Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 3)

by Shannon Messenger

  “What were you guys really doing?” Dex asked as soon as Sandor was gone. “And don’t tell me ‘nothing.’ I’m not an idiot.”

  “But we were doing nothing. I just had to ask Keefe something. About . . . Silveny.”

  It was sort of the truth, but Dex clearly didn’t buy it.

  “Oh—Iggy looks awesome,” she added, changing the subject to something safer.

  “Really?” Dex’s cheeks dimpled with his smile. “Thanks. I had a super hard time deciding between the orange dreads or green spikes.”

  “Dude, can I have the green-spiky elixir?” Keefe asked. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to do to Dame Alina next.”

  Sophie shook her head at him. “You’re hopeless, you know that?”

  “Not as long as I have you. Fix me, Foster. You’re my only hope.”

  Sophie knew he was teasing, but her cheeks still felt hot—and when she glanced at Dex, she could tell he’d noticed.

  “So,” she said, trying to fill the awkward silence, “what have you been—”

  “Boo!” Biana shouted, appearing out of thin air between them. She giggled as they all jumped back. “You guys should see your faces. Being a Vanisher is going to be awesome!”

  She vanished again as Fitz made his way over to their group—another fiery red uniform among the golden brown. “Can you believe she’s still at it? There’s no way I was this annoying when I manifested.”

  “Wanna bet?” Dex mumbled.

  Sophie elbowed him.

  “No, Dex is right,” Keefe said, smirking at Fitz. “Not only did I have him constantly begging to read my mind, but I had to keep hearing, ‘I’m the youngest Telepath to ever manifest!’”

  His impersonation of Fitz’s precise accent was pretty dead-on.

  “If only we’d known Foster had you beat by, like, eight years, we could’ve shut you up much sooner,” Keefe added, earning himself a huge grin from Dex. “And wait—isn’t Biana younger than you were?”

  “Only by a few weeks,” Fitz corrected. “Plus, telepathy is a rarer ability.”

  “Yeah, well, vanishing’s cooler,” Biana told him, disappearing again.

  “Whoa,” Jensi whispered, his eyes as round as his head as he and Marella joined them. “Biana manifested?”

  His mouth fell open as Biana reappeared.

  “That is the coolest thing ever! Did you manifest this weekend—and did it hurt? My brother said it hurt—he said he felt kind of achy all day before he manifested—and then his foot sank into the floor and he realized he was a Phaser and was like, ‘oh, that’s why!’—was it like that for you?”

  Once Jensi started his rapid-fire questions, there was no stopping him, though Sophie was surprised at how quiet Marella was being. Usually Marella was the biggest gossip in the group, dominating their conversations with a surprisingly loud voice for someone so tiny.

  “You okay?” Sophie asked, noticing Marella’s uniform looked more wrinkled than usual. Her blond hair also wasn’t twisted into any braids.

  “Oh, um, yeah. I’m just tired. I overslept and—”

  An intricate peal of chimes cut her off, and Dame Alina’s projection appeared across the far wall of the pyramid.

  “Good morning, prodigies!” she said, fluffing her caramel-colored hair and flashing a gleaming smile. “Welcome to a new week at Foxfire!”

  Sophie only half listened as Dame Alina rattled off a lecture about Foxfire being a noble school and how they all needed to act like they were aware of the privilege they’d been given by attending. But she was forced to pay attention when Dame Alina declared that she had a special announcement to make.

  “As some of you may already know, we’ve had our first prodigies manifest abilities this year. So would everyone please join me in congratulating our new Vanisher, Biana Vacker, and our new Technopath, Dex Dizznee!”

  Spotlights flashed on both Dex and Biana and the room erupted into cheers.

  As soon as the lights dimmed, Dex spun to face Keefe. “Did you tell Dame Alina about me?”

  Keefe laughed. “Dude, I never talk to Dame Alina if I don’t have to.”

  “Well maybe you had to,” Dex pressed. “To get out of detention or something.”

  “Nope. I have detention for the rest of the month—you can check.”

  “Then was it you?” Dex asked, turning to Sophie.

  “Do you really think I would do that?” She could hear the hurt in her voice, but she couldn’t believe Dex would ask.

  Dex’s eyes dropped to his feet. “I don’t know. Who else would it be?”

  “I have no idea,” Sophie admitted. “But I also don’t think this is a bad thing. I mean, look around you.”

  “Exactly,” Keefe jumped in, pointing to the crowd of whispering prodigies. “Everyone’s talking about how cool you are!”

  “No, they’re saying Biana’s cool. For me they’re probably saying, ‘Of course Dex got a lame ability.’”

  “Nobody thinks it’s lame,” Sophie promised.

  “How would you know? Are you reading their minds?”

  “I could.” Though she wasn’t allowed to. According to the rules of telepathy, she wasn’t supposed to read anyone’s mind unless they gave her permission first.

  Dex turned back to Keefe. “And you’re sure you didn’t tell anyone?”

  “Uh, no offense, but if I’m going to brag about someone, I’ll brag about me. Or Foster. But usually me.”

  Dex didn’t look convinced. But he didn’t say anything else as he turned and walked away.

  Sophie waited until he’d disappeared into the crowd before she asked Keefe, “It wasn’t you, right?”

  He clutched his heart, pretending to be wounded.

  “I wonder who it was, then. No one besides us . . .” Sophie’s voice trailed off as she thought of someone else who knew.

  Someone who was always watching.

  Someone who might have a leak.

  But . . . why would the Black Swan—or their leak—tell anyone about Dex’s secret ability?

  “Hey,” Keefe said, waving his hand in front her eyes. “Don’t let Dex get to you. He’ll be over this by the end of the day.”

  She doubted that—Dex could hold a major grudge. But she nodded as she turned to follow the other prodigies out of the pyramid.

  Keefe stayed beside her as Sandor led them through the main building. The crystal walls of each wing matched the color of the corresponding grade level’s uniform, and when they reached the amber brown Level Three wing, Sophie turned to head toward her locker.

  “Wait,” Keefe said, jumping in front of her. “You should ditch with me. I mean, do you really want to suffer through elvin history?”

  “Miss Foster will be going to her session,” Sandor told him before Sophie could reply.

  “Aw, come on. You can ditch with us too!”

  Sandor cracked his knuckles ominously.

  “You know you don’t want to listen to two hours on the Troll Emancipation Act,” Keefe told him.

  “It’s on the Elvin-Ogre Treaty, actually,” Sophie corrected. “Which will probably be useful, considering everything happening.”

  Keefe’s brows shot up, and she realized she hadn’t told him about the tracker being made by ogres yet. But she didn’t have time to get into it right then.

  “Fine,” Keefe said as she opened her locker and grabbed her history book. “Go be the model prodigy. But I’m coming over after school and you’ll tell me whatever you’re hiding. And then we’ll come up with our epic We are the cool, powerful ones, not you! reply to the Black Swan and whip those dudes into shape. Deal?”

  Sophie nodded so he’d be quiet, but she definitely wasn’t agreeing.

  She couldn’t send the Black Swan any notes—and she realized with a start that she couldn’t trust th
eir notes anymore either.

  Until she knew who their leak was, she was officially on her own.

  FIFTEEN

  DEX DIDN’T SHOW UP IN the cafeteria during lunch, and Keefe was stuck in detention. The rest of the group sat with Sophie at their usual table in the corner, but Jensi was still peppering Biana with questions, and Marella was still sulking about whatever it was that was bothering her—and she did not want to talk about it when Sophie tried to ask.

  Which left Sophie with nothing to do except pick at the weird green fruit she’d grabbed from the lunch line, and stare at the note the Black Swan had given her.

  “This is when I miss transmitting to you,” Fitz said, making her jump as he scooted into the seat across from her. “Then I could ask you what’s wrong and you might actually tell me.”

  For a brief time, they’d been able to have telepathic conversations. But Fitz was only able to transmit past her blocking because of a crack in the barriers around her otherwise impenetrable mind. Now that her abilities had been healed, they had to talk out loud again.

  “I could help, you know,” Fitz said quietly.

  “Not with this.” This was a whole other realm of complicated.

  How was she supposed to figure out if the Black Swan had a leak when she didn’t even know who they were? The only member she’d met was Mr. Forkle, and she had no idea who he really was under the disguise. Plus, she was pretty sure it couldn’t be him. Why would he rescue her when she’d been kidnapped?

  Unless that was part of his cover . . .

  “Come on, let me at least try,” Fitz pressed. “You let Keefe help.”

  “Not by choice.”

  “So what if I don’t give you a choice?” he asked, and the glint in his eye made her cheeks burn.

  She leaned back in her chair. “No way you could ever be that annoying.”

  “Try me.”

  “I—”

  “Ugh, check out the loser table,” a snooty voice interrupted behind her, followed by an ugly laugh.

  Sophie’s hands curled into fists as a tall, bony girl plopped into the empty seat next to her.

  “You do not have permission to sit there,” Sandor snapped, stepping out of his hiding place in the shadows.

  “I can handle Stina, Sandor.” Sophie turned to glare at the girl beside her. “What do you want?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Stina turned to Fitz with a sly smile. “I’m not interrupting something, am I?”

  “Yeah, actually you are,” Fitz told her. “I was talking to my friend.”

  Sophie knew why he was emphasizing the word, but it still stung—almost as much as the stupid bruise on her wrist.

  “Yeah, what’s up with that, by the way?” Stina asked. “I mean, I understand why these two are hiding over here”—she pointed to Jensi and Marella, who were both glaring at her—“they’re just as bad as this one”—she pointed to Sophie. “But you guys used to be so cool. And now?” She turned to her two stringy-haired minions standing behind her and shrugged, unimpressed.

  “Do you think I care what you think?” Biana asked.

  “You should,” Stina snapped. “I mean, look at you. I bet you feel so special now, just because you manifested an ability.”

  “Uh, I manifested before you,” Biana reminded her, vanishing again for added effect.

  Stina’s jaw tightened—but only for a second. “Whatever. Abilities don’t matter as much as people say they do.”

  “Is that what your dad tells you?” Marella jumped in.

  “So what if it is? Look at your family—both parents with special abilities and you’re still at the loser table.”

  “The only loser here is you,” Jensi grumbled.

  “Keep telling yourself that.” Stina turned back to Fitz and Biana. “Don’t you realize what people say about the Vackers now? They’re calling your family traitors.”

  “Traitors?” Fitz repeated. “How do you figure that?”

  Stina tossed her frizzy curls. “Simple. You spend all your time helping out the enemy.”

  Fitz laughed, his scowl fading to a look of pity. “Sophie is not our enemy.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Stina focused on Sophie, the glint in her eye as cold as her smile. “So you haven’t agreed to heal an incredibly dangerous criminal?”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to get rid of her for you?” Sandor offered again.

  “No, I’m fine,” Sophie said, her voice echoing around the suddenly silent room. “And Prentice isn’t a criminal.”

  “Tell that to the guards at Exile—but that’s not who I meant. My dad told me you’re going to heal Fintan. And uh, didn’t he have something to do with all those fires a few months ago?”

  “How do you know that?”

  As far as Sophie knew, all of that information was classified.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Stina said smugly.

  “Uh, are you forgetting that Sophie’s the one who helped stop those fires?” Fitz asked. “And I’m sure the Council ordered Fintan’s healing.”

  “So? Everyone knows the Councillors don’t know what they’re doing—not since she came along. They need to replace, like, sixty percent of them.”

  “That. Is. Enough!”

  All heads turned toward Dame Alina, who was striding toward Sophie’s table. Her ruby-encrusted gown swished with every step, and it was the only sound in the room. She cleared her throat when she reached their table. “Miss Heks. Slanderous statements against the Council have no place at this school!”

  “I wasn’t—”

  “I know what I heard. And I will not allow anyone to disparage our leaders—or one of our most prominent noble families—under my watch. Is. That. Clear?”

  Stina stood, her beanpole body almost as tall as Dame Alina’s. But she didn’t argue.

  She didn’t agree, either. She just motioned for her minions to follow her and stalked away.

  “You’ve earned yourself a week’s worth of detention,” Dame Alina called after her. “And you can count on me notifying your parents.”

  Sophie doubted Vika and Timkin would care. She’d heard them say even worse.

  “All right, show’s over,” Dame Alina said, clapping her hands and ordering everyone to get back to their lunches. “And Miss Foster,” she added, loud enough for everyone to hear. “If anyone says anything like that again, I expect you to tell me. Same goes for all of you.”

  She waited until every prodigy nodded.

  “Good. Now eat up—you need brain food for all the learning ahead of you.”

  Sophie usually dreaded the long walk across campus to the twisted gold and silver towers that housed the elite levels—and her afternoon session. But it was a relief to get away from all the stares and whispers that had followed the lunch incident. She wished Fitz and Biana could do the same—especially since it was her fault they’d been dragged into the drama.

  Then again, they didn’t have to endure two hours of linguistics with Lady Cadence.

  The session was an elite subject, taught only to prodigies in their eighth and final year at Foxfire. But since Sophie had discovered that she was also a Polyglot—able to speak any and all languages on instinct—the Council had decided she needed to start her training early. They’d also given her access to the usually restricted Silver Tower, even though she was too short to lick the DNA access strip on the door and had to wait outside for Master Leto, the Beacon of the Silver Tower, to let her in.

  “You kids always need me right when I’m sitting down to lunch,” he complained as he stepped aside to let Sophie pass.

  She’d barely taken two steps before he spun on his heal, his long silver cloak swishing as he slammed the door in Sandor’s face.

  “I love how he looks ready to strangle me when I do that,” Master Leto said, la
ughing to himself as he led her to the other side of the low-ceilinged foyer.

  Balefire sconces bathed the silver walls with their blue tint, and the lone statue of a silver unicorn—the Level Eight mascot—seemed to stare at them as Master Leto placed his silver Beacon badge against a small black sensor, releasing a hidden compartment full of cloaks. While Sophie was in the Silver Tower, she was expected to dress like one of the elite. So she grabbed the silver cape that had been shortened just for her and clasped it across her shoulders.

  “I heard you had some excitement today,” Master Leto said, checking his overly gelled hair before pressing his palm against the wall and opening the hidden doorway to the main tower. “I’ve been telling Dame Alina for months that she needs to run those levels with a heavier hand. Perhaps now she’ll be willing to listen to me. You’ll find no such issue here. The Silver Tower is under my control.”

  Sophie would have loved to believe him. But when they entered the amphitheater-size common area, filled with bookshelves and chandeliers and plush silver armchairs, she could see someone waiting for her in the mostly empty room—impossible to miss at the base of the silver spiral staircase.

  Prentice’s son, Wylie.

  SIXTEEN

  NEED I REMIND YOU OF the punishment for tardiness, Mr. Endal?” Master Leto asked, pointing to his badge for emphasis.

  Wylie’s skin wasn’t as dark as his father’s, and his features were sharper. But their eyes were the same. Same shape. Same piercing blue. And they looked just as sad and lost as he told Sophie, “I need to talk to you.”

  “No, you need to head to your session—immediately,” Master Leto informed him.

  Wylie didn’t budge.

  “I know what you’re going to ask,” Sophie told him quietly. “And I . . .”

  She had no idea how to finish that sentence.

  Wylie hadn’t spoken to her since the day she’d found him at his mother’s grave, when he’d told her his father had promised him that someone would heal him. The poor guy had spent the majority of his life clinging to that dim hope for his father—even when he didn’t know Sophie existed. And now that the possibility was finally a reality, she could practically smell the desperation radiating off him, thick and sour, like the bile coating her tongue.