Lodestar Page 3

  But the Neverseen were ruthless.

  And clever.

  And always ahead of the game.

  Which made her realize . . .

  “You can’t go back there, Keefe. Today was probably a test. I bet they gave you that information to see if you’d sneak away to warn me. They could be tracking you right now—what?” she asked when she noticed how hard he was biting his lip.

  “It’s not a test. They . . . sent me here.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  Keefe’s eyes returned to the ceiling. “Probably because I suggested it. I needed a way to warn you—and they needed me to prove my loyalty. This was the best solution I could come up with.”

  Cold chills washed through Sophie as he removed two items from his cloak pocket—a flat golden triangle and a blue pendant with a single facet.

  “This next part is going to be rough,” he whispered. “But if you cover your face, I promise you’ll be safe. And just in case . . .” He unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling the hood up over her head. “I’ll tell them I lost this in the chaos.”

  “What chaos, Keefe? What are you doing?”

  “I’m helping you. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.”

  Sophie tried to shout for Sandor, but Keefe covered her mouth with one hand and flung the golden triangle toward the ceiling with the other. One of the points stuck to the center of the apex and the gadget flashed green.

  “That means we have ten seconds.” Keefe said. “Just get down and cover your face—everything is going to be okay. Sandor will be safe. Goblins have super-thick skin—just trust me, okay?”

  He pulled his hand back, but Sophie was shaking too hard to scream. She dropped to her knees and pulled the hood against her head.

  “Please don’t hate me,” Keefe begged as he held his blue crystal up to the light to make a path. “Tell everyone I’ll be back as soon as I finish this. And remember—I’m on your side.”

  He glittered away right as the green gadget turned red and a high-pitched squeal blasted from the ceiling, sending a rippling sound wave rushing down the walls.

  Shattering all of the glass.

  THREE

  IT’S NOT AS bad as it seems.”

  Magnate Leto had said the words a dozen times—and Sophie wanted to believe them. But all she could see were the slivers of glass glinting in his hair.

  She was covered in them as well, but they were mostly stuck to Keefe’s thick cloak. She’d been spared any cuts or scratches, just like he’d promised.

  The glass pyramid hadn’t been so fortunate. Magnate Leto’s office was in shambles, its walls now empty metal frames. And while the rest of the pyramid had simply crackled and splintered, all of the glass would have to be replaced.

  At least no one had been hurt—and the other buildings on campus had been spared. But that didn’t change the fact that the Neverseen had now attacked Foxfire.

  And it had been Keefe’s idea.

  All twelve Councillors had visited the school to assess the damage, and questioned Sophie thoroughly. Then Magnate Leto had followed her home to get the real story.

  The fading twilight glow seeped through Havenfield’s glass walls, painting the elegant white décor of the main room in shades of purple, gray, and blue. Even with the soft shimmer from the twinkling chandeliers, Sophie felt like the whole world had been bruised.

  “Truly, Miss Foster,” Magnate Leto said as he plopped next to her on the plush sofa. “I’ve been meaning to redecorate my office since I took over as principal. I’ve never been a fan of my reflection—especially in this form.”

  Sophie shook her head. “You know this is about more than broken mirrors.”

  “She’s right,” Grady agreed, stalking down the curved staircase in the center of the room with Brielle—his svelte goblin bodyguard with tight curly hair—in tow. “This is about That Boy! I know he used to be your friend—”

  “He is my friend,” Sophie corrected.

  And he was working with her enemies.

  Grady crouched in front of her. “Whatever he is or isn’t to you doesn’t change the things he’s doing.” He plucked an especially jagged shard of glass off of her sleeve.

  The razor-sharp edges would’ve shredded her skin if Keefe hadn’t given her his cloak.

  Then again, she wouldn’t have needed it if he hadn’t blown up the place.

  She reached for Grady’s hands. “I’m fine. And Keefe did this to warn us.”

  “That doesn’t make destroying Foxfire okay!”

  No, it didn’t . . .

  “Technically, he only destroyed my office,” Magnate Leto argued. “And my own foolishness is partially to blame. I should’ve suspected something the moment I was called to the Level Five atrium to remove a pair of gremlins from the lockers. Causing havoc has always been one of Mr. Sencen’s specialties. As is breaking into the principal’s office.”

  “You’re seriously going to equate this with one of his pranks?” Grady asked. “Like it’s just another Great Gulon Incident?”

  If the vein in Grady’s forehead hadn’t been so bulgy, Sophie would’ve asked someone to finally share the story of Keefe’s legendary triumph.

  “It’s all a rather dark shade of gray,” Magnate Leto admitted. “But that’s a color all of us are familiar with, aren’t we? Wouldn’t you use it to describe your behavior when you confronted Brant about what he did to your daughter? Or Miss Foster, when you drugged your human family so you could be erased from their lives? And surely the Council would apply it to most of my actions. After all, I helped form an illegal organization. Experimented with the genetics of an innocent child. Secreted her away in the Forbidden Cities to be raised by humans. Erased two of her memories without her permission—”

  “We have a bigger problem,” Sophie interrupted, not needing any more reminders of how weird her life had been. “I’m sure Oralie knew I was lying when I said I didn’t see who triggered the sound wave. I was way too emotional to fool an Empath.”

  “Councillor Oralie has always been your loyal supporter,” Magnate Leto assured her.

  “Okay, but Councillor Alina looked suspicious too—and she hates me. All it takes is one of them to figure out that it was Keefe, and he’ll never be able to come back.”

  “Not necessarily,” Magnate Leto said. “Questionable actions can be forgiven when they’re done with good intentions. Think of the Ancient Councillors’ reasons for not warning the gnomes that the ogres possessed the plague. With time, most have come to understand their complicated motivations.”

  The key word in that sentence was “most.”

  In Keefe’s case there’d be many who’d see a notorious troublemaker graduating to a new level of mayhem. Or worse: a loyal son stepping into the role his mother designed for him.

  Sophie sank back into the sofa’s cushions, trying to disappear into the fluff—anything to avoid having to figure out what to do or think or—

  “I know this is all very overwhelming,” Magnate Leto said. “But that’s only because you’re trying to interpret Mr. Sencen’s actions with your head. You have a very good head, Miss Foster. Very logical and clever and strong. But do you know what’s even more powerful?”

  He pointed to her heart.

  “Which means what?” Grady asked. “We’re relying on teenage feelings?”

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss them. Miss Foster understands Mr. Sencen in ways the rest of us simply cannot. I watched them most carefully during their time in Alluveterre. He opened up to her. Leaned on her. Trusted her. So”—his eyes met Sophie’s—“what does your heart tell you?”

  Sophie crossed her arms over her chest, wishing she could reach in and pluck out the answer. Instead, her head kept taking over, flooding her consciousness with memories:

  Keefe crying on her shoulder the day she’d had to tell him that his mom might be dead.

  The window slumber parties they’d hel
d so they wouldn’t have to face the tougher nights alone.

  His room covered in notes and crumpled bits of paper as he desperately tried to piece together the truth hidden in his past.

  A much younger Keefe, sitting and waiting in Atlantis for a family that didn’t care enough to remember him.

  Over and over the scenes replayed, until another image slowly replaced them.

  Keefe, in the Healing Tent in Exillium, his humor and confidence stripped away, revealing the scared, angry boy he kept hidden underneath.

  The memory didn’t tell her anything. But it made her heart ache—made her wish she could wrap her arms around him and make everything okay.

  Magnate Leto nodded, as if he’d been eavesdropping on her thoughts. Which made her wonder . . .

  “When we were in Alluveterre, did you ever read his mind?”

  Telepaths weren’t supposed to invade anyone’s privacy without permission—but Magnate Leto had never been one to follow rules.

  “You’re asking if I knew he was going to join the Neverseen?” he asked. “I knew he was considering it. But the idea was incredibly tentative. It didn’t truly take shape until you were heading for Ravagog—and even then, he still seemed undecided. But I can tell you that he saw it as a necessary evil to right the wrongs his mother caused.”

  “ ‘Evil’ is right,” Grady muttered. “And if That Boy comes anywhere near you again, I want you to drop him with the full weight of your inflicting.”

  “Grady!” Edaline gasped.

  She’d been standing by the farthest wall next to Cadoc—her hulking new bodyguard, who almost made Sandor look skinny—staring so silently at the pastures of grazing dinosaurs and other crazy creatures that Sophie had forgotten she was there.

  “Need I remind you that Keefe’s doing the same thing our daughter tried to do?” Edaline asked him.

  The words knocked Grady back a step.

  They hit Sophie pretty hard too.

  Jolie had tried to infiltrate the Neverseen, and the plan had been working—until they ordered her to destroy a human nuclear power plant to prove her loyalty. A few days after she refused, she was dead.

  Grady moved to Edaline’s side and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’m sorry. I guess I have some trust issues, after Brant.”

  He said something else, but Sophie didn’t catch it, her mind too stuck on the huge reality Keefe was facing.

  As much as she’d worried and fretted and stressed, she’d never truly imagined the impossible choices he’d have to face—or the worst-case scenario:

  A tall, lean tree with blond shaggy leaves and scattered ice-blue flowers growing on a grassy hill in the Wanderling Woods—the elves’ version of a graveyard.

  Each Wanderling’s seed was wrapped with the DNA of the person it had been planted to commemorate, and it grew with their coloring and essence.

  “He’s going to get himself killed,” Sophie mumbled as the knot of emotions under her ribs twisted a million times tighter. “We need to get him out.”

  “How do you propose we do that?” Magnate Leto asked.

  Sophie wished she had suggestions. But she didn’t even know where Keefe was. She’d been trying to track his thoughts for weeks, like she used to do when she played base quest. But all she could tell was that Keefe was very far away.

  “He’ll come home when he’s ready,” Magnate Leto told her. “In the meantime, I suggest we make use of the information he’s gone to such lengths to bring us.” He turned to Grady and Edaline. “I trust that you’ll allow your new bodyguards to do their jobs?”

  “Brielle and Cadoc are some of our regiment’s best,” Sandor added.

  “Do you think the Neverseen will guess that Keefe warned us if Grady and Edaline suddenly have goblins following them around?” Sophie had to ask.

  “I’m sure Mr. Sencen has a plan for that,” Magnate Leto promised.

  “Uh, we’re talking about the same Keefe, right?” Sophie asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Grady told her. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

  Brielle cleared her throat. “With all due respect, Mr. Ruewen, there’s a reason the elves rely on goblin assistance. Are you truly prepared to kill if the need arises?”

  Grady looked more than a little green as Brielle unsheathed her sword and slashed it with a deadly sort of grace. The elvin mind couldn’t process violence. Their thoughts were too sensitive—their consciences too strong. It was why the Neverseen were so unstable—though Fintan held his sanity together far better than Brant.

  “What if we stay here?” Edaline suggested. “The Council hasn’t given Grady an assignment in weeks, and we have plenty to keep us busy with the animals. We can pass Cadoc and Brielle off like they’re additional guards for Sophie—which shouldn’t seem strange after what happened.”

  “That,” Magnate Leto said, “is a brilliant solution.”

  “Except it puts us on house arrest,” Grady argued.

  “Isn’t it worth it to be safe?” Sophie countered.

  “Hey—that works both ways, kiddo,” Grady reminded her. “If I agree to this, I need you to agree that there will be no more one-on-one meetings with anyone associated with the Neverseen—especially That Boy.”

  Sophie groaned. “His name is Keefe!”

  “Not right now, it isn’t. He has to earn that back. And if he’s really on our side, he won’t mind you having your bodyguard around as backup. Understood?”

  Sophie agreed, mostly because Sandor would clobber her if she didn’t. “What do you think the Neverseen want with you guys?”

  “I suspect this is primarily a power play,” Magnate Leto said quietly. “Much like their attempts to capture the alicorns. If they possess something you love . . .”

  “They can control me,” Sophie finished.

  Magnate Leto nodded. “I’m betting that they—like myself—assume Kenric would’ve known his cache is far more valuable to you if you have a way to access the information inside. This could be their plan to force you to open it for them.”

  “Oh good—so the thing That Boy stole is putting all of us in more danger,” Grady muttered.

  “If it weren’t that, it would be something else,” Magnate Leto assured him. “They’ve been after Miss Foster from the beginning. And honestly, the more valuable they see her as, the safer she is—relatively speaking.”

  “I don’t even know how to open the cache,” Sophie reminded everyone—though technically she’d never tried. She had enough crazy information stored in her head. The last thing she wanted was to fill it with secrets even the Council couldn’t handle.

  Still, Magnate Leto’s theory raised other questions—the kind that made her voice get thick and squeaky.

  “I know you don’t want to tell me who my genetic parents are—”

  “Wrong,” Magnate Leto interrupted. “I can’t tell you.”

  Sophie glanced at Grady and Edaline, trying to decide if she should leave the conversation at that. She rarely mentioned her genetic parents around them—or her human family. It was complicated enough having three different moms and dads—especially since one pair no longer remembered her, and another was a complete mystery.

  But she needed to know.

  “Was Kenric my father? He was a Telepath. And he was always so kind to me.” Her throat closed off as she remembered his bright smiles.

  The red-haired Councillor had been one of Sophie’s strongest supporters, right up until the day she’d lost him to Fintan’s inferno of Everblaze.

  Magnate Leto reached for Sophie’s hand, tracing a finger across the star-shaped scar he’d accidentally given her when he healed her abilities. “Kenric wasn’t involved with Project Moonlark. And that’s all I can tell you. Some secrets must remain hidden. Besides, we have much more pressing matters to discuss, like the other significant piece of information we learned from Mr. Sencen. Did he really say that Gethen was the Neverseen’s only Telepath?”

  “Why does that matter?”
Sophie asked.

  “Because telepathy is generally considered to be our most vital ability. We’d never have known the humans were plotting to betray us all those millennia ago if our Telepaths hadn’t overheard their schemes. That’s why there are more Telepaths in the nobility than any other talent. So either the Neverseen have failed to recruit any others—which could tell us something about their method of operating. Or there’s a reason they’re avoiding the talent. Either way, it means I should press the Council about allowing a visit to Gethen.”

  Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve been saying that for weeks!”

  “I know. And I’ve been stalling—partially because I promised to bring you with me, and I still believe Gethen intends to harm you if you try to search his mind. But mostly because I wanted to see exactly what role Mr. Sencen was going to play before choosing our next step.”

  “Well, now we know,” Grady muttered, holding up the shard of glass again.

  “I know you look at that and see violence and destruction,” Magnate Leto told him. “But I see a boy willing to do anything to tear the Neverseen’s organization apart. And I for one am going to believe in him—especially since he may have unwittingly given us another advantage. May I have that cloak, Miss Foster?”

  “I’m sure there’s a hidden tracker,” Sandor warned as Sophie handed it over.

  “That’s what I’m hoping for. Perhaps if we move it somewhere interesting, we can lure them out of their little hiding places.”

  “You want to meet with them?” Grady asked.

  “I want to send a message. Can I borrow a dagger?”

  Brielle whipped a jagged silver knife from her boot and handed it to Magnate Leto. He sliced open the cloak’s hem along the bottom edge, revealing two disks—one gold and one black—sewn between the folds of thick fabric.

  Sandor frowned. “The gold one’s the tracker—but I’ve never seen anything like the black. It’s not even made of metal.”

  “Indeed it’s not,” Magnate Leto said, severing the threads securing the black disk to the lining. “And it’s not magsidian, either.”

  The rare dwarven mineral changed properties depending on how someone carved it, and it was often used as a form of security authorization.