Neverseen (13 page)

“How about we change out of these crazy outfits?” Biana said. “I mean really,
what
was the Black Swan thinking?”

“That if your pajamas were embarrassing enough, you kids would be discouraged from after-curfew meetings.”

Everyone scrambled as Mr. Forkle stalked into the room, followed by Granite and Blur.

“Clearly our plan was not as successful as we’d hoped,” Mr. Forkle said. “Dare we ask what made you willing to suffer the furry disgrace?”

“I think the better question is, what are you guys doing here so early?” Keefe countered.

“We promised we’d report to Calla as soon as we’d learned anything about Wildwood,” Granite said.

“And?” Sophie asked.

“So far there’s been no change—but that’s good news in some ways,” Blur said. “The gnomes’ symptoms seem to be holding steady.”

“But they still don’t have a cure,” Sophie clarified.

“No,” Mr. Forkle admitted. “But they’re working on it.”

“They should have my dad try,” Dex said. “He’s the best alchemist out there.”

“I’m sure he’ll be their next call. Right now Lady Galvin is trying her hand,” Granite said.

Even months later, Sophie still flinched at the name. Her old alchemy instructor had made her first year at Foxfire equal parts humiliating and stressful.

“So if all the best people are working on it,” Sophie said, “why haven’t they found the cure?”

“It comes down to isolating the pathogen,” Mr. Forkle explained. “They haven’t been able to find the source, and without that crucial information, they don’t know what to target. The physicians suspect each gnome is plagued by only a single parasite, so finding it is a bit like that old human expression about needles in haystacks. But at least they’re not pressed for time. The gnomes have responded
well to the symptom treatments, so the need for the cure isn’t as dire.”

His eyes drifted to the Evader in Dex’s hand, and his expression darkened. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is—or that you’ve at least had the common sense to not put it to use.”

“Well . . . if you want me to lie . . . ,” Dex mumbled.

Mr. Forkle’s sigh sounded more like a growl. “This is about Exillium, right? I told you it wasn’t worth the risk.”

“But there was no risk,” Dex said, pointing to a thinner wire on the Evader. “I call this a wiper. It erased every step I took, so there’s no way the Council will know I was there.”

Mr. Forkle took the gadget, examining it from all angles. “Well, I’m no Technopath—and this is one of the most bizarre executions I’ve seen—but I must say, it’s rather . . . inspired.”

Blur took the Evader and passed his smudged hand through. “It’s a totally different approach than anything I’ve felt. But maybe that’s what we need.”

Dex looked ready to float away with the praise, and Sophie didn’t blame him. After being underestimated his whole life, he deserved the recognition.

“Do not let our compliments overshadow our disappointment,” Mr. Forkle said, bursting their brand-new bubble. “When we give orders, we expect them to be followed.”

“Not if they’re dumb,” Keefe argued.

“I’m not going to debate this any further,” Mr. Forkle said.
He turned to Dex. “I’d rather you focus your energy on a much more important assignment.”

He paused to confer with Blur and Granite before he continued. “You have an incredibly unique approach to technopathy, Mr. Dizznee, and perhaps that fresh take can solve a problem we’ve been facing.”

“For months we’ve been trying to gain access to a secret archive,” Granite jumped in. “In fact, ‘secret’ isn’t a strong enough word. It’s an archive that should not exist. Our best Technopath discovered it, but hasn’t been able to breach beyond that.”

“What kind of archive?” Dex asked.

“We have no idea,” Blur said. “All we know is it’s hidden in Lumenaria.”

Della’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” Mr. Forkle told her. “As I said, it should not exist. Lumenaria is where all the worlds gather for crucial negotiations,” he added when he saw Sophie’s confusion. “Any meetings there are not to be recorded, beyond the wording of the treaties. But it appears that someone has been transcribing the sessions.”

“What kind of security are the files protected by?” Dex asked.

“That’s the strangest part,” Blur told him. “We’d assumed the archive was the Council’s dirty little secret. But it’s guarded by technologies from all of the intelligent species.”

Dex whistled. “So I have to hack ogre technology?”

“And dwarven. And trollish. And goblin. And gnomish. And elvin as well,” Mr. Forkle confirmed.

“I didn’t even know the gnomes had technology,” Biana said.

“Not all technology comes in the form of gadgets,” Blur reminded her. “Which is why I think you’ll be perfect for this, Dex. Only
you
would build a crazy Evader like that. So let’s see what else you can do.”

“And if you do manage to gain access,” Granite added, “we’d like you to search for information on the Wildwood Colony. The Council’s silence on the plague has made us want to further explore the Colony’s history.”

“I’ll have supplies sent within a few hours,” Mr. Forkle said. “And we need you to make this your number one focus. No more wasting time on
this
.” He shoved the Evader into his pocket before turning to the rest of them. “You have assignments and training to work through as well. I suggest you get started.”

“Anyone else getting
tired of the Black Swan bossing us around?” Keefe asked after they’d de-furry-pajamaed and regrouped in the common room of the boys’ tree house.

The room was decorated like a campsite, with indoor trees, a ceiling glinting with stars, and an enormous fire pit in the center. The flames burned in every color of the rainbow, and Sophie was sure the gnomes meant it to be just as stunning as
the waterfall in the girls’ house. But she would never see fire as anything but death and destruction.

“I think they just want to make sure everything goes right when we rescue Prentice,” Biana said. She was working with Della by the window, learning to hold her invisibility in shifting light.

“It
is
annoying, though,” Sophie mumbled, following Fitz to a clump of boulders that turned out to be beanbag chairs.

Dex had fortunately been smart enough to save a copy of the Exillium records he’d stolen, and he’d promised to make a gadget they could use to search through them. In the meantime, it was back to Cognate training, and it felt extra nerve wracking doing it in front of everyone. Dex had taken over most of the floor with tools and bits of gadget supplies. And Keefe had slumped into a chair in the darkest corner, pretending to read another empathy book. Every few minutes he’d mutter, “This is the stupidest thing
ever
.”

“Should we start at the beginning?” Fitz asked, opening his Cognate training notebook.

Sophie nodded. Biana hadn’t been exaggerating about Cognates having to share
everything
. Each exercise was designed to make them reveal more and more secrets.

The first assignment wasn’t
that
bad. Just a list of questions they were supposed to ask while their minds were connected, so they could see each other’s first thoughts.

“Is it okay if I enter your mind?” Fitz asked.

“Dude, do you realize how creepy that sounds?” Keefe interrupted.

“It’s less creepy than reading her feelings all the time without telling her,” Fitz argued.

“Hey, it’s not like I
try
to do that! You’re just mad that Foster can’t hide things from me.”

“Pretty soon, she won’t be hiding anything from me, either.”

“Yeah, and I can feel how
not
excited she is about that all the way over here.”

Fitz turned to Sophie. “Is that true?”

“You make her super nervous,” Keefe answered for her.

Sophie wished the Black Swan had given her laser eyes so she could skewer Keefe with her death glare.

“I take it that’s a yes?” Fitz asked.

“Well . . . yeah. But, have you met
you
?” she asked. “You’re, like, Captain Perfect! And I’m—”

“The most powerful elf our world has ever known?” Fitz finished.

“Grady’s way more powerful than me.”

“Grady
is
powerful,” Della jumped in. “But not as powerful as you’d think.”

“How can you say that?” Sophie asked. “Grady made all twelve Councillors smack themselves in the face!”

Della laughed. “Wish I’d been there to see
that
. But I’ve seen him test his power, and his limit was twenty-four people—and that left him drained and vulnerable. He can also only maintain
his hold for so long. I assume that’s why the Black Swan didn’t make you a Mesmer. Mesmers have limits, and their power rarely triggers a permanent solution. Did the Council suddenly change their minds because of what Grady did?”

“They backed down a little.” But Della had a point. In the end, Grady still had to let her be sentenced to the telepathy restrictor.

Sophie gave Fitz permission, but before he could pass her blocking, Keefe slammed down his book and shouted, “I refuse to read this!”

“The book can’t be
that
bad,” Della insisted.

“Yeah, it is. My dad wrote it.”

“Your dad’s a writer?” Sophie asked.

“More like a torturer of innocent readers.” He held up the cover as proof.
The Heart of the Matter,
by Lord Cassius Sencen. “It’s just a long ramble about how he’s the only one smart enough to realize that emotions come from both the heart
and
the brain, and that Empaths can only read what’s in the mind. Too bad he forgot to explain
why anyone cares
!”

Sophie hoped Keefe was far enough away that he couldn’t tell she actually found the idea fascinating. Councillor Bronte had taught her that inflicting pulled emotions from her heart—and Fitz had seen an emotional center in her mind. So did that mean people could feel different things in different places?

Okay, I’m in!
Fitz transmitted, making her jump.
Sorry, I thought you could feel me slip through.

Nope. I never know you’re there until you say something. Is that how it is for you?
She stretched out her consciousness until she could hear his thoughts.
Did you feel that?

I wish. I always catch everyone else. My old Mentor said I should be a Keeper someday. And the fact that you can sneak by me means you would make an awesome Probe.

Huh. I always thought I was a Keeper, since, y’know, secret information planted in my brain and all.

Well, I’m pretty sure you could be either one. Way to make the rest of us look bad.

Sophie smiled.
If we’re going to be Cognates, do we each have to be a different thing?

I think that’s usually how it works. I know that’s how it was for my dad and Quinlin.

They’re Cognates?

They were. Until they did the memory break on Prentice. Quinlin told my dad afterward that he hadn’t wanted to do it, and it turned into this big fight.

Huh, when your dad brought me to see Quinlin in Atlantis, they acted like friends.

They got over it eventually. But they couldn’t go back to being Cognates. The trust between them was breached, since Quinlin had proven he held things back.

Sophie shifted in her seat.

Wow, it really freaks you out having to share everything, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t scare you?

Not really. You already know about Mr. Snuggles.

Sophie laughed.
Yeah, but Mr. Snuggles is the best
.

Fitz had confessed about the sparkly stuffed dragon he couldn’t sleep without during one of their previous trust exercises. He’d even brought it over to her house to cheer her up.

Did you bring him here?
she asked.

Of course! We’ll see how long it takes before Keefe catches me.

You don’t care if he does?

I thought I would. I even spent forever finding a good hiding place for him. But now . . . I don’t know There are
way
bigger things to worry about than a little embarrassment, you know? I mean, we’re getting ready to break into Exile.

The words made her shiver.

So what do you say?
he asked.

What do you mean?

I mean, why not just blurt out whatever you’re super embarrassed to tell me and get it over with. Wouldn’t it be a relief?

Or it could be the biggest disaster ever—it depended on how he felt.

How I feel about what?
Fitz asked, reminding her he could hear what she was thinking.

Come on,
he begged as she scrambled to get her thoughts under control.
I promise, whatever it is, it’s not going to change anything.

But it would.

It
had
to.

Come on,
he urged.
All you have to do is trust me.

Sophie looked away, her brain and heart beating so fast she was sure she would soon implode.

How about you just blurt it out on three?
Fitz pressed.
You can do it. Here we go.

One . . .

Two . . .

Y
OU GUYS OKAY
over there?” Keefe asked, right as Fitz transmitted,
three.
“Foster’s emotions are seriously wigging.”

“Come on, man, we were
so
close!” Fitz said.

“Close to what?” Keefe and Dex asked at the same time.

“Nothing!” Sophie scooted her beanbag back, needing room to breathe.

“You’re blocking me,” Fitz said, his tone more hurt than accusatory.

“Am I? Sorry . . .” But it felt good to have her thoughts all to herself again.

Had she actually been considering telling Fitz she
liked
him?

She shuddered just thinking about what would’ve happened.