Flashback (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 7)

by Shannon Messenger

  THIRTY-NINE

  ARE YOU TELLING ME YOUR hive is at Everglen?” Sophie asked, tightening her grip on Tarina and trying to keep her knees from collapsing.

  But Tarina shook her head. And Sophie could breathe again. Until Tarina added, “That’s where it used to be.”

  Then everything was back to spinning.

  And Sophie had to fight very hard not to scream when she said, “You didn’t think you should mention this when we were there a few hours ago, searching for security risks because a member of the Neverseen is now living at the property?”

  “I didn’t,” Tarina agreed—sounding annoyingly calm—“because I wasn’t authorized to share that information. I’m still technically not authorized to do so, but you’ve at least agreed to an alliance. And I’m counting on my empress to understand why I’ve taken this leap. More important, though: Everglen no longer matters. The hive had to be moved several decades ago, when we needed more space.”

  Well.

  That solved the mystery of why Luzia left Everglen and gave it to Alden.

  But if the old hive was gone, why suggest he install the fence?

  “Is there something valuable in the abandoned hive—something the Neverseen might want to get their hands on?” Sophie wondered.

  Tarina shook her head. “It would be nothing more than an empty nest—though I believe it was destroyed.”

  “You believe,” Sophie emphasized.

  “Yes, Sophie. Not every detail about everything gets shared with me. But I searched for the hive today while we were at Everglen. It used to be near the lake. And I couldn’t find a single trace of it.”

  The words should’ve made Sophie feel better.

  But she didn’t like coincidences. And it felt very coincidental knowing that Alvar was back at Everglen under somewhat suspicious circumstances while Vespera was now free—especially since it wasn’t that big of a stretch to think that Vespera might’ve known about Luzia’s alliance, or at least suspected it. Luzia likely used illusions that Vespera designed to hide the hive.

  Sophie also didn’t love knowing that the whole time Tarina had been helping search Everglen, she’d had her own secret agenda—or that she hid that agenda so perfectly.

  Tarina was smooth.

  Maybe a little too smooth.

  “We need to tell the Council,” Sophie decided. “Just to be safe. I bet it would get them to move Alvar.”

  Tarina grabbed her wrist, like she was afraid Sophie was going to race straight to Eternalia. “You can’t do that, Sophie. Not only would you be breaching the alliance you just made with me—but you’d be dragging Luzia into all kinds of trouble. And you’d be endangering the lives of thousands of unhatched babies—all to address some minor worry that you have no evidence to support.”

  Sophie sighed. “Fine. Then we need to at least tell Grizel—”

  “Absolutely not!” Tarina interrupted. “No goblin is allowed to know anything about our hives.”

  “You can trust Grizel.”

  “No—you can trust her,” Tarina corrected. “The goblins have always cooperated peacefully with your people. My people have not had that luxury. Instead, we’ve endured a long history of attacks. And I don’t think you realize the larger significance of our hive. Remember: Our deadliest soldiers are our newborns and Stage Ones. So wiping them out before they hatch doesn’t just destroy a generation and crush the lives of the families waiting for them—it decimates our army for several years to come.”

  “But we can’t just ignore this,” Sophie argued. “You’ve never dealt with the Neverseen before—you don’t know how they work. Things like this . . . These are the things you look back on and regret. Someone has to find that hive—or whatever’s left of it—and make sure there’s nothing there we need to worry about.”

  “I can do it,” Fitz offered, rising from where he’d been crouching among the long grass.

  Tarina’s eyes narrowed. “How can you understand us?”

  “I can’t,” Fitz admitted, glancing nervously at Sophie. “I swear I wasn’t planning on sneaking into your mind. I was just trying to stay close, to make sure nothing weird was happening. But then Tarina grabbed your wrist, and your voices got louder, and . . . I had to make sure you were okay—and then I heard Luzia’s name and . . .”

  “Elvin mind tricks,” Tarina muttered.

  It’s okay, Sophie transmitted to Fitz. I would’ve done the same thing.

  Really? he asked, a hint of a smile curling his lips.

  It turned into a real grin when Sophie admitted, I’m glad you’re here.

  Out loud she added, “And I was already planning on telling Fitz about all of this—I warned you I wasn’t going to hide things from my friends. And the hive was at his house. Protected by someone in his family—and his brother may be part of some plan centered around it.”

  “There’s no plan!” Tarina insisted, tugging on her thick green hair. “The hive was destroyed when we moved to a newer, bigger location.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Fitz told her. “But I’m still going to check. And since it sounds like you don’t know exactly where it was, I’ll make Luzia tell me.”

  Tarina grumbled something through a sigh. “Fine. But you must complete the search when no one can see you—especially the goblins on the property.”

  “I can do that,” Fitz agreed.

  “I hope you guys just figured out something good,” Stina shouted over to them, making them all flinch as she jogged closer, “because Silveny’s contractions are down to three and a half minutes apart.”

  Sophie’s heart stopped. “How much time does that give us?”

  “Not a lot—so if you’re planning something, you’d better get on it.”

  “She’s right,” Tarina agreed. “We can deal with everything else later. Right now we need to get those transport pods.”

  “What does that mean?” Stina asked.

  “It means the babies still have a chance,” Sophie told her, grabbing Fitz’s hand when he offered it to her. “So do anything you can to slow the contractions. We’ll be back as fast as we can.”

  Tarina reached for Sophie’s other hand and Fitz floated them into the sky as Stina shouted, “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know,” Sophie called back before glancing at Fitz. “I don’t suppose you know where Luzia lives now?” she asked him quietly.

  “I’ve seen pictures of Dawnheath,” he said. “Will that be enough if you search my memories?”

  “It’ll have to be,” Sophie told him, slipping into his mind.

  He led her right to the images she needed, and as she committed them to memory he promised her, We’re going to make this work, Sophie. Whatever it takes.

  I hope so.

  And because it was true, she found herself telling him again, I’m really glad you’re here.

  Me too, he said with a smile that made everything a little better. Thanks for trusting me.

  Their eyes held for a second, and his were full of all the words there wasn’t time for.

  Then he let them fall into the void.

  • • •

  “What if Luzia’s not home?” Sophie murmured, shielding her face from the glare of the enormous fence, which was twice as high as Everglen’s and three times as bright. So bright, in fact, that she couldn’t see anything past the glow from the metal bars.

  They’d been standing outside the property’s entrance for a little more than two minutes—time they couldn’t afford to waste. But the gates were locked, and as far as Sophie could tell, there wasn’t a doorbell or an intercom, or any other means of letting Luzia know they were there.

  “I’m sure she’s on her way,” Tarina said with a confidence that didn’t match how tightly she gripped the handle of her weapon, or the way she kept glancing over her shoulder to check some creak or crackle from the overgrown forest behind them.

  The tangled trees were blanketed in thick green moss, and the squashy ground was dotte
d with mushrooms, like something out of a movie—but the kind of movie where the characters were being hunted by something lurking in the misty shadows.

  Fitz must’ve been feeling the same way, because he scooted closer to Sophie, holding tight to her gloved hand as he called out, “Luzia—it’s Fitz Vacker. Please let us in.”

  The call bounced off the trees but triggered no response, and Sophie was starting to wonder how hard it would be to scale the fence—or what would happen if they tried to levitate over it—when a soft click had them stumbling back as the gates swung slowly outward, and a silhouetted figure stalked toward them.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Luzia demanded, her annoyed tone twisting Sophie’s stomach into knots.

  They didn’t have time to win Luzia over.

  They needed her to cooperate immediately.

  Which meant Sophie had to get right to the point.

  “The alicorn went into early labor,” she told Luzia, not bothering to mask the fear in her voice. “She’s having twins, and we’re told the babies aren’t going to survive unless we move them somewhere they can finish developing.”

  Luzia paused midstep, her form still a shadowed shape against the blinding light. “And why are you coming to me?”

  “Because they know about the hive,” Tarina said boldly. “I offered to let them use two of our transport pods so they can implant the newborn alicorns and let them finish developing as though they’re part of the colony.”

  Luzia backed away. “I don’t know what you’re—”

  “Yes, you do,” Sophie interrupted.

  “It’s okay,” Tarina assured Luzia. “The girl is an ally. The empress recruited her specifically.”

  “And the boy?” Luzia countered, tilting her head toward Fitz.

  “He . . . was part of the girl’s deal,” Tarina admitted. “She doesn’t work alone.”

  Luzia turned to Sophie. “Someday you’ll understand how foolish that is.”

  “Maybe,” Sophie said, not willing to lose focus. “But right now we’re trying to save two unborn alicorns—and you know how important those babies are. So if I have to shove past you to get to that hive, I will. The contractions are only three and a half minutes apart. We need those pods now.”

  “Such authority for someone so young,” Luzia said. “And yet you speak without wisdom.” She strode forward enough that she finally moved past the gates’ glare, becoming fully visible. And Luzia was every bit as striking as Sophie remembered from the Tribunal—maybe even more so with her black hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, drawing more attention to her pointed ears. Her bronze skin shimmered with flecks of gold, which matched her severely cut golden tunic, and with her knee-high golden boots, she’d gone from Egyptian goddess to Amazonian warrior. Which made it all the more terrifying when she folded her well-toned arms and told Sophie, “You cannot put the alicorns into the hive.”

  “With all due respect,” Tarina countered, stalking a few steps closer, “you don’t get to make that decision. We rely on you for secrecy—but the hive belongs to my people.”

  “It does,” Luzia agreed. “So it’s surprising that I have to be the one to remind you that the eclipse is coming.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Fitz demanded.

  “It means . . . there will be a mass hatching,” Tarina said quietly.

  Luzia nodded. “I assume you don’t need me to explain why it would be far too dangerous to have the alicorns trapped in the hive, surrounded by hundreds of wild newborns.”

  Even Sophie could understand that—and the realization felt like a deathblow.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks as she said, “So . . . we can’t save them.”

  Fitz pulled Sophie against him.

  “I’m sorry,” Tarina whispered. “The timing’s just . . . off.”

  Luzia studied each of them in turn. Then she rolled her eyes. “I always forget how melodramatic the young are. How easily defeated. It’s what’s ruining our world, if you ask me. Someday you’ll have the perspective to not crumble at the first hint of disappointment—to see the next step without needing someone to explain it.”

  “Does that mean there’s still a way to save the babies?” Sophie asked, willing to overlook the insults—willing to overlook anything—if Luzia could give her that.

  “It depends on how much time we have. I can arrange for a private hive to be set up specifically for the alicorns,” Luzia told her. “But the construction obviously must be done by trolls. And I only have two staying on the property.”

  “Can you help?” Fitz asked Tarina.

  Tarina shook her head. “I can’t leave Sophie’s side. Plus, you’ll need someone who knows how to utilize our transport pods to get the babies settled and stable.”

  “How long can they stay in the transport pods?” Sophie wondered.

  “Usually no more than a couple of hours,” Tarina warned. “Possibly less, since the alicorns will likely be larger than our younglings and burn through the nutrition and oxygen faster.”

  “And how long does it take to set up a hive?” Fitz asked.

  “Longer than that,” Luzia told him.

  “Then work faster,” Sophie told her. “Call for backup. Do whatever you have to do. This could be our only chance to reset the Timeline to Extinction. It’s up to us to find a way to make it work.”

  “Finally—a bit of gumption,” Luzia noted, studying Sophie through narrowed eyes. “Perhaps there’s hope for the future yet.”

  “There won’t be if we keep wasting time,” Fitz reminded them.

  “Indeed.” Luzia motioned for them to follow her. “I’ll show you where to retrieve the transport pods—but you cannot tell anyone that I’m helping with this.”

  “They won’t,” Tarina promised, with a warning look at Sophie and Fitz. “All I’ll be telling the others is that I have permission from my empress to place the babies into one of our hives, and that for security purposes, I cannot give them the location.”

  “Do you have permission from your empress for this?” Luzia asked.

  “I don’t need it,” Tarina told her, which wasn’t really an answer.

  But Luzia let it go. “Well, then if you want to save these babies, I suggest we get to work. Follow me.”

  • • •

  “This is the hive?” Sophie asked, backing away from the towering briar patch blocking a thin opening in the side of a jagged cliff. Even the smallest thorns were bigger than her head and packed so tightly together that Sophie couldn’t see a way through that wouldn’t involve getting impaled.

  The entrance itself was also so narrow that even if Sophie turned sideways, she wasn’t sure how she’d squeeze inside. But there were no other gaps in the rock—and the cliff ended at a slimy-looking lake that stretched for miles.

  Honestly, Luzia’s new property was a huge step down from Everglen.

  “Don’t believe everything your eyes are telling you,” Luzia told her. “The hive is protected by numerous illusions, and I don’t have time to walk you through it, so I’m counting on you to figure it out. Once you have the alicorns sealed safely inside the transport pods, find somewhere private and hail me. I’ll make sure I carry an Imparter.”

  With that, she raced back the way they’d come, down the bumpy path that wound into the forest.

  “Think that means the briars aren’t really there?” Fitz reached out to touch the nearest thorn—and whipped his hand back when it drew a drop of blood.

  “Do you know the trick?” Sophie asked Tarina.

  Tarina shook her head, touching a different thorn and getting pricked as well. “I’ve only visited the hive through my world, where it isn’t camouflaged.”

  Sophie sighed, wishing she could grab the nearest rock and throw it as hard as she could. But that wouldn’t help the situation. Neither would chasing down Luzia and forcing her to give them better instructions, since it was more important for Luzia to focus on building the new hive.
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  “Okay,” Sophie said quietly, trying to think through what Luzia had told them. “She told us not to believe our eyes. So what about our other senses?”

  Something did seem off about where they were standing—but she couldn’t put her finger on it because everything looked normal.

  It felt normal too.

  A dry breeze kept making the briars crackle—which sounded right.

  And the lake . . .

  “Wait—the lake isn’t rippling from the wind,” Sophie realized.

  And now that she thought about it, the air should’ve had a sour, musty smell from all that icky, stagnant water.

  “The lake must not be real,” she decided, moving to the edge and tapping the water with her toe.

  She’d expected to find solid ground, but . . . wetness soaked through the fabric of her boot.

  But the lake didn’t ripple, so . . . maybe she was still right? There was only one way to really know for sure.

  “If I fall in,” she told Fitz and Tarina, “you’re not allowed to laugh.”

  “I would never,” Fitz assured her. “I’ll even give you my cape to dry off.”

  His smile was so sweet. And it was such . . . such a boyfriend thing to offer . . . that Sophie couldn’t help blushing when she smiled back.

  But now so wasn’t the time.

  Fitz seemed to get that too as they both turned back to the lake-that-might-not-be-a-lake, and Sophie wished the water didn’t look so thick and green, like a lake of snot. But if that’s what it took to help Silveny . . .

  “All right, here goes nothing,” she said, preparing for a slimy splash as she raised her foot over the lake, stepped down, and . . .

  Found solid ground underneath a couple inches of water.

  The next step had the same result. And the next.

  “That looks super weird,” Fitz told her.

  “I know—I keep having to remind myself I’m not in the middle of a disgusting lake.”

  At least she hoped she wasn’t. She couldn’t tell where the water was coming from. But it was shallow, at least. And after a few more steps, the air around her seemed to shimmer, and it was like passing through some sort of veil. One second she was standing in a sea of sludge. The next she was walking through a shimmery reflecting pool surrounding a humongous tree that hadn’t been there before. And as she splashed closer, she realized the arched hole in the trunk created a path that led down into the muddy soil, weaving around the ancient roots and disappearing underground.