Everblaze

by Shannon Messenger

  She pointed to a purple backpack stashed by the door.

  The same purple backpack Sophie had shown up with after she left her human family.

  It was crammed a lot fuller this time. But it still seemed impossibly small.

  Was that really all she’d have to help her for the next stage of her journey?

  No.

  She turned to study the faces of her friends—the faces that had been with her through everything. She’d fought so hard to protect them that she hadn’t really considered how much they’d protected her.

  Individually they were vulnerable. But together, they were a team.

  “You guys are sure you want to do this?” Sophie asked, needing to check one last time. “There’s no going back from here.”

  Keefe smirked. “Uh, how many times do I have to tell you: Bring it on, Foster. I’m ready.”

  “Me too,” Fitz promised, nodding quickly at his dad.

  “Me three,” Biana agreed.

  “So the real question,” Dex said, flashing his dimpled grin, “is, are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes,” Sophie told him, not needing any deep breaths or counted seconds before she decided.

  She was ready.

  So all she had left to say was, “Let’s go join the Black Swan!”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Yay, you made it to the end—and you’re still reading! That makes me ever so happy. So I want to start by thanking you, dear reader, for coming along with Sophie and her friends on their incredible journey through the Lost Cities. Thank you for reading, for telling your friends, for following me online, and for all of the amazing e-mails and fan art that you take the time to send me. You make this job worth doing.

  *reaches through the pages to hug you*

  I would also never survive this crazy, confusing business without an army of brilliant people at my side.

  Laura Rennert, I can’t thank you enough for your unfailing belief in both me, and this series, and for handling all of the complicated agent-y things so I don’t have to deal with them. I also want to thank the entire team at Andrea Brown Literary, as well as Taryn Fagerness for her untiring efforts to bring KEEPER to readers all around the world. And to my foreign publishers, thank you for taking a chance on these books, and for all of the time and energy you put into translating them for your readers.

  Liesa Abrams Mignogna, thank you for rolling with every twist these stories throw at me, and for always pushing me to make the books they best they can be. I also want to thank everyone at Simon & Schuster for the support they give this series, especially Mara Anastas, Mary Marotta, Lauren Forte, Fiona Simpson, Alyson Heller, Emma Sector, Carolyn Swerdloff. Julie Christopher, Lucille Rettino, Paul Crichton, Michelle Fadlalla, Venessa Carson, Anthony Parisi, Ebony LaDelle, Matt Pantoliano, Michael Strother, Amy Bartram, Jeanine Henderson, Mike Rosamilia, Siena Konscol, and the entire sales team. Plus a tremendous thank you to Karin Paprocki for yet another breathtaking cover design, and to Jason Chan for his seriously stunning artwork.

  Thank you, Kari Olson, for the peptalks, honest opinions, and lightning-fast critiques—plus your ever-loyal support for all things related to Keefe. And thank you, Sara McClung, for squeezing in a second read among all the hectic, new-mom things, and Sarah Wylie for loving the draft so much, you’re now contemplating a switch to Team Fitz. (I know how much it pained you to admit that)

  Every author also needs a network of writer-friends to lean on and laugh with, and I’m lucky to say I have some of the best. Thank you, Heather Brewer, MG Buerhlen, Lisa Cannon, Christa Desir, Debra Driza, Kirsten Hubbard, Nikki Katz, Lisa Mantchev, Andrea Ortega, Cindy Pon, CJ Redwine, James Riley, Amy Tintera, Kasie West, Natalie Whipple, and Kiersten White, plus the wonderful ladies of Friday the Thirteeners. I also must thank Margaret Peterson Haddix for joining me for some very hectic touring in the Midwest, and for braving a midnight Walmart bathroom stop somewhere between Minneapolis and Milwaukee. (Oh, the glamorous lives we authors lead.)

  I will never be able to properly express my gratitude to the teachers, librarians, bloggers, and booksellers who have gotten behind these books and helped get them in the hands of readers, especially Alyson Beecher, Katie Bartow, Maryelizabeth Hart, Faith Hochhalter, Katie Laird, Kim Laird, Brandi Stewart, Andrea Vuleta, and so many others. I wish I had the space to thank you all individually, but since I don’t (this book is rather thick, after all), I hope you all know how much I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and if I haven’t had a chance to meet you in person yet, I hope our paths cross soon.

  To my parents, thank you for telling pretty much every person you meet that they need to read these books (regardless of whether or not they have kids), and to all my friends and family, thank you for the unending amount of slack you cut me as I battle through my crazy deadlines.

  Last, but definitely not least, I must thank my husband, Miles, who I seriously don’t know what I would do without. Thank you for celebrating every high and holding my hand through every low. And thank you for pushing us to get one more kitten. You were right, we needed an orange one.

  About the Author

  Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned—among other things—that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She’s studied art, screenwriting, and television production, but realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. She is the author of the middle grade Keeper of the Lost Cities series and the young adult novels Let the Sky Fall and Let the Storms Break. She is also one of the founders and organizers of WriteOnCon, a free online Writer’s Conference for kidlit writers held annually in August. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at ShannonMessenger.com.

  MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

  KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Shannon-Messenger

  Also by Shannon Messenger

  Keeper of the Lost Cities

  Keeper of the Lost Cities Book Two: Exile

  For teen readers

  Let the Sky Fall

  Let the Storm Break

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin hardcover edition November 2014

  Text copyright © 2014 by Shannon Messenger

  Jacket illustration © 2014 by Jason Chan

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Cover designed by Karin Paprocki

  Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia

  The text of this book was set in Scala.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Messenger, Shannon. Everblaze / by Shannon Messenger. -- First Aladdin

  hardcover edition. pages cm — (K
eeper of the lost cities ; 3)

  Summary: Sophie's talents are getting stronger and, with the elusive Black Swan group ignoring her calls for help, she is determined to find her kidnappers but a daring mistake pushes her world to the edge of war, and soon she has exposed a a major conspiracy that could threaten all she loves.

  ISBN 978-1-4424-4599-4 (hardback) — 978-1-4424-4601-4 (eBook)

  [1. Ability—Fiction. 2. Psychic ability—Fiction.

  3. Identity—Fiction. 4. Foster parents—Fiction. 5. Elves—Fiction. 6. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.M5494Eve 2014 [Fic]--dc23 2014016688

  Contents

  * * *

  Dedication

  Preface

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Forty-Eight

  Forty-Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty-One

  Fifty-Two

  Fifty-Three

  Fifty-Four

  Fifty-Five

  Fifty-Six

  Fifty-Seven

  Fifty-Eight

  Fifty-Nine

  Sixty

  Sixty-One

  Sixty-Two

  Sixty-Three

  Sixty-Four

  Sixty-Five

  Sixty-Six

  Sixty-Seven

  Sixty-Eight

  Sixty-Nine

  Seventy

  Acknowledgments

  About Shannon Messenger

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Dedication

  Preface

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Forty-Eight

  Forty-Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty-One

  Fifty-Two

  Fifty-Three

  Fifty-Four

  Fifty-Five

  Fifty-Six

  Fifty-Seven

  Fifty-Eight

  Fifty-Nine

  Sixty

  Sixty-One

  Sixty-Two

  Sixty-Three

  Sixty-Four

  Sixty-Five

  Sixty-Six

  Sixty-Seven

  Sixty-Eight

  Sixty-Nine

  Seventy

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also By Shannon Messenger

  Copyright