Unlocked 8.5 (Keeper of the Lost Cities) Read online

  I can’t believe Sophie’s gone. I keep checking my Imparter, hoping someone will tell me it’s all a mistake. But… I saw her waterlogged registry pendant.

  And I just got back from her planting.

  There’s no elixir or balm to fix this. Nothing I can do—except remember how brave and smart and incredible she was, and make sure everyone else remembers too.

  Grow strong, new little Wanderling. You hold some very precious DNA.

  FILE REOPENED.

  INCIDENT: Emergency Call to Lumenaria

  DETAILS:

  Got a panicked hail from Fitz that sounded like a cruel joke, but I leaped to Lumenaria with a few supplies—AND THERE WERE SOPHIE AND DEX!!! I will definitely be celebrating later—but first, I have to get them through this.…

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Severe fading—but I’m not losing this girl again!

  TREATMENT:

  Gave Sophie a sedative so we could leap her safely to Everglen.

  NOTES:

  Now the real work begins.

  INCIDENT: Recovery at Everglen

  DETAILS:

  Still dealing with Sophie’s fading, plus leftover issues from her kidnapping.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Too many to list them all (and it makes me sick to think about what those monsters did to her…).

  TREATMENT:

  I gave Sophie an aggressive combination of elixirs—plus a special limbium-free Fade Fuel. And there were definitely days when I didn’t think she was going to make it, but… SOPHIE PULLED THROUGH!!! She woke up a few hours ago, and I’m not gonna lie—I totally teared up! She’s still weak, but she’s safe—and it’s so good to hear her voice again!

  NOTES:

  This girl is a fighter—and thank goodness for that. But I’m having some adjustments made to her nexus, since she clearly needs more practice with light leaping!

  INCIDENT: Checkup House Call to Havenfield

  DETAILS:

  Apparently Sophie leaped home from the Forbidden Cities with her consciousness wrapped around an alicorn (of course she did), and Grady wanted to make sure she’s okay.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Sophie claimed she was fine—and her tests seemed normal. But I get the feeling she’s hiding something from me. She also clearly hasn’t been sleeping.

  TREATMENT:

  None. I tried to convince her to take a mild sedative before bed or drink some slumberberry tea, but she refused.

  NOTES:

  I understand her aversion to sedatives after what she went through—but she seriously needs some sleep. Wish I could think of something to suggest…

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Everglen

  DETAILS:

  Sophie and Alden were sent to by the Council, and things did not go well.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Sophie faded again during the leap home—while wearing a nexus (!!!). Thankfully, it wasn’t as severe this time—but it still worries me. She also had burns on her hands, and a few bruises and scrapes. And she admitted that she’s been getting headaches (which she should’ve told me about earlier!). But she seemed more worried about Alden.

  TREATMENT:

  More of my special limbium-free Fade Fuel. I also treated her burns with a bottle of Youth, some balms, and a silk wrap. And I recommended weekly checkups for all of the other symptoms she’s apparently been hiding. We’ll see if she cooperates.

  NOTES:

  I’m making her wear an extra nexus, since I have no idea what’s going on.

  ADDITIONAL NOTES:

  Given where Sophie was, I can’t say I’m surprised that the Council made me edit this record. But I’m also going to add that they were irresponsible for sending an innocent kid (who’s been through enough) to a horrible place like that!

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Everglen

  DETAILS:

  Alden’s mind is… I can’t bring myself to write it yet.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Sophie looked like she was about to have an emotional meltdown.

  TREATMENT:

  Gave her a mood enhancer—a pretty strong one.

  NOTES:

  I would’ve given her a sedative for later, but she’s still very against them.

  INCIDENT: Fourth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sophie came here on her lunch break—and it wasn’t even an emergency!

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Sore muscles from alicorn riding, plus exhaustion.

  TREATMENT:

  Gave her some Achey-Break for the pain, and decided to check her mind for guilt—which knocked her unconscious (should’ve known a Sophie visit wouldn’t be easy). Nothing looked wrong in my tests, so I gave her a broad-range elixir and made her stay with me for the rest of school so I could monitor.

  NOTES:

  I’m feeling a little bad for hanging her picture and joking about calling this the “Foster Center.” She is holding the record for near-death experiences, but… I think she’s really struggling with what happened to Alden. (And I can’t blame her for that.) I also think she’s more worried about the headaches than she’s admitting. I just don’t understand why my tests don’t show anything wrong.

  INCIDENT: Fifth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sophie’s inflicting session with Councillor Bronte didn’t go as planned (or that’s what Bronte told me to write—I get the feeling this was exactly what he wanted to happen. And he’s lucky I didn’t punch him in the mouth!).

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Sophie claimed she felt fine, since Grady gave her an elixir the Dizznees made for her. (I’ll have to find out what they put in it.) But Master Leto and Sandor wanted me to check her.

  TREATMENT:

  Made her drink a bottle of Youth and gave her a broad-range elixir. Wish I could do more, but her tests still look normal.

  NOTES:

  I wanted her to stay and get some rest for her lunch break, but Keefe was there, and we ended up telling him about Alden so… that was rough.

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Havenfield

  DETAILS:

  Turns out alicorns can teleport—and I would laugh about how today’s adventure is something that would only happen to Sophie, but Sophie had to light leap Silveny home, and…

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  SHE FADED. AGAIN! WITH TWO NEXUSES—AND REALLY STRONG CONCENTRATION.

  TREATMENT:

  She took more of my limbium-free Fade Fuel. But I still can’t find anything wrong, so I also gave her a vial to wear (she’s getting quite the necklace collection…) and told her to take a dose every time she leaps, no matter what.

  NOTES:

  I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON!!

  INCIDENT: Sixth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  The Hall of Illumination isn’t exactly a dangerous place, but leave it to Sophie to still end up unconscious.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Couldn’t find anything physically wrong, but since the mirror that knocked Sophie out was the Lodestar, I tried flashing light in her eyes, and… now we know what the problem is. (Sorta…) She said the light felt like it was boring into her brain.

  TREATMENT:

  All I could do was make Sophie stay and guzzle different elixirs (plus some Youth) and then flash light into her eyes again to see if it worked. Sadly, nothing helped—and the headaches eventually got too intense for her to keep going.

  NOTES:

  I seriously don’t know what to do—but I will figure this out!

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Havenfield

  DETAILS:

  The Black Swan convinced Sophie that they could “fix” her. So she flew across the ocean with Silveny (and Keefe) to have her abilities reset. And after that nightmare, a bunch of cloaked enemies attacked.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  WHERE DO I EVEN START? THE BLACK SWAN GAVE HER AN ENTIRE OUNCE OF LIMBIUM AND
THEN INJECTED HER WITH SOME MYSTERIOUS REMEDY SO SHE WOULDN’T DIE—AND THEN THE SAME CREEPS WHO KIDNAPPED HER NEARLY KILLED HER AGAIN!!!

  TREATMENT:

  According to this Mr. Forkle person (who I have quite a few things I’d love to say to), I was only allowed to clean Sophie’s wounds for the next twenty-four hours—no giving her elixirs or serums because they could mess with her “reset.” NOT EVEN ANY PAINKILLERS.

  UPDATE:

  As soon as that twenty-four hours was up, I gave her all the medicine she could safely handle.

  NOTES:

  There’s a bruise on Sophie’s hand from where the Black Swan injected their “remedy.” Pretty sure it’s going to scar. But… I think the reset did fix the issues she’s been dealing with. It also appears she can teleport. (Don’t know why I’m even surprised.)

  INCIDENT: Seventh Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sophie found what she thought was a tracker tangled in Silveny’s tail, and it turned out to be covered in aromark, which then got all over Sophie’s (and Keefe’s) hands.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  I don’t know much about ogre biochemistry, but according to Lady Cadence, aromark = bad and needs to be removed. I also found what looked like a burn on Sophie’s wrist, but she claimed it’s a bruise and looks different because she used a home remedy.

  TREATMENT:

  Piquatine melts off the top layer of skin—which isn’t as bad as it sounds, since I numbed Sophie first. But it’s a freaky process, even for me. I could’ve sedated her, but I know how she feels about sedatives. My all-purpose salve fixed up the burn-bruise thing.

  NOTES:

  Made sure to give Sophie a lecture about coming to me with injuries instead of using home remedies.

  INCIDENT: Eighth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sir Harding sent her to see me (though I think Sophie might’ve been faking to ditch PE and only came because Sandor dragged her here—hooray for overprotective goblins!).

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Checked her burn-bruise thing—which looked good. But her cells were exhausted. Apparently she hasn’t slept since Silveny moved to the Sanctuary.

  TREATMENT:

  None. She’s sticking to her “no sedatives” policy.

  NOTES:

  Magnate Leto was there and suggested she try reaching Silveny telepathically, even with the distance between them. Sophie looked skeptical—but I’ll bet she pulls it off.

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Havenfield

  DETAILS:

  The Black Swan sent Sophie (and Keefe) on a leaping adventure—using light from the unmapped stars and taking her underground and under the ocean! (Seriously, how did they think that was a good idea?) Oh, and for added fun, the cloaked villains showed up.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Some of the most traumatized cells I’ve ever seen! But no other injuries.

  TREATMENT:

  Back to my special Fade Fuel, plus a serum to rebuild her cells.

  NOTES:

  Also gave Sophie a poultice, since the serum she has to take will make her a little itchy.

  INCIDENT: Emergency Checkup in the Principal’s Office

  DETAILS:

  In what might be the worst decision ever, the Council forced Sophie to wear the ability restrictor that Dex never should have designed.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Fainting, headache, dehydration, nausea—and don’t even get me started on the emotional toll that comes with having your powers stripped away.

  TREATMENT:

  Couldn’t do much, but I gave her a bottle of Youth and some elixirs to drink whenever she feels nauseous. She’ll probably need to take regular supplements as well.

  NOTES:

  WHAT SHE REALLY NEEDS IS SOMEONE TO TAKE THAT MONSTROSITY OFF OF HER HEAD.

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Everglen

  DETAILS:

  The Black Swan tried to ambush the bad guys (who seem to be called “the Neverseen” ), but it turned into a battle—and this was after Sophie survived a huge firefight with Brant (who’s apparently a Pyrokinetic). Basically, I can’t keep up with all the weirdness, and I don’t know how Sophie’s still alive—but boy, am I glad she is.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Frostbite, altitude sickness, smoke inhalation, and dozens of other issues. Guess it could’ve been worse (like Sandor), but… sigh.

  TREATMENT:

  So. Many. Things. (Seriously, my elixir and balm supplies are totally depleted.) Also… had to give her a big hug.

  NOTES:

  Thank goodness she got rid of that horrible ability restrictor. I don’t want to know how—and I have a feeling the Council’s going to freak out. But I’m so happy it’s gone.

  INCIDENT: Ninth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sophie was expelled from Foxfire (don’t even get me started on that), but leave it to her to show up in the Healing Center anyway—with a plague-infested gnome, no less. (And Fitz.)

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  I insisted on doing a full checkup, and I could see signs of healed burns and previous light poisoning. But it looks like the “Sophie Survival Kit” and the list of “Crazy Messes That Sophie Will Find a Way to Get Herself Into” are doing their job!

  TREATMENT:

  A LOT more elixirs.

  NOTES:

  Kinda killed me to watch Sophie leave, knowing she’s surely going to have more medical emergencies. But at least she knows she can come to me if she needs to.

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Sterling Gables

  DETAILS:

  Timkin Heks hailed me to help Keefe, who was having some sort of emotional meltdown (among other things). And I checked on Sophie while I was there.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Nothing I could find, except the usual signs that she’s been pushing herself too hard and risking her life.

  TREATMENT:

  A bunch more elixirs. And another hug!

  NOTES:

  Sophie asked me to get Keefe an Emotional Support Stuffed Animal. Gotta admire how she’s always taking care of her friends. Wish I could get her to take better care of herself!

  INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Havenfield

  DETAILS:

  I can’t believe I’m writing this, but… there was a major ogre attack.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  No physical injuries to Sophie. (She said she wasn’t there for the battle.) But she did show borderline signs of shock.

  TREATMENT:

  Gave her a couple of calming elixirs.

  NOTES:

  Grady’s bodyguard (Brielle) was killed, and it sounds like it would’ve been a lot worse if Verdi hadn’t broken out of her enclosure and done some ogre-hunting.

  INCIDENT: Tenth Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  Sophie rushed Keefe to see me after he decided to challenge King Dimitar to a sparring match and become a Mercadir—whatever that means.

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  Did a quick checkup on Sophie, since she was here. And I couldn’t find anything wrong—but she was a little pale.

  TREATMENT:

  Made her take one elixir, just in case.

  NOTES:

  Apparently Keefe has the ogre princess for his bodyguard now? Also: There was some serious tension between Sophie and Keefe. As far as I know, they’re just friends—but it almost seemed like… you know what? I do not want to get involved in teenage drama!

  INCIDENT: Eleventh Healing Center Visit

  DETAILS:

  The Neverseen brutally attacked Sophie (and Fitz). If I ever get my hands on them…

  SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

  This is the closest Sophie’s ever come to dying. Bullhorn knew it too. And Sophie wouldn’t respond to anything I gave her—until Tam called the shadows out of her blood. The bulk of the damage is to her right shoulder and right hand, but there’s lots to deal with.
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br />   TREATMENT:

  I wrapped her arm and hand in a cocoon of bandages to immobilize them. But the healing is going slow, even with marrow regenerator.

  NOTES:

  She’s not going to be able to move or light leap until her bones heal. So it looks like we’ll be having a Foxfire slumber party. And of course Sophie doesn’t want any sedatives. I also don’t like how certain parts of her look fuzzy when I try to examine them.

  UPDATE:

  Sophie woke up thrashing, which set back her recovery—and she’s feeling pain in her head and hand that isn’t showing up in my tests. Gave her some of the extreme marrow regenerator (leftover from when Sandor was thrown off Mount Everest) plus pain medicine.

  SECOND UPDATE:

  I asked Tam to check for shadows, and his Mentor (Lady Zillah) tagged along and gave a long speech about shadowflux and echoes. Tam tried to soothe them, but it only made things worse. And sadly, there’s not much I can do—except give Sophie an elixir to keep her dreams lighter while the echoes fade.

  THIRD UPDATE:

  It’s been uneventful around here (unless you count Keefe’s skill lessons—and Fitz waking up). I’m also working with Livvy to change the strategy. The new elixirs and balms have some nasty ingredients, but we’re onto something.

  FOURTH UPDATE:

  Had to change out the bandages and wow, was there a lot of ooze! Also got a better look at Sophie’s hand, and it’s definitely swollen. But the bones have set, and these new balms and compression wraps might mean she can go home by the end of the week!

  FIFTH UPDATE:

  Ro and Keefe insisted on being at the next bandage change (or “the Great Fitzphie Ooze Fest”), and it was even stinkier than the last one. But Sophie’s hand was back to normal size! Time to focus on the nerve damage and rebuilding strength.

  SIXTH UPDATE:

  After a special mineral soak and a little more strength training, Sophie regained feeling in her hand and could FINALLY get out of bed! (!!!)