Шеннон Мессенджер - Keeper of the Lost Cities

“This is important, Keefe. If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Alden and let you deal with him.”

He seemed to weigh her resolve before he sighed. “It was already open, okay?”

“No way. I never leave my locker open.”

“You must have. All I did was open it the rest of the way and drop my gift off.”

The faint blush on his cheeks implied he was telling the truth—but it didn’t make sense. “Nothing was missing. And you were the only one who put anything in.”

“Yeah, which you never thanked me for, by the way. The nerve of some people.”

He was right. She never figured out a way to thank him for his unusual gift. “Sorry. Thanks for the candy and the necklace.”

“Necklace?”

“Yeah. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Good, ’cause I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I gave you an extra large box of mood candy—that’s it. Sounds like someone has a secret admirer. Seriously—how many boys do you have chasing you now?”

“A lot, I guess,” she said, hoping he’d accept his own theory. But she had a sinking feeling a boy had nothing to do with the necklace.

FITZ AND BIANA DIDN’T SEEMsurprised when she caught up with them on their way to the Leapmaster to let them know she was coming home with them.

“I figured you’d have a lot to talk to my dad about,” Fitz said. He glanced at Biana.

“Yeah, how are you doing?” Biana asked.

“I’m fine.” Her heart skipped a beat—and for once it had nothing to do with meeting Fitz’s eyes. Alden wouldn’t have told them about the Black Swan, would he?

Fitz pulled her to a quiet corner. “Sophie. My dad told us about Grady and Edaline. I’m really sorry.”

“Me too.” Biana reached out and took her hand. “Is there anything we can do?”

Sophie looked away, blinking to stop the flood of tears she could feel coming. “Thanks. I’m fine.”

One stubborn tear slipped down her cheek, and Biana wrapped her in a hug. Fitz draped one arm across her shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay. Really,” Biana whispered.

“Sorry.” Her voice was thick enough to cut. She pulled away from the hug and wiped her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday,” Biana said.

“You knew yesterday?”

Biana nodded. “My dad told us a couple days ago, because he and Mom are applying as replacement guardians.”

Sophie’s head whipped up. “What? Really?”

“Yep. I mean, the Council still has to approve it, but my dad made it sound like it would kinda be a done deal.”

Warm tingling rushed through Sophie, and it took her a second to realize it was hope. It didn’t totally heal the wound from Grady and Edaline’s rejection, but it eased some of the fear and uncertainty. “I . . . don’t know what to say,” she whispered. “You guys wouldn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? Then I wouldn’t be the only girl anymore. You have no idea what it’s like having two brothers.”

Sophie’s eyes darted to Fitz, wondering how he felt about the idea. He grinned. “Of course I don’t mind. You’re already like my little sister—this would just make it official.”

“Oh. Great.” She knew he meant it as a compliment, but the word “sister” still stung.

Biana hooked an arm through hers and led her toward the Leapmaster. “See? Everything will be okay.”

Sophie wanted to believe her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

ALDEN SAT QUIET AFTER SOPHIEtold him her recent discoveries. Too quiet. She’d tugged out so many eyelashes she was afraid there might be a bald spot. She dropped her hands to her lap.

Finally, Alden cleared his throat. “Can I see the necklace they gave you?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t bring it.”

“Why not?”

“I was afraid it might be a bug.”

“An insect?”

“Oh. Sorry. That’s what humans call tiny recording devices. I didn’t want to bring it into your house in case it was a way to spy on us.”

Alden smiled. “Human technology .”

Her face burned. “But why would they give me a necklace, then? It’s just a crystal pendant—nothing special.”

“It has a crystal?”

“A blue one.”

He dug out his black pathfinder from his pocket and pointed to the cobalt crystal at the end. “Was it this color?”

Her eyes widened. “I think it was. Do you think it’s a leaping crystal?”

“Actually, I think it’s an illegal crystal for leaping to the Forbidden Cities.” He rose to pace, shaking his head. “They gave this to you at midterm?”

She nodded. “I still don’t understand how they could get in my locker.”

“A skilled Vanisher could sneak into Foxfire undetected, and we already know they have your DNA.” He crossed the room back and forth four times before he spoke again. “I’ll have to get that pendant from you—as soon as possible.”

“I’ll pick it up on Monday.”

“Make sure you don’t let anyone see it.”

“I won’t.”

He let out a breath. “Good. You can keep the pin for now—maybe it will trigger more memories. I’ve never heard of lumenite being used for firecatching, but I suppose it’s possible. Maybe you should read through your textbook again, see if it triggers anything else now that you know what lumenite is.”

She nodded, though she dreaded the idea of reading the boring book again. “What about the note and the article?”

“You can’t do anything about that. Remember your promise.”

“I know. But are you looking into it?”

“I’m doing what I can. The Council banned anyone from going near the fires—even those of us with licensed pathfinders. So until they lift that restriction, my hands are tied.”

“Why would they do that?”

“They’re trying to stop the conspiracy theories from spreading any more than they already have.”

“What if it’s not a theory? What if it is Everblaze? It could destroy the world.”

“It would never get that far. As soon as it threatens us or one of the Lost Cities, they’ll investigate.”

“But people are dying.” She pointed to the scrap of newspaper on Alden’s desk.

He sighed. “Humans die every day, Sophie. It’s not our job to keep them all safe.”

“It is if an elf started the Everblaze.”

He studied her face for a second before he answered. “You throw the word ‘Everblaze’ around without realizing what a serious accusation that is. Have you heard the name Fintan?”

She closed her eyes as a word pricked her consciousness. “Balefire.”

“Did I just trigger a memory?”

“I think so. But I don’t know what it means.”

He started pacing again. “Balefire was Fintan’s trademark. It’s a blue flame that requires no fuel. You’ve seen it in Atlantis—he sealed it inside the crystal spires to light the city. That was back when he was one of the Councillors. He retired when pyrokinesis was banned—which he fully supported after what happened.”

“Marella said people died.”

Alden nodded. “Because of Everblaze. I’ve never really understood the concept, but apparently there’s a way to sense cosmic energy in the atmosphere, and if you pull enough of the force together, it will spark Everblaze. Fintan called it the ‘fire of the sun on the Earth.’ He was the only Pyrokinetic who managed to ignite it and live. The others who tried were consumed by their own flame.”

Sophie shuddered.

“After that, the Council forbade anyone to learn pyrokinesis, and Fintan retired from the Council because he couldn’t serve without a special ability. But he’s stayed close friends with most of the Councillors, and he’s the only elf alive who can start Everblaze, so can you see why the Councillors might have a hard time believing he’s capable of this?”