Unlocked 8.5 (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

by Shannon Messenger

  “A new ability?” Alina clarified.

  “Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Noland wondered. “Every ability begins somewhere.”

  “Yes, but most begin naturally,” Alina argued. “And there was nothing natural about this.”

  “There wasn’t,” Noland agreed, shifting his gaze to Sophie. His eyes had a slight purplish tint, like the tanzanites in his circlet, and they seemed to twinkle as he added, “But I’m staring at someone else with unnatural abilities. And she’s proven to be quite a valuable asset. Hopefully this boy will be the same.”

  He placed his hand on Keefe’s wrist, and the warm, burnished tone of Noland’s skin made Keefe look extra pale.

  “Look at me, Keefe,” he ordered, and after several long breaths Keefe slowly rolled toward him. “It’s time to stop fearing this change. You need to speak again. Trust me—this we have in common. You need to prove to yourself that you can do it—still be normal. Still be you.”

  He’s right, Sophie transmitted when Keefe pressed his lips together. Nothing bad is going to happen.

  Keefe’s eyes met hers, and she took that as permission to open her mind to his thoughts.

  Nothing bad is going to happen, she promised again.

  You don’t know that, he argued.

  Yes, I do. What happened was a fluke. Just… don’t say “numb,” and you’ll be good. And maybe don’t hold my hand.

  She flashed a smile he didn’t return. But that might’ve been because hers was a little forced.

  It wasn’t your fault, he told her.

  She wanted that to be true.

  Otherwise… what? She’d never be able to touch his hand again without triggering some horrible reaction?

  But this wasn’t about her.

  It wasn’t your fault either, Keefe, she transmitted. It was just… an accident.

  Maybe, he reluctantly agreed. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. Or something even worse.

  It won’t be as bad as you’re thinking.

  She was doing her best to ignore the images screaming around Keefe’s head, but it was hard to skip past the flashbacks of her blank, dazed face—or the images of things he was afraid would happen. Visions of everyone screaming and thrashing from some imagined terror he’d forced upon them. Or inconsolably sobbing.

  Emotions are powerful, Keefe told her.

  I know. But… even if something like that DID happen, it would only be temporary—just like the numbness was. You’d figure out how to undo it. And it’s not like you’re the only person to struggle after manifesting. Marella set fire to her bedroom. Linh flooded everything. Jensi said his brother got stuck half-phased in the floor. I thought I’d gone insane because of the voices in my head—and I inflicted on Sandor. Sometimes it takes time and practice to get the ability under control.

  But what if I never get control?

  You WILL. Everyone does.

  Okay, but what if—

  “Ugh, are you guys done with your mental conversation yet?” Fitz interrupted.

  Ro snorted. “Boy, is that an ironic question coming from Captain Cognate. And I’m surprised you weren’t eavesdropping.”

  Sophie was too.

  Unless he had been and just didn’t want to admit it…

  Not that it mattered.

  She turned back to Keefe and switched to talking, so Keefe would have to use his voice too. “Just try one word. Something random, like… aardvark. Or mallowmelt. Or boobrie. How could anything bad happen from saying ‘boobrie’?”

  Ro sighed when Keefe shook his head. “Looks like we need to try a different kind of motivation. So here’s the deal. I’m going to give you to the count of five to say something—and if you don’t, I’ll start talking. And I think we both know which of your secrets I’m going to share first.”

  Keefe’s eyes narrowed.

  “Is that glare supposed to scare me?” Ro asked him, followed by a big, fake yawn.

  “It might be unwise to antagonize him,” Oralie warned.

  “Nah, Hunkyhair’s harmless. That’s what he’s forgetting. Nothing’s going to change the fact that he’s a great big softie. Meanwhile, I am not. So when I make a threat, I mean it.” She flashed a pointy-toothed smile at Keefe. “One…”

  Come on, Keefe, Sophie transmitted when Ro got to “three.” Say “alicorn.” Or “gulon.” Or better yet—tell me what the Great Gulon Incident was!

  “Four,” Ro warned.

  Keefe bit his lip so hard it looked ready to draw blood. But before Ro got to five, he whispered, “Mrs. Stinkbottom.”

  Sophie had to laugh at his word choice.

  But the best part was: Nothing happened.

  “See?” Noland told Keefe. “It’s that easy. Now say something else—a little louder this time. Your power doesn’t come from volume. It comes from tone.”

  Keefe shook his head.

  Ro groaned. “Come on, Hunkyhair. I know you have about fifty different jokes you’re dying to make. Especially with Captain Cognate over there. Give us your best one!”

  Keefe shook his head again, and Sophie tried to imagine what it would be like if he stayed quiet like this all the time.

  He wouldn’t be Keefe anymore.

  You’re really going to let your mom win like this? she asked. Give her this kind of control?

  No. I’m just trying to be responsible—for once. If I’d tried that a few days ago, I would’ve listened to Tammy Boy—and you—and stayed out of Loamnore. But I did what I always do, ignored everyone, and look how awesome that worked out for me.

  Except you’re still ignoring everyone, Sophie argued. Do you really think Noland would tell you to try this if he was worried it would put him—and two other Councillors—in danger?

  Probably not, Keefe conceded. Unless he’s looking for an excuse to send me to Exile.

  A cold shiver rippled down Sophie’s spine, and she turned to study the Councillors, wondering if they would sink that low.

  They definitely would.

  But… that wasn’t what this was.

  They already have a reason to exile you, she reminded him, fighting another shiver. They know you numbed five people. That’s more than enough to lock you up.

  I guess. He blew out a breath. But… maybe I should be. I know what happened, okay? The emotions got overwhelming, and I needed them to stop—so I MADE them stop. And with my empathy so sensitive right now, we both know that could happen again. Especially when I’m with…

  The thought trailed off, but Sophie knew exactly what he’d stopped himself from saying.

  “His mood is sinking,” Oralie announced before Sophie could figure out what to say. “So perhaps we should hold off on any more practice for now? I suspect his emotional state is directly tied to this new ability.”

  “You can feel his emotions?” Alina asked. “Without any contact?”

  Oralie nodded. “And in case you’re wondering, that’s definitely a new development.”

  “Have there been any other developments?” Alina asked Elwin. “Aside from Keefe’s stronger emotions, becoming a Polyglot, and whatever this new ability is?”

  Elwin snapped his fingers, flashing orange light around Keefe. “Well, he’s been battling a headache and nausea since he woke up. Guessing that’s from stress, though—and from being unconscious for three and a half days, and almost dying.”

  Alina’s jaw tightened. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  She tapped her shoe against the floor—tap tap tap tap tap—until Fitz told her, “Keefe’s empathy is stronger too.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Vacker,” Alina told him. “I appreciate someone cooperating—even if it should have been our Regent.”

  “I’m cooperating,” Sophie argued. “I’m just not sure if Keefe’s empathy is stronger, or if it’s just extra sensitive right now because the ability reset.”

  “Well, how about you try giving me all of the information and let me decide what I do and don’t need to
know?” Alina countered.

  Sophie crossed her arms. “Fine. Want me to describe how he accidentally glued his jaw shut with squelchberries, too?”

  “I love when our sweet little Blondie shows her claws,” Ro said—which earned a soft snort of laughter from Keefe and an epic eye roll from Councillor Alina.

  A staring contest followed—until Oralie murmured, “I wonder if this new ability isn’t an ability at all.”

  “What do you mean?” Noland asked her.

  Oralie’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not certain. It just seems significant that Keefe is now a Polyglot and an Empath, and used his voice to control emotion. That almost sounds like the two abilities merged somehow—or synchronized. Which would make sense, given that Keefe was exposed to shadowflux and quintessence. Elements trigger change. They rarely create something entirely new. But I’d need to do more research to know for sure.”

  “We all need more research,” Noland said, smoothing the sides of his ponytail. “Particularly when it comes to the larger question. New ability—merged abilities—whatever this is, what we need to be focusing on is the why. Why would Lady Gisela go to so much trouble to give her son these powers?”

  “Technically, we don’t know that she did,” Sophie reminded him. “Just because this is what happened, doesn’t mean it’s what she wanted. There are a bunch of things about me that the Black Swan never planned.”

  “I suppose,” Noland said slowly. “But I think it’s safe to assume that the majority of these changes are a part of her scheme—just as the majority of your genetics are in line with Project Moonlark’s goals, which are still unclear, by the way. But that is a conversation for another time. For now, I think it’s best if we treat each of these developments as though they’re clues to what the Neverseen is planning, and see how much we can learn.”

  “Who wants to bet we’ll learn a whole lot of nothing?” Ro asked, raising her hand.

  The question was probably meant to be rhetorical. But Sophie raised her hand too.

  So did Keefe.

  And Sandor.

  And Fitz.

  Alina clicked her tongue. “So little faith in your powers of deduction.”

  “More like we’ve played Guess Their Evil Plan enough times to know it doesn’t work,” Ro snapped back. “And I don’t know about you guys, but I’m done caring what they want. I say we focus on what we want and figure out how to use our Legacy Boy’s new elf-y powers to take Mommy Dearest and her band of black-cloaked losers down!”

  “She has a point,” Oralie admitted. “But with either approach, the first step remains the same. We need to learn as much about Keefe’s new abilities and sensitivities as we can.”

  “And he needs to be trained,” Noland added. “To gain proper control.”

  “He also needs to be moved,” Alina said, turning to check her reflection in one of the shinier bottles of medicine. “We’re about to reopen Foxfire and—”

  “You are?” Fitz interrupted.

  Alina nodded. “It hasn’t been announced yet—but it will be soon. Normalcy needs to return to the Lost Cities, and our children need to focus on their education. And we cannot have prodigies returning to a place where someone with an unknown, uncontrolled new ability—or merged abilities, whatever you want to call it—triggered by two of the most unstable elements is hiding in the Healing Center.”

  “But he still needs more treatment,” Elwin argued, flashing a blue orb around Keefe’s head.

  “He’s well enough to light leap, isn’t he?” Alina demanded.

  Elwin squinted through his glasses. “Yeah, I guess.”

  Alina smiled triumphantly. “Good. Then there’s no reason he can’t be relocated. You can continue any additional medical care at the new location.”

  “Which is where?” Elwin asked, and Sophie shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.

  If anyone said “Exile,” she would grab Keefe and run so fast, her newly improved teleporting would get them far away from there.

  “We haven’t worked out the details,” Alina said, glancing at the other Councillors. “We needed to assess the specifics of Mr. Sencen’s condition before we instructed the gnomes what to build.”

  “Build,” Sophie repeated. “You mean like the prisons you created for Fintan and Alvar?”

  Alina smoothed her gown. “No need to be so dramatic, Miss Foster. It wouldn’t be a prison. It would be a facility.”

  “And I maintain that it’s unnecessary,” Oralie informed everyone. “Keefe’s father’s home is sufficiently isolated. And Lord Cassius is an Empath, so he can help with his training. And—”

  “Uh, much as I’m not on board with the whole Special Sparkletown Facility idea, since I’ll be stuck there too,” Ro interrupted, “I gotta say, I’m pretty sure if you put our boy in a house with Lord Bossypants right now and make them train in emotional stuff, it’s not going to go well.”

  “I have to agree,” Elwin said, shifting the light around Keefe to green. “Keefe needs to be somewhere calming—and that’s not anywhere near his dad, or any isolated, confining place you guys build for him.”

  “So what would you suggest?” Noland asked.

  Elwin scratched his chin. “Well… what if I take Keefe home with me? My house is about as isolated as it gets. And I’ll be able to monitor his recovery there, nice and easy. And I have lots of different elixirs I can give him if he starts to lose control.”

  “Oh! Oh! I vote for that!” Ro said. “Bonus points if there aren’t any sparkles!”

  “Sadly for you, I’m a sparkle fan. But you’ll get used to it.” Elwin turned to Keefe. “What do you think of that plan?”

  Keefe shrugged—but it didn’t quite hide his relief.

  Sophie felt the same way.

  “Fine,” Alina huffed, glancing at the other Councillors for confirmation. “We can try that for now. And reassess if needed.”

  Noland cleared his throat. “So now we just need to figure out who should mentor the boy. I would offer, but I fear my training won’t be much help, since nothing I do affects emotion.”

  “I could—” Oralie started to offer, but Alina cut her off.

  “He needs more than just an Empath.”

  Oralie rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. Which is why I was going to say that I could talk to Lady Cadence—or Councillor Clarette—and see if either of them would mentor Keefe with me, so he’d have a Polyglot and an Empath.”

  Alina tilted her chin up. “I suppose that’s not a terrible idea. But I think he should receive some lessons from me, as well. My ability has some overlaps that should be considered.”

  Ro snickered. “Yeah, you two training together sounds like the perfect way to keep Hunkyhair calm.”

  Alina smiled, and her voice took on a soft, sugary tone when she told Ro, “Oh, I can be very soothing when I want to be.”

  Ro blinked. “Whoa. That’s freaky.”

  “No,” Alina corrected, checking her reflection again, “that’s how true power works. It’s not weapons or muscles or unhinged brutality. It’s natural talent.”

  “And yet I’m in charge of keeping Hunkyhair safe,” Ro reminded her. “If you guys are so powerful, how come you hide behind your bodyguards?”

  “Everything’s settled, right?” Elwin jumped in before Alina could respond.

  Oralie and Noland said “yes” at the same time Alina and Sophie said “no.”

  “What’s your problem with this arrangement?” Noland asked Sophie.

  “It’s not the arrangement,” Sophie explained. “It’s the fact that no one made sure Keefe’s okay with it. He should get a choice in his training.” Tiergan had given her one before he became her telepathy Mentor. So she asked Keefe, “Are you okay training with Alina and Oralie and whoever else?”

  Keefe considered that for a second before he nodded.

  Noland clapped his hands. “Good, then we’re settled. I’ll inform the rest of the Council and—”

  “We�
�re not settled,” Alina interrupted. “I still have one final requirement.” She pointed to Sophie. “It’s already been proven that you’re capable of triggering a disturbing aspect of Keefe’s ability. And I’m not convinced you can fully control your enhancing, either. So until we understand more about what we’re dealing with—and Keefe gains some level of control—you need to stay away. No visits. No hailing each other or sneaking off or whatever else you two do.”

  Noland tugged at the collar of his jerkin. “I suppose that is a valid precaution. Don’t you agree, Oralie?”

  A beat of silence followed, and Sophie stared at her feet, already knowing Oralie’s answer.

  But when Oralie spoke, she told Noland, “I think this should be up to Keefe. He knows his limits better than any of us—and he’s shown his desire for caution by refusing to talk, despite all of our urging. So what do you say, Keefe? Do you want Sophie to stay away from Splendor Plains for now?”

  “Splendor Plains?” Fitz asked.

  “That’s the name of my estate,” Elwin explained.

  He said something else, too. But Sophie wasn’t listening. She was too busy studying Keefe’s face.

  He was the most stubborn, rebellious person she’d ever met.

  But there was no fight left in his eyes.

  He looked only tired and shattered as he turned toward Oralie and nodded that yes, he wanted Sophie to stay away.

  - FOUR - KEEFE

  Welcome to Splendor Plains!” Elwin said as the scenery glittered into focus and Keefe turned to study the sprawling mansion in front of them, which somehow managed to be both super colorful and really, really boring.

  The walls were floor-to-ceiling windows, and each pane was a different shade of glass, arranged in vibrant, alternating patterns of the light spectrum.

  But the architecture itself was pretty basic.

  Flat roof.

  Square rooms stacked on top of each other.

  Lots of sharp angles.

  Even the wide, straight flight of stairs that Elwin led them up was made of dull, square stones. And the door was a simple sliding sheet of glass.

  Inside, the huge main room was almost entirely empty. The only furniture was a swiveling white armchair and a small, round table, both arranged precisely in the center.