“Yes,” all twelve Councillors said in unison.
“Unity is our best chance for survival,” Councillor Emery added. “Our foes are divided. Always changing out leaders and sniping at each other over the differences in their visions. So this”—he gestured between the twelve of them and the five soon-to-be teammates—“is how we stand strong against them. And to prove our commitment to that statement, we’re willing to make a new oath as well—an oath that will only be made to the five of you.”
Lots of eyebrows rose at that.
“What will the oath say?” Vika asked.
“That’s between us and Team Prodigious,” Councillor Emery said, glancing at Dex and reluctantly adding, “or Team Whatever-They-Decide-to-Call-Themselves. But it’s an oath to assure them that trust will not simply be demanded from them—it will be given. And we’re ready to make the vow now, if they’re ready to commit as well.”
Sophie, Dex, Biana, Wylie, and Stina shared another long look, and Sophie could see the resolve in their eyes.
But before she agreed, she had to address one final concern.
“It sounds like this is going to involve a lot of classified information,” she told the Council. “And I don’t see how that’s not going to damage my Cognate connection with Fitz.”
“As Councillor Alina already said,” Emery told her, “if excluding Fitz from the team becomes a problem, we’re willing to add another member. But we’d like to try it without him first.”
“And keep in mind,” Oralie added, finally turning her azure eyes toward Sophie, “true trust does not require absolute transparency. There is incredible power in accepting that there are some things you cannot know—and being willing to maintain your commitment to that person despite the secrets.”
“She has a point,” Tiergan agreed. “I’ve always considered that to be the ultimate level of Cognatedom.”
Sophie frowned. “But you said—”
“I know what I’ve said in our lessons,” Tiergan interrupted. “And uninhibited sharing is still the most vital way to build and maintain the connection between Cognates. But once the connection exists—and once you reach a level of maturity with your partner—you can work your way to a new sort of relationship. One that acknowledges that there are pieces of yourself that you may occasionally have to hold back, and that doing so changes absolutely nothing between the two of you. In fact, accepting the other person’s limitations actually enhances your bond. Put simply, it’s reaching a point where you both know beyond any shadow of doubt that you trust each other no matter what. I doubt you and Fitz have achieved that level of commitment yet, given how young you both are. But working toward it can be the new focus for our training.”
“Does that satisfy your concern?” Emery asked as Sophie struggled to process what Tiergan was saying—and wondered why it made her palms feel so very sweaty.
One quick glance at each of her friends told her what she needed to say. “Okay. Count me in for Team Whatever-Our-Name-Is.”
EIGHT
YOU REALIZE I’M NEVER GOING to remember to call you guys lords and ladies, right?” Sophie whispered, trying to keep herself distracted as she, Dex, Biana, Stina, and Wylie followed a single-file line of all twelve Councillors down a very dark, very quiet hallway.
Every click of her heels against the jeweled floor might as well have been cymbals crashing—and her pulse felt even louder.
And there was no end to their journey in sight.
In fact, there was nothing in sight, except for the twelve intimidating figures marching stolidly ahead of them under their silvery spotlights—which was probably why Sophie kept dragging her feet a little more with every step, even though her brain was simultaneously screaming that they needed to hurry up and get to work on the actual problems.
They’d had to leave the rest of their group behind, despite Sandor’s vehement protests. The Councillors wouldn’t even tell anyone where they’d be heading within the palace, or what exactly would be involved with swearing the oaths. All they’d shared was that it would be a different process than what any other Regent had experienced before. And as they’d led Sophie and her friends away, they’d added, “We’ll return when the appointments are final.”
Which made what Sophie and her friends were about to do feel very… permanent.
“Yeah, I’m probably never going to remember to call you Lady Sophie either,” Biana whispered back. “Or wait—is it supposed to be something fancier because you’re our leader? Captain Sophie? Master Sophie?”
Sophie cringed. “I hope not.”
Dex leaned in. “Um, I’m pretty sure it’s your call, since you’re the one in charge—unless you want us to choose for you. How about Lady Sophie the Reluctant?”
“Very funny,” Sophie told him as Biana covered her mouth to muffle her giggle.
“I kinda like Foster the Great,” Dex went on, oblivious to her annoyance—or perhaps because of it. “But I still feel like we could do better. Hmmm. Wait! I’ve got it!” He paused for a beat, dragging out the suspense before he leaned in and whispered, “The Fos-Boss.”
“Ohhhhh, I like it!” Biana breathed.
“I vote for that too,” Wylie added as he leaned in.
“Then it’s settled,” Dex decided. “Unless you think Lady Fos-Boss is better.”
“Yes!” Biana said, fighting to hold back another giggle. “That’s the winner.”
Sophie gave them each her deadliest glare. “If you call me either of those things, I swear I’ll—”
“And she thought she was going to have a hard time bossing us around,” Dex whispered to Biana and Wylie. “Looks like our fearless Lady Fos-Boss is a natural leader.”
This time even Wylie had to muffle his laughter.
“You guys are worse than Keefe,” Sophie grumbled, wondering if she could smother them with her frilly gown.
“I can’t believe I’m going to officially be linked to you weirdos,” Stina growled under her breath.
“You can still back out,” Dex reminded her.
“Or you could try acting like you appreciate what the Council’s doing for us today!” Stina whisper-hissed. “We’re inside the Seat of Eminence, about to be sworn in as the youngest Regents ever. Could you maybe try behaving with a little dignity?”
Dex scratched his chin. “Nah. Annoying you is way more fun.”
Stina gritted her teeth hard enough to make a cracking sound, and Sophie bit back a smile, wishing she could tangle the feeling around herself until it choked out the worries bubbling up her throat. Sure, the commitment she was about to make was huge and complicated and terrifying—especially given her past challenges with the Council. But… at least she was making it with friends.
Or mostly with friends—and they could handle Stina together.
“So… we have Lady Fos-Boss’s title settled,” Dex said, grinning when Sophie shook her head. “Any thoughts on a better team name?”
“No discussing team names until you’re somewhere far beyond my range of hearing!” Councillor Emery shouted from up ahead.
“You’re the one who came up with ‘Team Prodigious,’ aren’t you?” Dex called back, clearly not the least bit ashamed to know that the Council had been eavesdropping on their ridiculous conversation. “That’s why you’re so sensitive about it, huh?”
A whole lot of muttering followed.
Then there was silence—until Wylie called out the question that Sophie had been wondering as well: “How much longer is this going to take?”
“Why?” Emery asked. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”
“No,” Wylie admitted. “But… there’s someone I need to talk to.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll understand why this was your priority,” Emery assured him. “Once we announce your appointments, that is.”
“And when will that be?” Stina asked.
“Soon,” Emery told her. “We want the public to be aware of your elevated status as much as you do.”
Actually, Sophie would’ve been fine if her new title remained a classified secret. But she had a feeling she was the only one who wanted to avoid that particular attention.
“You’ll wait until we have our much-cooler new team name, though, right?” Dex clarified. “So you won’t have everyone making fun of Team Prodigious?”
Councillor Emery’s sigh echoed down the hall. “Yes, I suppose that would make sense. You five need to figure that out as quickly as possible.”
Which foolishly opened the door to a whole lot of team-name brainstorming between Dex and Biana. Sophie tuned them out somewhere between Team Hotness and Team Awesomesauce.
She shuffled closer to Wylie. “Is everything okay?” she whispered. “Nothing’s going on with your dad—”
“No, he’s fine,” Wylie interrupted. “Well… as fine as he ever is.”
Prentice was still recovering from all the years he’d spent trapped in the madness of his broken consciousness—and he’d probably never fully get back to his old self. His mind had been so shattered by the memory break that his memories had all but dissolved—including the information that Sophie had hoped to learn after she’d healed him, like what had made him call “swan song” before he was arrested.
“Did you mean you needed to talk to Linh, then?” she whispered. “To tell her about Tam?”
“No. She’s probably going to feel a little left out because the Council didn’t include her today. So dropping the Tam bomb on top of that seems pretty harsh. But I don’t want her to think I kept it from her either, so…” He blew out a breath.
“That’s super tricky,” Sophie admitted. “If there’s any way I can help, let me know.”
“Actually… there is—but not with Linh.” He chewed his lip for a couple of seconds before he leaned in, his voice barely louder than a breath as he told her, “I need a favor.”
“Of course.” Sophie would forever be trying to make amends for all the devastating things that Wylie had endured because of her. “What do you need?”
He glanced at the Council. Then at Stina. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Sure.” She said nothing else out loud. But as he stepped away, she transmitted, Or we can talk telepathically, if you give me permission to open my mind to your thoughts.
Wylie was subtle with his nod, clearly not wanting the others to know they were still talking. And when Sophie stretched out her consciousness, his thoughts felt jittery—shuffling around her too fast, like a magician dealing cards for a trick. But she couldn’t blame him for trying to make sure she only saw what he wanted her to see. She would’ve done the same thing if the roles were reversed.
What’s going on? she asked.
More thoughts shifted—flickers of faces she didn’t recognize, until Wylie settled on one that she did.
I… need you to promise me that you won’t let Maruca join the Black Swan, he told her. I’ve been trying to talk her out of it—but I need some backup in case I can’t change her mind.
Sophie studied the smiling face that was now filling Wylie’s head. It was a younger version of Maruca than she remembered, with way less attitude in her expression. The blue streak was also missing from her hair, and she wore it natural texture—without a drop of makeup on her warm brown skin. Almost as if Wylie was trying to make Sophie see his second cousin as more of a little girl than she really was anymore.
Or maybe that was just how he saw her.
Why would Maruca want to swear fealty? Sophie had to ask. She didn’t know her very well—just that Maruca used to be Biana’s best friend, until they’d had a falling-out when Biana became friends with Sophie. But even after they’d patched things up, Maruca had never seemed the least bit interested in hanging out with them again—much less getting involved with all the dangerous stuff they did for the Black Swan.
Wylie explained as his mind tucked away the image of Maruca and replaced it with stomach-turning flashbacks from outside the troll hive at Everglen. She got all fired up after watching what happened to us during the Celestial Festival, and now she thinks we need all the help we can get—and I’m not saying we don’t. Why do you think I’m becoming a Regent? But I don’t want her caught up in any of this.
Sophie couldn’t blame him for that—just reliving his memories was enough to make her want to lock up every single person she cared about to keep them safe.
I already tried reminding her about what happened to my mom and dad—and what happened to me, Wylie added quietly. But she’s convinced that she can handle it—and that the danger shouldn’t matter anyway. And I’m sure she’s going to get way more insistent once she finds out that Stina’s part of this team—if she hasn’t reached out to the Collective already. So I need you to make sure that if she HAS reached out, her offer gets rejected. And if she hasn’t yet, then I need you to make sure that whenever she DOES try to join, the Collective tells her they’re not interested.
Okaaaaaay, Sophie transmitted slowly. I’m not asking this because I don’t want to help—I do. But… wouldn’t it be better to go to Tiergan for this favor? I mean, he’s actually PART of the Collective.
He’s only one vote out of five, Wylie corrected.
Yeah, but I’m ZERO votes, so…
But you’re the moonlark. They listen to you when you argue with them—way more than they listen to Tiergan. Plus, I’m pretty sure Tiergan would end up backing down. The Collective has this whole thing about putting the needs of our world above everything else. Look at the things they’ve had you do—how many times have they almost gotten you killed?
Well… but like you just said: I’m the moonlark. All this stuff is what they made me for, no matter how dangerous.
Okay, but they’ve let your friends take the same risks, haven’t they? His eyes shifted to Biana, his gaze tracing over the scars that Vespera had given her. If they see value in someone, that’s all that matters. Especially if that person has an important special ability.
He had a point—which was why it took her a second to catch what he was saying. Wait—has Maruca manifested?
Wylie’s thoughts scattered like frightened birds.
I’m guessing that’s a yes, Sophie noted. And that it’s something… pretty powerful.
He didn’t respond, which seemed to confirm her suspicion.
But what ability would it be?
Hydrokinetic?
Charger?
Phaser?
Shade?
Why would he be afraid to tell her any of those things? Unless…
Is she another Pyrokinetic? she asked. Because if she is, she’s going to need training—
It’s not pyrokinesis, Wylie promised. And I still think it’s a bad idea for Marella to be training with Fintan, by the way.
So did Sophie.
Despite Fintan’s claims that he simply wanted to save Marella from losing control of her flames—and all the precautions that had been taken with his icy prison—Sophie was sure he was planning another dramatic escape.
But none of that mattered at the moment.
You really won’t tell me what Maruca’s ability is? she pressed, still running through a list of options in her head.
What if Maruca was another Mesmer, like Grady?
Or a Beguiler, like Councillor Alina?
Or—
Not right now, Wylie admitted.
Why not?
He took a small step away from her, staring at his hands as he fidgeted with the Endal crest securing his cape. Because I know what you’re going to say—and I won’t even blame you for it. But… we don’t NEED her ability. Or if we do, we could find someone else. I know it’s selfish, but… I don’t want Maruca taking the kinds of risks she’d have to take. I’ve already lost enough family.
Sophie’s heart splintered at his words.
Okay, she transmitted. I honestly have no idea if the Black Swan will listen to me about something like this—especially if Maruca’s super insistent about volunteering. But I’ll do e
verything I can to talk the Collective out of letting her join. And I can speak with Maruca, too, if you want. I don’t think she likes me that much, so maybe I can use that to make her not want to work with me or—
You can’t let her know I talked to you, Wylie interrupted. That’ll just make her more determined to join. She thinks I’m treating her like a little kid, but that’s not what it is. It’s…
I get it, Sophie said when his brain seemed to trip over the next words.
Wylie had watched his mom fade away right in front of him.
He’d spent more than a decade with his father locked away in Exile.
He’d been captured, interrogated, and tortured—and then got hurt again when he showed up with Dex to help Sophie and Fitz survive an ambush.
She couldn’t fault him for wanting to protect Maruca from those kinds of dangers. She’d tried to do the same thing with her friends—many times.
I’ll do my best, she promised again.
Wylie let out a breath. Thank you. And… thanks for not pushing me to tell you what her ability is—and for not stealing that info out of my memories. I know you could find it in, like, two seconds if you wanted.
I could, Sophie agreed. But… you’ll tell me when you’re ready—or Maruca will. Either way, it’s not worth damaging your trust.
He turned back to look at her. That’s why you’re going to make a great leader—and I don’t just mean of this team. I had my doubts about Project Moonlark for a long time. I think you know that better than anyone. But… even with everything that happened to my dad, I can still tell… the Black Swan really got it right with you.
Sophie glanced away, hoping he couldn’t see the way tears were welling in her eyes, or how hard she had to blink to keep them from spilling down her cheeks.
Hearing those words from anyone was amazing—but from Wylie? After how much he’d hated her when she first got to the Lost Cities?
Thank you, she transmitted, wondering how her mental voice could sound choked when she wasn’t actually using her throat. That really means a lot.
Yeah, well… that’s why you’re Lady Fos-Boss.
Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8) Page 14