Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8)

by Shannon Messenger

“I thought she was,” Sophie corrected. “Past tense.” She glanced at Biana and Dex, trying to remember if she’d ever told them that as she explained, “Everyone kept telling me I look like her—and she was part of the Black Swan, so… I had to wonder. But Forkle said no, and I don’t think he’d lie about something that close to home.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think he would,” Dex agreed.

  “Me neither,” Biana added. “I also don’t think he would’ve let you live with Grady and Edaline without them knowing—that would be too weird for them when they found out.”

  Sophie nodded. “Exactly. The Black Swan is difficult, but… they’ve never been cruel.”

  At least, she hoped they hadn’t been.

  Once again, her mind strayed to the awful implications of Bronte being her biological father—and the list seemed to be getting worse the more times she went through it.

  “You don’t have any other theories for your biological mom?” Stina asked.

  Sophie rested her chin against her knees. “I guess it’s possible that Keefe came up with some and hasn’t told me yet, because we got sidetracked by the Bronte thing. But otherwise, nope. I can’t think of anyone.”

  Everyone got really quiet, and Sophie decided to focus on adding another layer to her circle of Panakes blossoms—anything to stop her brain from wondering who they might be considering.

  She’d moved on to a third flower level, and it was starting to look more like a leaning pile when Stina clamped her hands over her mouth and gasped, “I bet I know who it is!”

  Just like that, every part of Sophie was sweaty.

  “An actual theory?” Biana clarified. “Because this isn’t something to joke about.”

  “I know. One look at Little Miss I’m-Gonna-Vomit-Any-Second over there—and her team of surly bodyguards—makes that pretty clear. So of course it’s an actual theory—and a good one too.” Stina squinted at Sophie, as if she was mentally comparing her against whoever she was imagining. “Wanna hear it?”

  Sophie curled into an even tighter ball. And she knew she was going to hate herself for this, but… “Who?”

  Stina grinned, dragging out her dramatic pause until even Wylie was groaning and saying, “Never mind.”

  Then she told them, “Lady Cadence Talle!”

  If Sophie’s life had been a movie, the soundtrack would’ve screeched to a stop right there—and the narrator would’ve chimed in with a comment like, Definitely didn’t see that one coming!

  “Lady Cadence,” Sophie repeated, testing the words on her tongue.

  They tasted sour and disappointing, like a low-calorie human dessert.

  And there were plenty of shocked murmurings in the background from Sandor.

  “I mean, I guess she’s technically Master Cadence,” Stina corrected. “But yeah—she’s your linguistics Mentor, right? Think about it! You’re both Polyglots. And she saved your butt when King Dimitar tried to haul you off to an ogre work camp for breaking into his brain. And she was off living in Ravagog until the Council dragged her back to mentor you, so no one would ever suspect her. It’s perfect!”

  “That… actually does kinda make sense,” Dex admitted.

  “She doesn’t look like Sophie, though,” Biana argued. “Her hair is, like, raven-feather black.”

  “So? Maybe Sophie looks like her dad,” Stina countered. “Or maybe Sophie’s hair color is another one of the things that comes from what the Black Swan did to her genes—like her eye color. And who knows? If we put Sophie next to Lady Cadence, we might spot all kinds of similarities we’ve never noticed, now that we know to look for them. We should do that!”

  Wylie placed a hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “You okay?”

  At some point he’d scooted closer to her.

  She hadn’t noticed.

  Just like she hadn’t noticed that she’d started trembling a little.

  Her brain was too busy replaying every moment she’d spent with Lady Cadence—and the memories were so…

  Awful.

  Miserable sessions, where Lady Cadence went out of her way to make it clear how unhappy she was about having to be Sophie’s Mentor—and how unimpressed she was with Sophie’s talent.

  All the horrible, stinky detentions where Sophie had been singled out for additional punishments—though technically some of that was Keefe’s fault.

  All the endless lectures and sighs and scowls and criticisms.

  “Seriously,” Wylie said, squeezing Sophie gently until she looked at him. “Need us to change the subject? Or should you have your bodyguards take you inside for a break?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Sophie mumbled, shaking her head to clear it. “It’s… a solid theory. Definitely worth looking into.”

  “It can be worth looking into without you being fine,” Wylie pointed out.

  “I know. But… changing the subject doesn’t actually change anything,” Sophie reminded him. “Neither does going inside and hiding from it.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Wylie said as Sophie hugged herself as tightly as she could. “I learned that after my dad was exiled—and even more after I lost my mom. I think that’s why Tiergan was so big on making me talk it out. It’s like… giving your brain permission to think what it’s thinking and feel what it’s feeling, instead of shoving it all away. So… if you need someone to listen…”

  He raised his eyebrows expectantly, and Sophie knew he had a point. But she needed a good, solid eyelash tug before she told him, “I was just thinking… couldn’t at least one of my biological parents be someone who’s been a little nice to me?”

  “Or maybe that’s why they’ve been so mean,” Biana suggested, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “Maybe they think it makes them seem less suspicious.”

  “Great, so they care way more about themselves than they ever will about me,” Sophie muttered.

  “That kinda makes sense though, doesn’t it?” Dex asked, scooching closer too. “I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but… Project Moonlark was a pretty selfish thing for all of them to do. I’m not saying I’m not glad the Black Swan did it, since it’s why you exist, and you’re awesome. But they were also experimenting with your life in ways that were bound to cause problems for you—and that didn’t stop them from doing it. So, I’m just saying… anyone who helped with the project probably has some issues—especially the people who didn’t even want anyone knowing they were involved.”

  “Plus, your adoptive parents are awesome,” Biana added. “And it sounded like your human parents were too. That’s the family that matters. Who cares about your genetic parents? You got what you needed from them. You exist. The rest?” She shrugged, as if to say, Who cares?

  Sophie wanted to share that attitude.

  But… she did care.

  And telling herself she didn’t wasn’t going to change that.

  Biana cleared her throat. “I know you’re probably getting sick of this conversation, but… I still haven’t asked my question.”

  “You’re right,” Sophie said, sitting up to put a little space between her and Biana. She had a terrible feeling that she was about to get hit with a question about what the unmatchable thing meant for her and Fitz’s relationship, and since she still didn’t know for sure, having a small buffer seemed like a good idea.

  But Biana placed her palm over Sophie’s gloved hand and asked, “Will you please let us help you with this? I know you’re going to say that it all has to be up to you since it’s such a personal thing—but our team will work best if you’re able to focus on being our leader. So why don’t you let us give you a hand?”

  “Because there’s nothing for you to do,” Sophie insisted. “I’m sure we’ll have to test Lady Cadence the same way we’re going to test Bronte—and that needs to be done by me and an Empath.”

  “Oh hi! In case you’ve forgotten, I’m an Empath,” Stina reminded her.

  Sophie was still struggling to process the realization that Sti
na had technically just volunteered to help her with something she didn’t have to help her with, when Biana added, “And who said it has to be you for the other part?”

  “Um… we’re searching for my biological parents.”

  “Right, but anyone can confront them,” Biana argued. “In fact, I bet if it was one of us, we’d get a more telling reaction, since the person will be way more caught off guard. Just like I bet they’d be way less suspicious if one of us set up the meetings to ask the question. And then you could stay out of the whole thing and spend your time being the moonlark and Lady Fos-Boss—”

  “And the Droolmonster,” Stina chimed in.

  “If the Droolmonster part means she actually gets some sleep, I vote for that,” Dex added.

  Wylie nodded, and Biana tightened her grip on Sophie’s hand. “I know it goes against everything your brain is telling you right now. But please let us handle this. I promise we’ll keep you updated on everything—and we’ll be careful!” she shouted over her shoulder to her bodyguard.

  Woltzer shouted back something about how Biana better not even think about ditching him as Sophie stared at her pile of Panakes blossoms, tempted to punch it until the flowers were flattened.

  The idea of anyone learning anything about her genetic parents before she did sounded pretty unbearable.

  Then again, so did the idea of being there for the confrontations.

  Basically, there was no way to not have it be awful—so which option would be the least stressful?

  “Keep in mind that if I were in charge of this,” Biana added gently, “I’d already have a meeting set up with Bronte—and not because I think you’re slacking or anything. It’s just that reaching out to him isn’t a thing for me like it is for you.”

  “How did you…?” Sophie started to ask, but her question trailed off when Biana smiled.

  “Because you didn’t tell us what time you have a meeting scheduled for—and I know you would’ve if you had one arranged,” Biana told her. “And you also didn’t complain about Bronte being stubborn and not agreeing to meet yet. So I’m assuming that means you haven’t contacted him—and no judgment here. If I were in your position, I’d dread having to talk to him and stall doing it as long as I could. That’s why I want to help. I can save you from the hard parts—and get stuff taken care of faster. It’s a total win-win.”

  Sophie snuck a glance at her teammates, and all four of them were nodding—as were all the bodyguards in the background—which made her eyes get that familiar burning feeling.

  But she was not going to cry, so she cleared her throat and stood to pace. “Well, maybe we can give it a try—but only if turns out you guys have time. First we need to make sure we’re really focusing on all the big stuff this team was created for—which is what we’re supposed to be meeting about today, remember? I swear, this unmatchable thing is the worst distraction ever. Thank goodness everyone knows now, and I don’t have to have this horrible conversation again.”

  “What about Linh?” Biana asked, killing the dream. “And Marella?”

  Sophie paused midstep, not sure if it would be smarter to sink back to the grass and never get up again or to run far, far away.

  “I can tell them,” Wylie offered. “I’m supposed to see Linh today, and she’s been training with Marella a lot, so I’m sure Marella will be there.”

  “You… wouldn’t mind?” Sophie had to ask.

  It was an awkward enough conversation when it was her news. She couldn’t imagine doing it for someone else.

  “It’ll be easy,” Wylie promised. “I’ll just repeat what you told us, and let them know you’re kinda over talking about it—but if they really have questions, they can hit you up. Sound like a plan?”

  Sophie nodded, barely resisting the urge to tackle-hug him.

  “Are you going to tell Linh about Tam?” Biana asked.

  Wylie fidgeted with his wyvern patch. “I actually already did yesterday. She took it better than I’d expected, mostly because she was relieved that Tam hadn’t given Sophie their signal. I guess if Tam were hurt, or if things were getting to be more than he could handle, he would’ve used some sort of code word and asked Sophie to pass it along to Linh without her knowing what it meant.”

  “What’s the word?” Dex asked.

  “Linh wouldn’t tell me. She said it works best if she and Tam are the only ones who know it. They came up with the trick when they were banished, since they never knew what kind of problems they might find themselves facing.”

  “Okaaaaaaaaay,” Sophie said, replaying her conversation with Tam again to make sure she hadn’t accidentally missed any crucial code words that she should’ve passed along. “But Gethen would’ve learned the code word when he probed Tam’s memories, wouldn’t he?”

  “I asked the same thing,” Wylie admitted. “But Linh told me Tam’s prepared for that, since he always figured the biggest threats were the Telepaths on the Council. I guess he has a way of shrouding a few of his most important memories using shadows. No one can see them. So Linh thinks the fact that he didn’t use their code word yet is proof that Tam doesn’t need any help right now and we should try to leave him alone. And she also said it’s a good thing Keefe’s taking Tam’s warning seriously. She claimed her brother would never pass along a message like that unless he was convinced the threat was real.”

  “And Keefe is really going to cooperate?” Stina asked. “ ’Cause… that doesn’t sound like Keefe Sencen.…”

  “But you’ve met Ro, right?” Biana reminded her. “She’d totally drag Keefe off to Ravagog and lock him in a dungeon if she had to.”

  Stina shrugged. “Not saying she wouldn’t try. But I bet you anything Keefe will find a loophole.”

  Sandor and Bo snorted their agreement.

  And Sophie definitely shared all of their concern—but she forced herself to shove it aside. Right now, she needed to stay focused on the more immediate issues. “Did you tell Linh about Team Valiant, and was she upset that the Council didn’t include her?”

  Wylie scratched at his closely cropped hair. “I… don’t know. I feel like it might’ve bothered her—but all she said was, ‘I’m not surprised.’ And she did sound like she meant it when she told me it’s actually better, because right now, her focus needs to be on making sure the Neverseen can’t keep using her as leverage against her brother. I guess that’s why she and Marella have been training so hard. She wouldn’t tell me what they’re planning—just that it’s an elemental thing. I think they’re trying to combine their abilities somehow.”

  “Cooooooooooooooooooooool,” Dex breathed. “Fire and water could be awesome.”

  “Um, don’t they cancel each other out?” Stina wondered.

  “They can,” Wylie agreed. “When I was there, that seemed to be what they were practicing. Marella would spark a flame, and Linh would immediately drown it with water, and then Marella would evaporate the water to steam. But I know the elemental abilities are a little bit different than other abilities, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they can find a way to merge the two.”

  “I guess,” Stina said, turning to frown at Sophie. “Does anyone else think it’s weird that the Black Swan didn’t give their moonlark any elemental abilities?”

  “They may have, and she just hasn’t manifested yet,” Dex countered. “Forkle’s always been super vague about how many abilities they gave her.”

  “But hopefully I’m done,” Sophie jumped in. “Five is enough. And Linh didn’t have any theories about what the Neverseen might be planning for Tam?” she asked Wylie, beginning to understand why people often complained about the challenges of keeping her and her friends focused on a single topic.

  Wylie shook his head. “No. But she said we should definitely talk to Lady Zillah. Apparently Tam did a ton of late-night training sessions that he wouldn’t let Linh go with him on because he said they were too dangerous.”

  “That… doesn’t sound good,” Dex murmured.

/>   No, it did not.

  “Okay… so when would be a good time to meet with Lady Zillah?” Sophie asked. “Is everyone free tomorrow?”

  “Why do we all have to be there?” Stina wondered. “Isn’t the point of us being a team so that we can do five things at once and then loop back and fill each other in on what we’ve learned?”

  Once again, Sophie had to admit that Stina had a valid point—and she surely had some serious Stina-bragging in her future for conceding. But time was of the essence, so she said, “All right. Who wants to be in charge of meeting with her?”

  “I get the impression she’s not a fan of Flashers,” Wylie said, “so it might be better if it’s not me.”

  “Actually, I think it should be you,” Sophie realized.

  Lady Zillah did have some very strong opinions about how overrated Flashers were—and light in general—particularly since Shades were generally looked down on in the Lost Cities.

  But after leaping with the Sources and feeling the potency of that glowing power—and how cooperative it was—Sophie didn’t want to lose track of the bigger picture.

  If shadows and shadowflux were going to be the Neverseen’s focus, perhaps the best countermeasure would involve light in some form.

  “Maybe bring Stina with you,” Sophie suggested, “as a buffer.”

  Miraculously, Stina didn’t argue.

  She even agreed to take notes and give Sophie a full update once they’d learned everything they could from the Shade Mentor.

  Which left Team Valiant with the bigger challenge they needed to be focusing on—the threat that felt so huge, it made Sophie want to hand her wolf patch to an adult and say, “Shouldn’t this be your job?”

  “Okay. Moving on,” she said, trying to sound as leaderlike as she could. “Since it sounds like King Enki might be difficult to work with, I think we want to prepare as much as we can before we visit Loamnore.”

  “Uh-oh, are you about to give us the ‘we need to do lots of research’ speech?” Dex asked. “Because it’s not too late to change your mind!”

  “We do need to do research,” Sophie insisted. “But it doesn’t have to be hours and hours in the library. I think, in this case, we’d be way better off going straight to the source.”