Keeper of the Lost Cities

FOURTEEN

ALDEN AND DELLA WAITED OUTSIDE, pacing in the glow from Everglen’s enormous gates. As soon as the doors swung open, Della wrapped Sophie in a tight hug, stroking her hair and whispering that everything would be okay. Sophie waited for the tears to come, but she’d cried herself out.

“No one saw us,” Fitz assured Alden, handing over the black pathfinder.

“Thank you, Fitz. My dear, you might want to let her breathe,” he told Della.

Della released her from the stranglehold, and Sophie took a shaky breath.

“Are you okay?” Alden asked, deep shadows haunting his face.

“No,” she admitted.

He nodded. “It gets easier from here.”

“I hope so.” She hugged Ella. “What happens now?”

“Della and I are going to personally oversee your family’s relocation. Fitz can help you get settled in here while we’re gone.”

“Here? I’ll be living here?” Hope flared. Living with Alden and Della would be amazing.

Della wrung her hands. “Oh, Sophie, we would love that—we even offered. But the Council wanted you placed with other guardians.”

Guardians? The title sounded cold and formal.

“I selected them personally,” Alden assured her. “They’re good friends of ours. You’re going to like them.”

“Okay,” she agreed without much enthusiasm. It was hard to be excited about living with strangers, but she was too worn out to think about it.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow,” Alden said. “Right now we have to get going. Fitz, Elwin’s waiting to see Sophie.”

Fitz nodded.

Della gave Sophie one more hug before she moved to Alden’s side. He held the blue-crystaled pathfinder to the light.

“Where are you moving my family to?” Sophie had to ask.

Alden sighed. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I can’t tell you that.”

It took her a second to understand why. “You’re afraid I’ll try to see them.”

“The temptation might be hard to resist.”

A shiver raked through her as the reality settled into her bones. She would never see her family again. She was an orphan.

“Why don’t you take Sophie inside, Fitz?” Alden suggested quietly. “Elwin’s waiting for her in the conservatory.”

Fitz tried to lead her away, but Sophie turned back to face Alden. “My family always wanted a house with a big backyard, so they could get a dog.”

“That can be arranged,” Alden promised.

“We’ll take good care of them,” Della added. “They’ll have money, security, everything they could ever want, well, except . . .”

She didn’t finish the thought.

Any doubt Sophie might have had about choosing to be erased disappeared in that moment. Knowing she’d saved her family from feeling the throbbing ache she was suffering made it worth it. Her last gift to them, to thank them for everything they’d done for her. They didn’t ask to raise an elf as their daughter—and it certainly hadn’t been easy.

Which made her wonder . . . why them?

How had two average humans ended up raising an elf—without knowing it?

More important, why?

She met Alden’s eyes, her lips already forming the question, but stopped at the last second. She wasn’t ready to hear about the family who’d abandoned her. Whatever their story was, she doubted it was a good one, and she’d had pretty much all the bad news she could take for one night. So she let Fitz lead her, deciding not to watch as Alden and Della disappeared to wipe away all trace of her existence.

“WHO’S ELWIN?” SOPHIE ASKED AS Fitz led her down another long, glittering hallway.

“He’s a physician. He’s going to do a quick physical on you.”

She froze as needles and other medical horrors flashed through her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hate doctors.” She knew she should put on a brave face in front of Fitz, but she couldn’t. She still had regular nightmares about her brief hospital stays.

“You’ll be fine, I promise.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, laughing as she struggled to resist. He didn’t seem to notice the way her whole body trembled.

“What are you doing?” Biana asked from behind them.

“Nothing,” Fitz told her, dragging Sophie a few steps in the right direction.

“Where were you? I asked Dad, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

“That’s because it’s none of your business,” Fitz said.

“Will you tell me later?”

“Drop it, okay? I’m a little busy right now.”

“I can see that,” Biana grumbled, glaring at their hands.

Sophie tried to jerk free, not sure if she liked what Biana was implying.

Fitz tightened his grip. “Don’t even think about it. I’m taking you to Elwin, and you’re going to see it’s no big deal.”

She lost the will to resist under Biana’s glare, so she let him pull her to an arched, golden door at the end of the hall.

Fitz stood behind her, blocking any possible escape. “I’ll take your stuff to your room. Why don’t you hang on to Ella?” he whispered. “Maybe she’ll help.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

She handed over her backpack but made no move to open the door.

Fitz leaned toward her. “I tell you what. If anything bad happens in there, I’ll let you punch me in the stomach as hard as you can. Sound fair?”

She nodded.

She caught Biana glaring at them again as Fitz pulled the door open and nudged her inside, but she was far too terrified to care.

THE GLASS WALLS OF THE conservatory bathed everything in soft moonlight, and enormous plants grew in glowing pots around the room. Some of the gigantic flowers looked like they could eat her, but Sophie barely noticed them. She kept her eyes glued to the man—the elf—leaning over her low, cushioned cot, ready to bolt the second he pulled out a syringe.

“This goes a lot faster if you hold still,” Elwin said as he adjusted her pillow.

She nodded and tried not to fidget, but between his wild dark hair and huge, iridescent spectacles, he reminded her way too much of a mad scientist.

He lifted her right arm.

“What are you doing?”

He snapped his fingers and a ball of green light formed around her elbow. “See? Painless.”

She stared at the glowing orb. “How did you do that?”

“I’m a Flasher. I can manipulate light the way I want it—though I’m not as skilled as Orem Vacker. You’ll see his crazy light show on the next total eclipse. It’s one of our biggest celebrations.”

It was strange to think that the elves had their own traditions, but it also made sense. The elves lived in their own world, and she needed to learn more about it—and quick—so she didn’t look like an idiot all the time.

“Whoa, that is some serious damage. It’s not permanent,” he added when she tensed. “And it’s not your fault. Toxic food, toxic water, toxic air. What chance do your poor innocent cells have?”

“You can see my cells?”

“Of course. Did you think I was wearing these glasses because they make me look dashing?”

She smiled. “What do they do?”

“Anything, depending on what color of light I use.”

He snapped again, flashing blue and purple and red orbs of light around her body and squinting through the lenses. Then he took the glasses off, and Sophie was relieved to see he wasn’t as stunningly perfect looking as the other elves she’d met. His eyes were more of a gray than a blue, and his mouth was a little too small for his broad jaw. But when he smiled, his whole face lit up.

“You can sit up now,” he told her, holding a small silver square in front of her eyes when she did. He frowned.

“What? Just tell me. I can take it.”

He laughed. “You’re so dramatic. I was expecting your eye color to be from the toxins. But your eyes are perfect. They’re just . . . brown.”

“They always have been. Even when I was a baby. Do you know why?” The last question came out as a whisper.

“No idea. I’m sure there’s a reason, but I’d have to do some research. It’ll be a great case study for the books once I figure it out.”

“What? No—you can’t!” How was she ever supposed to fit in if they were running case studies on her?

“All right, all right. Relax. I won’t.”

Sophie released the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Elwin laughed. He rifled through the satchel slung across his shoulder and removed tiny vials of colored liquids. “Now, try not to let this worry you, but your body needs a major detox. We’ll start with these.”

Sophie braced for the bitter burn of medicine, but the bottles were filled with sweet syrups, like nectar from unknown fruits. They made her tingly and warm inside.

“Good girl,” Elwin said as he cleared the empty vials away. He placed a large, clear bottle in front of her. “All of us drink one of these every day, but I want you to drink two for a while, to make up for lost time.”

“‘Youth in a Bottle,’” she read from the label. “Like the fountain of youth?”

“I suppose that is where those legends come from,” he agreed. “It has a few enzymes that are essential for our health.”

The water was cold and slightly sweet, and somehow more refreshing than what she’d tasted before. She downed the contents in one gulp and handed the empty bottle back to him. He gave her another, and she drank it just as fast.

“I don’t have a few of the medicines you need, but I’ll give Alden a list. I want you to come see me in a couple weeks for a follow-up.”

Her face twisted into a scowl before she could stop it.

Elwin laughed. “It won’t be so bad—just a quick checkup. I work at Foxfire, so you can stop by anytime.”

Mention of her new school made her tug out a couple of loose eyelashes.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry. Nervous habit.”

“You tear out your eyelashes?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“Still.”

“You sound like my mom.” The warmth of the medicines faded as the reality of everything that had happened rushed back. “Well, I thought she was my mom.”

He sat next to her on the cot. “Alden told me about that. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” She stared at Ella, hugging her tighter.

He whistled. “You’re a pretty brave kid, you know that?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes you have to be brave.”

“True,” he agreed, laughing.

“What?”

“That just sounds funny coming from someone hugging a stuffed elephant.”

Her cheeks heated up. “I know it’s lame but—”

“I’m teasing. Personally, I can’t sleep without Stinky the Stegosaurus—there’s no shame in that.” He laughed. “Anyway, you should get some sleep. You’ve had a big day. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“SO, YOU GONNA PUNCH ME?” Fitz asked as he showed her to her room.

“I guess not,” she mumbled, feeling horrified about the big production she’d made. He must think she was the biggest wimp ever.

Fitz grinned. “What’s with the ‘doctor phobia’ thing? You were more afraid of Elwin than you were of jumping into the whirlpool.”

“I guess you’ve never had anyone stick a needle in your arm or strap you to a bunch of machines.”

“You’re right about that.” He shuddered and she felt a little better. And least he understood her fear now. “Why did they do that to you?”

“The shots were because I had an allergic reaction a couple years ago.” She rubbed her arm, remembering the bruise the needles gave her. “The machines were because I hit my head when I was five.”

“How’d you do that?”

“I guess I passed out and cracked my head on the concrete—I don’t remember. All I know is I woke up in the hospital and my parents were freaking out, saying my neighbor had called nine-one-one and that I’d been unconscious for hours.”

“That happened when you were five?”

She nodded.

“Was that before or after your telepathy started?”

“The same time. I started reading minds in the hospital. I always thought something happened to my brain when I fell, but I guess it was my elf genes kicking in.”

He didn’t respond.

“What?”

“It’s just . . . telepathy doesn’t kick in at that age. Something would have to trigger it.”

“Trigger it how?”

“I have no idea. Not many things trigger a special ability—and none of them exist in the Forbidden Cities. My dad will have to look into it.”

She repressed a sigh. Alden had a lot to look into, thanks to her.

Fitz stopped in front of a bedroom fit for a princess—huge canopied bed, crystal chandeliers, and glass walls overlooking the lake. “This is you. If you need anything, my room’s just down the hall.”

Her heart did that weird fluttery thing when their eyes met, and she had to look away to speak clearly. “Thanks for your help today. I don’t think I could’ve gotten through all this without you.”

He cleared his throat. “I don’t deserve your thanks.”

“Why?”

He kicked the ground. “Because—I knew what was going to happen and I didn’t tell you when I made you come with me. I never realized it would be hard for you to move here—not until I found you there on the floor. I feel like I ruined your life.”

“Fitz.” She paused to find the right way to explain the crazy emotions spinning through her. “Today was hard. But you were right about what you said yesterday. This is where I belong.”

Fitz straightened up, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. “Really?”

“Really. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be okay.”

She willed the words to be true, chanting them like a mantra as she shut herself in her room and changed into her pajamas.

Still, alone in the dark, with no one to tuck her in and no Marty on her pillow, she couldn’t keep up the brave face any longer. She curled into a ball and cried for everything she’d lost. But when she fell asleep, she dreamed of a life filled with friends and fun and finally belonging.