“And I’m out!” Keefe said, covering his ears and singing, “LALALALALA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” as he raced up the stairs to the boys’ tree house. Fitz, Dex, and Biana followed—but not before Granite gave them scrolls and asked them to put them somewhere safe.
It was a good thing they left, because Mr. Forkle wanted all the details. When Sophie finished, both he and Granite stared at each other so long she was sure they were having a telepathic conversation.
“Is something wrong?” she asked. “I thought this was what everyone’s been waiting for.”
“It is,” Granite said. “But it also complicates things.”
“The Council had plans to move the alicorns,” Mr. Forkle explained. “So that will obviously have to be canceled.”
“Why were they going to move them?” Sophie asked.
“Secrecy is better than security,” Granite said. “No one can steal something they can’t find.”
“A few days ago the Neverseen attempted to breach the Sanctuary,” Mr. Forkle added.
“WHAT?” Sophie asked, knocking over her chair as she stood. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“The Council is getting better at protecting their information,” Mr. Forkle said. “I only learned of it yesterday—and then we were sidetracked by your expedition. But that’s what we came to tell you. Both members of the Neverseen managed to escape—and both were male. There were also no reports of force fields, so we have no news on the Psionipath or Lady Gisela.”
Sophie sank back in her chair, feeling her brain reach Maximum Worrying Capacity.
Wasn’t it enough that they had the plague, and Prentice, and Keefe’s mom, and the ogres, and the Council, and Exillium to wrestle with—did they have to worry about the alicorns, too?
“They’re never going to stop trying to capture them, are they?” she asked.
“Unfortunately,” Granite said, “the alicorns are too important. It’s strange, all the years we only had one alicorn, no one cared. I guess the situation felt too hopeless. But now that we actually have a chance to reset the Timeline to Extinction—”
“Are you guys even sure that’s a real thing?” Sophie interrupted. “For all you know, the planet could be fine if something goes extinct.”
“Is there any creature that you could imagine the world without?” Mr. Forkle asked.
“I doubt I’d miss spiders,” she mumbled. “Or mosquitos.”
Granite’s cracked lips twitched. “I’ll admit, those aren’t my favorite either. But nature is an intricate jigsaw puzzle, and every piece matters. Unfortunately, that means that certain species—like the alicorns—leave us vulnerable. But that may change with the baby. And thankfully the Sanctuary has extensive security measures.”
“Then how did the Neverseen almost get in?” she asked.
“Through an old air shaft the dwarves used when they were hollowing out the mountains,” Mr. Forkle said. “We’re assuming the Neverseen thought we didn’t know about it—and in truth, we didn’t. If Lord Cassius hadn’t found those maps in Lady Gisela’s trunk, we might be reporting different news. The Council added guards to the area only days ago. That’s why we brought those scrolls today. They’re copies of everything Lord Cassius found. The map of Ravagog seems particularly important. It has a number of places marked that both Alvar and Lady Cadence claim hold no significance, based on their own journeys through the city.”
Sophie sat up straighter. “Do you think they could be the Panakes?”
“We’re not ruling out any possibilities,” Mr. Forkle said carefully. “But legends can be misleading. Think of the human legends about elves—there are seeds of truth, of course. But not enough to treat as a valid theory—but we’ll get to that later. First we must let the Council know it’s not safe to move Silveny.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Granite said as Sophie asked, “Why can’t they move her? She’s pregnant, not sick.”
“Ah, but pregnancies are fragile things,” Mr. Forkle said. “They’d need to sedate Silveny for transport, and the drugs could harm the baby—not to mention the stress Silveny would feel while adjusting to her new home. Even in an ideal case, a move will be a huge change. And a case like this, with a species we literally have no experience with when it comes to childbirth, I have no doubt the Council will decide it’s too dangerous.”
“Can I tell Alden you’d be willing to use your telepathy to check on Silveny and give reports to Councillor Oralie?” Granite asked, pulling a dark leaping crystal from his cape.
“Of course,” Sophie said. “And wait—you’re going to see Alden?”
“In some form,” Granite agreed.
“Can I go with you?” Biana asked, appearing in the corner.
“Ah, Miss Vacker,” Mr. Forkle said. “Getting good at vanishing, I see.”
“I fooled Calla this morning,” Biana said proudly. “I finally figured out how to feel the pollen and keep it off my skin. But you’re ignoring my question. Can I go?”
Granite shook his head. “Your father is being monitored too closely. Besides, I can’t have you learning one of my identities.”
“Couldn’t we just hail Alden later and ask him who visited him?” Sophie asked.
“Do you think I’m brand new at having an alternate identity?” Granite leaped away before Sophie could answer.
Biana stared sadly at her feet, and Sophie knew how she felt.
“Do you want to use my Spyball to see your dad?” she offered. “You can’t talk to him, but you can see how he’s doing.”
“Wait—if we watch through the Spyball, would we see the real Granite?” Biana asked.
Mr. Forkle sighed. “You kids think we’re such amateurs. The answer to any of your theories is: No—it’s not that easy. Besides, I have something else for all of you to do today. We’ve made arrangements with King Enki for the twins to live in Ermete’s former residence. He’s one of the dwarves we lost in the battle on Everest, and he had no family to inherit his possessions. Dwarven residences are different from ours, but your friends will adjust. And they’ll be safe and have plenty of food.”
“Wow. That’s . . . really great,” Sophie said, though living in a dead dwarf’s house sounded mildly depressing. But it couldn’t be worse than living in Wildwood.
“Good. Because you’ll be the one telling them.” Mr. Forkle removed a special pathfinder from his cape. The yellow crystal at the end was barely larger than the wand’s point, and it only had a handful of facets carved into it. “This will take us to the Neutral Territories,” he explained, adjusting the crystal.
Sophie was about to reach for his hand when she realized her mistake.
“Hang on,” she told him, racing for the stairs. “If we’re going, we’re all going.”
FIFTY-THREE
STOP!” TAM SHOUTED from across the river as he stretched out his arms and pulled every shadow toward his grasp.
“It’s okay!” Sophie promised, running ahead of the others. “They’re with me.”
Tam flicked his wrists, launching the shadows across the water. “I never said you could bring people here.”
“We mean you no harm,” Mr. Forkle said calmly. “There’s no need for your darkness tricks.”
“It’s not a trick,” Tam said. “Unlike your disguise. And you don’t come any closer unless I take a reading of all of you.”
Keefe scrambled away from the shadows. “Uh, forget that.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Sophie told him. “It just feels really cold.”
“I don’t care. It’s not happening,” Keefe insisted.
“The only people who refuse readings are those with darkness to hide,” Tam told him.
“Or maybe I just don’t want some creeper putting his shadow in my brain,” Keefe snapped back. “Especially a dude with silver tips on his bangs. What’d you do, melt down the buckles on your Exillium uniform and dip your head in?”
“My registry pendant, actually. I melted down the chain after I ripp
ed off the crystal and threw it in my father’s face. Now if I ever face him again, he’ll see exactly how little I miss living in his glittering prison.”
Keefe looked away, for once without a snappy comeback.
“I think we’ve gotten off track,” Mr. Forkle said. “I appreciate your wariness, Mr. Song, but—”
“How do you know that name?”
“Relax. I know your name because I’m careful—like you appear to be. I don’t visit someone I haven’t investigated.”
Tam snorted. “All you know are the Council’s lies.”
“I assure you, I searched well beyond the registry’s files. Which is why I know that your sister was banished after she flooded part of Atlantis—even though it was your parents’ fault. They should’ve known better than to bring a fledgling Hydrokinetic under the ocean. It’s like bringing a Guster into a hurricane and expecting them to leave the wind alone. I also know that your father tried to convince people you were a year older than Linh, but you and your sister refused to go along with the lie. I know you scored off the charts on your entrance exams to Foxfire, but your sister scored even higher. And yet your performance at Exillium has been mediocre at best. You refuse to apply yourself during the skill lessons, and you’ve broken several bones due to careless risks. I’ve also met your father several times. Can’t say I was impressed.”
Tam’s jaw fell and he lowered his arms, all trace of his shadows vanishing. “I’ve never heard anyone speak ill of my father.”
“Then you haven’t been talking to the right people,” Mr. Forkle said. “Do not make the mistake of assuming all adults are like him. Now, where is your sister hiding?”
Tam hesitated a second. Then waived his hand, and the shadows around a clump of trees shifted to reveal Linh.
“Wow, that’s like an antivanish,” Biana said. “How did you do that?”
“We can trade ability secrets another time,” Mr. Forkle interrupted. “At the moment, I have a proposition for the Song twins. Shall we?”
He pointed to the river dividing them.
Linh swept her arm and raised the water into an arch before taking her brother’s hand and guiding him forward.
“Wow,” Fitz breathed, and Sophie hoped he meant the river trick—but it was hard to tell with the way he was staring at Linh.
Dex seemed equally stunned as the twins crossed under the river and Linh set the water down for its normal flow. The only boy who didn’t look impressed was Keefe—but that was probably because he was too busy glaring at Tam.
“So who are you guys?” Tam asked, frowning as he studied Mr. Forkle’s ruckleberry wrinkles.
“This is Mr. Forkle,” Sophie said. “He . . . takes a little getting used to. And these are my friends, Dex, Keefe, Fitz, and Biana.”
Linh bowed shyly and introduced herself.
“I really love your hair,” Biana told her.
Linh pulled at the long strands, brushing the silver tips against her palms. “Mine is less of a protest than my brother’s. I melted my pendant to remind myself what happens when I lose control.”
“Enough about our hair,” Tam said. “Why are you here?”
“To make you an offer.” Mr. Forkle turned to Sophie, and she explained about the arrangements the Black Swan had made with the dwarves.
“What’s the catch?” was Tam’s first question.
Mr. Forkle’s lips curled with half a smile. “There is none. King Enki and I have everything arranged. All he asks is that you respect his laws while you live there—which are really no different than elvin laws, except perhaps slightly less restrictive.”
Tam blinked several times. “Why are you helping us?”
“Because someone should.” Mr. Forkle stepped closer, his wrinkled features softening. “I make a point of trying to right the wrongs I see in my world.”
Linh wiped her eyes. “This is far more than we ever could’ve expected.”
“It still seems like there has to be a catch,” Tam mumbled.
“There isn’t,” Sophie promised.
“Please,” Linh whispered to her brother. “I can’t stay here any longer.”
Her eyes roved to the dying Wildwood Grove, and fresh tears welled.
Tam sighed, tugging on the ends of his bangs. “I guess we could give it a try.”
“A wise decision,” Mr. Forkle told him. “If the arrangement doesn’t suit you, we can find another. Do you need assistance packing up your tents?”
Linh shook her head. “We always keep everything gathered in case we have to flee. Give me five minutes.”
She raised the river again, earning yet another “wow” from Dex and Fitz as she ran for the grove of trees.
“So,” Tam said, circling Mr. Forkle. “I’m assuming Sophie told you everything I told her yesterday?”
“She did. It made me wish I’d spoken to you and your sister the last time I was here.”
Tam froze. “When was that?”
“Several weeks ago, when I came to investigate the plague. I’m afraid my search was no less hasty than the Council’s—a mistake I intend to correct.”
“But I don’t remember seeing you,” Tam said.
“That’s because I didn’t want to be seen. One cannot live the lives I lead without mastering the art of hiding.”
Tam glanced at Sophie. “You’re right. This guy’s going to take some getting used to.”
“It’s worth it though,” Sophie said.
“I hope so.” Tam’s shadow fell over hers, and he shadow-whispered, “I’m trusting you. I don’t care about me, but if something happens to Linh . . .”
I promise, we’re only trying to help, Sophie transmitted.
Keefe let out a sigh that sounded more like a groan. “And I thought secret Telepath conversations were the worst. Just so we’re clear,” he told Tam. “I’m the president of the Foster fan club. And we’re closed to new members.”
Tam’s cheeks flushed. “Uh . . . not sure what that’s about but . . . no worries there—no offense!” he told Sophie.
She noticed he stole a quick glance at Biana after he said it.
Sophie couldn’t decide if she should feel relieved or insulted. She was saved from having to decide by the river rising again.
“Wow,” Dex and Fitz whispered, right on cue.
Linh crossed the riverbed carrying two small bags and a long cylinder, with poles sticking out of one end.
“You won’t need the tents,” Mr. Forkle told her.
“I hope not,” Linh said, “but I’ll feel safer knowing we still have a backup plan. Plus, we try not to leave a trace of anywhere we’ve lived.”
“You’re going to wash the campsite, right?” Tam asked her.
Linh nodded and raised her arms, gathering a storm over their former home. As soon as the clouds were in place, she clapped her hands and the storm burst, raining so hard the trees bent.
The rush of water flooded the river, but before it overflowed Linh waved her hands, wiping out the storm even faster than it had formed.
“Impressive,” Mr. Forkle told her. “You show more control than you realize.”
“I’ve learned to create fixed points,” she said. “Tiny drops of steady among the chaos. They give me something to focus on and help me to keep a tighter hold. But the more water there is, the more it slips beyond my control.”
“Of course,” Mr. Forkle said. “Water is an element, no less volatile than fire or air. All you can hope for is exactly what you’re achieving—victory within limits. I know someone who might be able to help.”
“Who?” Sophie asked.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Mr. Forkle reached into his pocket and pulled out two simple chains hanging with a tiny piece of magsidian shaped like a star. “The dwarves gave me these. They will take you to your new home and signal that you have permission to be there. Keep them safe, and never take them off. King Enki said he’d have provisions sent to you this afternoon. If there’s anything you
’re missing, bring Miss Foster a list to Exillium and I’ll make sure you get it.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Linh asked as she looped her pendant around her neck.
“No. These are your lives. We won’t interfere.”
Tam looked relieved until Mr. Forkle added, “But before you go, I do have a request for Mr. Song.”
“There’s the catch!” Tam said, as if his world finally made sense. “And don’t call me that.”
“Is Mr. Tam acceptable?” Mr. Forkle asked. “I prefer to keep things formal. And it most definitely is not a catch. You’re free to leave right now if you’d like—that is your choice. But I hope you’ll consider my request and read the shadowvapor of the Wildwood Grove.”
“You want me to do a reading on a bunch of sick trees . . . ,” Tam said slowly.
“Assuming you’re willing,” Mr. Forkle agreed.
“I can already tell you it’ll be off the charts,” Tam told him, “since, y’know, the trees are dying.”
“That is what one would expect from a plague. But as I said before, I plan to improve upon my previous investigation. This time I intend to be incredibly thorough.”
Tam shrugged and stretched out his shadow, letting the darkness cover the grove in a smoky blanket.
“I don’t understand,” Tam said as the seconds ticked by.
“So it is as I thought,” Mr. Forkle said. “Thank you—you’ve been very helpful.”
“Wait,” Tam said as Mr. Forkle pulled out his pathfinder. “How did you know I wouldn’t feel anything?”
“I didn’t. But I’d hoped that would be the result.”
“Why?” Sophie asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means the plague feeds off shadowvapor. And hopefully we are one clue closer to a cure.”
FIFTY-FOUR
YOU WERE RIGHT,” Fitz said as they climbed the stairs to their tree houses. “I do like the twins.”
“So do I,” Dex agreed.
Mr. Forkle had left to update the physicians in Lumenaria on their findings about the plague. Sophie tried to feel his optimism, but she couldn’t quite get there.
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