Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8)

by Shannon Messenger

  “That doesn’t mean they haven’t been doing things to prepare Wynn and Luna at other moments,” Edaline reminded her. “Or, for all you know, they could’ve had a telepathic connection open the entire time that Wynn and Luna were in with the gorgodon, guiding them through what to do.”

  Sophie sighed. “I guess. Wynn and Luna just seem so young and tiny to be taking that kind of chance.”

  “Well, things are different with animals,” Edaline noted. “But, it’s also funny you should say that, since I have that same thought every time I have to step back and let you and your friends dive headfirst into one of your plans. No matter how brave and grown-up you get, you’ll always be too young and tiny for the frightening things the Black Swan asks you to do.”

  Sophie became very interested in scraping at the dried mud on her gloves.

  Edaline placed her hand over Sophie’s, waiting for their eyes to meet before she said, “I know Mr. Forkle asked you to do something dangerous, Sophie. He wouldn’t tell us what, but given the Black Swan’s track record, I’m assuming the stakes will be very high. So… I’m trying to take some pointers from Silveny and tell myself, SOPHIE STRONG! SOPHIE STRONG!”

  Sophie looked away. “It… might not happen.”

  “Really?” Edaline’s voice sounded awfully hopeful, and she cleared her throat before she asked, “Any particular reason why?”

  “I’m still trying to decide if I want to do it,” Sophie admitted.

  Edaline tightened her grip on Sophie’s hand. “Well then, I’m very proud of you. It takes a lot of courage to remember that you really do have a choice in all of this.”

  Sophie wondered if Edaline would be so proud if she knew why Sophie was rebelling.

  “If you need to talk…,” Edaline added.

  “I know,” Sophie told her.

  Silence followed, until Edaline cleared her throat again. “See what I mean about being a parent? Here I am, not pressuring you—or Sandor—for more information, even though we all know I want to. And I’m not saying that as a hint, or to guilt you into sharing. I just bet you anything that Silveny wasn’t nearly as calm as she seemed when you talked to her. I’m sure her head was full of things she stopped herself from saying because she’s letting Wynn and Luna have their freedom, knowing that’s the best thing for them in the long run.”

  “I guess,” Sophie said, “but… why go through all that stress for this? It’s not like they’re going to run into a lot of gorgodons in the wild.”

  “No,” Edaline agreed. “But I’m sure there’s a reason.”

  “So… you’re okay with Wynn and Luna hanging out in the gorgodon’s enclosure, then?” Sophie had to ask.

  “Absolutely not!” Grady said behind them, and Sophie wondered how long he’d been back inside. “The gnomes are wrapping the cage with a second layer of wire as we speak, following a new pattern to cover different spaces and gaps. And when they’re done with that, I asked them to add a third layer in a third pattern, all of which should close off whatever weak spot the twins used to slip through today. But just to be safe, I’ve also asked Bo and Flori to keep an eye on the area as much as they can, to make sure we’re not missing something. Silveny and Greyfell can be as permissive as they want to be—but I’m not letting anything happen to those babies on my watch.”

  Sophie definitely agreed.

  Which was why she dragged herself back outside and spent the rest of the first part of the afternoon trying to get Wynn and Luna to make a new “friend” with one of the other, safer creatures living in Havenfield’s pastures.

  They weren’t interested in the verminions, which Sophie couldn’t blame them for. The giant purple rodents were particularly curmudgeonly—and had very large fangs.

  And the mammoths and mastodons could far too easily trample the tiny alicorns, so Sophie steered them away from those.

  She also didn’t introduce them to any of the creepy giant bug things, since they gave her the heebie-jeebies.

  Which really only left her top choice: Verdi—Havenfield’s permanent resident. Sure, the neon green, fluffy T. rex struggled occasionally with her vegetarian diet. But Verdi and Sophie had been through enough together that Sophie knew Verdi would obey her command not to harm the alicorns. And Wynn and Luna did seem to enjoy swooping around Verdi’s head until she let out one of her mighty roars.

  But as soon as Sophie left them alone to play, Wynn and Luna raced off, heading straight for the gorgodon’s enclosure.

  “I know that look,” Marella’s familiar voice said from somewhere off to Sophie’s left. “That’s your I want to strangle someone look.”

  “You’re not wrong,” Sophie admitted, turning to face her pale, pixielike friend, who stood smirking at her while playing with a couple of the braids scattered throughout her long blond hair.

  And Marella wasn’t alone.

  Linh was with her, looking fiercer than usual in a fitted orange tunic, with her shiny black hair pulled back into a severe bun. She’d wrapped the strands in a way that left her trademark silver-tipped ends fanned out around the base of her neck. And her silver-flecked eyes were rimmed in dark liner that winged up at the corners.

  But it was the third girl who Sophie really hadn’t been expecting.

  The last time she’d seen Maruca, her dark hair had been straightened. But now it hung in long, gorgeous dreadlocks, half of which were pulled into a complicated twist on top of her head. She still had a streak of blue in the middle, which made her turquoise eyes pop—though she’d also lined them with a shimmering gold liner that glowed perfectly against her rich brown skin. And her full lips were painted the same deep fuchsia as her silk tunic.

  But Maruca didn’t smile when her gaze met Sophie’s. Instead, her jaw set with enough determination that Sophie tried to come up with somewhere else—anywhere else—she needed to be Right. That. Second.

  Sophie hadn’t forgotten the promise she’d made to Wylie to keep his cousin out of the Black Swan.

  She just also hadn’t been smart enough to plan what she’d say whenever Maruca turned up to make her request.

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” Maruca asked, in a tone that was somehow both friendly and firm.

  “Of course she does,” Marella answered before Sophie could respond, batting her huge ice blue eyes. “Sophie may not spend as much time with us as she spends with her other friends, but she’d never ignore us—especially when we’ve made the effort to stop by for a visit.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Sophie agreed, raising her eyebrows in a way that hopefully made it clear to Marella that she meant it. “So… what do you guys need?”

  “Oh, Linh and I are just here so Maruca doesn’t wimp out,” Marella told her, rolling up the sleeves of her white, lacy tunic—which was much crisper than Sophie would’ve expected. Everything Marella wore tended to look like it had spent a significant amount of time on the floor.

  “And we wanted to cuddle the baby alicorns!” Linh added, her cheeks turning their usual soft pink tone as her gaze shifted toward the direction that Wynn and Luna had run off.

  “Don’t be fooled by their cuteness,” Sophie warned. “They’re little, sparkly, flying monsters.”

  “Is that why you look like you’ve been getting your butt kicked in tackle bramble for the last few hours?” Marella asked, and Sophie’s face burned as she realized she was still covered in grass and mud and who knew what else, thanks to her wrestle session with Wynn and Luna—which really wasn’t fair, considering how perfect and put together Marella, Linh, and Maruca all looked.

  “Let’s just say that babysitting twin alicorns isn’t as fun as it sounds,” Sophie told them, making a few halfhearted swipes at the grime on her tunic. There really wasn’t much of a point—showering and changing would be the only actual solution. Best she could do was comb her fingers through the worst of the tangles in her hair.

  “Well then, you deserve a break!” Linh told her. “I’ll take it from here!” She called Wynn’s
and Luna’s names and ran off to find them.

  “That girl sure loves animals,” Marella said, shaking her head as she watched Linh disappear around a bend. “I caught her talking to her murcat the other day—and not, like, ‘Are you hungry, Princess Purryfins?’ which I could sorta understand. It was like a full-on conversation.”

  “Um. Hang on. She named her murcat Princess Purryfins?” Sophie had to ask.

  “Don’t even get me started,” Marella grumbled. “Though I’m pretty sure she did it so Tam would have to say the words ‘Princess Purryfins’ on a regular basis—and I’m definitely all for that.”

  Sophie tried to smile. But not only did the anecdote remind her that she should be focusing a lot harder on getting Tam back—it also made it painfully clear how much she’d been neglecting her friendship with Linh.

  Marella sighed. “I know I’m good at giving you a hard time for not hanging out with everybody equally. But… I do get how much you’re dealing with, and how hard it has to be to keep up with all of it and occasionally sleep and eat and see your boyfriend.”

  It was a miracle Sophie didn’t cringe at the last word.

  Despite Fitz saying they’d “talk later,” she… hadn’t heard from him.

  And she’d been too big of a wimp to reach out.

  She was pretty sure that made her the worst girlfriend in the world—if she even was his girlfriend anymore.

  Every day that was feeling less and less clear.

  “Linh’s doing okay,” Marella promised, probably assuming that the sigh that slipped out of Sophie’s lips was for something less selfish. “We’ve been training together every day—and it’s super handy to have someone who controls water around when I meet with Fintan.”

  Sophie stood taller. “Linh goes to your Fintan lessons?”

  Marella nodded. “Mr. Forkle thought it would be safer, since she can drown any flames. She’s only gone once, so far, but the lesson went way better with her there. I think Fintan’s impressed with her.”

  Absolutely none of that sounded like good news.

  Sandor must’ve agreed, because he muttered a string of goblin swear words under his breath.

  “Well… wow,” Sophie mumbled, feeling miles behind the curve. “Anything I need to know about your lessons—or about what you and Linh are working on?”

  “Probably. But that’s not what we came here to talk about.” Marella shot a meaningful look at Maruca, who’d been standing so quietly, Sophie had almost forgotten that she was there. “And I should go make sure Linh hasn’t renamed the alicorns Prince Shimmernose and Princess Sparklefeathers or something. I swear, if she and Keefe ever get together, I’d feel super sorry for their kid.”

  “Does she like Keefe?” Sophie blurted out—her face heating about a million degrees when she realized how nosy she was being. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

  “Probably not,” Marella agreed. “But maybe not for the reason you’re thinking? And on that bombshell—I’m out! Have a good chat, you two! Miss me!”

  Marella gave a teasing salute before she wandered off in the same direction that Linh had gone, leaving Sophie with a little whiplash as she tried to figure out what that last comment was supposed to imply.

  “Gotta love how unapologetically honest she is, huh?” Maruca asked, breaking the silence. “I’m trying to get better about doing the same thing—tell it like it is a little more.”

  Sophie cleared her throat. “Yeah… and I think I know what you’re here to tell me.”

  “I know you do,” Maruca said, tossing back a couple of her dreads. “Just like I know Wylie talked to you.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. He means well and I love him. But he’s also a paranoid pain who makes me want to punch him.”

  “He’s not paranoid,” Sophie corrected gently. “Really bad things can happen to anyone who gets involved in this. Look at where Tam is right now.”

  “I know.” Maruca stepped closer, clearly not backing down. “But I’m good with taking those kinds of risks. I know Wylie doesn’t want me to—and that’s sweet of him. I appreciate it. But that doesn’t mean he gets to dictate my life for me. And since I’m sure you’ve had your share of people trying to make decisions for you because they think they know better than you do, I’m hoping you’ll at least hear me out.”

  Sophie sighed and motioned for Maruca to follow her over to the shade of Calla’s Panakes tree.

  “Full disclosure,” Sophie said while she sank down onto the grass, “it took me years to finally get on good terms with your cousin, and I really don’t want to do anything to make him mad at me again.”

  “I get that,” Maruca agreed, noticeably not sitting. “Just like I’m sure the next thing you’re going to tell me is that you aren’t in charge of who gets to join the Black Swan and who doesn’t.”

  “Well… I’m not,” Sophie had to point out.

  “Maybe not. But come on—pretty much all the new members have been your friends,” Maruca argued. “Don’t even try to say there’s not a connection.”

  “Yeah, well, for one thing, Mr. Forkle and I aren’t really on great terms right now, so I’m not sure if I’m the best ally,” Sophie admitted. “But even if I am, you realize I don’t exactly love how many people I’ve dragged into this, right? If I’d never made friends with Tam and Linh at Exillium, he wouldn’t be trapped with the Neverseen right now.”

  “And if you hadn’t, Atlantis would be destroyed, and you guys would’ve been captured in Ravagog, and who knows what other stories I haven’t heard?” Maruca countered.

  “I know,” Sophie said quietly. “I’m not saying I necessarily regret it. But… if something happens to any of you, I can’t help blaming myself. And it’d be extra hard with you, because Wylie made me promise to keep you out of this. So… lots of guilt—and you know how dangerous guilt is.”

  “I do.” Maruca’s shoulders drooped and she stared at her hands. “Why do you think I’m here? I don’t want to risk my life, or worry my mama, or Wylie, or anyone else. But you guys need me. I can keep you safe.”

  “How?” Sophie and Sandor asked in unison.

  Maruca’s eyebrows rose. “I take it that means Wylie didn’t tell you?”

  “About your ability?” Sophie clarified. “He told me you manifested, and he made it sound like you can do something pretty powerful. But he wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

  “That’s because he knows it changes everything,” Maruca said, tossing back more of her dreadlocks. “Trust me. Once you know what I can do, you’ll want me with you everywhere you go.”

  Sophie had a feeling she was going to regret this, but now she definitely had to know. “Okay, show me,” she said, leaning back against Calla’s trunk and crossing her arms.

  Maruca nodded, looking both proud and nervous as she raised one hand, her fingers poised to snap.

  Sophie assumed that meant she was about to reveal herself as a Flasher.

  But the light that flared around Maruca was a glaring white curve that bent into a dome.

  A force field.

  “You’re a Psionipath,” Sophie breathed, stumbling to her feet.

  “I am.” Maruca snapped her fingers again, forming another perfect force field, this time around Sophie—which Sandor looked less than thrilled about, given that it separated him from his charge. “I saw how crucial the Neverseen’s Psionipath was during the fight at Everglen. He kept his people safe and controlled all of you. And I can do exactly the same thing.”

  She snapped her fingers a third time, making both force fields disappear—then snapped again to form a single glowing dome around Calla’s entire Panakes tree, caging her, Sophie, and Sandor in a wall of energy that grew thicker and thicker, until it was almost humming.

  “I’m a Psionipath,” Maruca emphasized. “I’m the piece you’ve been missing. And if you let me fight on your side, I can turn this game in our favor.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  THE
THING IS…” SOPHIE KNEW she was about to sound like one of the boring, lecture-y adults she’d rolled her eyes at lots of times over the last few years. But she needed to be very clear, and not get too wowed by the shiny force field glowing around them, even if her brain was screaming, MARUCA’S A PSIONIPATH—THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

  She’d made a promise to Wylie to keep his cousin safe and out of the Black Swan—she had to at least try to hold up her end of that bargain.

  “This isn’t a game,” she warned Maruca. “I’ve called it that before too, because it’s easier to think of it that way. But it’s not. It’s war. Not the global, multispeciesial battle that Mr. Forkle thinks we’re building toward—yet. But still. War.”

  Maruca didn’t flinch at the word.

  But she did blink.

  And so did her force field.

  The white light fizzled away for a couple of seconds before flickering back into place, like an old fluorescent light bulb.

  “See?” Sophie asked, making sure to keep any triumph out of her voice. This wasn’t about being right—it was about making Maruca understand the stakes. “That’s all it takes. One moment of distraction. One second when you lose focus or let your guard down. I’ve seen it over and over—and I’ve done it myself, so I’m definitely not judging you for it, I promise. It happens sometimes. But when it does, people get hurt. Or die.”

  Maruca swallowed hard. “I know. But I only manifested a few weeks ago. I’m still learning how to control my ability. I haven’t even told Magnate Leto yet, or been assigned to a Mentor. Once I start taking lessons, I’ll be able to do a lot more.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Sophie agreed. “But… maybe you should wait to get involved with the Black Swan until you’re stronger and have had some time to practice. Because once the Neverseen know what you can do, you’ll be their biggest target. And you’ll be going head-to-head with Ruy, who’s had years of training as a Psionipath—not to mention tons of battle experience. He’s fast, and he’s strong, and he knows all kinds of crazy tricks. And right now, you won’t stand a chance against him.”