Шеннон Мессенджер - Keeper of the Lost Cities

The thought was so terrible she was ashamed for even thinking it.

But . . .

No one would ever know.

And she’d still have to complete the assignment for the test without any help. Narrowing down what to study wasn’t so wrong, was it? Plus, if she didn’t pass, Bronte would have what he needed to get her expelled, maybe even shipped off to—

She refused to finish the terrifying thought. The fear made up her mind.

At her next alchemy session she dropped her books. She kept her back to Lady Galvin as she bent to retrieve them, and—before she could wimp out—she closed her eyes and concentrated on her thoughts.

It was easier than she had planned. Lady Galvin had the exam on her mind, so Sophie didn’t have to probe deeper into her memories. She was deciding between making Sophie turn a rose to iron or making her turn brass to copper—the hardest basic transmutations. Sophie tucked both ideas away, then closed her mind and picked up her books like nothing had happened.

She’d expected to feel triumphant. Now she had a fighting chance. Plus, she was right. Lady Galvin was giving her the hardest challenges to try to fail her, and she’d thwarted her plan. So why did she feel like she’d eaten a huge bowl of slime?

Distracted and uncomfortable, she spilled the gashrooms and made the whole room reek of rotten fungus.

Study hall was worse. Everyone pored over their notes while Sophie sat frozen, afraid to open her books. By the time she got home she was on the verge of tears. She couldn’t touch her dinner, couldn’t bear the concerned looks on Grady’s and Edaline’s faces. She didn’t deserve sympathy. She didn’t deserve anything. She hid in her room the rest of the night.

Sleep was a lost cause.

Alone in the darkness, with a snoring imp shattering the silence, and Ella in her arms, she forced herself to admit the truth.

She’d broken the rules for Telepaths.

Even worse: She’d cheated.

Just thinking the word made her skin crawl. From now on, anything she accomplished at Foxfire would be because she cheated on her alchemy exam. Could she really live with that?

No.

But what could she do?

How could she study without focusing on those things? And, if she didn’t study them, she’d be sure to fail. It wasn’t like she could tell Lady Galvin what happened. She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about her telepathy. She had to cheat now—no way around it.

Unless . . .

Her heart sank as another option occurred to her. It was far from ideal, but it was her only way out—and better than living with guilt for the rest of her life.

Fear weighed her down as she crept out of bed and dug out the Imparter Alden had given her. But she had to do this now, before she changed her mind.

She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and forced her lips to say three words she was dreading. “Show me Alden.”

D AME ALINA’S OFFICE WAS Atri-angular room with glass walls and a high, pointed ceiling at the apex of the pyramid at Foxfire. Morning sunlight streamed through the clear windows, but every other pane was a mirror, tilted at just the right angle to show Dame Alina’s reflection as she sat behind her mirrored desk, examining her hair from all sides.

Sophie kept her eyes on her hands as she confessed her crime. She didn’t want to see the disappointment on Alden’s or Tiergan’s face, or Dame Alina’s reflections glaring at her from every direction. This was so much harder than telling Grady and Edaline before she left for school. They’d just nodded, forgave her, and hoped she didn’t get in too much trouble.

“What do you think, Dame Alina?” Alden asked when Sophie finished. His voice was neutral. Not angry, but not gentle either.

Dame Alina pursed her lips. “She violated the ethical regulations of telepathy.”

“She did indeed,” Tiergan murmured. “And I’m sure some here feel she should be exiled for that.” He glared at Alden.

Sophie froze. Would the Council exile her? And here she’d thought all she was facing was expulsion.

Alden sighed. “No one is suggesting anything of the sort.”

Sophie released the breath she’d been holding.

“Right,” Tiergan grumbled, “because it would be absurd to exile an innocent girl. But a man with a family to care for—”

“I will not have this argument again, Tiergan. It was the Council’s ruling. I had no choice but to obey.”

“There’s always a choice,” Tiergan insisted quietly.

Sophie knew they were talking about Prentice, and she knew she should be curious. But ever since she realized he was the one who’d abandoned her, she didn’t want to be interested in what had happened to him. It hurt too much to think about.

“Now, now, boys,” Dame Alina said, rising from her chair with an elegant flourish. She smoothed her hair in her dozens of reflections. “Can’t we play nice?”

No one said anything.

Dame Alina sighed. Then she turned to Alden, flashing a wide smile. “What do you think the punishment should be?”

Tiergan snorted. “Yes, let’s leave it up to him. Why bother asking her telepathy Mentor how she should be punished for violating the rules of telepathy ?”

“He’s the one reporting on her to the Council,” Dame Alina argued.

Sophie had to stifle her gasp. Alden was reporting on her too? How closely was the Council watching her?

“Yes, everyone knows he’s good at that,” Tiergan growled.

Alden sighed but said nothing.

“Don’t forget your place, Sir Tiergan,” Dame Alina said icily. “As long as you are a Mentor you will respect my authority. And I’d like to know what Alden advises.”

“Of course you do,” he said under his breath. “Everyone knows how you favor him.”

“Excuse me?” Dame Alina hissed.

Alden closed his eyes, shaking his head. But Tiergan straightened his shoulders, like he wasn’t backing down. “It’s hardly a secret that you tried to stop his wedding to Della.”

“Really?” Sophie blurted, unable to stop herself.

Dame Alina flushed bright red, and her mouth flapped a few times, like she wanted to speak but couldn’t get her tongue to work.

Alden ran his hands through his hair. “All of that is neither here nor there.”

“Isn’t it?” Tiergan asked. “This whole process is pointless. Sophie won a pardon from the splotching match. Can’t she hand that over and consider it punishment served?”

“And allow her to believe that cheating is tolerated?” Dame Alina huffed, still struggling to recover her dignity. “Certainly not.”

“But she didn’t actually cheat,” Tiergan pointed out.

“And the fact that we’re here at all tells us she regrets it. She didn’t have to confess,” Alden added.

Tiergan stared at him for a second, like he couldn’t believe they were on the same side.

“She should still have to serve detention, at minimum,” Dame Alina insisted.

“That’s ridiculous,” Tiergan argued.

“Can I say something?” Sophie asked, stunned by her sudden courage. Her mouth went dry as they all turned to stare at her. “I’ll serve the detention.”

Seeing how she’d disappointed everyone made her ill. She didn’t deserve to get off easy. And the smile hiding in the corners of Alden’s mouth told her she’d made the right decision.

Dame Alina nodded. “Good. Then I’m assigning you detention until the end of midterms, and you are not to tell anyone the reason you’re being punished, is that clear?”

“What will you tell Lady Galvin?” Sophie asked.

“I’ll explain the situation to her. No reason to worry.” The warmth in Alden’s voice melted the sickening guilt in her stomach. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but at least she’d be able to sleep at night again. Well . . . once she stopped worrying about her midterms. And Bronte.