Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(137)

“And the bridge is the easy part,” Dex said, pointing to the other side.

In the distance, the other half of the city had been carved into the mountain—a series of dark ledges jutting out of the rockface like bark mushrooms climbing up a tree. Each ledge was lined with metal columns and covered by metal awnings. Stone staircases netted the ledges together and wove around the misty waterfalls cascading down the mountain.

But before they could reach the city, they’d have to cross a stretch of empty dust land, without a single tree or rock or shrub to camouflage their shadows.

“I could go on my own,” Alvar suggested.

“Uh, you’re not the only Vanisher,” Biana reminded him.

“And what do we do? Sit here and wait to get caught?” Fitz asked.

“We might be able to cross the water,” Linh said. “And then I could call clouds from the waterfalls to obscure our shadows.”

“Can you really control the river?” Tam asked. “That isn’t normal water.”

He pointed to the base of the steep canyon, where the river glowed with the same greenish tint as everything else.

“The ogres add an enzyme,” Alvar explained. “It makes them stronger, but I’m pretty sure its toxic for everyone else. The gates filter it out before the water flows into the valley.”

Everyone turned to Linh, whose brows were pressed together. “I can’t part or lift the water, but . . . there might be a way. I need to get closer.”

Alvar found a trail down the sheer slope, and after several precarious minutes—and many near falls—they reached the riverbed and ducked into the shadow of the bridge.

“No one can see us here,” Tam promised as Linh moved to the water’s edge. She waved her hands back and forth, whispering strange, swishing words.

“Assuming we find a way across,” Sophie said to Alvar, “where exactly are we going?”

“I’m still deciding,” he admitted. “It has to be in either the Armorgate or the Triad. The Armorgate is their military university. It has secret caverns deep in the mountain where they develop their weapons.”

“That sounds impossible to break into,” Sophie said, imagining something out of a spy movie with lasers and retina scanners and a million kinds of alarms.

“It is,” Alvar agreed. “The Triad isn’t any better. That’s where King Dimitar holds court, in the most visible spot in the whole city. His best warriors are always at his side.”

“That would be a better place for a trap,” she realized.

King Dimitar would want something public, so everyone could witness his triumph.

“My shadows won’t fool the ogres up close,” Tam warned, guessing what she was thinking.

Sophie nodded. “We’d need a distraction.”

A plan was piecing together in her mind—one far too insane to share until she’d thought it through. But she knew one thing, “I think the Triad should be our focus.”

“Is she okay?” Dex asked, pointing to where Calla had her ear pressed against the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Sophie crawled to Calla’s side. “What happened?”

Seconds ticked by. Then Calla whispered, “I can feel them. The Panakes. They’re still here.”





SIXTY-EIGHT


SOPHIE GLANCED DOWN the river, desperate for a glimpse of the miraculous trees. All she saw were dark, barren rocks.

“The trees themselves are gone,” Calla whispered. “But traces of their roots remain. I can hear them singing. But I don’t understand . . .”

She pressed her ear to the ground again, closing her eyes and humming a melody that felt both heartbreaking and hopeful.

“I found a way across!” Linh whisper-shouted, reminding Sophie where they were. “But I can’t hold it for long.”

Everyone rushed to the shore, where Linh raised her foot over the glowing river and stepped down.

“Follow my path exactly,” Linh said as the water turned solid under her foot. “And do not lose your balance.”

Sophie willed her clumsiness into submission as she stepped onto Linh’s rippled footprint. The water felt springy, like standing on a trampoline. Keefe followed in her wake, then Biana, Dex, and Fitz. Tam coaxed Calla away from the ground and stepped out after her. Alvar was the last to cross, and his feet had barely touched the opposite shore when Linh sank to her knees, her skin as green as the river.

“I need a moment to catch my breath,” she said.

“Take a minute—but only a minute,” Alvar told her. “From here on out it’s going to be a lot trickier, especially if we make it across the playa. Biana—make sure you stay vanished. Tam—do your best to shade the rest. Hoods up. No talking. Walk with purpose. The more you look like you belong, the more likely someone is to believe you if they spot you. And if our cover is blown—run. Use your abilities. Do whatever you have to do. If they capture you, there will be no getting out of here. Everyone clear?”

He waited for each of them to nod.

“Oh, and here,” he said, returning the Markchain to Sophie. “Stay in the center of the group, so the scent is the most evenly dispersed.”

Sophie clasped it around her neck as Alvar vanished, whispering for everyone to follow him. The path out of the canyon was steep and narrow, and they were out of breath when they reached the top. None looked shakier than Linh.