Keeper of the Lost Cities

FORTY

THE NEXT MORNING EDALINE MUST’VE CONJURED her breakfast, because the tray appeared on her desk—and Sophie was okay with that. The only way to survive her remaining time there was to avoid Grady and Edaline as much as possible.

Dex stood waiting by her locker when she got to Foxfire. He stared at the hole in her cape. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” She brushed past him to open her locker.

Dex cleared his throat. “Are you mad at me?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“Because I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

“But I’m your best friend.”

“I know, Dex. I’m just not ready. I’m sorry.”

His shoulders sagged. “Maybe I could cheer you up then. We could practice alchemy after school—start getting ready for finals. You could come to my house if you want, and I won’t even get mad if you burn down my room.”

The idea of a smile twitched around her lips, but it wasn’t strong enough to fully form. “Maybe another time.”

He sighed. “If you change your mind . . .”

“Thanks.”

She leaned against her locker after he left, trying to shove his stricken expression out of her mind. She hated hurting Dex’s feelings, but she wasn’t ready to be “poor, unwanted Sophie Foster.” She yanked her last book from her locker with unnecessary force, knocking an envelope to the ground.

Inside she found a scrap of newspaper with the headline: FIRESTORM CLAIMS FIRST VICTIMS.

There was also a note written in a hasty black scrawl—“You have to stop this”—and a Prattles’ pin. A silver moonlark.

She stared at the glowing metal bird, and somehow she knew it was made of lumenite.

Her hands shook as she folded up the note.

“You okay?” Marella asked. “You look really pale.”

Sophie clutched her chest, taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. “Fine.”

Marella laughed. “You might be the worst liar ever. Whoa—is that a moonlark? Do you have any idea how rare that pin is? There are less than a hundred of them!”

“Oh, really?” She shoved it back in the envelope and hid it in her bag. “Well . . . cool.”

“Cool? You have the Prattles’ moonlark! You should be dancing through the halls!”

Marella’s loud announcement turned several heads. Sophie slammed her locker shut. “Sorry, I have to get to session. I’ll talk to you later.”

Marella mumbled something about “waste” as Sophie fled the atrium, trying to think clearly over the words pounding through her brain.

You have to stop this.

She stumbled through the halls, searching for somewhere isolated to call Alden. She finally found a deserted corridor with stark-white walls and dug out her Imparter.

Alden’s face appeared before she could finish saying his name. “Sophie? What happened?”

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she was alone. “I found another note in my locker.”

His jaw set. “We’d better not talk about it now, but I want you to come to Everglen as soon as school is over.”

She nodded.

His image flashed away and she sank against the wall.

“Don’t even think about claiming you’re not mysterious anymore,” Keefe said, and half a scream slipped out before she could stop it. He grinned as he stepped out of the shadows. “Surprised to see me?”

She sucked in huge gulps of air to calm her panic. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my ditching spot—remember?”

The white walls did look vaguely familiar.

“So, you want to tell me why you’re sneaking off to talk to Alden about mysterious notes?”

“It’s no big deal, Keefe.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Nope, sorry, I’m feeling way too much panic to believe that.”

Empaths made lying annoyingly difficult. “I can’t tell you Keefe, so don’t ask.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to tell everyone Valin is slipping you love notes.”

“You—do what you have to do.”

He laughed. “Wow. This must be important.” When she didn’t say anything, he shrugged. “Fine, have it your way. But at the end of finals I want a really awesome gift as thanks for my silence.”

“Deal.” They shook hands and Keefe listed off a few suggestions—but she wasn’t listening. Thinking about finals gifts reminded her.

“How did you get into my locker after midterms?”

“I told you, I have my methods.”

“I’m serious. How did you do it? It’s supposed to need my DNA.”

“Please. I never reveal my secrets.”

“This is important, Keefe. If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Alden and let you deal with him.”

He seemed to weigh her resolve before he sighed. “It was already open, okay?”

“No way. I never leave my locker open.”

“You must have. All I did was open it the rest of the way and drop my gift off.”

The faint blush on his cheeks implied he was telling the truth—but it didn’t make sense. “Nothing was missing. And you were the only one who put anything in.”

“Yeah, which you never thanked me for, by the way. The nerve of some people.”

He was right. She never figured out a way to thank him for his unusual gift. “Sorry. Thanks for the candy and the necklace.”

“Necklace?”

“Yeah. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Good, ’cause I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I gave you an extra large box of mood candy—that’s it. Sounds like someone has a secret admirer. Seriously—how many boys do you have chasing you now?”

“A lot, I guess,” she said, hoping he’d accept his own theory. But she had a sinking feeling a boy had nothing to do with the necklace.

FITZ AND BIANA DIDN’T SEEM surprised when she caught up with them on their way to the Leapmaster to let them know she was coming home with them.

“I figured you’d have a lot to talk to my dad about,” Fitz said. He glanced at Biana.

“Yeah, how are you doing?” Biana asked.

“I’m fine.” Her heart skipped a beat—and for once it had nothing to do with meeting Fitz’s eyes. Alden wouldn’t have told them about the Black Swan, would he?

Fitz pulled her to a quiet corner. “Sophie. My dad told us about Grady and Edaline. I’m really sorry.”

“Me too.” Biana reached out and took her hand. “Is there anything we can do?”

Sophie looked away, blinking to stop the flood of tears she could feel coming. “Thanks. I’m fine.”

One stubborn tear slipped down her cheek, and Biana wrapped her in a hug. Fitz draped one arm across her shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay. Really,” Biana whispered.

“Sorry.” Her voice was thick enough to cut. She pulled away from the hug and wiped her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday,” Biana said.

“You knew yesterday?”

Biana nodded. “My dad told us a couple days ago, because he and Mom are applying as replacement guardians.”

Sophie’s head whipped up. “What? Really?”

“Yep. I mean, the Council still has to approve it, but my dad made it sound like it would kinda be a done deal.”

Warm tingling rushed through Sophie, and it took her a second to realize it was hope. It didn’t totally heal the wound from Grady and Edaline’s rejection, but it eased some of the fear and uncertainty. “I . . . don’t know what to say,” she whispered. “You guys wouldn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? Then I wouldn’t be the only girl anymore. You have no idea what it’s like having two brothers.”

Sophie’s eyes darted to Fitz, wondering how he felt about the idea. He grinned. “Of course I don’t mind. You’re already like my little sister—this would just make it official.”

“Oh. Great.” She knew he meant it as a compliment, but the word “sister” still stung.

Biana hooked an arm through hers and led her toward the Leapmaster. “See? Everything will be okay.”

Sophie wanted to believe her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

ALDEN SAT QUIET AFTER SOPHIE told him her recent discoveries. Too quiet. She’d tugged out so many eyelashes she was afraid there might be a bald spot. She dropped her hands to her lap.

Finally, Alden cleared his throat. “Can I see the necklace they gave you?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t bring it.”

“Why not?”

“I was afraid it might be a bug.”

“An insect?”

“Oh. Sorry. That’s what humans call tiny recording devices. I didn’t want to bring it into your house in case it was a way to spy on us.”

Alden smiled. “Human technology.”

Her face burned. “But why would they give me a necklace, then? It’s just a crystal pendant—nothing special.”

“It has a crystal?”

“A blue one.”

He dug out his black pathfinder from his pocket and pointed to the cobalt crystal at the end. “Was it this color?”

Her eyes widened. “I think it was. Do you think it’s a leaping crystal?”

“Actually, I think it’s an illegal crystal for leaping to the Forbidden Cities.” He rose to pace, shaking his head. “They gave this to you at midterm?”

She nodded. “I still don’t understand how they could get in my locker.”

“A skilled Vanisher could sneak into Foxfire undetected, and we already know they have your DNA.” He crossed the room back and forth four times before he spoke again. “I’ll have to get that pendant from you—as soon as possible.”

“I’ll pick it up on Monday.”

“Make sure you don’t let anyone see it.”

“I won’t.”

He let out a breath. “Good. You can keep the pin for now—maybe it will trigger more memories. I’ve never heard of lumenite being used for firecatching, but I suppose it’s possible. Maybe you should read through your textbook again, see if it triggers anything else now that you know what lumenite is.”

She nodded, though she dreaded the idea of reading the boring book again. “What about the note and the article?”

“You can’t do anything about that. Remember your promise.”

“I know. But are you looking into it?”

“I’m doing what I can. The Council banned anyone from going near the fires—even those of us with licensed pathfinders. So until they lift that restriction, my hands are tied.”

“Why would they do that?”

“They’re trying to stop the conspiracy theories from spreading any more than they already have.”

“What if it’s not a theory? What if it is Everblaze? It could destroy the world.”

“It would never get that far. As soon as it threatens us or one of the Lost Cities, they’ll investigate.”

“But people are dying.” She pointed to the scrap of newspaper on Alden’s desk.

He sighed. “Humans die every day, Sophie. It’s not our job to keep them all safe.”

“It is if an elf started the Everblaze.”

He studied her face for a second before he answered. “You throw the word ‘Everblaze’ around without realizing what a serious accusation that is. Have you heard the name Fintan?”

She closed her eyes as a word pricked her consciousness. “Balefire.”

“Did I just trigger a memory?”

“I think so. But I don’t know what it means.”

He started pacing again. “Balefire was Fintan’s trademark. It’s a blue flame that requires no fuel. You’ve seen it in Atlantis—he sealed it inside the crystal spires to light the city. That was back when he was one of the Councillors. He retired when pyrokinesis was banned—which he fully supported after what happened.”

“Marella said people died.”

Alden nodded. “Because of Everblaze. I’ve never really understood the concept, but apparently there’s a way to sense cosmic energy in the atmosphere, and if you pull enough of the force together, it will spark Everblaze. Fintan called it the ‘fire of the sun on the Earth.’ He was the only Pyrokinetic who managed to ignite it and live. The others who tried were consumed by their own flame.”

Sophie shuddered.

“After that, the Council forbade anyone to learn pyrokinesis, and Fintan retired from the Council because he couldn’t serve without a special ability. But he’s stayed close friends with most of the Councillors, and he’s the only elf alive who can start Everblaze, so can you see why the Councillors might have a hard time believing he’s capable of this?”

“Do you think he’s capable?”

Several seconds passed before he answered. “He doesn’t seem like the type. Plus, someone’s been setting suspicious fires all year—the white fires I’ve been investigating—and while they showed some signs that they might be someone trying to spark Everblaze, I never found any conclusive evidence. The Council is convinced this is yet another example.”

“Still, shouldn’t they at least investigate the fires, to be sure? Especially since these ones are yellow, like Everblaze?”

“They still see no need. When the first suspicious fires started in San Diego, I asked them to put all the Pyrokinetics under secret surveillance—including Fintan. There’s been no suspicious behavior, so they’re confident an elf can’t be behind them.”

“Why is the Black Swan so convinced that it’s Everblaze then?”

“I’m not sure they are. Think about it, Sophie. The Black Swan are obviously the ones behind whatever’s going on, so why would they go to so much effort to tell us what they’re doing? They’d be ruining their own plans.”

The words crashed into her brain like a stone. “But . . . what are they trying to do, then?”

Alden stared into the depths of the aquarium. “I’m afraid they might be trying to get you exiled—and trust me when I say you don’t want to go there. It’s a very dark place.”

“Why would they want that to happen?” she whispered, hugging her chest, like the pressure might calm her racing heart.

“I can’t even begin to guess, but everything they’ve done has put you at risk. They gave you an illegal leaping crystal as a necklace. They made you collect Quintessence. Now they’re trying to get you to make a very serious charge against a former Councillor—without evidence.”

It wasn’t until Alden squeezed her shoulder that she realized she was shaking.

“There’s no need to be afraid, Sophie. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, but do you understand why I don’t want you to act on this? These fires may very well be a hoax to trap you—and you can’t let that happen.”

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I won’t.”

“Good girl. I’m so sorry you have to be wrapped up in this, especially considering everything else you’re dealing with.” He took her hands. “I’m sorry about Grady and Edaline. I thought it might help them to have a daughter to raise again. Obviously, I was wrong.”

Her voice failed her, but she managed to nod.

“Della and I would love to have you live with us. I’m still getting everything approved by the Council, but Kenric is confident he can overrule Bronte’s objection.”

“Why does Bronte object?”

Half a smile crept from the corner of his mouth. “He doesn’t trust me. And he’s never trusted you, given your past. So the idea of us living together . . .”

“Why doesn’t he trust you?”

“Probably because my father’s always off chasing phantom rebels,” Alvar said from the doorway. Sophie and Alden both jumped. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to sneak up on people.” He blinked in and out of vision as he crossed the room and leaned against the wall. “What are you guys talking about?”

Alden cleared his throat. “Sophie might be coming to live with us.”

“Really? Cool, I guess.” His eyes landed on the teal book on Alden’s desk. “Is that a memory log?”

Alden snatched it and held the moonlark side against his chest. “I’m sorry, Alvar, you’re interrupting an official meeting between an Emissary and a citizen. Anything you’ve seen or heard is confidential.”

Alvar grinned. “Duly noted.” He gave an elaborate bow and strode toward the door. “Forgive me for interrupting.”

When he was gone, Alden turned to Sophie. “You should probably get home.”

She cringed, but stood up, digging out her home crystal as he handed her the memory log.

“Keep searching your memories, Sophie. Maybe your next revelation will finally lead us to the truth.”