Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(115)

“Do we have a way to reach Alvar and ask him?”

“My mom might,” Fitz said. “Huh, it looks like Ruy got expelled when he was a Level Four, not long after he manifested.”

The file didn’t say what Ruy had done, just the “proven unstable and unfit for society,” they’d seen before. But at the very end of the record Sophie noticed two words she hadn’t seen before:

Actions irredeemable.

“What do you think that means?” Dex asked.

“It is not a phrase the Council marks someone with lightly,” Mr. Forkle said from the doorway. “Whom are we discussing?”

Sophie explained what she’d learned from her Coach, and Mr. Forkle stroked his chin. “I’ll have to pool my resources to uncover the specifics of Mr. Ignis’s crime. But his past is unlikely to lead to his present location.”

“It’s still important to know as much about our enemies as possible, right?” Sophie asked.

“Indeed,” Mr. Forkle agreed. “But for the moment, I need you to focus on your Cognate training. As this situation continues to unravel, it’s more important than ever that the two of you reach your greatest potential. And currently, you’re progressing slower than we’d hoped.”

“Hey, I was almost dead for a week!” Fitz argued. “And we’ve worked through a ton of trust exercises.”

“You have,” Mr. Forkle agreed. “But therein lies the problem. Few people think of trust as an emotion. They prefer to view it as a force they control. But in its basest form, trust is as involuntary as sadness or anger or fear. A newborn child instinctively trusts its parents. Sophie’s mind instinctively trusts mine—and now yours as well, Mr. Vacker. So what does that tell us?”

“That Foster has questionable taste in Telepaths?” Keefe guessed.

“No, Mr. Sencen. It’s that emotions affect our telepathy in powerful ways. Joy gives us strength and confidence. Love pushes us to try harder and never give up. Fear clouds our judgment or holds us back. Sorrow strips us of our energy and hope. Anger makes us reckless, or too aggressive. And we cannot fully control these forces on our own—but Cognates can, if they learn to recognize each other’s emotions.”

Keefe snorted. “Definitely not Sophitz’s strong suit.”

“I agree,” Mr. Forkle said. “Which is why I created a new exercise. I should’ve been diversifying your lessons earlier, to include a range of emotions beyond trust. We must make up for lost time today.”

“What about the rest of us?” Biana asked as he led Sophie and Fitz toward the stairs.

“Wraith should be here to train with you within the hour,” Mr. Forkle told her. “And Blur is coming to take a look at that database contraption of yours, Mr. Dizznee, to see if he can find a way to integrate those stones internally. And Mr. Sencen—”

“Oh, let me guess,” Keefe interrupted. “Another exciting day of reading?”

“Actually, I’d like you to assist with Miss Foster’s and Mr. Vacker’s training. Your skills as an Empath will be invaluable.”

Biana giggled.

“What?” Fitz asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she said. “The three of you training together and working with emotions? I don’t see how anything could go wrong there.”


Mr. Forkle brought them to a cave filled with enormous glowing blue mushrooms and walls covered in twinkling glints of purple. Sophie felt like Alice in Wonderland as she sat on a toadstool as big as a table.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“Gora and Yuri’s fungus garden. That musty scent you’re smelling comes from the mold on the walls. Breathing it in can make emotions feel more potent.”

“Fun as it sounds to have a fungus rush,” Keefe said, bouncing on his toadstool, “why do I have to be here for this?”

“To ensure their interpretations of their emotions are accurate. And the mold’s effect is incredibly subtle. All it does is clear the mind of other distractions.” Mr. Forkle turned to Fitz. “Do you remember how to find Miss Foster’s emotional center?”

“I think so.”

Keefe laughed. “Annnnnnnnd, the Foster panicking begins.”

“I’m not panicking,” Sophie told him, with a very unconvincing squeak.

She ignored Keefe’s laugher as she gave Fitz permission to enter her mind.

Several uncomfortable seconds passed before Fitz said, “Okay, I think I’m there—and whoa, it’s even more overwhelming than last time.”

“Sorry,” Sophie mumbled, wanting to hide under her giant mushroom.

“Powerful emotions are an asset,” Mr. Forkle told her. “Especially for this. And now I must lead you to the same point in Mr. Vacker’s consciousness. Try to follow my lead and memorize the trail.”

The “trail” was a thread of warmth winding deep into Fitz’s mind. It ended in a patch of darkness that hummed with energy.

Push through, Mr. Forkle transmitted, and Sophie gasped as she obeyed. She’d studied fractals in her human math classes, but she’d never been surrounded by a 3-D version. Every color. Every pattern. Every style and shape were woven together into something both breathtaking and completely overwhelming.