Nightfall

by Shannon Messenger

  Ruy skirted the edge of the crowd, managing to avoid their notice as he took up a position in the center of the curve.

  One second he stood alone, his cloaked form facing toward the water. And the next second Vespera stood beside him.

  “I’ll give her this—she’s got the dramatic-entrance thing mastered,” Ro said under her breath. “But her clothes need work.”

  Vespera had added a hooded cloak to her outfit, and the thick golden fabric cascaded over her in layered ruffles, hiding any hint of her figure—and disguising any injuries she might have sustained in her scuffle with Biana.

  “Okay, you guys have five seconds to tell me your plan,” Ro warned, “or I’m charging in for an epic slashfest.”

  Before any of them could respond, a flash of white light triggered a wave of gasps and screams through the promenade.

  “I don’t understand,” Sophie whispered, blinking hard to make sure she really was seeing what she thought she was seeing.

  Ruy had trapped Vespera under a dome of white pulsing energy.

  “This isn’t going to be good,” Keefe said, pointing to a second black-cloaked figure carving a bold path through the scrambling masses.

  The newest member of the Neverseen kept their face covered as they headed straight for Ruy, and Sophie assumed it had to be Gethen—until the figure raised their arms and shouted, “You’re welcome!”

  The voice was Lady Gisela’s.

  Eighty-three

  YOU CAN COME out now, Keefe!” Lady Gisela called as Ruy encased her and himself inside a wider force field, then formed another glowing white dome around the entire promenade. “You too, Sophie! I know you’re both here. You’d never give up while Vespera was still in the city. It’s time for all of us to stop hiding.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Ro told Keefe, grabbing his sleeve as he took a step forward. “She’s already blocked my weapons with that energy thing. I’m not letting you give away our location.”

  “Ro’s right,” Sophie whispered as Lady Gisela silenced the terrified crowd. “We need to figure out what game she’s playing before we do anything.”

  “Are you sure she’s playing one?” Linh asked, keeping her voice low. “She just captured Vespera.”

  “With my mom, it’s always a game,” Keefe mumbled. “Besides, she’s like, Vespera’s number one fangirl.”

  “Then this seems like a strange way to meet her hero,” Tam noted. “And why is Ruy helping her?”

  “She told us Ruy and Fintan don’t get along,” Sophie whispered. “Maybe she used that to recruit him to her side.”

  Keefe gritted his teeth. “I should’ve expected that.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Sophie told him. “I didn’t catch it either.”

  Her mind raced through every conversation she’d had with Lady Gisela, trying to spot any other clues they might’ve missed, since she was sure they were about to come back to haunt them.

  “Clearly you’re still refusing to trust me,” Lady Gisela called from the promenade. “Do you really not see how much I’m trying to help?”

  “What I see,” Keefe snapped, earning a groan from Ro as all heads whipped toward where they were hiding, “is you dressed up like the Neverseen.”

  “It’s called taking back what’s mine,” Lady Gisela told him. “You have no idea how many strings I’ve had to pull—how many plans I’ve had to weave together—to clean up Fintan’s mess and get us to this moment. But here we finally are.”

  “We’re not a we,” Sophie shouted to remind her.

  “That’s what you keep saying. And I’ve been waiting for you to realize your mistake. But this one”—she pointed to Vespera, who stood with folded hands, studying her—“has accelerated the timeline. So it seems I need to give you both a nudge.”

  “Is that supposed to scare us?” Keefe asked, yanking free from Ro’s grasp and stepping out of Tam’s shadows. He crossed his arms and gave his mom his coldest smirk. “Because it doesn’t. And what’s with the hood? If you’re done hiding, why don’t you let everyone see how shredded your face is?”

  “Oh boy, this is not going to end well,” Ro muttered as she drew her sword and stalked toward Keefe.

  “Hello, Princess,” Lady Gisela practically purred. “So glad you could make it. Though it doesn’t look like this crowd feels the same.”

  Ro’s appearance had caused even more screaming and scrambling than Ruy and Lady Gisela’s arrival had.

  “It’s not my fault elves are skittish,” Ro told her. “And obviously you are too, otherwise you wouldn’t be hiding behind your little force field.”

  “A simple precaution,” Lady Gisela promised. “I assure you, I’m very happy to see you.”

  “I’m going out there,” Sophie whispered to Tam and Linh. “But I think you guys should stay hidden until we figure out what she’s planning. And don’t break down her force field yet, Tam. Save that for when we can make it count.”

  They both nodded.

  “Ah, here’s our fearless moonlark!” Lady Gisela said as Sophie marched toward Keefe and Ro. “I assume the Vacker boy is nearby, along with the rest of your ever-loyal friends. And your inseparable bodyguards, of course. Perhaps we could speed these reveals along? One at a time is going to be tedious.”

  “No one else is here,” Sophie told her. “We split up. Aren’t you the one who’s always going on about delegating?”

  She could hear the smile in Lady Gisela’s voice when she said, “I suppose. Though judging by the amount of blood I’m seeing on the princess, I’m guessing some of that delegating wasn’t necessarily by choice.”

  “It was not,” Vespera agreed, smoothing a ruffle on her cape. “I made sure their Vanisher will never be the same.”

  Sophie’s hands shook, and when she noticed Keefe’s doing the same, she hooked her arm through his.

  She was grateful for that bit of support when Vespera added, “I could have finished her. But she showed such promise that I decided to give her a chance at becoming useful someday.”

  “See, now that’s why I’m looking forward to working with you,” Lady Gisela said. “Finally, an Empath I can count on to make the right decisions.”

  “Is that what this whole thing was about?” Sophie asked, choking back a swell of nausea. “You needed us to get to her?”

  “I wouldn’t say needed. But you definitely made it convenient. I knew Fintan would sequester her away and I’d have to flush her out. And he’d already gone to so much trouble to make this personal for you, I figured, why not take advantage?”

  “To what end?” Vespera asked as Keefe’s arm shook harder. “Do you truly expect me to form an alliance with my captor?”

  “I expect us to have an important discussion without either of us trying to kill the other,” Lady Gisela told her. “And hope you see wisdom.”

  “See, and I think that’s a missed opportunity,” Ro said. “A deathmatch would be way more entertaining—who’s with me?”

  She turned to the crowd, but everyone shrank back another step.

  “If conversation was your aim, I cannot fathom why you chose to hold it with an audience watching,” Vespera wondered.

  “Because it’s high time for our world to be properly educated,” Lady Gisela said. “Now that I’m taking back control, I want people to see the real Neverseen. Not the imprudent, vengeful fools Fintan painted us to be.”

  No one looked impressed. But some were whispering into their Imparters, calling for help.

  “Am I to assume that Fintan is no longer part of the order?” Vespera asked.

  “He may not even be among the living,” Lady Gisela said, “but that’s up to Sophie’s father. I knew Grady wouldn’t be able to resist targeting Fintan today—after all, Fintan trained his daughter’s murderer.”

  Sophie sucked in a breath.

  She should’ve realized that would be part of Grady’s motivation—maybe even why he looked so exhausted after controlling Fintan.

 
“But who’ll emerge from the facility alive is up to them,” Lady Gisela added.

  “My money’s on Grady,” Ro jumped in.

  “So is mine,” Lady Gisela agreed. “He’s the most ruthless elf I’ve ever met.”

  “I noticed that as well,” Vespera said. “It is a pity he stands on the wrong side.”

  Lady Gisela nodded. “Believe me, I’m working on that.”

  Keefe snorted. “You seriously think Grady’s going to join the Neverseen?”

  “People aren’t hard to predict when you understand what drives them,” she told him. “It’s how I knew we’d all end up in this promenade today. And how I know there’s no way you and Sophie limited your group to the two of you and the princess. So how about whoever’s hiding in those shadows stops pretending we don’t realize they’re there? Or, if you’d rather, I can have Ruy cut you off from the rest of your friends. I’ll give you three seconds to make your decision.”

  Lady Gisela made it to “two” before Tam emerged from the archway.

  Linh didn’t follow.

  “Only one of the twins?” Lady Gisela noted. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Believe what you want,” Tam told her. His voice was as steady as the arm he stretched behind him, drawing the shadows away from where he’d been hiding—and revealing an empty alley. “Linh can’t be underwater for very long. So she left with the others.”

  “I didn’t realize the Girl of Many Floods had learned such restraint. Interesting.” Lady Gisela dragged out the word. “Once again, your group proves to be full of surprises. Thankfully, this one works in my favor.”

  “I know what you’re doing,” Ruy snarled at Tam as swirls of shadow crawled through all of the force fields. “Do you really think I can’t block you?”

  Light flared, beating back the black swirls.

  “Impressive,” Lady Gisela said, tilting her head to study Tam. “But before we get to that”—she turned to the crowd—“I see you sneering at me. I even understand why. The change our world needs comes with a cost. One many of you are afraid to pay. But we must, if we want to save what matters most. That’s the truth the Black Swan refuses to accept. And it’s why they’ll fail. Both of our orders are fighting the same problems—but mine is the only one willing to make the necessary sacrifices.”

  “You mean murdering people, and burning down cities, and threatening an entire species, and collapsing a castle full of people, and torturing humans for research?” Sophie asked. The last accusation earned a wave of gasps.

  Lady Gisela shrugged. “I already told you I’m here to clean up Fintan’s mess. But sometimes we do have to tear down what isn’t working in order to have enough space to rebuild something stronger. That’s what she taught me.” She pointed to Vespera. “Her teachings have guided every plan I’ve built. And now we’ll finally have a chance to combine our visions.”

  “They cannot be combined,” Vespera informed her. “Our philosophies are opposite.”

  “They aren’t as different as you think. Once you read my Archetype—”

  Keefe laughed. “Soooooooooooo, is this the part where I tell you I didn’t bother getting your stupid book back? Or the part where I promise you’ll never get the key, either?”

  Lady Gisela drew out her sigh. “You get your photographic memory from me, Keefe. I only asked for the Archetype as a test. Which is the same reason I asked you to destroy the facility. And clearly you’re still not ready.”

  “He never will be,” Vespera warned. “None of them will. And the fact that you haven’t accepted that does not bode well for our alliance.”

  “Does that mean you’re rejecting my offer?” Lady Gisela asked. “I’d think carefully before you answer. I will leave you trapped until the Council locks you away for the rest of eternity. But I’d much rather we tear down the world and rebuild it together.”

  “Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen,” Keefe snapped as Ro tightened her grip on her sword.

  Vespera tilted her head toward Lady Gisela. “Even if I were to agree, you realize the second you lower this force field, the ogre is going to attack.”

  “Of course,” Lady Gisela said. “That’s why I brought this.”

  She pulled something from her cloak the same moment a searing flash whited out the world, and even Vespera screamed as the promenade erupted into chaos—everyone tripping over each other as they fought to back away.

  Sophie clung to Keefe as she rubbed her eyes. And when the world snapped into focus, the force field that had been around Lady Gisela and Ruy was gone, and Keefe’s mom was clutching some sort of silver-nozzled weapon, now pointed at her son.

  Ro was slumped at his feet, her chest splattered with a slimy purple glob that looked like a splotcher. Black veins were already spreading from the center, spiraling across Ro’s sweat-slicked skin as her limbs started convulsing.

  “What did you do to her?” Sophie shouted.

  “You really can’t guess?” Lady Gisela shook her head. “This is my present to Dimitar for what he put me through in his prison. His princess just got a lethal dose of soporidine.”

  Eighty-four

  DON’T EVEN THINK about it!” Lady Gisela warned, aiming her weapon at Sophie’s trembling chest—the gadget already loaded with another purple sphere of soporidine. “If I feel the slightest hint of your inflicting, I’ll dose you as well. And then you’ll lose any hope of saving the princess.”

  “Breathe, Foster,” Keefe told her, his voice choked as he grabbed Sophie’s hand and flooded her mind with blue and white breezes.

  “I thought you said the dose was lethal,” Sophie managed to spit out as her rage ebbed.

  “It doesn’t have to be,” Lady Gisela told them. “I have an antidote. The same antidote your parents are going to need if you want any chance of them waking up again. Remember when I told you that you’d need me to restore their sanity?”

  “Prove it!” Tam, Keefe, and Sophie all demanded together.

  “So little trust,” Lady Gisela said, reaching into her pocket and holding out a clear vial with a slimy green ball inside.

  “CATCH!” Linh shouted, leaping out of the shadows and charging toward Keefe’s mom as she threw out her arms.

  A wave surged out of the canal, slamming into Lady Gisela and Ruy, and the antidote went flying out of Lady Gisela’s hand.

  Linh blasted the vial as far as she could, and Tam leaped after it, flying so high he must’ve levitated—and even then, his fingers barely managed to curl around the vial before he landed.

  “So the Hydrokinetic is here,” Lady Gisela said, waving her arms to silence the crowd as Ruy secured both her and himself inside another force field. Her drenched cloak clung to her frail figure, and her hood was plastered to her head. “I love when you manage to surprise me—especially with the way you all lied so smoothly. And that shadow trick you used to hide your sister was very impressive, Tam.”

  “You want to see impressive?” Tam sent shadows tearing through Ruy’s new force field.

  Ruy managed to halt the darkness, but sparks flew everywhere, landing in the puddles at Lady Gisela’s feet and making a hissing sort of steam.

  “You may very well be a greater asset than my son,” Lady Gisela told Tam.

  “Aww, my mommy likes you,” Keefe muttered. “Isn’t that just the best news ever?”

  Tam rolled his eyes.

  Linh, meanwhile, had grabbed the antidote from him and knelt over Ro, carefully scraping what remained of the purple poison off the ogre-princess’s chest with the edge of Ro’s sword.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” Lady Gisela asked, before Linh could press the green blob onto fresh, unexposed skin. “Since you’ve taken it upon yourself to steal from me, I’m no longer feeling generous. So you can either use that on the princess, or save it for Sophie’s family. But you won’t be able to do both.”

  Sophie closed her eyes, giving herself one second to sink into dread and anguish. Then she told Li
nh, “Do it. Ro needs it more than they do.”

  She tried to convince herself that Elwin and Livvy and Lady Cadence and the ogre scientists and the Washers would be enough to help her parents. But even if they weren’t . . . she couldn’t live with herself if she let Ro die.

  “Fascinating,” Lady Gisela said as Linh pressed the green blob onto Ro’s chest. “I wonder if this is proof that you’re finally learning. I guess we’ll see soon enough.”

  Sophie tuned her out, her knees nearly collapsing with relief when the black veining on Ro’s skin started to recede. She’d also saved one Panakes blossom when she treated Biana—in case they ran into any other catastrophes—and she begged its healing power to speed Ro’s recovery as she slipped the wrinkled petals between Ro’s cold lips.

  She couldn’t help wondering what Calla would say if she knew one of her flowers was being given to the ogre princess.

  Dimitar didn’t deserve Calla’s help—not after the plague.

  But Ro did.

  And Sophie had to believe the kindhearted gnome would agree with her on that. Maybe she’d even be glad to build that small bridge between their species.

  “That still won’t be enough,” Lady Gisela told them. “And do you really think the princess is the only piece of my plan? Revenge is fun—but if this were just about her, I wouldn’t have gone to so much effort to bring all of us together here today. Mostly I needed the princess out of commission so I could teach you some proper priorities. I must get both of you ready for everything ahead.”

  “They never will be,” Vespera warned, still trapped in Ruy’s force field.

  “We’ll see soon enough,” Lady Gisela told her. “I’ll win either way—I made sure of it. But I’m hoping to see some growth. Before we start the new game, though, I need your answer. Ready to work together? Or ready to go back to prison?”

  “You’re not giving me much of a choice,” Vespera noted.

  “No,” Lady Gisela agreed.