Ponytail told him. She wasn't his only guard, but she was the only one who talked to him. Even though she still refused to tell him her name. So he'd started to call her Ponytail.

"What'd he do?" Dex asked.

"He's from the Neverseen. The Councillors caught him."

"Really?" Dex asked. "For once?"

Ponytail laughed, "Careful. And yes, he's a telepath. We don't know much about him. But— ooh sounds like they need help. You're not going to cause any trouble... are you?"

Dex shrugged in response, "We'll see."

Even if he did manage to open the lock, there was no way he'd know how to get out. They'd brought him in through so many twists and turns... and he'd been blindfolded. 

Ponytail smirked before she left, and he could hear other goblins also rushing to help with the new prisoner.

The silence unnerved him. Especially since he knew there were other prisoners around. Secret prisoners that no one remembered. Who'd actually done something wrong. 

"The Neverseen. What an interesting group," a heavily accented, woman's voice echoed from afar.

Dex didn't respond, biting his lip as whoever this was chuckled wearily. 

"Oh, now you can't speak? I've been hearing your chattering for the past fourteen days! Or fifteen? I always lose count."

Dex cleared his throat, "Why're you speaking to me now?"

"Because the goblins are all over there with their new prisoner. If what you say about the Neverseen is true... then he may just be our way out of here."

Dex froze. Sure, he wanted to leave. But he didn't want other prisoners on the loose. "How?"

"We'll see. I get communication sometimes, you know? Goblins who will whisper or be traitorous to their kind. Like yours right now, for example. She's quite friendly. That's the chink in her armor. Mine on the other hand... ugh. They never talk."

Dex could hear the scuffling coming closer. 

"What do you want?"

"To see if you want to leave too. You sound like a resourceful technopath."

Yeah... no. Dex was not going to work for this mysterious evil lady. Especially if she was somehow getting news from the Neverseen.

"Of course, you don't have to join us. I would never force you into that. But... you could owe me a favor."

She must've taken his silence as a yes, because she chuckled. "Excellent."

And he didn't say anything against it. After all, he did want to get out of there. 

She stopped talking as a man was dragged by four goblins, clearly having put up a fight despite being blindfolded and probably sedated at some point. 

After they left again, the lady laughed again, "Yes. I think this time is the right time. No more nightmares for us Mr. Dizznee."

"Alright," he said. "What do I do?"

"Nothing for now. Stay on the low. Oh... and I'll tell you my name, unlike that goblin friend of yours."

Dex sucked in his breath as he heard her repeat the familiar name.

"Call me Vespera."

Chapter Text

"Who were you talking to the other day?" Lady Gisela snapped, making Keefe jump.

"I talk to a lot of people."

"Sandor has informed me that you were out of his sight for about five minutes and thirty two seconds."

Keefe glared at the goblin, who shrugged at him as he left the room to give them privacy. "I'm out of his sight whenever I go to the bathroom, mom. Surely he can handle me having a conversation with Linh about the girls she likes."

Keefe had had about enough of his mom. She'd manipulated him, hoping he'd figure out Sophie was the Moonlark by himself. And in that process, he'd become her friend.

And now he was expected to kill her?

No way.

Especially since his mother had manipulated her too. Keefe knew as much as this. 

This was one of the reasons Keefe was tempted to find out what Lady Gisela was hiding. Because even though Sophie had lied to him, so had his mom.

He was still hoping that he was wrong. That his mom didn't mean for him to kill Sophie. That there was an explanation for all these things that didn't add up. Nightfall? What was that? Why had that happened? 

Sophie, again crept up to his thoughts. She'd just... foolishly arrived thinking she could make him do something for the Black Swan again. 

But had she actually been foolish? Had he not let her go? 

He'd just done it again. And he didn't want his mother to know.

Why? Why did he not want Sophie to get caught? And yet, why did he continue to want to prove that his mother wasn't bad? 

Because if both of his parents were incapable of being good, then what did that mean about him? He had to hold on to that hope. That hope that his mom was doing the right thing.

And why, oh why did he get a fluttery feeling whenever he thought of Sophie? Why did he want to protect her from his mom? 

Why was everything so complicated? Why couldn't the Moonlark be an ugly, evil gadget? Why did Sophie have to be the Moonlark?

"You're lucky Gethen isn't here," Lady Gisela snapped. "And that I have to go finish some business right now. We'll talk about this later."

"What's my legacy?" Keefe blurted. "Huh? Because I'm beginning to not trust you mom. You keep lying and for all I know, there is no legacy."

His mother sighed, "I never should have assumed you'd figure out who the Moonlark was. You're still too soft."

"I am not soft! I am normal! And I need an answer, if you want me to keep pursuing this dream of yours."

His mother shook her head, "You're not ready."

"Screw being ready! Is killing... Sophie my legacy? Because if that's it, then I can't do it. I don't care if she's a weird evil weapon. She's a person too. And—"

"Confronting her is not your legacy Keefe. She was just a test to see if you were strong enough. But you're not."

"Strong enough for what? Can't you tell me so I can prove it?"

"Oh, alright!" Lady Gisela yelled. "You're pestering me like a five year old!"

"Takes one to know one."

They glared at each other, before Lady Gisela grabbed his wrist. He pulled back, but her grip only tightened. 

Enough to hurt.

"One day, you will gain a new ability Keefe. It's what I've had planned for you since before you were born. Because you will be the answer. Not the Black Swan's experiment. You. You will be much more powerful than anyone. And hopefully soon, you will be ready to embrace the change."

She let go, ignoring his blanching face as she pulled a blue crystal out of her pocket. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a few prisoners to attend to."

-

Keefe begged Sandor (he convinced him he was in danger) to let him ask Linh for help. She'd been to the prison before, which was apparently in an unknown location in the Forbidden Cities, hidden with obscurers.

He'd quickly explained to them that he no longer trusted his mother. He'd heard plenty of lies and manipulation before. But this had to be the biggest trash she'd fished out of her head. A new ability? It almost made him laugh, if it weren't for the serious look on her face.

His mother had been hiding things for too long. Maybe he had been drinking her koolaid. 

And it was time to find out how much koolaid he'd been drinking. 

Linh leaped them with a borrowed crystal, a plan already set in motion. She bit her lip, "We shouldn't be doing this."

"We shouldn't!" Sandor agreed. "I'm sure whatever it is, I can protect you from it just—"

"Be quiet! Both of you!" Keefe snapped. "Stay here and keep watch and cause a distraction— just go back when you finish your part Linh. I'm just going to see what exactly my mom is up to with Councillor Emery."

After his bodyguard and friend nodded, Keefe sneaked closer to the building. Linh strolled ahead as confidently as she could, waving at the guard, whom she knew from Exilium. "Hey! What are you still doing here? Isn't it my shift tonight?"

"Uh... no. I just got here."

"Wait. Is it not Thursday?"

"It's Monday."

Keefe took this confused moment to hide behind a pedestal, and when Linh was making her apology extra-long, and the guard was staring at her weirdly, he ran inside.

The hallway with the prisoners was locked, but a small rectangular shaped window allowed Keefe to kneel and see his mother's heels being traced by her own shadow. He made sure he was well hidden enough by the darkness and pedestals, before he settled in.

His mother's shadow had finally stopped along with the clicks and clacks of her steps. She seemed to be standing in front of a cell.

Keefe rolled his eyes. She was being dramatic, as always. 

"Councillor Emery," Lady Gisela said, her voice oozing with mock respect. "Did you know that your Councillors have attempted to bribe us so that we let you go?"

Councillor Emery's voice was scratchy, like they hadn't given him enough water, "And what did they offer?"

"No, don't worry. It's nothing you're thinking. In fact, it's a clean deal. They captured one of our own. Our telepath."

"And they want to trade," Emery understood. 

"That's the idea," Keefe's mother said. Her shadow sunk, as if she were sitting down.

"And what about all these other prisoners? That man you have in front of me... his mind is broken. And her—"

Keefe frowned. The first person had to be Prentice. But her? Who was her? Who else did his mother have as a prisoner? And why wasn't she speaking?

"Isn't it interesting that no one has offered anything for them yet? It may come. I don't think some realize we have any of them."

"So what is your point? That you'll let me go for your Telepath?"

Gisela laughed, "Unfortunately for you Councillor Emery, we will not take the deal."

There was a long silence before the Councillor spoke up again, "And why is that?"

"Because the Black Swan has declared war on us, Councillor. The Council itself has declared war on us."

"We've done no such thing. You and the Black Swan created the rebellion."

"The Black Swan has a much different agenda than war Councillor Emery. But I am not here to talk about them today. You can see what they do to their own people right in front of you. I think you and your fellow Councillors helped, didn't they?"

"Secrets cannot be kept from the Council for the good of everyone Lady Gisela. Including some enhanced child in the Forbidden Cities."

Keefe tensed at the mention of Sophie, but they didn't discuss her any further. 

"Then there will be no secrets between us," Lady Gisela'a shadow shifted as the creak of the cell door opening echoed along the halls. 

"I've been feeling you trying to get into my head Councillor. I'd advise you against that. After all, I'm about to tell you a secret. The real reason we will not be turning you in in the exchange of our own, is because Gethen is exactly where we want him to be."

Gethen had allowed himself to be captured? Why? 

Keefe squinted as he tried to see what his mother's shadow was doing. She'd reached for something in her cloak. Another leaping crystal? 

Councillor Emery's own shadow came into Keefe's view as it stepped towards hers. "What do you mean?"

"Your Council is stupid to think that we'd allow ourselves to be captured so easily. But it works in our favor. Also..."

Keefe frowned. Was that a stick? A pathfinder? 

"I can't possibly let you go now that you know my secret, Emery. You and I both know that. I also cannot trade you off because—"

Her shadow lunged with what Keefe recognized too late as a blade. 

Councillor Emery gasped in fright, and then in pain. His shadow collapsed with the blade stuck onto it. 

Keefe wasn't sure if the blood trickling on the ground was real or a figment of his imagination. 

"—because you're dead," Lady Gisela sneered at Councillor Emery's corpse.

Chapter Text

Keefe covered his mouth to hide his own terrified scream. Sweat poured down his forehead, and he felt light headed.

He needed to throw up.

His own panting breaths repulsed him as he ran to the door, tears blurring his vision as he sprinted past the guard. Linh was still talking to him about the days of the week. Apparently she could have a long conversation if she wanted to. 

He ran past the trees and past the bushes and into Sandor, who'd been waiting for him worriedly.

"Are you alright? Mr. Sencen?" He squeaked.

But all Keefe could focus on was the churning in his stomach and his sudden inability to breathe. And visions of blood tricking on the stony ground.

Linh must've been there too, having left the confused guard when she saw him sprinting past like a maniac. 

"What's wrong? What happened?" Her voice echoed from far, far away.

Keefe vomited into the trees, his crying choking him up. Once he was finished, Linh gently hugged him. 

His friend drew moisture from the air and helped him drink it slowly as he calmed down.

But the anguish was still in his heart.

He'd just witnessed his mother murdering a Councillor. He'd just seen her kill someone. 

All this time... he'd fallen for her tricks. He'd let her wander into his mind and his heart, and toy with them to her benefit. 

What else had she lied about? 

"She killed him," Keefe was surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. Similar to Emery's, right before he was stabbed. Sandor and Linh helped him sit down, hiding from the prison behind the trees.

"Who?" Sandor asked. "Who died?"

"Councillor Emery. My mother stabbed him."

Linh covered her mouth with her hands, tears forming in her own eyes. "But—"

"She lied to us Linh. They were right. Fitz and Biana and Sophie and Tam and Dex were right. The Neverseen is using us. And they're bad. They're bad, and my mom is a leader and she's—"

Sandor nudged him and he shut up, standing up carefully. A sound of heels clicking across the floor made him nauseous again.

Linh and Sandor both gripped his hands as Lady Gisela walked out and yelled at the guard, "I checked on the prisoners! But... Councillor Emery is dead!"

The guard, an Exilium boy of a maximum of sixteen years old backed away from her, "What do you mean?"

"He's been stabbed," Lady Gisela's voice sounded teary, "By Prentice Endal. He must've woken up at some point! There was blood everywhere and I was just going to release Emery in exchange for Gethen..."

"She's lying," Keefe whispered, shaking as he watched his mother put on a very convincing show. "She's doing that so she can go back and tell me a Black Swan member killed the Councillor."

He froze. "She's going to go back to tell me." 

He couldn't face his mother. Not after that. Not ever.

"What do we do?" He hissed as Lady Gisela leaped after ordering the guard to clean up the best he could.

"We don't have much time," Linh turned to Sandor. "What about you Sandor? What do you think we should do?"

Sandor studied Keefe, who probably looked like an idiot with blotchy cheeks and snot. And he probably smelled of his own barf.

"My task is to protect you Mr. Sencen. And I don't think your mother is the safest person you can be with. But the Black Swan—"

"Then we won't go to the Black Swan," Linh said. "We can go to my house. With Tam. We can meet him and... I don't know. But I have the pathfinder!"

Keefe's heart paced against his chest. He was going to leave his mom. Once she realized he wasn't in Candleshade, it would be too late.

But there was Prentice. And Emery. And whoever else was in there.

"We can't leave yet," he said. "We have to go back inside and take them with us."

-

It smelled like blood. 

Keefe gagged when he noticed the guard trying in vain to get it out of the cracks on the floor. 

"Need help?" Linh asked as Keefe and Sandor hid behind the same wall Keefe had witnessed the murder in. 

This time, they were standing so he could see them and Emery's lifeless body.

The door had been left open this time— the guard looked just as queasy as Keefe felt and clearly needed some air and a quick way to run. "Why are you still here? I told you, it's Monday."

"Well I was about to leave when she told you to clean," Linh explained. "How about I clean up for you and you don't tell Umber that I messed up my schedule?"

The guard considered this, squinting at her suspiciously and then looking back at Emery's body, "Well, she's going to come back soon. Probably went to get that obnoxious son of hers."

"Great. Then you can stand guard. That's your job anyway," Linh said, patting him on the shoulder. "Really, it's okay. I'm a hydrokinetic. I can clean this place out a lot quicker than you can."

Once the guard had finally agreed and left to the entrance, Keefe and Sandor hurried to her side.

Linh had slowly closed Emery's eyes, and now she was cleaning the blood on his arms with water. Keefe could tell she was trying not to cry too. "You're not going to believe this," she said, nodding over at the prison cell next to Prentice's.

Keefe gasped when he saw her.

And Ro glared at him, yelling what must've been obscenities... except he couldn't hear her.

"An ogre?" Sandor wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"It's the Princess," Keefe said, eyes widening as he remembered the disease and how his mother had told him the Neverseen had been looking for the Panakes.

That clearly hadn't been true. 

"She wasn't really out saving gnomes, was she?" Linh asked softly. "Your mom imprisoned her."

"Because she ruined their plan," Keefe agreed, studying the cell and finding a gadget much like an obscurer... only this one seemed to block only sound from Ro's area. "The Neverseen began that plague, Linh. They meant for the gnomes to die."

They worked in silence, struggling to open the two cells.

"Can you hear us?" Keefe asked Ro.

Ro made a rude gesture. 

"I think she can hear us," he told Linh and Sandor as the lock finally clicked.

He wondered what they had used against Ro to keep her there.

Had they threatened someone? 

He wasn't sure of anything anymore. What if what happened to Alden had been the Neverseen's fault too? What if it had been his own fault? 

"And he finally figures all of it out!" Ro snapped as the door swung open.

Sandor pulled Keefe behind him, "Don't get near my charge, ogre."

"Your charge?" Ro laughed, humor absent from her tone, "That scrawny little boy was my charge first, goblin."

"This is not the time to fight over me," Keefe informed them, "We can do that another time."

"I can carry the Councillor," Sandor offered. 

"And I'll carry Prentice, who by the way, did not kill Emery. I saw it with my own eyes," Ro said, looking disturbed herself. "I figure you've realized your mother is crazy?"

Keefe nodded, "Just about."

"I'm sorry," Ro said, and she sounded genuinely concerned.

"At least that means Foster isn't evil," Keefe muttered, his heart leaping at that.

"She's the Moonlark," Linh explained to Ro as she pulled her pathfinder out.

"Ohhhhhhh," Ro whispered. "What a plot twist. Are we going with her now?"

"We're going to my house," Linh said, holding on to Sandor's arm. "And we're leaving the Neverseen."

Keefe took Sandor's other arm and then Ro's arm. He was wedged in between both of his bodyguards. 

Why had Lady Gisela insisted on protecting him if the only danger was her? He pushed those thoughts out of his head. Probably another form of manipulation. "We're leaving the Neverseen," he repeated. 

And he knew he should've felt relieved that they were escaping. He sort of did— but he also felt a pang in his chest. He was leaving his mother. Someone he'd held onto for the past years. Someone he believed to have been good, behind her annoying attitude.

Someone who'd had a heart.

But she didn't. She'd just murdered someone to prove it. 

And Keefe wasn't sure if he could handle that.

But he could handle getting his friends safely away from her. He could handle getting Emery to the Councillors, and Prentice to the Black Swan.

Because this time, they were really going to save Alden.

This was his last thought before they stepped into the light.

Choralmere glowed against the night sky. The bricks of the tower were sparkly, adorned with gilded moldings and balconies. They were even brighter against the golden lanterns which were tied around the treetops. Fountains, mirrors and a golden floor seemed to resonate with the wind chimes and the rhythm of the waves lapping at the shore.

It was beautiful. But one glance at Linh's grimace and Keefe remembered everything she had told him. The pools, the fountains, the ocean... not a good place for a hydrokinetic.

Linh sighed loudly before she knocked on the door.

It was a few minutes before a man who must've been her father opened it, "Who—"

He froze, staring at his daughter. "Linh?"

A woman hurried next to him at that, "Linh," she whispered. 

Then they looked over at Keefe, Sandor (who was carrying a body) and Ro (who was also carrying a body).

And they both screamed.

"It's okay!" Linh said, holding up her hands, "They're with me!"

"What have you gotten yourself into?" Her mother asked.

Keefe kept himself from yelling at them that they technically had been responsible for where Linh had ended up. 

"We just escaped the Neverseen," Linh said, keeping her voice hushed, as if to calm her parents down. "I was wrong. I thought... I thought they would help. But they killed Councillor Emery."

This began another round of screaming. 

"We need to call the Council," Sandor said. "You can do that, right?"

Linh's mom nodded timidly, wiping the tears out of her eyes. 

"And who's that?" Her dad pointed at Ro and Prentice.

"That's Prentice," a voice said from behind them.

"Tam!" Linh exclaimed, pushing past her parents to embrace her brother.

"What happened?" He asked, taking the scene in as they finally let go.

"My mother happened," Keefe spat. 

"Oh no," Tam said. "Councillor Emery..." he paled. "He was the way we'd get Dex back."

"Is no one going to point out that the ogre Princess is here too?" their father asked.

"Forget your sparkly fake bows," Ro said. "We need to get this man somewhere comfortable to sleep. And the children."

"Children?" Linh repeated.

"I can stay outside and watch," Ro turned to Sandor, "You watch inside."

Sandor looked rather annoyed that he was taking orders from an ogre princess, but he didn't argue. 

Prentice was taken to Mai Song's art studio, while Keefe was given the guest room to stay in. 

But before he could go to bed (and he didn't think he'd be able to sleep anyway), they had to talk to the Councillors.

He had to tell them what he'd seen. How he'd been tricked. How his own mother had manipulated him.

He'd have to show them Emery's lifeless body with a blade stuck on his chest. 

And he's have to tell them how his mother had killed him mercilessly. 

The Neverseen was bad. And it broke his heart.

Chapter Text

Sophie still couldn't believe what she'd woken up to a few days back. Councillor Emery was dead, they had Prentice and...

And Keefe and Linh had left the Neverseen.

Not that Sophie had spoken to them yet. It seemed unfair, as if she were flaunting the fact that she had been right all along.

 Linh had been wanting to do something for her and her brother. And Keefe? He'd been hoping for a chance that his mother wasn't bad. 

The Vackers had taken him in, but Sophie knew it was probably hard to watch Alvar, Biana and Fitz interact so happily with their mother. 

And the fact that she'd been right about his mother and the Neverseen didn't erase that she'd lied to him.

Sophie adjusted the sash on her green dress, trying to rid of these thoughts as she scanned the tree planting for the Vackers. She found the Songs first.

Tam nodded at her, and Linh gave her a small smile before she headed over. Only Linh could be sweet enough to smile at her despite everything that had happened between them. "Hey," she said to the twins "Where are your parents?"

"They're somewhere close to the Councillors since they were the ones to officially turn in Emery's body," Tam explained.

"And what about you guys?"

"We're twins," Linh said, "Not very honorable."

"They're still bothering you about that?"

"Who knows if they'll want to keep us," Tam said. 

Linh elbowed him, "Can you be a little more positive?"

"I have you back. Although you are kind of annoying," Tam added, backing away so Linh couldn't elbow him again. "And why do people always tell me to be positive at funerals?"

"On the contrary, I told you to stop smiling in the last one," Biana said from behind Sophie.

Sophie jumped at her voice, knowing that if she were there, then Fitz was too. And so was... 

Keefe awkwardly stood back, and she was suddenly remembering their last conversation... or argument.

Great. 

"Hey guys," Linh said, breaking the silence. "Is Prentice doing alright?"

"Juline has him now," Fitz said. "I think the Council agreed to release Dex since... you know. As long as one of them can be there when Sophie tries to heal him."

"Dex is coming back?" Sophie breathed a sigh of relief, "When?"

"After the planting," Biana said, turning to watch how the Councillors were still waiting for people to find somewhere to sit. "It's pointless to hold him there. Especially since Gethen is going to be moved soon too after what Keefe said."

"I wonder what they were planning," Tam muttered.

"That's what they're hoping to find out," Biana said. "And anyway, I volunteered to get Dex. Juline said she'd be happy if you came too Sophie. She's not allowed to go given that she's... you know. An adult Black Swan member."

"Sure!" Sophie was glad something good was going to come out of today. She'd have to find Dex's mother before she left to talk to her.

"Now all we need is a goblin escort!" Biana said. "That's the deal I made with Juline."

"Take Gigantor with you," Keefe suggested. "I have Ro to protect me from the danger my mom invented."

Sandor, who'd been having an argument with Ro a few feet away glared at Keefe. "Mr. Sencen-"

"Don't tell me you have a new goblin in your exclusive group," Marella said, placing her hands on her hips as she stepped next to Sophie. "And an ogre princess! Oh, don't worry guys. My dad isn't here to kill you today. He's under investigation!"

Sophie grimaced. They'd told the Councillors of all their suspicions. And Lord Redek had been high on the list. Marella hadn't taken it well.

"I'm sorry," she told Marella honestly. 

"Right," Marella said, turning to look back at the Councillors. Her face hardened, "If my dad had anything to do with that..."

"He wasn't there," Keefe told her. "Only my mom."

"At least you're back. And... huh. You're Tam's sister?"

"Um... yeah," Linh said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Nice to meet you. I've got to go back to my mom now though. Bye!"

Sophie noticed Keefe winking in Linh's direction.

Tam glared at them, "What's going on?"

"We are here today to commemorate the life of Councillor Emery," Councillor Kenric's voice interrupted them. 

Before anyone could say anything else, the planting began.

-

"I don't understand why Lady Gisela had to kill him," Sophie whispered as she and Biana waved at Dex's mother. As soon as the planting had ended, they'd talked to her about Prentice and how Councillor Oralie was planning to attend his healing.

"Isn't it obvious? She could tell Keefe was doubting her by then," Biana said as they headed towards Sandor, Keefe and Ro. "Because of you. She had to convince him the Black Swan was evil. That's why she was planning to blame Prentice."

Sophi grimaced, "So it was my fault."

"Oh, don't get all Keefe on me! Fitz and I already talked to him yesterday. He thinks it's his fault. He's not doing well with the fact that his mother killed Councillor Emory. And that she's probably looking for a way to get him back."

"Everyone's trying to get someone back these days," Sophie noted before they quit talking. Keefe, Sandor and Ro were within heading range. 

Keefe nodded at them, "So... I guess you go get the Dexinator with Gigantor."

Sandor let out a frustrated, high pitched groan. 

"Right," Biana said, her voice kinder than Sophie had expected. "And we're healing my dad..." 

"As soon as I can," Sophie assured them. "We already spoke with Juline. She said I can try to bring Prentice back today when we get Dex home. No matter what, I'll heal your dad tomorrow."

"Thank you Sophie," Biana said genuinely. 

Ro kicked Keefe.

"Ow! Uh... thanks Foster. And I'm sorry about the way things went the other day. Clearly, you were right."

"I wish I hadn't been right," Sophie said.

"But you were. Which makes me a terrible person and..." He glared at the ground. 

"No, it doesn't. She was lying to you. I was lying to you. We all were. And that hate thing I asked you about the other day? It goes both ways. I won't hate you either Keefe. Ever."

And things had still shifted between them, but Sophie found that a new part of their argument was echoing in her head. 

I care about you.

Sophie hoped that meant they could be friends again. 

"Okay," Biana took Sandor's hand, "Time to get Dex!"

When they arrived at the grounds of Lumenaria, Biana turned to Sophie. "No matter what happens, thank you for what you've been doing for us."

"Even though I'm a weird human elf thing?"

"Especially because you're a weird human elf thing," Biana said.

Sandor gave them a weird look.

After Sandor talked to the goblins at the entrance, they discussed the new Councillor elections. Mourning didn't cover for the necessity of a system, and nominations were about to begin.

"I heard Dame Alina will likely be nominated," Biana said. "I don't think that'd be too bad."

"People say she's annoying sometimes," Sophie noted.

"Well that's better than one of my great great uncles."

They both sighed in relief when they spotted Dex being led out by a goblin with a long, sleek ponytail. They had tied a cloth over his eyes for security- and they hadn't let him take it off yet.

Sandor's eyes widened, "Grizel?"

"Sandor?" The goblin gasped. "Ah, dang it. He knows my name now."

Dex's grin made Sophie's heart soar. He was fine! He took the cloth off, spotting her first, "Ha! It's not like I'm going to come back here, Grizel!"

Sophie embraced her friend, "Are you alright?"

He pulled back, nodding as he said, "Now that I'm free I-"

He froze when he saw Biana. 

"What?" Biana asked.

Dex opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. His face turned bright red.

"Dex?" Sophie asked, "What's wrong?"

"Who forced you to come?" Dex asked Biana.

"Oh, your mom wasn't allowed to. She sent us instead," Biana explained, not taking notice of the slight stiffness to his tone.

But Sophie did. She narrowed her eyes, "What happened?"

"Dex shook his head, "Nothing."

He stepped to Sophie's other side, avoiding eye contact with Biana.

"There was a prisoner in there we've heard of before. I think you did Sophie."

"Who?"

"Vespera."

Sophie frowned, "That was another plan they had. They mentioned her in Nightfall."

"Yeah, and I couldn't find any information about her on the Twiggler. And Sophie, she said that that Neverseen prisoner-"

"- is there for a reason," Biana finished. "Yeah, we know that. They're planning to take him out soon, but they're worried that's what he's counting on."

"I talked to her twice," Dex added, clearing his throat. "She was trying to get me to help them escape. But they didn't give me any details."

"That prisoner is Gethen," Sophie told him. "He's the Neverseen's telepath."

She and Biana took turns telling Dex what he had missed. Meanwhile, Sandor and his friend, Grizel, were catching up. 

"No wonder you're dressed in green," Dex said as Sandor and Grizel's conversation became an argument.

"How did you end up here?" Grizel snapped, "You were supposed to be following orders!"

"I'm not the one serving cubed vegetables to little criminal elves everyday!" Sandor countered.

"Hey!" Dex protested.

"Don't tell me your charge isn't a little criminal elf!" Grizel yelled back. "At least what I'm doing isn't illegal!"

"Well I wasn't doing anything illegal either!"

"Last I heard, the person who hired you killed someone!"

"Can we go home?" Dex asked.

"Yes!" Sandor huffed. "Goodbye Grizel! Nice talking to you."

His tone was very sarcastic.

Biana and Sophie raised their eyebrows at him as he snatched their hands. "Let's go protect little criminal Sencen."

When they arrived at Dex's house and he was being welcomed by his family, Biana turned to Sandor. "So... does Grizel know you're in love with her?"

Sandor glared at her, "Excuse me?"

"You guys were so cute, arguing over how dangerous your jobs were."

"Aw," Sophie grinned. "Wait until we tell Keefe that Sandor has a girlfriend."

"You will do no such thing," Sandor ordered, but his cheeks were tinted pink. 

They waited until Juline told them that they'd bring Prentice to Foxfire, where Elwin could monitor him better as Sophie worked through his head. Their friends were already there, which didn't help relegate any pressure from Sophie.

What if she couldn't heal him?

Biana offered her hand to Dex before they light leaped. Dex scowled at it and took Sandor's hand instead.

"What's wrong with him?" Biana whispered to Sophie, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"He's probably just being Dex," Sophie assured her.

After arriving at Foxfire, Sophie, Fitz, Elwin, Councillor Oralie and Professor Tiergan all stood at Prentice's side.

It was time to heal Prentice.

Or at least try.

Chapter Text

Linh was hardly ever in a bad mood. Which was saying a lot, given that she'd just left an evil organization who'd tricked her into working for them by telling her they'd help her and Tam.

But she was in a bad mood at the moment, staring at the wall of the waiting room of the Healing Center. At the very least, she was in a worried mood.

Her and Keefe were waiting for Prentice to be healed, so they basically useless at the moment. Biana, Tam and Dex had gone with Della to get Wylie, Prentice's son. Sophie, Fitz, Councillor Oralie, Elwin, and Tiergan hadn't given them an update. 

They'd left the ex-Neverseen members to the side.

Keefe was arguing with his bodyguards because apparently Ro thought he was a complete idiot for believing his mom so long.

That meant she thought Linh was an idiot too, right?

Although... Ro was also bothering him about Sophie. 

"You're telling me your girl gave you EVIDENCE?" Ro screeched. "Not to mention the fact that I disappeared!"

"She is not my girl," Keefe glared at the ogre princess. "And my mom made all her lies sound so simple about the stupid legacy thing. And Foster is the Moonlark!"

"What's your legacy thing?" Sandor interrupted from the shadows.

"Apparently, I have a secret ability I haven't manifested yet," Keefe said, and his tone told Linh that he didn't believe a word of it. 

"You think that's another lie from the evil Lady?" Ro asked.

"She was going to tell me Prentice killed Emery. She made up a lie about you on the spot. I'm sure she can just come up with another one to make me want to work for her. But I won't," Keefe insisted. 

"She's also his mother," Linh defended Keefe. "I'd do anything if there were a possibility my parents weren't as bad as they seemed."

"Whatever," Ro said. "Tell me he doesn't need to apologize to blondie."

"He needs to apologize to blondie," Linh agreed. "And not like you did today," she turned to her friend, "That was really awkward."

Keefe squinted at Linh, "Why are you siding with her?" He pointed at the smug Ogre Princess.

"Because I'm right," Ro said, matter-of-factly, "Don't you want to make up with her?"

"He does," Linh said before Keefe could answer, giggling at his expression "He just won't admit it to you."

"Fine," Keefe groaned, "How do I fix things with Foster?"

"Awww you walked right into that one," Ro teased. "You got it bad, don't you scrawny boy?"

"Scrawny?" Keefe repeated loudly. "Who are you calling scrawny?"

"It better not be me," someone said from the hallway. Marella Redek, someone Linh had just met walked towards them, Dex Dizznee at her side. They were followed by Biana, Tam and some people Linh didn't know- two grown women and the guy Linh assumed to be Wylie.

"I thought you guys were going to get a single person," Keefe said. "Um... hey Dame Alina."

The more elegant of the two women shrugged so that her caramel locks bounced below her shoulders, "I was discussing matters with Mr. Endal and Lady Adyn before we were called. And this is my school after all. I should know what's going on."

"Not for long, I've heard," Ro said.

The woman who had to be Lady Adyn- Tam's weird mentor nodded, "You see, Alina? Even the other species have heard the rumor."

"That you'll be Councillor," Keefe clarified.

"Yes," Dame Alina glared at him. "And what are you doing here Keefe Sencen?"

"Linh and I are the moral support," Keefe explained, smirking as Linh rolled her eyes.

"Then I guess we'll join you," Lady Adyn said.

"Do you think it's alright if I go with my dad?" Wylie asked.

"Make sure you knock," Tam advised.

Everyone settled down as Wylie entered the Healing Center. Lady Adyn and Dame Alina discussed something quietly as Marella, Dex, Biana and Tam all took the bench in front of Linh, Keefe and Ro. After a bit of arguing, or what it seemed like to Linh, Lady Adyn left with a clipboard in her hands. 

Sandor remained in the shadows despite Ro's teasing.

Linh studied her brother as he and Biana talked. "He's smiling!" She hissed to Keefe. "Tam doesn't smile."

Tam usually only smiled ironically, or back when they lived in the woods and they had a good day. 

He hadn't even smiled when she and Keefe arrived at their house... although that was probably because they were carrying the body of Councillor Emery. He'd hugged her really tight though. 

Linh was still ashamed of how easily she'd been tricked by the Neverseen. But Tam has easily forgiven her... although he did tease her about it once in a while.

But at that moment, Tam was still in a deep conversation with Biana Vacker. Dex was sitting uncomfortably next to them while Marella had gone away to speak on her imparter. Linh wondered how she'd ended up in the group. 

"Well obviously he and Biana have a thing for each other," Keefe whispered back. He grinned, "What, you don't like Biana?"

"She was mean to me when we first met, remember?"

"Well we were part of the Neverseen." 

"Fair enough," Linh admitted. "They do look kind of sweet. And like I said before, you and Tam are basically the same person. Didn't Biana used to like you?"

"Gross, stop comparing me to Bangs Boy. I bet he hasn't even said anything to Biana about liking her."

Linh quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"Shut up," Keefe muttered, and the way his cheeks flushed were satisfying enough. 

"We are getting good at this," Ro told Linh approvingly. 

Meanwhile, Marella was trying to keep her imparter away from Dex. "Stop!"

"Who was that?" Dex asked.

"None of your business!" Marella snapped, but her tone made it sound like she was trying not to laugh. 

"Was it your boyfriend? Didn't you break up with him or something? Ooh, is it a new boyfriend?"

Linh wasn't sure why this made her feel a weird pang in her chest. 

Marella glared at Dex, but she finally gave in. "Fine. I did break up with him a while back. It's actually my girlfriend. Happy now?"

Another pang in the chest, but stranger. Linh scooted away from Keefe before he could take a reading of her emotions. It was his turn to quirk an eyebrow at her.

Dex stopped fighting for the imparter, "Oh. Sorry for making you say that."

"It's fine. It's not a secret or anything," Marella said. "But you're still annoy-"

The door swung open. Everyone jumped, to see Fitz standing there with wide eyes. Linh could not figure out the emotions on his face.

And then he said, "Prentice is awake."

His smile was contagious. Everyone collectively sighed in relief, and Linh found herself hugging her brother, her stress and worry diminishing significantly.

Sophie walked out next, and Biana and Fitz both pulled her into a group hug.

Sophie looked a little exhausted, but she smiled all the same as Dex gave her a high five.

And Linh knew why the Vackers were particularly happy. Keefe himself was sitting back with his own smirk as he called out to Sophie that he knew she could do it.  A relieved smirk.

Because if Sophie could fix Prentice, then that meant that she could fix Alden.

Linh was no longer in a bad mood.

Chapter Text

Prentice hadn't woken up completely. In fact, he was basically still unconscious and in bed rest. It had only been a day though, and Sophie was still anticipating for the Councillors to approve that she go to Everglen to do the same to Alden. With Fitz's help and support, she knew she could do it. 

And yet... Prentice's memories were still not completely mended. There were fractures Sophie was unsure if he'd be able to fully recuperate. And the pieces were coming together so slowly. She doubted he'd be able to tell them why he'd called swan song soon... or at all. Prentice had been down for several more years than Alden though, so she hoped it'd make a difference in Fitz, Alvar and Biana's father.

While she waited, Sophie was trying (and failing) to feed Silveny, who kept insisting that it was time to fly. 

"Come on Silveny! We can't even fly if you don't eat!"

FLY!

Sophie sighed loudly as Silveny transmitted images of the cloud filled sky. It did look tempting. 

"Maybe if you call her by her real name she'll obey you," Someone said from behind her.

Sophie spun around to see Ro kicking Keefe's foot. Sandor followed them while studying the pastures. 

"Hey," Keefe spoke again after clearing his throat. He kicked Ro back. 

The dark bags under his eyes suggested the lack of a sleeping schedule. 

"Hi," Sophie answered, "Are you alright?"

He shrugged, "Today's not about me. I came to see you to... you know. Really apologize. For what my mom did."

"I don't blame you Keefe."

"You have to think I'm an idiot, at least."

Sophie watched as he stepped closer, gently taking the swizzlespice from her hand and offering it to the stubborn alicorn.

"Hey I believe in the theory of relativity less than a year ago, and apparently that makes me an idiot," Sophie said. "And- how are you so good with animals?"

"Glitterbutt and I have a few things in common," Keefe answered simply.

"She's way more sparkly than you," Sophie said as Silveny ate the swizzlespice. 

"And thank goodness for that," Ro said from a few feet away. 

Keefe glared at his bodyguard before he turned back to Sophie, "I really am sorry I was an idiot."

Sophie watched as Silveny gobbled up the swizzlespice from Keefe's hand, trying to come up with an answer. "I lied to you too."

"Well duh, cause I said I was going to kill you."

"And you don't want to kill me any more?" Sophie asked.

"Nah, didn't you hear what I said before? Even if you had been evil I don't think I'd be able to kill you."

His words from that day echoed in Sophie's mind, and for some reason, her heart beat faster against her chest. 

I care about you, he'd shouted at her. As if it were all her fault that he couldn't follow his mom's wishes for making him care about her. That hadn't been her choice.

And she realized that if she didn't care about him, then hating him would've been easy. She would've been fine with him being angry at her, with him leaving forever. She's even tried to convince herself that she didn't want to see him ever again. But she did.

Sophie gathered the courage to look at him in the eyes, planning to make him do the same. But when her eyes met his, she realized that he'd already been gazing at her, his outstretched hand with swizzlespice and Silveny eating from it forgotten.

His cheeks seemed to flush slightly, but it was probably from the cold wind. "Don't worry Foster. I'm not planning to get rid of you anytime soon."

She studied him, wondering why her emotions were so jumbled up. It was weird, to have the entire truth out there with Keefe. He knew everything and he hadn't run away screaming. In fact, she swore he was closer now. Close enough so that she could feel his breath on her cheeks and she could see that the worry lines under his eyes had faded and—

"Hey!" Sandor shouted.

Sophie startled, gasping when she realized that someone had just light leaped a few yards away from them. And she was wearing a Neverseen cloak.

Both Ro and Sandor flanked their weapons at her, forming a protective border around them. 

Keefe's face blanched, but he stood his guard, "Mother," he said. "What do you want?"

This was the first time Keefe had seen Lady Gisela since she'd killed Councillor Emery.

"First things first, this cap will prevent you from performing any of your little tricks," Keefe's mother pointed at her weirdly decorated hat. 

"You're not getting anything from us!" Sophie yelled, when she realized that Silveny was right behind them. 

How had she known they were here? And why had she just appeared? 

Lady Gisela raised her hands in peace, "I'm not here to start anything. I'm just here to warn you Keefe. And you too Sophie, if you care about my son at all."

"Warn us?" Keefe repeated, laughing without humor. "Are you here to falsely threaten my life again? Or is it true this time? Wait, I know. I'm the Neverseen's Boobrie Project."

"Are you done?" Lady Gisela snapped. "And no, even though it does have to do with your legacy."

Sandor growled, "You have ten seconds before we resort to violence!"

Ro agreed, "You're not gonna like this Mommy Dearest. My father has heard plenty enough of how you treated me in your prison."

"You can stop with the bluffing," Lady Gisela said, "The trouble you cause for your people has turned them against you and your father. I can assume your attempts to contact him have been close to futile."

Ro stayed silent, but her sword stayed unwavered.

"As for both of you bodyguards, I guarantee that I will leave as soon as I finish speaking. You'll want to hear this too, anyway."

From yards away, Grady called out to Sophie, "Sophie? It's Councillor Kenric! He says you have permission to fix Alden!"

He was headed their way. 

Uh oh.

Lady Gisela rolled her eyes, "I'll make it quick then. Don't trust anyone."

"Like you?" Keefe snapped.

"People are going to seem like they want to help you. They'll come out of nowhere. And they, Keefe, are the bad guys."

"Funny. I thought you were the good guys."

"Don't trust them," Lady Gisela hissed, as she raised a pathfinder to the light.

"I saw you kill Councillor Emery!" Keefe snapped at her. "You're a murderer and a liar and the only person I don't trust right now is you!"

Lady Gisela's eyebrows inclined, "It had to be done. Remember son, I love you."

When she disappeared into the light, she was replaced by a frantic Grady who was sprinting towards them.

Keefe collapsed against Silveny's cage, tears wobbling in his eyes.

"What happened?" Grady asked, yelling at Sandor and Ro, "Was that who I think it was? Did she threaten you?" 

"She told us not to trust anyone," Sophie explained mindlessly. She didn't know how to comfort Keefe, who was still shivering against the fence. She settled with kneeling next to him. 

"She was just bluffing," Keefe whispered.

"What are you doing here?" Grady asked, not unkindly. But he did look worried.

"I was just here to talk to Foster. I don't know how she- how she just-" Keefe groaned.

"No one got hurt," Sophie said as she helped him stand up, glad he'd let her. But she knew this wasn't a hundred percent true. Keefe was hurt, and it showed all over his face. 

"Because she didn't want anyone to get hurt. She was just here to manipulate us," Keefe said. "She's trying to make me not trust the Black Swan."

"It's not like we've gotten that much information from them," Sophie noted.

"Aha! It worked on you!" Keefe pointed at Sophie. "But see, one day we will defeat her. She's an expert at this, and she deserves to get whatever is coming for her."

He may have fooled Grady, who had turned to speak with Sandor and Ro about what had happened. But Sophie could tell that Keefe was afraid.

Even though he might've hated his mother, he still loved her.

And Sophie had a feeling that in her own twisted way, Lady Gisela loved her son.

And did it hurt, to take her advice into account? 

Don't trust them. 

-

Sophie filled their friends in with what had happened at Everglen while they waited for the Councillors to show up.

Tam, Linh, the Vackers, and Dex all listened to her and Keefe attentively.

"And she didn't say anything else?" Fitz said, frowning at the thought. "That's kinda weird."

"What's weird is how long they're taking! Alvar isn't answering my hails either" Biana slumped against the couch. "Even Elwin is here!"

"Well whatever it is, it's obvious the Neverseen isn't done with their plans," Dex offered, "I wonder when they'll take Gethen out of Lumenaria."

"They haven't done that yet?" Tam asked.

"They're waiting for some sort of Peace Summit," Sophie remembered. "That's how our tribunal is going to be sorted. You know, for breaking into Exile. They're killing two birds with one stone by gathering all the species to talk about the Neverseen."

"These two birds don't happen to be a black swan and a moonlark, right?" Keefe asked. 

Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Regardless," Dex said, "Doesn't that sound like the perfect time Gethen and Vespera are waiting for? Why can't they just sedate them or something?"

"Maybe they will," Sophie said. "They've talked to them already, haven't they? And observed them. But all they do is sit there."

"A Peace Summit," Kenric Fathdon said as he, Oralie and Della walked into the room. "What strange times we are in, Bronte would say- if he were here."

"Make yourselves comfortable," Della said. "We're still waiting for Alvar."

"He won't answer!" Biana complained. "Hail Alvar- Yes!"

She hurried to the hallway for privacy, but Sophie could hear most of the conversation. It was short, it was upsetting, and Biana looked quite annoyed when she sat back down next to Fitz.

"He's not going to be here until tomorrow," she muttered.

"Brothers," Linh said, shaking her head. She'd been quiet until then, but Biana nodded in agreement.

"I'm right here," Tam complained.

"What matters is that he'll be here when it really counts," Sophie assured Biana. "When your dad is awake."

"No matter what happens, Sophie," Fitz said, "Thank you."

"Thank you," Biana and Della echoed.

Just as she'd done with Prentice- with inflicting, energy and hope, Sophie planned to wake Alden up.

Chapter Text

5 years ago

The papers in Alden's hands made his head spin. 

Not just because he didn't know how they'd gotten there (Although tht question was on the back of his mind).

More jobs? More tasks? 

From them.

Apparently it wasn't enough that he investigate Prentice, or research stellarlune for them. It wasn't enough that he look for an innocent girl around his daughter's age and force his sons into the project. 

Now they wanted to have a face to face meeting. The last time he'd had one of those, he'd ended up breaking the mind of Prentice Endal- criminal or not.

The thing they believed was that this girl wasn't innocent at all. They thought she was a weapon, something that could counter their own rebellious movement. 

Not that Alden knew anything about that. All he knew was that they depended on Vackers and their power. Somehow, he'd ended up tied into this too.

He knew Orem and Luzia had talked with them. It was only a matter of time before they got to him. But while his relatives had joined willingly, he'd resisted.

And that had been a mistake.

He'd regret his decision. Or at least that's what they told him. A price had been paid for his refusal in the beginning. He didn't know what it was, but the way that Pyrokinetic waved those flames around him had been enough of a warning.

He'd done very thing for them when they mentioned Della. And then when they mentioned Alvar, Fitz, and finally Biana. And he wished, with all his might, that he could stop.

But he didn't want his family to get hurt.

Alden knew that the Moonlark was about twelve years old by now. He didn't know where she lived in the Forbidden Cities. He didn't know if she had an ability yet.

He hoped she didn't. For her sake.

The Black Swan was suspicious... especially because they had planted a child in the Forbidden Cities. 

They merely wanted to find the kid. Talk to her. He didn't know what exactly they wanted with her.

And then there was Prentice... Alden didn't want to think about that. 

But that day, when he was going to leave to the meeting, everything changed.

Cyrah Endal had faded away a few years before, leaving her already fatherless child an orphan. The only thing that held Alden together was the belief that Prentice deserved what he'd gotten.

But he may have been lying to himself.

But yeah, Cyrah was dead. And there was nothing anyone could do about that.

This was why Alden wasn't expecting her to show up to his gates and tell him to stop looking for Project Moonlark.

Alden's face blanched when the woman nodded at him, her violet eyes flashing in the light with fear. She didn't want to be seen. A hood covered her bright red locks, as those would have given her away to anyone.

"You're..." Alden whispered, "You're supposed to be dead."

"Project Moonlark," she hissed in response, gazing around quietly before she turned her eyes back to him. "Stop looking for her."

The shadows of the gate bars made her appearance even more eerie. 

"What do you mean?" Alden asked her, his head pounding. "I can't stop. I need to find her for...  for a group. If I don't... they'll hurt my family."

"My husband depends on her, Alden. He needs her to heal him from what you did to him."

"I did nothing wrong! He was the one hiding everything!"

"He was hiding something that could save us from the Neverseen!" Cyrah snapped.

Alden stepped back, glad Della had taken Biana shopping. It'd be hours before they came back. Alvar was working with the ogres, but Fitz was still in the Forbidden Cities, and he could show up anytime. 

"Neverseen?" He repeated, the word feeling like a death trap coming out of his own mouth.

"They didn't tell you their name? How dramatic," Cyrah muttered. "They're the ones who tried to kill me."

Alden frowned, "Why would they try to kill you? And why would you fake your death afterwards?"

"That's a long story we don't have time for. Look, right now that little girl is all we have against them. They cannot, and I mean, cannot find her or look for her any longer."

"I could bring her to the Lost Cities and have her start school here. Live a normal life."

"No!" Cyrah's shout rattled the gates. "That's not what the Black Swan has in mind! That's not what my husband had in mind before you broke him and locked him up!"

Alden shook at the accusations, not because they were false. But because they were true. 

"Is he innocent?" He whispered. 

"Anything he was hiding was for good," Cyrah explained. "Including the Moonlark."

Alden paled as he stared at the woman who was supposed to be dead. "What does the Neverseen want with her?"

"Let's just say you'll regret turning her into them more than you will if you don't."

She was wrong.

Alden chose not to go to the meeting the Neverseen had set up for him. He told Fitz that it was time that they stop looking for Sophie.

And that's when they contacted him again. A simple note, in his office. Elegant, yet not ridiculously fancy letters scrawled in a terrible warning. 

They were angry. And unless he wanted someone else in his family to get involved, he'd have to meet them.

Alden's encounter with Cyrah had been so bizarre, and the fact that he hadn't seen her again almost convinced him he'd imagined it.

Almost.

He almost expected the Neverseen member in front of him to pull her cloak out of her face to reveal a tumble of red hair.

But the woman behind the white eye disguise wasn't Cyrah.

It was Lady Gisela.

They'd met in a neutral territory, where the trees were more unruly and wild creatures fluttered by. He almost expected an ogre to pop out of the ground and yell at them for trespassing, given the state of the land ahead of them. They were certainly close to Ravagog.

Lady Gisela wasn't alone. Two other figures stood behind her, and they hadn't take their cloaks off.

"You're... you're with them!" Alden said.

"Yes, it seems that way," Lady Gisela answered, studying him before she spoke again, "And you should be with us too."

Alden shook his head, "No. I can't. Not if whatever you are doing is wrong."

Lady Gisela clicked her tongue, "Then I guess it's time to show you your first mistake."

She nodded at the people behind her, and they removed the coverings over their heads.

Alden stumbled back when he met Alvar's eyes, so similar and yet so different to his mother's. His son scowled at him as Fintan Pyren revealed himself from the other cloak.

"Father," Alvar nodded.

Alden shook his head, "What did they tell you Alvar? Because you need to listen to me. Leave, now. When you can!"

"It's too late for that, dad. I've been here for years now," Alvar informed him.

"That was the first time you refused to help us," Lady Gisela said. "I involved your family, like we said we would."

The thoughts in Alden's head were spinning out of control. He'd done this. He'd gotten Alvar into this mess. Like... like...

"Jolie Ruewen," he whispered. "Is it true?"

They'd mentioned her before as an example of what would happen if he refused to cooperate. But he'd thought it was a bluff. Grady and Edaline had agreed it was a terrible accident. 

"Yes, we tried to involve her too. She refused, and well... she definitely regretted it," Lady Gisela's smile was sickening.

"And it seems that you've made a second mistake," Fintan noted. 

Alden could not believe this man was in on it too. Who else couldn't he trust? 

But a new thought controlled him when he realized they were threatening him. "I can't look for the Moonlark anymore," he insisted.

"We thought you'd say that," Gisela said, "And that is your third mistake."

Alden froze as Fintan grabbed Alvar's arm and then threw him to the ground.

"No! Wait!" Alden yelled, throwing himself at his son.

But the flames erupted into a wall between them before he could reach him.

Alvar hacked as the fire grew, enveloping him into a tight circle.

"Alvar!" Alden cried, smoke curling into his lungs and making him cough too.

Lady Gisela and Fintan stood close, watching Alden witness his son being engulfed by deadly, hot fire.

"Who do you think will be next?" Gisela asked him. "I heard Fitz didn't go to school the other day. It'd be a shame if he'd stop going at all."

"You're a monster!" Alden roared as Alvar continued to cough.

"You're the one who forced us to do this to him. We recruited him because of you. And he will also die because of you," Fintan said.

"And you will also be responsible for the next person who gets hurt," Lady Gisela said. 

"No!" Alden yelled as the fire began to narrow. "Alvar!"

Fintan snapped his fingers and the flames withdrew, disappearing as quickly as they'd started. 

Alvar's face was covered with soot, and his hacking broke Alden's heart.

But he was afraid to go near his son.

Lady Gisela and Fintan helped him up, and Alden gasped when he noticed the swelling burns on Alvar's hands.

"Hurry up now, give me some ointment," Lady Gisela snapped at Fintan.

Fintan pulled out a small jar, and to Alden's surprise they treated Alvar's wounds. 

"Alvar has been training for years now," Lady Gisela told Alden. "However, I wonder how good little Biana is at temperature regulation..."

"What-" Alden stepped back as Alvar continued to stand next to the Neverseen. 

"Breathing regulation, temperature regulation... those take years to perfect enough to survived what we just put your son through. Next time, you may not be so lucky."

"Alvar," Alden called, "You don't have to be with them anymore. You can come home. I'm sorry that I put you through this. If I'd known-"

"I want to stay here," Alvar said, his voice hoarse from the fire. "You did this, dad. It's not fixable."

"Call it karma, for what you did to the Endals," Lady Gisela noted.

"Our goals are far more than you can understand," Alvar said, narrowing his eyes, "And I've found a new family. It's time you protect yours."

The words hurt, but they were also threatening. Alden was in shock, and he was failing at not showing it.

"I just have one question," Lady Gisela added. "Why did you cancel our meeting the other day? And why hasn't Fitz gone back to the Forbidden Cities?"

Alden's heart skipped a beat. If he told them about Cyrah... they'd go after her. He'd ruin that family again.

It was very, very tempting. Maybe she'd let him go.

But he had a feeling they'd never finish with him. 

"I will no longer look for an innocent girl for you. And you will not touch my family," Alden declared. "And as for Alvar... what you've done to brainwash him is unforgivable. I know your name, and even though the Council thinks I'm working for them, I'll tell them all about you."

"No," Fintan said, "You won't."

"You think you're capable of telling mom about this?" Alvar asked. "How it's your fault that dear little Alvar ended up on the wrong side? What are you going to tell her? No reason to worry, but your son is a murderer. And it's my fault."

Alden shook his head, "Alvar..." then he froze. "Murderer?"

"It all comes with a price," Alvar muttered. "Goodbye dad. Good luck with that guilt."

                                                                 
-

Alden arrived at his office, his heart burning with shame. 

Della was quizzing Biana while Fitz and Keefe laughed in the next room.

Keefe. 

He had to be about fourteen then, one year younger than Fitz. Too young for such a burden. 

Could Alden tell him what a horrible person his mother was? 

No. Especially not after the threat.

He still didn't know how he'd handle the other threats at all.

All he could do was go to his office, scramble for his papers on the Moonlark and whatever else he could find about this mysterious Black Swan.

For some reason, the guilt tugged at him harsher. Would Della notice the slight burns on her son's hands?

Alvar was a murderer? No... he couldn't be.

Prentice Endal was gone because of him, and no matter what Cyrah Endal said, Alden doubted he could be fixed.

There was no solution. 

All the reason to worry.

And it was all his fault.

His fault, and the Neverseen's.

Alden scribbled their name on his papers. Who would he share this information with? Quinlin? As if his ex Cognate would care. 

He'd ruined that too.

Darkness appeared in his vision for a few seconds... but it wasn't peaceful darkness. It was like glass had just shattered into a million pieces and left into oblivion.

The next thing Alden knew, he was on the ground.

The strange feeling enveloped him again, and he realized what was happening.

No... he couldn't abandon them now. Not when the Neverseen has threatened them.

His fault.

He used his last strengths to grab the pen on the floor. And he wrote down the name on his wrist.

They were going to get killed.

His fault.

So much darkness...

—

Now

It can be fixed! I fixed Prentice! Alden, it’s not your fault. I'm the Moonlark! A voice he didn't recognize yelled at him.

And suddenly Alden was opening his eyes, meeting some brown ones. Everything that had happened leading up to this seemed to vanish... like a puzzle being thrown into the wind. 

The memories scattered into a billion pieces. 

A blonde girl of about seventeen years old gasped, her warm hands retreating from his forehead.

The shattered pieces were mending. 

Alden tried to say something, but it came out as a groan. People were talking... but it only sounded like echoes to him.

Then he saw a young man, sitting next to the odd girl. 

"Fitz," he croaked.

Fitz looked older, with broader shoulders and a wiser look in his teal eyes. His eyes, which were currently welled up with tears. "Dad," he whispered, clearly trying to hold back his excitement.

Alden tried to shift his head, and he saw his daughter next. Biana also looked older, and the happy girl who loved sparkles, pink, and beautiful outfits had clearly changed. But her smile was still the same.

"Alvar couldn't make it! But he'll be here later when we tell him the good news!"

And finally, Alden saw Della. Her hands wrapped around his as she kissed his forehead, telling him that everything was alright now. That he could rest if he wanted to. Elwin and Sophie would take good care of him. Prentice was doing well too. 

So this girl must've been Sophie. How had she fixed him? Was she the one who'd transmitted... 

"Moonlark," he said, turning to her again. She'd backed away to give his family some space. 

"Yeah," she confirmed. "That's me."

"Did you see anything Sophie?" Fitz asked. "Anything that could tell us what happened?"

Alden stopped breathing as the girl considered the question. What had happened? Maybe it was just the ringing in his head, or the pieces still coming together, but why didn't he remember why he'd passed out? 

All he remembered was the scribbled name of Neverseen on his wrist, flames and a lot of guilt. His fault. 

What did all that mean? 

"I saw shattered bits. They didn't really make sense. I can project them later if you want," Sophie suggested. "I think his mind is fixing itself right now, like Prentice. It's probably going to take a while too."

Alden tried to sit up. It was a bad decision. 

"Whoa," Biana said as his vision blurred, "It is so not time for you to move dad."

"That goes for talking excessively too," Elwin said, beckoning for Alden to open his mouth for the elixir he had in his hands. "And reading his mind," he added to Sophie and Fitz. "Since it's still healing. Same goes to you Councillor Oralie. Let's allow him to relax."

"It's like a puzzle slowly putting itself together," Sophie agreed.

"Good. Then I suggest we clear the room for him to get some rest. He can tell us everything later."

Alden hoped he'd remember everything soon. How he'd broken. Why his family had been in danger- he knew as far as that by the way he felt when he saw them. He needed to protect them.

At least they were alright.

And even though he did hope that the memories would fix themselves, he wondered at what cost they would come to him.

Chapter Text

Apparently, fixing the equivalent of a celebrity had some pretty good outcomes. For example, Sophie's tribunal had been minimized to her and her friends just assisting the Peace Summit at Lumenaria... and not as punishment anymore. The leaders of the different species wanted to meet them... and the Black Swan.

The Councillors had considered closing Foxfire for a while, but this good news had been enough to strengthen their hopes. And Sophie had been allowed to go back. Dame Alina had become Councillor Alina, and even Fitz had been offered his Emissary position as soon as he got out of Foxfire. Not only would he be skipping the Regent process, but he'd be the first to ever do this because of his talent and ambitions.

Alden was very proud of his son. He'd supposedly walked around once already, even though his memories were still jumbled. Not that Sophie had seen him since she'd woken him up. Elwin had insisted that they take his and Prentice's recoveries slowly. Not even Keefe had seen Alden yet.

But that day he'd been allowed two new visitors- Sophie and Keefe.

Keefe hadn't arrived at Everglen yet, so Sophie was patiently waiting near the door of Alden's room when Fitz welcomed her in.

"Hey! Oh..." Sophie said, immediately lowering her voice when she noticed Alden's closed eyes. "He's sleeping."

"He's on a sedative. It should wear off in a couple of minutes," Fitz assured her as he beckoned for her to sit down on a very fancy sofa next to the bed. The counter was full of elixirs and water. 

"I guess he doesn't like to sleep?" Sophie asked, suddenly aware of how close her and Fitz were sitting. Not good for her heart rate. 

"Yeah," Fitz grinned, "Although he thinks the dreams may help a little."

"With the memories, you mean?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah. He says he remembers he felt guilty about something, but he doesn't remember what. He remembers the Neverseen name too. He wrote that name on his arm that day. It's how we knew about them in the first place," Fitz frowned. "He says he remembered fire too."

"Fintan," Sophie realized. "Did you tell him about Fintan?"

"Yeah, but he only remembers Fintan being a Councillor before. I was going to tell him about Lady Gisela," Fitz said, "But I thought maybe Keefe should."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Sophie admitted. 

"I guess we can ask him about it when he gets here."

Again, Sophie was aware of the way his teal eyes kept meeting hers. It made her feel all fluttery. "What about Alvar," she cleared her throat. "Has he gotten to see him yet?"

"Yeah, he came here yesterday. Talked with him for a bit. He looked really relieved, Sophie. We're all so grateful. You should see how happy Biana is. If mom didn't make her leave, she'd still be here waiting to talk to our dad. She hasn't been annoying for days. It's honestly a little creepy. Having to wonder when she'll strike next."

Sophie giggled, "I hailed her yesterday and she kept telling me I had to come over for her to give me a makeover. If she asks, I wasn't here."

"Sure," Fitz said, "You don't need one anyway."

It took Sophie a few seconds to realize what he'd said. Her face felt hot. Had Fitz just complimented her looks?

Fitz cleared his throat awkwardly, "So... yeah. Thank you for doing this Sophie. I know it took a lot of strength."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Sophie assured him. "We did this together."

Dang it. She was staring at his eyes again. And he was staring at her. 

"I guess we make a pretty good team, don't we?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah," Sophie remembered the excitement from the day before. Finding her way back through Fitz, his mental energy strengthening her when she thought she couldn't go any further. The way he'd cheered and hugged her when Alden opened his eyes. 

The way he'd looked at her like... no. She was probably imagining it, right?

"Yeah, we do," she agreed. 

I trust you, Sophie, he transmitted. Where had that come from?

I trust you too, she thought back. 

But he was looking at her like that again. And she was sure that he was closer. That his eyes had grazed over her expression. When had his hand rested on the side of her face? And why was her heart beating so loudly and-

"Fitz?" Alden startled awake. 

Sophie and Fitz jumped up, away from each other. Sophie gawked at Fitz, who'd turned bright red. 

She had a feeling she looked just the same. 

"Dad!" Fitz hurried to Alden's side. Alden stared at them curiously as Fitz handed him an Elixir, "You're supposed to drink this."

"Thanks," Alden said, making a bitter face. "Ugh, tell Elwin to come up with better flavors."

"That's supposed to help you jog your memories. So? Anything new?" Fitz asked. 

"No," Alden admitted, sounding disappointed. "Not yet."

"Maybe we can convince Elwin to let me work with you soon," Sophie suggested. "Um... sorry if you don't remember me. I'm Sophie."

"Yes, I remember you," Alden said with a kind smile, "My memory is intact since you woke me up. And my kids have been telling me all about you. Although... I guess they're not kids anymore."

"How long were you awake just now?" Fitz asked hesitantly. 

"Not much. Why?" Alden asked. 

"Nothing," Fitz and Sophie said at the same time. 

"Nothing?" a voice said from behind them. "It sure feels like something."

Keefe stood at the door, waving his hand as if to blow the emotions away. "It does to Foster at least." He raised an eyebrow at Sophie. 

"Keefe!" Alden exclaimed, "It's good to see you!"

Keefe's suspicious expression relaxed, "Haha, very funny." He strode past to Alden, "I'm sorry if my mom had anything to do with this."

"Your mom?" Alden looked confused.

Keefe paled and turned towards Fitz, "You haven't told him?"

Fitz shook his head, "I'm sorry. I didn't think I had the right to tell him."

"Tell me what?" Alden asked.

"My mom, she's in the Neverseen," Keefe muttered.

Alden reached out a hand towards Keefe, "And Cassius?"

"He's a pain as always," Keefe said, "I uh- I've started living at one other of his residencies." He nervously took Alden's hand.

"You're welcome with us Keefe, if you want. And remember, none of this is your fault." Alden squeezed Keefe's hand before letting it go.

Keefe gritted his teeth, "I'm guessing Fitz hasn't told you about me joining the Neverseen for a while."

"Yeah... I think I should leave for this," Sophie interrupted before Alden could answer. It was Keefe, Fitz, and Alden's time.

She'd talked to Alden, and besides: Her head was still spinning from what she thought had been about to happen.

She avoided Keefe's curious glance when she left the room.

-

Dex and his father were surprisingly at the door, apparently delivering some Elixirs from Slurps and Burps. Kesler was discussing something with Della while Dex scrutinized Everglen with his eyes.

Sophie greeted Kesler and asked Della if she could invite Dex to talk. Della nodded, and she and Kesler went back to talking.

She tried not to laugh as she waved her friend over, "Did you here to visit Fitz and Biana?"

Dex snorted, "No. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting Alden."

"Does he remember anything yet?"

She sat down before she answered, "Nothing we didn't already know."

"Oh," Dex sat down next to her, "So-"

"You're my best friend right? So I can tell you things?" Sophie interrupted Dex. "Even if it's girl talk?"

Dex hesitated, looking concerned. "Yeah..." 

"Okay. Well... I know you don't want to hear this, but it's about Fitz."

"Oh, that was obvious. You're already blushing."

Sophie looked away, "I think he was going to... kiss me."

"Ew!" Dex scooted away from her. "Gross!" 

"It's not like I could tell Biana about it!" Sophie insisted as Dex continued to make gagging noises. "Or Linh! I barely know her anyway!"

Dex shook his head at her as if to shame her. But he was clearly trying not to laugh at her.

"Are you going to let me tell you?" Sophie complained as he snorted.

"Okay. Fine," he said. "You have one minute to tell me about Wonderboy and I can't make fun of you."

"Gee, thanks," Sophie said. Then she told him what happened, wishing her face would stop burning.

"You were in Alden's room? While he slept?" Dex asked before he burst out laughing. "What did you guys expect to happen?"

"You said you wouldn't make fun of me!" Sophie groaned. "And besides... maybe I imagined it."

"Sure," Dex said, rather sarcastically. "And Keefe walked in too, huh?"

"Yeah. Why?" Sophie asked as Dex studied her closely. "Uh oh, you think he caught on to my emotions? Ugh, he most definitely did!"

 She gritted her teeth, "You're not going to tell anyone about this, right?"

"Of course not! I'm glad you trusted me with it... even though I kinda wish you didn't," Dex admitted, grinning as Sophie scoffed.

But her friend's smile slowly vanished when Biana swept the door open.

"Isn't today beautiful?" She asked, her swaying and particularly sparkly dress nearly blinding Sophie when she sat down next to her.

"It was," Dex muttered.

Sophie elbowed him, but Biana didn't seem to notice. She flattened her skirt out before smiling, "You can't ruin my happiness, Dex. No one can."

Dex opened his mouth to retort, but Sophie elbowed him again.