Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8)

by Shannon Messenger

  “I haven’t,” Sophie agreed. “It turns out I’m not good at journeys of self-discovery.”

  “Few of us are,” Oralie assured her. “And honestly, I think a ‘journey’ is the wrong way of looking at it. I think it’s more about being aware of yourself and being mindful of your power and focusing on becoming fully aware of how everything within you is working in each moment.”

  “Okay,” Sophie said, biting her tongue to stop herself from pointing out how that sounded even more vague and confusing than Mr. Forkle’s suggestions.

  Oralie laughed. “I realize that probably seems very abstract. Which is why I’d love to walk you through an exercise that might be helpful. It’s something used in empathy training, but since my ability is also connected to touch, I think it could easily apply to enhancing.”

  “I’m game,” Sophie told her, happy for any help she could get. “Did you want to try it now, or…?”

  “I suppose it would be wise to avoid delay,” Oralie agreed, “especially since the challenges we’re facing do seem to be gathering momentum. Can you come to my office?”

  “Oh, you want to do it in person?” Sophie asked.

  “The exercise works best if we can be in physical contact,” Oralie explained. “But I’m just now realizing that it’s late and you’ve had a trying day, so if you’re tired, we can choose another time.”

  It was late.

  And Sophie was tired.

  And part of her still wanted to sit around waiting to see if she’d hear from Fitz or Keefe.

  But her mind reminded her of the ominous words Oralie had just used.

  Gathering momentum. Gathering momentum. Gathering momentum.

  “Just let me tell my parents where I’m going,” Sophie decided.

  Oralie nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

  FORTY-TWO

  SO… HOW DO WE DO this?” Sophie asked, ordering herself to relax as she surveyed the diamond-shaped sitting room that Oralie had led her to. But her heart still insisted on beating much faster and louder than it should—which was ridiculous.

  Oralie was a nice Councillor.

  A trustworthy Councillor.

  A Councillor who’d always been on Sophie’s side and had helped her numerous times.

  She was Sophie’s assigned point of contact for Team Valiant.

  She’d even given Sophie a makeover!

  And Sophie had been in that same sitting room once before, and nothing scary had happened—and surely nothing scary could happen in a room that was so sparkly and pretty and… pink.

  Pink armchairs.

  Pink jeweled ottomans.

  Pink chandeliers.

  Pink stones set into the glittering walls in intricate floral patterns.

  It was basically Biana’s dream space.

  And Ro’s worst nightmare.

  But the Council had a strict “no bodyguards in the Councillors’ offices” policy, so the ogre princess would never have to endure the sparkly pink overload.

  Even Sandor had been forced to take up a post outside of the massive crystal castle—which meant that it was just Sophie and Oralie standing alone among all of that rose-colored shimmer. And it felt…

  … awkward.

  And overwhelming.

  And intimidating.

  It didn’t help that Sophie had forgotten to curtsy when Oralie first opened the door. Or that Sophie hadn’t thought to change before heading over, so she was still wearing a simple white tunic and gray leggings. Meanwhile, Oralie’s perfect blond ringlets were crowned with her pink-tourmaline circlet, and her pink gown was made from different lengths of tulle, as if the skirt had been sewn together from oversize, pearl-lined rose petals.

  “It’s probably best if we sit,” Oralie suggested, and Sophie obediently sank onto one of the throne-size armchairs.

  As soon as she was settled, another chair floated off of the floor and drifted much closer before lowering gently back down.

  “Does my telekinesis surprise you?” Oralie asked as she took the seat that was now right across from Sophie, sitting with the kind of regal posture that made Sophie feel like a gorgodon.

  Sophie sat up straighter, folding her gloved hands and resting them neatly in her lap. “I know it shouldn’t. I just don’t see people use it very often.”

  She often forgot about it herself—which was silly, since it would make a ton of stuff so much easier.

  Oralie smoothed the sleeves of her gown. “I’ll confess, I find myself wondering more and more what price we pay for emphasizing ability over skill. How much stronger would our world be if we embraced the powers that unite us instead of narrowing our focus to that which sets us apart?”

  “I… don’t know,” Sophie mumbled when she realized that Oralie was waiting for an answer.

  “Sorry,” Oralie told her, “I’ve gotten off topic, haven’t I? I brought you here to walk you through a countdown exercise.”

  “Countdown?” Sophie repeated as her brain started picturing a whole lot of things that went boom!

  “It’s painless, I promise,” Oralie assured her. “Think of it as a way of guiding your mind to a different sort of awareness—one without pressure or judgment. A method of acknowledging what you’re experiencing and allowing yourself to feel it. These types of exercises are essential in empathy training, since Empaths must learn to separate our own emotions from those we’re reading—and not judge, condemn, or interfere with either feeling. But as I said earlier, I think, with a few tweaks, this kind of exercise could also be very useful for helping you isolate how each of your abilities functions and learn to better control them—especially your enhancing, since that’s another touch-based power. Did you know Empaths have to train ourselves not to automatically read the emotions of everyone our hands come in contact with?”

  Sophie shook her head. “I always thought it was like my telepathy, and you had to concentrate in order to take a reading—at least around elves.”

  Human thoughts broadcast straight into her brain like radio transmissions unless she shielded her mind, and Keefe had made it sound like human emotions were equally bombarding.

  “We have to concentrate if we want to translate what we’re feeling,” Oralie corrected, “but the basic act of sensing emotions is somewhat second nature, and it takes practice and training to teach ourselves to leave the feelings where they are and not pick them up.”

  “Pick them up?” Sophie echoed.

  “That’s part of the visualization technique we use. It’s like”—she reached for her forehead, running her fingers across several of the pink tourmalines—“I’m touching this circlet right now—but that doesn’t mean I have to do this.” She lifted the circlet off of her head and set it on a jewel-inlaid table beside her.

  “And picking up an emotion is different than translating it?” Sophie asked.

  “It is. We can feel without understanding. But it’s far better to leave the feelings where they are—particularly if they’re intense or negative. Empaths need to set limits to save ourselves from the emotional overload we’d suffer if we had to feel all things from all people at all times—but I’ve sidetracked us again, haven’t I?” she asked, her cheeks flushing even pinker than her gown. “Sorry, I just want you to see that there is a method to all of this—and proven success—since as we work through this there may be moments when you’ll wonder what the point of it all is.”

  “It’s fine,” Sophie assured her. “I trust you.”

  Oralie’s lips pulled into a smile, and her blush shifted to more of a rosy glow as she murmured, “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “And wait—does that mean Keefe might be able to stop himself from picking up my emotions through the air?” Sophie wondered.

  “That I don’t know,” Oralie admitted. “Especially given what we now know about the rather unique origins of Keefe’s abilities. My gut tells me there is a way for him to take control—but that may be because I prefer to believe that nothing is beyond our grasp. Which
is why I’m excited to try this exercise on you. It’s honestly always bothered me that enhancing is viewed as such an unruly, automatic thing. I’d love to disprove that notion.”

  “So would I,” Sophie admitted, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers, which looked especially marshmallowy thanks to all the layers of gloves.

  “You should take those off before we begin,” Oralie told her. “And remove the gadgets that Dex designed for you as well. You can set them here so they’re not in contact with you at all—just in case they have any latent effect.”

  She flicked her wrist, making the jewel-inlaid table float to a spot right beside Sophie, and as Sophie piled her gloves and fingernail gadgets there, she noticed that Oralie hadn’t bothered to put her circlet back on.

  “I want you to feel comfortable as we work through this,” Oralie explained before Sophie could ask about it, “and I thought it might help if I didn’t look so much like a Councillor.”

  “But you are a Councillor,” Sophie felt the need to remind her.

  “I am,” Oralie conceded. “But for this moment, just think of me as a Mentor. And try to see this as nothing more than another one of your many Foxfire ability sessions.”

  “I guess I can do that,” Sophie agreed, deciding not to point out how often her ability sessions were stressful disasters—particularly the one that was also mentored by a Councillor.

  “Try to relax,” Oralie said, holding out her hands.

  Sophie leaned forward to take them—then pulled her arms back before their fingers connected. “My enhancing’s extra strong with Empaths,” she warned, “so I don’t know if that’ll be too distracting.”

  Oralie frowned. “Only with Empaths?”

  “Also with Telepaths,” Sophie corrected. “Any idea why?”

  “Not necessarily…” Which wasn’t really an answer, but Sophie decided not to point that out either. “I’m sure I can handle your enhancing—but maybe it’s better if we hold each other’s wrists. That way our palms and fingertips don’t directly connect, since that’s where both of our abilities are the most sensitive.”

  Oralie stretched her arms out a little farther, and Sophie held her breath as she grabbed onto Oralie’s wrists at the same time that Oralie grabbed onto hers—and both of them jolted from the shock of sparks that zinged up their arms.

  “Sorry,” Sophie mumbled, trying to pull her hands free.

  Oralie tightened her grip. “It’s fine, Sophie. Actually… I think this might be helpful. It’s a whole other world of clarity.” She tilted her head, studying Sophie like she was seeing her for the first time. “You are so brave. So determined. I can feel that now more than ever. But I feel your nerves—and while I understand them, I want you to acknowledge your nervousness, and then let it go. As I said, this is simply an exercise. Try not to overthink it.”

  “I’ll try.” Sophie took a slow, deep breath. Then another. And another. “I should warn you: I’m not very good at clearing my head.”

  Oralie smiled. “I know the feeling. But the good news is, the point of this exercise is to become more aware—not less. And I’ll be guiding you to the proper kind of focus. Are you ready to begin?”

  “I guess,” Sophie hedged, taking another deep breath before closing her eyes. “What do I do?”

  Oralie cleared her throat. “I’m going to walk you through a countdown of sorts, that focuses on each of your abilities—starting with your telepathy, then your inflicting, then your teleporting, then your talent as a Polyglot, and finally your enhancing. So to begin, I want you to think about how it feels to be a Telepath—and I don’t mean to use the ability now. That would make it too difficult for you to focus. Fortunately, you have a photographic memory, so you should be able to recall the experience vividly. So remember the last time you opened your mind to someone else and searched their thoughts. And as you visualize that, I want you to give me five words—five sensations—that define the way your telepathy works. What is it like to open your mind to someone else’s consciousness? And not what you hear or see or learn. How does that feel?”

  “Um…”

  Sophie had a hunch she was going to be very bad at this, but she squeezed her eyes tighter and tried to do as Oralie instructed.

  Technically, the last mind she’d searched was Lord Cassius’s—and she did not feel like reliving that wonderful experience. So she pictured the mental conversation she’d had with Keefe afterward, which still hadn’t been pleasant, since she’d had to show Keefe those horrible memories. But… there was always something so natural about using her telepathy with Keefe. She barely had to try to let her consciousness reach for him and…

  “I guess there’s usually a stretching sensation,” Sophie said quietly, “as I reach for the other person’s thoughts. Is that the kind of feeling you’re looking for?”

  “It’s a wonderful start,” Oralie assured her. “But I think for the purposes of this exercise, it might be better to focus on a more emotional sensation, rather than such a physical one.”

  “Okay, but… I don’t know what that would be,” Sophie mumbled.

  “All right. Well. I’m not a Telepath, but would you say that you’re forming connections when you use the ability?”

  Sophie nodded.

  “Perfect. So let’s make the first word ‘unifying.’ Does that help you see what kind of sensations we’re looking for?”

  “Maybe?” Sophie said.

  Oralie smiled. “You’ll get it, I promise. Just try to really visualize the experience.”

  Sophie sighed. “Well… telepathy usually makes me a little tired by the end.”

  “Okay—and why does it make you tired?” Oralie asked.

  “Uh… I guess it’s that the whole process is kind of draining? Like, I can feel my mental power pouring out of me the longer I stay connected.”

  “Good,” Oralie told her. “So ‘unifying,’ ‘draining’—what else? We need three more.”

  Ugh, she might as well have asked for a million.

  And they still had to do this with four more abilities?

  “Really think,” Oralie told her. “Embrace your memories of the experience without trying to edit them into the answers you think I want to hear.”

  Sophie blew out a breath. “Um, okay, well… this is going to sound like I’m contradicting myself, but… using my telepathy also feels a little energizing.”

  “Good! Not a contradiction at all. An experience is never one thing. Exercise is both invigorating and exhausting, isn’t it?”

  “True,” Sophie admitted.

  “Okay, ‘unifying,’ ‘draining,’ ‘energizing’—what else captures the feel of being a Telepath?”

  “Well, it’s kind of… inspiring,” Sophie said, feeling her cheeks burn with the confession. “People have so much more going on in their heads than we realize.”

  “I’m certain they do. Same thing can be said for emotions, by the way—but that’s beside the point. Excellent! ‘Unifying,’ ‘draining,’ ‘energizing,’ ‘inspiring’—you just need one more.”

  An answer floated through Sophie’s mind, but it didn’t feel like the right word.

  “Just say it,” Oralie told her, gently squeezing Sophie’s wrists. “I can tell you’ve thought of something.”

  “I did, but ‘frightening’ sounds so negative.”

  “There’s no negative or positive here. Only the truth of your experience. And isn’t it frightening to wander through someone’s mind?” Oralie pressed.

  “It… can be.”

  Something about admitting that out loud and recognizing the sensations made Sophie’s heart feel a tiny bit lighter, and her head hummed with a rush of new energy that made her mind feel stronger and sharper.

  “See?” Oralie asked. “There’s power that comes with acknowledging the truth of what we experience, without measuring it as good or bad, positive or negative. It simply is what it is. And for you, telepathy is unifying, draining, energizing, inspiring, and
frightening.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.” Sophie sat up taller, feeling much less intimidated when she said, “Okay, what’s next?”

  But then she remembered it was her inflicting.

  “I know this isn’t your favorite ability,” Oralie told her. “And I debated about whether I should make it fourth in the countdown, or third. But given your newfound control, and the untold depths of this power, I think it’s best to give it that added bit of discovery. So relax, take a deep breath, and give me four words that sum up the feeling of inflicting—and again, don’t try to censor them or shape them. Be honest about the experience.”

  Sophie chewed her lip, replaying that overwhelming moment next to Big Ben.

  And she realized she’d already found her first word. “ ‘Overwhelming.’ ”

  She added “empowering” right after, which felt a little strange to admit, given that it was such a dark ability, but… it was empowering to know that she could face her enemies and not have to hide or cower anymore.

  “What else?” Oralie asked, and it took Sophie a lot more emotional digging to realize her inflicting was both unsettling and refreshing—but it was. Owning the dark feelings inside herself would never be a comfortable process—but purging them all felt like a reset.

  And when she repeated all four terms out loud—“overwhelming, empowering, unsettling, refreshing”—she felt her heart lighten again, along with another hum of energy that flooded both her mind and her chest.

  Another burst of strength, right at the core of the ability.

  The same thing happened after she decided that teleporting was liberating, surprising, and alarming.

  And again when she realized being a Polyglot felt both humbling and uplifting.

  “Down to enhancing,” Oralie said softly, “and while I’m sure there are many words to describe the experience, I want you to choose the one that feels the most defining to you—and remember, it should be about your experience with the ability, not how it affects anyone else.”