Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(155)
SEVENTY-NINE
I THINK WE need to go through this one more time,” Mr. Forkle said, pacing across the petaled carpet of Sophie’s Havenfield bedroom. The rest of the Collective stood near the doorway, and Grady and Edaline sat with her on the bed.
They’d wanted to hail Elwin, but Sophie wasn’t injured—unless crushed hearts counted.
The path Keefe had made for her had brought her straight home, erasing any doubt that he’d wanted her to escape. He’d probably used his mom’s crystal-making kit when he painted the bead. But none of that changed the fact that he’d given the Neverseen the cache—using her voice. And that he’d clearly arranged the whole meeting.
If she hadn’t followed him, he’d still be with the Neverseen right now.
He’d still be a traitor.
The word made her dizzy and nauseous and ache in places she didn’t know could hurt. And it only got worse as she recited the story from the beginning again.
Grady’s hands curled into white-knuckled fists. “I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone with that boy!”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Sophie mumbled, “he didn’t want me there either.”
“Which is significant,” Granite jumped in. “He clearly never meant to put Sophie in danger, and he took quite a risk getting her out of there.”
“What do you think the Neverseen will do to him?” Sophie whispered. “They’ll have to know he helped me.”
“Perhaps not,” Mr. Forkle said quietly. “Mr. Sencen has always had a talent for spinning convincing stories and excuses.”
“You mean lying,” Grady corrected, the word dripping with bitterness.
“It’s a trick we’ve all been forced to rely on at times,” Granite reminded him, gesturing to his rocky disguise. “I understand the disappointment you’re feeling—”
“I’m more than disappointed!” Grady snapped. Edaline took his hand, trying to calm him.
“I know,” Granite tried again. “But right now, our focus should be on developing our contingency plan.”
“What do you mean?” Sophie asked.
“Mr. Sencen knows quite a lot about our organization,” Mr. Forkle said, “including the location of Alluveterre, and my identity as Sir Astin, as well as the Hekses involvement.”
“You don’t think he’d tell the Neverseen that, do you?” Sophie asked.
“We have to prepare for the possibility.” Granite turned to Blur, Squall, and Wraith. “Can you increase security at Alluveterre? And explain the situation to Tam and Linh, and Vika and Timkin?”
“Sophie will need extra security as well,” Mr. Forkle added. “All the children will.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Blur said.
“I’d like to hear your plan,” Grady told him. “Keefe knows far too much about Sophie for us to treat this lightly.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me,” Sophie insisted.
Grady shook his head. “He already has.”
The words loomed over her as Grady followed Blur, Wraith, and Squall out of her room. Edaline started to follow, then turned back and hugged Sophie tight.
“We’ll figure this out,” she promised. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Fine” didn’t sound nearly as comforting as Edaline probably wanted it to. But Sophie still told her, “Thanks.”
Edaline hugged her again, then left Sophie alone with Mr. Forkle and Granite. Somehow the smaller group made it easier for her to ask the question she couldn’t get away from.
“Do you think Keefe is bad?”
“?‘Bad’ is a relative term,” Mr. Forkle said. “All I can say is that he’s become very reckless.”
“So you think his guilt made him do this?” Sophie asked.
“I think he’s desperate for answers we cannot give him,” Granite said. “And this is the path he has chosen.”
“But how is this a path?” Sophie asked. “The Neverseen will never trust him unless he convinces them he’s one of them.”
“And therein lies the recklessness,” Mr. Forkle agreed. “It will be up to Mr. Sencen to decide his level of commitment.”
Sophie’s mind flashed to what Fintan told Keefe during their confrontation.
Surely you’ve realized that switching sides means betraying your friends.
Was that why Keefe had given her the necklace?
She stared at the bead he’d made. The tiny crystal she’d used to escape had dissolved—but it had been there.
And it had saved her.
But he hadn’t known she’d be following him that day, so he must’ve made the bead for “just in case.”
It helped thinking that, imagining Keefe trying to preplan for any possible dangers. Except . . .
He’d only made one bead.
“And you have no idea what he meant,” Granite said, “when he mentioned that he’d regained memories his mother had erased.”
Sophie shook her head. “All he said was that he was raised to be something else.”
“Likely another part of this Lodestar Initiative,” Mr. Forkle said. “We’ll have to increase our efforts to learn more about it. Perhaps I should pay Gethen another visit.”