It took a beat for Sophie to piece together what he meant. “Fitz won’t care if we work on this without him.”
“You sure about that? ’Cause he also told me he hasn’t seen you since Wynn and Luna were born—and that you haven’t been hailing him or doing any of your little secret Telepath convos. He sounded kinda bummed about it. And he got a little less pouty after I told him I hadn’t heard from you either, so…”
“Why is that, by the way?” Ro jumped in as a whole other kind of nausea flooded Sophie’s system. “Shouldn’t you guys be, like, all Fitzphie all the time?”
The urge to tug on her eyelashes was strong. But somehow Sophie resisted. “I have a lot going on.”
“Like what? Something you haven’t included us in?” Ro pressed.
“No! It’s…”
“It’s what?” Ro asked, refusing to let it go.
Sophie sighed. “It’s… personal.”
“Is it, now?” Ro patted the chaise next to her. “Well then, why don’t you sit right here and tell Auntie Ro all about it?”
“Auntie Ro?” Sophie, Sandor, and Keefe all asked in unison.
Ro shrugged. “What? I can be nurturing when I want to be.”
That would’ve been a lot easier to believe if she weren’t using a dagger to clean beneath her claws.
“Don’t look so afraid,” she told Sophie. “Personal stuff is my specialty! Need some smooching advice? Because you’re probably overthinking it. You just—”
“NO!” Sophie interrupted, definitely not wanting to hear the end of that sentence.
“See why I didn’t want to bring this up?” Keefe asked. “It’s like, just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse—it does!”
Yes, yes, it did.
But… now that they were there, Sophie had to know. “You really think Fitz would be bothered by us working together?”
Keefe shrugged. “Seems like he might be.”
Ro snorted. “Of course he would! He’d be super, super jealous!”
“Don’t,” Keefe told her.
“No—I can’t take it anymore!” Ro stalked toward Sophie and tapped her on the nose with a calloused fingertip. “I repeat: Yes, your Captain Perfectpants would be jealous! He scraped together the courage to get all share-y about his feelings, and now you’re ignoring him, and being all mysterious about why, and telling everyone who asks that you’re not dating him. And I’m not saying that’s a bad call. Trust your instincts! Hopefully they’ll lead you out of the oblivion. But in the meantime, count on your teal-eyed Wonderboy feeling a little insecure, particularly if he finds out you’re spending lots of quality time with other dudes. And you know what? That’s good for him. We all know that boy could use a little help in the humility department. So make him sweat a little. And you”—she spun back toward Keefe—“need to stop being so afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Sophie asked.
“I’m not afraid,” Keefe argued. “I’m being a good friend.”
“And how’s that working out?” Ro countered.
“Awesome!” Keefe spat back.
“Yeah, it looks super awesome watching you draw until your fingers cramp every night because you’re giving up without even trying.”
“Giving up?” Sophie asked.
Keefe flopped back on the bed and covered his face with his hands. “Ugh, I’m so over this conversation!”
“So am I,” Sandor agreed. “Aren’t we supposed to be discussing the fact that your mother has given an order to have you killed by one of your friends?”
Suffocating silence followed.
“I wouldn’t say Bangs Boy and I are friends,” Keefe eventually muttered as he slowly sat back up. “More like frenemies. So I guess Mom kinda got that part right.”
“No, she didn’t,” Sophie said, trying to decide if she should go sit beside him. They were back to the brutal topic, but… it felt so awkward. “I’ll never understand why you and Tam have your ridiculous feud going on, but he took a huge risk to warn you to stay away.”
“Yeah, I’m all warm and fuzzy about it. What was it he said again? Lock me up if you have to? What a good buddy!”
“Keefe—”
“Uh-uh, Foster. I know what you’re thinking—and I don’t care what Bangs Boy said. I’m not sitting any of this out! And if you try to lock me up, it’s on.”
“Anyone else kinda want to see that?” Ro asked, raising her hand. “Come on—you know you’re curious, Gigantor. Our girl’s got a feisty side to her that’s gonna be epic when she fully unleashes it.”
Keefe rolled his eyes but kept his focus on Sophie. “Do you really believe my mom would let something crucial like this leak? She’s totally playing us! If she actually planned on killing me, she wouldn’t breathe a word about it until it was time to give the death order—and there’s no way she’d leave it up to Mr. Happy Shadow Thoughts. He’s a sulky know-it-all with ridiculous hair, but… he’s not a murderer.”
Sophie truly wanted to believe that.
But her brain kept picturing the same horrifying scenario: Linh and Keefe both prisoners—strapped to some sort of brutal countdown contraption—and the only way for Tam to save one is to kill the other.
Sure, it sounded like the final showdown in a cheesy human spy movie, but… they were living in a reality with cloaked villains setting unstoppable fires and unleashing genetically engineered beasts and flooding cities.
And even if it wasn’t something quite so dramatic, if Tam had to choose between Keefe and his sister…
“Huh,” Keefe said, fanning the air. “So… you think Tammy Boy would—dare I say it—do the ‘dark deed’?”
“I think I don’t want to find out what happens if he’s faced with an impossible decision,” Sophie corrected, scratching at her arms to rub away the chills. “And I’m sure Tam doesn’t either. That’s why he gave me that warning.”
“But it’s not a real warning! I bet you anything my mom ordered him to tell you that, so you’d get all protective and distracted.”
“Then why was your first reaction to say you knew this would happen?” Sophie wondered aloud. “You said you’re a liability.”
“I am a liability. But this isn’t how she’s going to get rid of me. This is just her trying to keep me out of her way or scare me into cooperating, because some tiny part of her is still hoping I’ll change my mind and be who she wants me to be. Once that hope’s gone, or once she realizes how much progress I’m making on my memories, she will try to off me. And I guarantee that plan won’t come with a warning. She’ll just make her move and… I guess we’ll see if I survive it.”
He said the last part with a shrug, but his voice cracked ever so slightly. And it helped Sophie scrape together the courage to sit down beside him.
“I will never let her hurt you,” she promised.
“Neither will I!” Ro flung her dagger, nailing the center of one of the starfish set into the wall. “And FYI—the next time I see Mommy Dearest, I’m aiming for her head.”
“Perfect! Problem solved!” Keefe told her. And his expression was probably supposed to be a smirk—but Sophie could see the wince underneath.
No matter how much he hated or feared his mom, some tiny, reluctant part of him was always going to care about her a little.
“Anyway,” he added, clearing his throat, “I guess that means we agree. I have all the protection I need.”
“Um, that’s not what we said,” Sophie argued. “I—”
“I appreciate the crinkly forehead concern,” Keefe interrupted. “More than you know.”
“Way more than you know,” Ro emphasized.
Keefe’s jaw tightened. “But you’re not going to change my mind on this, Foster. If something goes down in Loamnore like Forkle’s predicting, I will be there with you guys. Just like I’ll be there for anything else that happens—so let’s not make this into a fight, okay?”
“Kee—”
“Nope! No more ‘Keefe-ing’ me
“And how are any of us supposed to live with ourselves if something happens to you?” Sophie countered.
“Easy. You’ll say, ‘Wow, that’s the hottest Wanderling I’ve ever seen! Who knew a tree could have awesome hair?’ And then you’ll all sit under my stunning leaves and write poems about my general amazingness.”
Sophie shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re trying to joke about this.”
“Well, believe it, Miss F. I can joke about anything!” He nudged her with his elbow, but she refused to smile. And she hated her brain for suddenly picturing his Wanderling. But she could see it so clearly now. The tree would have yellow spiky leaves and ice blue flowers and pale bark—and it would be lopsided somehow, mirroring his crooked smirk.
“The thought of you dying will never be funny,” she whispered, wishing her eyes weren’t burning.
Keefe sighed and scooted closer, keeping only a sliver of space separating them. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d really prefer to keep living.”
“Then stay away from the Neverseen!”
“See, I knew you were going to say that. And I swear I’ll be careful, but—”
“No! There’s no ‘but,’ Keefe! You can’t ignore vital intel just because you don’t like what it means.”
“Is that so? Then tell me this: If Bangs Boy’s warning had been about you, would you be like, ‘Cool, guys, I’ll be over here chilling at home while you go take on the Neverseen without me’?”
“Yes,” Sandor told him.
“No,” Sophie corrected. “But that’s different.”
“Why?” Keefe pressed. “And don’t say because you’re the moonlark—”
“But I am the moonlark! I was literally designed to be a part of everything that’s happening.”
“Yeah, well, so was I. I mean, no one gave me a cool code name, or a million fancy abilities—which is a serious bummer, by the way—but we both know my mom’s been preparing me for my legacy my entire life.”
“All that means is she’s been preparing you to be on her side—not ours.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sophie wished she could suck them back in. “Sorry.”
Keefe picked up his silver notebook, slapping the side against his palm with a steady thwap! thwap! thwap! “No need to apologize. You’re right. I am supposed to be part of the bad guys.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Relax, Foster. I’m not going to freak out on you. I’m aware of my situation—the question is, are you?” He thwapped the notebook harder. “I can swear fealty to anyone I want. Be friends with anyone I want. Fight on any side I want. That’s my choice, no matter what my mom wants—and I say, ‘Go, Team Good-Guys!’ But. I don’t get to stop being the dude who was raised by one of the leaders of the Neverseen. And it doesn’t make whatever plans my mom has for me go away. Just like it doesn’t erase the things she’s already had me do—like delivering that letter. Who knows what other stuff I’ve done and don’t remember?” Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! “That’s why I can’t let Mommy Dearest scare me away. We’re always complaining that we don’t have any good leads. But I’m the lead. And I can’t help you guys if I’m hiding.”
“Nobody said anything about hiding,” Sophie argued.
“No, you just talked about locking me up.”
“That was Tam,” Sophie corrected. “And I’m pretty sure he was joking. Or using hyperbole.”
“But I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea,” Sandor noted.
“Neither would I,” Ro agreed.
“All I’m saying,” Sophie said, snatching the silver notebook from Keefe’s hands, “is that you don’t have to be with us to help us. You’ve done a huge thing already. You remembered the guy’s face! Now Dex and I can work on hacking the security feed in London, and—”
“Oh, so I’m not invited to London now?” Keefe asked, lunging to steal back his notebook—but Sophie was faster.
She tucked the silver book into the inner pocket of her cape. “No, you’ll be staying here doing something way more important.”
“If you say research—”
“Nope. You’ll be adding to these.” She put the brown, gold, and green notebooks into his lap. “This was a good plan, Keefe. I mean… I wish you’d lay off the fathomlethes. But cataloging your memories already worked, so keep at it! Plus, you’re making some seriously gorgeous art.”
“Oh sure, now you want me drawing until my hands cramp! What happened to the whole ‘I could’ve helped you project your memories’ thing, with the sad eyes and the ‘Why don’t you trust me?’ I guess you’re fine with me working alone now that you found a reason to ditch me?”
“The boy does make a valid point,” Ro noted.
“I’m not ditching you.”
“Good! Because, to quote Gigantor”—Keefe shifted his voice into an uncanny impersonation of Sandor’s squeaky tone—“I go where you go.”
“I don’t sound like that,” Sandor huffed.
Ro snickered. “You totally do.”
Sophie sighed. “I’m not trying to ditch you, Keefe.”
“Awesome, because there’s no way you’re investigating my past without me.”
“It won’t be without you. You’ll be working harder than any of us. Kinda like how Dex works on his own when he’s doing his Technopath thing—”
“Yeah, because Dex never feels left out.”
“Okay, but Dex is… sensitive.”
“You were going to say ‘pouty,’ weren’t you?” Ro asked.
“Hey, don’t dis the Dexinator!” Keefe told her. “He’s my hero. Master elixir maker, ultimate gadget manipulator, and he scored a Foster kiss before Fitzy.”
Ro’s eyes widened. “He did?”
“It’s not what it sounds like,” Sophie mumbled. “It was… never mind—stop trying to distract me, Keefe! Working alone doesn’t make what you’re doing any less important. And I’ll keep you updated on everything. I’ll check in as many times as you want me to, answer all your questions—I’ll even project everything I learn into a memory log so you can see it all for yourself. It’ll be exactly like you were there, only better because you’ll be safe.”
Keefe whistled. “Wow, you say that like you honestly expect me to go along with this plan. It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“Oh, I know you,” Sophie said through a sigh. “I’ll just never stop hoping you’ll decide to play things smart for once.”
“See, but ‘smart’ really isn’t my brand. I’m more ‘reckless dream guy without a care’! It’s part of my whole ‘bad boy’ image.” He tossed his hair. “And don’t think I won’t tackle you to get my silver notebook back—I will.”
“Okay,” Ro jumped in, before Sophie could respond. “Fun as it is to watch you two try to make each other’s heads explode, I had big plans for napping before some serious pranking this evening. So how about I settle this for you guys and you let me get my beauty rest?”
“If you’re still on the ‘lock me up’ plan, that’s never gonna happen,” Keefe warned.
Ro sauntered closer and pinched both of his cheeks. “You’re so cute when you think you’re being all tough and rebellious. But let’s get real for a second, shall we? You get away with the things I let you get away with, because I don’t care enough to fight you on them. And ignoring solid intel that someone’s threatened to murder my charge? That’s a big bodyguarding no-no. I may not care that much about what happens to you, but if you get yourself killed on my watch, it makes me look bad—especially if I had advance notice. So, I can’t have that. Plus, I can also demand something fun from your little girlie while I’m at it!”
“Wait—what?” Sophie asked.
“Uh, yeah, my help doesn’t come for free. I can take care of your Hunkyhair problem. But it’ll cost you.”
“If you’re about to propose one of your ridiculous bets—” Sandor cut in.
“Not a bet,” Ro assured him. “I’m talking about a straight bargain. Miss F gives me something, and I give her an obedient Keefster.”
Keefe snort-laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“See, but I don’t need luck. Because you still owe me a dare.”
The color drained from Keefe’s face.
“Thaaaaaaaaaaaat’s right, Hunkyhair! You lost our last bet—and what were the terms again? Oh, that’s right! If I won, I get to dare you to do anything I want, and you have to agree. So if I dare you to stay away from the Neverseen, guess who’s not allowed to go near the creepy cloaked dudes? And yes, that does include places they might be.”
“You realize, by that logic, I can’t go anywhere,” Keefe pointed out.
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Maybe I should drag you off to a cave, then. Oh! Or to my dad’s palace! No one’s breached the security there in centuries.”
“Sounds fun,” Keefe retorted. “I can teach King Daddy The Ballad of Bo and Ro!”
“Not if I lock you in the dungeon. The palace has a really awesome one. And given your delicate elvin senses, I’m betting the smell would break you in less than a day. Face it, Funkyhair—you have two choices: You can cooperate, and still get to leave the house to see your friends occasionally. Or I can finally get out of sparkle town and take you back to Ravagog with me—and before you go getting too smiley, Miss F, don’t forget that you haven’t heard your side of this bargain. You don’t think I’d trade in my prizewinning dare for something easy, do you?”
“What do you want?” Sophie asked, and her mind made a quick list of possible demands.
But she definitely wasn’t expecting the ogre princess to plop back onto the chaise, pat the cushion next to her, and say, “I want you to tell Auntie Ro why you looked ready to spew all over the floor when I asked what’s been keeping you so busy lately.”
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