Unlocked 8.5 (Keeper of the Lost Cities) Read online

  BROWN-EYE SOLIDARI-TEA

  Temporarily turns eyes brown

  (became quite popular after Sophie Foster’s arrival to the Lost Cities)

  BRUISE CRUISE

  Fades bruises of all shapes, sizes, and colors

  BUFF STUFF

  Temporarily increases muscle mass

  DROOLY DEW

  Temporarily makes the mouth hypersalivate

  FADE FUEL

  Speeds cell regeneration for someone who faded during a light leap

  (The Slurps and Burps version includes limbium)

  FART A LA CARTE

  Temporarily causes an abundance of flatulence

  FLOOF

  Temporarily causes hair or fur to turn fluffy and feathery

  FRECKLE JUICE

  Temporarily gives the appearance of freckled skin

  FRISSYN

  A shimmering silver powder that puts out Everblaze.

  (Frissyn is the hardest substance for an alchemist to make—and a recent addition to Slurps and Burps in light of challenges with the Neverseen.)

  FUZZY FIZZ

  Temporarily causes the body to be covered in short, mostly invisible hairs, giving skin a fuzzy feel

  GASHROOMS

  Small, stinky mushrooms used for both metal purification and elixir-making

  (particularly prank elixirs)

  GREENLEAF

  Temporarily turns hair or fur bright green

  GURGLE GUT

  Temporarily causes abundant gaseous eruptions

  HAIROIDS

  Temporarily causes hair to grow much more rapidly than normal

  HUSH SLUSH

  Temporarily eliminates someone’s ability to talk

  (generally lasts eight hours)

  LIMBIUM

  A substance used in elixirs that affects the limbic system

  (must be kept safely away from Sophie Foster)

  LOVELYLOCKS

  Temporarily makes hair extra shiny and smooth

  MERMAID-TIGER DELIGHT

  Temporarily turns hair and fur a combination of purple, teal, and blue, with black stripes running through

  NOGGINEASE

  Temporarily clears the mind to allow greater focus during studying

  QUICKSNUFF

  A green powder that easily puts out fires

  REEKROD

  A stinky stalklike plant commonly used for pranks, either by itself or in elixirs

  SCRATCHES ’N SPLITS

  Immediately seals any cuts or scratches to the skin

  SEA SEE

  Temporarily turns eyes teal

  TANNY FANNY

  Temporarily gives pale skin the appearance of a suntan

  WOUND WIPE

  A quick and easy way to clean and treat small injuries

  DEX’S FAIL-PROOF ALCHEMY TIPS!

  (EVEN FOR YOU, SOPHIE!)

  TRUST THE DIZZNEE METHOD. WE’RE THE BEST!

  WHAP MEANS “WASH HANDS AND PRESENT.” (DO NOT “WHIP” THE ELIXIR INSTEAD! I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD REMINDER.)

  ONLY PRACTICE ALCHEMY IN A FIREPROOF LOCATION. (WE, UH, BOTH KNOW WHY THIS ONE’S SO IMPORTANT.…)

  ALWAYS POUR IN AMARALLITINE FROM A SAFE DISTANCE—AND USE A TIMER TO ENSURE YOU’RE ADDING IT AT THE EXACT SECOND THE ELIXIR IS READY FOR IT.

  DON’T GET ANY RUCKLEBERRY JUICE ON YOUR SKIN—IT’LL MAKE YOU SMELL LIKE STINKY FEET. AND YOUR SKIN WILL GET ALL WEIRD AND WRINKLY LIKE FORKLE.

  YEAH, A LOT OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR ELIXIRS ARE SUPER DISGUSTING. IT’S PROBABLY BETTER IF YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT IT. (AND PLUG YOUR NOSE! )

  REMEMBER: LADY GALVIN HATES EVERYBODY—IT’S NOT JUST YOU. (ALTHOUGH MAYBE TRY NOT TO DESTROY HER CAPE AGAIN?)

  ALKAHEST IS THE UNIVERSAL SOLVENT AND CAN ONLY BE STORED IN A BUBBLE OF ITSELF. (WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TOUCH IT.)

  IF YOU BOTTLE QUINTESSENCE (ACCIDENTALLY OR ON PURPOSE), DO NOT BRING THE BOTTLE TO FOXFIRE.

  IF YOU SUDDENLY REMEMBER ANY COMPLICATED FORMULAS, DON’T TRY MAKING THEM. THE BLACK SWAN WAY OVERESTIMATED YOUR ALCHEMY SKILLS!

  SLURPS AND BURPS BESTSELLERS

  BUFF STUFF

  LOVELYLOCKS

  GURGLE GUT

  MERMAID-TIGER DELIGHT

  FART A LA CARTE

  BROWN-EYE SOLIDARI-TEA

  FLOOF

  HUSH SLUSH

  NOGGINEASE

  MEDICINE

  I’d forgotten how different elvin medicine is from the other species’ until Sophie moved to the Lost Cities and I saw how terrified she was of me! (Can’t totally blame her when I think about all the sharp things human doctors have to use!) I’ve also treated her bodyguards quite a few times, so it’s been an educational experience. And hey, all medicine has value. But I’m glad I get to work with elixirs, balms, and poultices (even if those can have some pretty nasty ingredients).

  Sadly, I can’t fix everything—but that never stops me from trying. And thankfully I’ve been able to keep Sophie safe and healthy. So far…

  —Elwin

  Emotional Support Stuffed Animals

  I’m definitely not the first person to realize the therapeutic power of a good snuggle buddy—nor can I take credit for giving out all of these. But I am a big supporter of the “hug a stuffed animal” movement. And someday I hope everyone tries sleeping with one!

  —Elwin

  OTHER COMMON REMEDIES AND TREATMENTS

  BENNU TEARS

  These extremely rare drops can increase the potency of most remedies, but especially in cell regenerators.

  BILEPOD

  This gray, walnut-shaped seed cures seasickness when anyone eats the reddish-brown goop inside (which smells like burnt garlic).

  BOTTLED YOUTH

  Elves drink at least one bottle of this cold, sweet water daily because it contains an essential enzyme that helps flush toxins out of the system. Any treatment plan for an illness or injury always includes additional bottles of Youth.

  CALLOWBERRIES

  These orange and green speckled fruits are used to reverse the effect of ruckleberries—but they taste and smell horrible.

  CLARIFAVA

  These strange, cube-shaped fruits with black-and-white speckles are known to help the body resist the influence of technology.

  FATHOMLETHES

  These tiny pearls (harvested from rare river oysters) can trigger vivid, overwhelming dreams when ingested—which makes taking fathomlethes both a risky and useful tool to access long-term memories.

  HOLLOWTHISTLE TEA

  This drink is most commonly described as “vile” and must be taken in moderation, since drinking too much in one sitting could cause someone’s insides to liquefy. It’s one of the best methods to purge poison or venom from the system.

  JACULUS VENOM

  Contains a powerful anticoagulant that can be used as a tissue regenerator when combined with Phoenix sweat.

  KELPIE DUNG

  The waste from a kelpie can take the sting of out terrible bites when applied to the skin.

  KELPIE URINE

  Most only use this remedy as a last resort, but it’s the absolute best way to regain equilibrium when fighting vertigo or seasickness.

  LIMBIUM-FREE FADE FUEL

  Similar to the product sold at Slurps and Burps, but designed specifically to treat Sophie Foster without triggering her allergy.

  PHOENIX SWEAT

  This valuable ingredient is used in burn salves and flesh regenerators (and works best when combined with jaculus venom).

  PIQUATINE

  This acid is nearly as strong as alkahest and can dissolve the top layers of skin—which is the only way to remove aromark if someone comes in contact with it. The process can be strange and gross, but with numbing balm, it’s completely painless.

  POOKA PUS

  The liquid form of this powerful cell regenerator is relatively easy to find—but the solid form is incredibly rare, and can tackle the strongest infections.

  RUCKLE
BERRIES

  Also used in alchemy (for metal purification), ingesting these small yellow-orange berries causes the body to bloat and the skin to wrinkle, drastically altering someone’s appearance and making them unrecognizable.

  SLUMBERBERRY TEA

  This special purple-tinted tea is brewed from slumberberries and is used by many as a mild sedative before bed.

  SOMNALENE

  The nectar from the starglass flower can be used as eye drops, creating a unique effect called “midnighting,” which can calm the mind and encourage sleep.

  SQUELCHBERRIES

  Purplish, reddish, fuzzy fruits that resemble dead caterpillars. Each bite contains an entire meal’s worth of nutrients—but they must be eaten slowly. Squelchberry juice is incredibly sticky and can glue the jaw shut if too many berries are consumed at once.

  YETI PEE

  This strong-smelling golden sludge can be hard to find—and even harder to wash off. And it’s not particularly pleasant to use. But it’s the best way to treat serious burns.

  THE PRIME SOURCES

  THERE ARE THREE:

  SUNLIGHT

  MOONLIGHT

  STARLIGHT

  And they aren’t studied or discussed as often as they should be in the Lost Cities—particularly since they’re considered to be the elves’ true source of power. But Councillor Bronte may be working to change that.

  At least once a year, the Councillors visit the Point of Purity—a place at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, where the Sources are all equal and unimpeded by any contamination or filtering—and leap back to the Lost Cities using a beam made from all three Sources.

  The leap is a test, meant to remind the Council where their power comes from and help them better comprehend each Source’s unique attributes to harness.

  Together, the Prime Sources provide a perfect example of how to lead without dominating, which is why the Council used them as a symbol for Team Valiant. The three spiraling lines of gold, silver, and white unite evenly, demonstrating the need for proper balance in Team Valiant’s collaboration.

  SOURCE

  COLOR

  ATTRIBUTES

  SUNLIGHT

  GOLD

  Sunlight is the easiest Source to identify—an invisible fire that always has more to give. Harnessing its power is about respect and restraint.

  MOONLIGHT

  SILVER

  Moonlight is the ever-changing Source—there in the darkest hours, but sometimes elusive. Harnessing its power is about managing expectations.

  STARLIGHT

  WHITE

  Starlight is the most varied of all the Sources, since each star is different. So harnessing the power of the stars is about choice—and utilizing them takes both knowledge and wisdom.

  THE UNMAPPED STARS

  GIVEN THAT STARLIGHT IS ONE of the Prime Sources, it’s no surprise that the elves spend a great deal of time mapping, naming, and studying the stars—even bottling their light.

  But there are five stars that are treated very differently.

  The “unmapped stars” are kept secret from all except the Council (and former Councillors). Knowing their locations is illegal—as is bottling their light. In fact, most elves have never even heard the stars’ names:

  ELEMENTINE

  MARQUISEIRE

  PHOSFORIEN

  LUCILLIANT

  CANDESIA

  The reason for the secrecy is that light from the unmapped stars is actually quintessence—the highly volatile, potentially dangerous fifth element.

  Each star’s quintessence is a different color and texture and has unique qualities and capabilities. And understanding those differences may prove vital in the days ahead.

  Which is likely why the Black Swan made sure their moonlark knew where to find every one of the unmapped stars. They’ve also had her leap with each of the stars’ quintessences. What that knowledge might be used for is unclear—but given the connection between quintessence and the Neverseen’s mysterious stellarlune project, it’s likely to be significant.

  WARNING:

  The information on the next page can get you in serious trouble (trust me, I would know).

  Read at your own risk!

  —Sophie

  Rebel Groups

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  UNLIKE IN STORIES WHERE THE hero is clearly on the side of good, fighting against a villain who is clearly on the side of bad, Sophie has found herself caught in the middle of multiple rebellions. In fact, in the early books in the series, she even struggles to figure out who the “bad guys” are—the Council? The Black Swan? Someone else entirely?

  Only as the story progresses does she discover the existence of the Neverseen and realize who she’s truly fighting.

  That was one of the things that fascinated me about this story. The good guys and the bad guys are technically both rebels, responding to the same “flaws” in the Lost Cities. (You probably noticed several of those flaws in the previous sections of this guide—and also when you read the books themselves.) The Council has been ignoring major injustices for millennia, and their world finally reached a point where someone had to step in and do something.

  That’s where the Black Swan and the Neverseen come in.

  Yes, one group is definitely bad, and the other strives to be good—but they’re both right about the problems their world is facing. They just have drastically different plans to fix the situation.

  And their plans are always changing—which was another thing that made me want to write this story. To me, the scariest villains are the ones that grow and adapt, abandoning things that aren’t working and changing the game again and again. And the smartest heroes are the ones who are always trying new things.

  But I do realize that it can be hard to keep everything straight (especially since the books are quite lengthy). So the next section of this guide is sort of a cheat sheet, to catch you up on what each of the rebel groups has been up to—or what Sophie knows, at least. Since she’s the one stuck in the center of it all, it seemed only fair to let her be the one to explain everything.

  Think of the next few pages as her notes to herself, trying to make sense of what she’s learned—so she’s ready for what comes next.

  THE BLACK SWAN

  This is the “sign of the swan,” which is the Black Swan’s fancy symbol

  (though sometimes they only use the head/neck portion ).

  I guess they picked their name because a really long time ago, humans used black swans as an example of “something impossible,” since they thought swans were always white. Aaaaaaand then they discovered that black swans were a thing, so black swans became a symbol of “something that shouldn’t exist, but does.” Which, I guess, is pretty fitting for the Black Swan, since they’re a group of rebels in a world that thought it was too perfect to ever have a rebellion.

  Plus, it gives them an excuse to use phrases like “swan song” for when they’re about to take a big risk or make a sacrifice, and to put dwarven poems about swans into the little notes they give me, and use the Cygnus constellation as clues, and all kinds of other swan-related stuff.

  Pretty sure by the time this is over, I’m never going to want to see a swan again.

  (Or a moonlark…)

  THINGS I KNOW ABOUT THE BLACK SWAN

  They’re the “good guys.” (I hope…)

  They “created” me and hid me with humans.(And then helped Alden find me so he could bring me to the Lost Cities.)

  They planted information in my brain.(And I still don’t know exactly how much they hid. It pops up at random times.)

  They stole two of my memories.(And only gave them back because I forced them to.)

  The first memory was about “the Boy Who Disappeared” (who turned out to be Alvar).

  The second memory was about me manifesting as an Inflictor before I should have and accidentally hurting my sister.

  They’ve been around for a really long time.(But it sounds like they
’ve been stepping up their game for the last few decades.)

  They used to communicate with me through a bunch of vague notes and riddles. (Definitely not sad those days are over—though it’s not like they actually tell me anything now.…)

  They have a ton of hideouts, but so far they’ve only let me see: The High Seas facility (a huge cave on an island in the middle of nowhere, where they healed my abilities—and where they did a lot of the genetic work for Project Moonlark. They had to abandon it after the Neverseen tracked us there).

  Alluveterre (the underground cave we stayed in when we were banished. It’s also abandoned now, since the Neverseen have a crystal that leaps to it).

  Brumevale (the lonely tower where Mr. Forkle hid after what happened in Lumenaria, which is apparently also where he first came up with the idea for Project Moonlark).

  Watchward Heath (one of Mr. Forkle’s offices. It’s like a giant underground egg, with walls that project what’s going on with every species all over the world. There’s also a 3D map of the Lost Cities).

  They’re ruled by a “Collective” of five different leaders, each using weird code names and disguises: Mr. Forkle

  Granite

  Squall

  Blur

  Wraith

  Other members are: Livvy Sonden (Physic)

  Timkin Heks (Coiffe)

  Tinker (No idea who she is—but I guess she goes by “Tinker” to everybody.)

  Lord Cassius Sencen (He doesn’t have a code name, but I bet Keefe would say it should be “Ugh.”)

  Lady Cadence Talle (She doesn’t have code name either—but she should totally be “Grump.”)

  Della Vacker (Since I’m apparently making up code names for everyone, let’s go with “Dazzle.”)

  Huh… I just realized I should be including all my friends who’ve sworn fealty—and me. Funny how my brain still keeps us separate.