Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(35)

“Pretty soon, she won’t be hiding anything from me, either.”

“Yeah, and I can feel how not excited she is about that all the way over here.”

Fitz turned to Sophie. “Is that true?”

“You make her super nervous,” Keefe answered for her.

Sophie wished the Black Swan had given her laser eyes so she could skewer Keefe with her death glare.

“I take it that’s a yes?” Fitz asked.

“Well . . . yeah. But, have you met you?” she asked. “You’re, like, Captain Perfect! And I’m—”

“The most powerful elf our world has ever known?” Fitz finished.

“Grady’s way more powerful than me.”

“Grady is powerful,” Della jumped in. “But not as powerful as you’d think.”

“How can you say that?” Sophie asked. “Grady made all twelve Councillors smack themselves in the face!”

Della laughed. “Wish I’d been there to see that. But I’ve seen him test his power, and his limit was twenty-four people—and that left him drained and vulnerable. He can also only maintain his hold for so long. I assume that’s why the Black Swan didn’t make you a Mesmer. Mesmers have limits, and their power rarely triggers a permanent solution. Did the Council suddenly change their minds because of what Grady did?”

“They backed down a little.” But Della had a point. In the end, Grady still had to let her be sentenced to the telepathy restrictor.

Sophie gave Fitz permission, but before he could pass her blocking, Keefe slammed down his book and shouted, “I refuse to read this!”

“The book can’t be that bad,” Della insisted.

“Yeah, it is. My dad wrote it.”

“Your dad’s a writer?” Sophie asked.

“More like a torturer of innocent readers.” He held up the cover as proof. The Heart of the Matter, by Lord Cassius Sencen. “It’s just a long ramble about how he’s the only one smart enough to realize that emotions come from both the heart and the brain, and that Empaths can only read what’s in the mind. Too bad he forgot to explain why anyone cares!”

Sophie hoped Keefe was far enough away that he couldn’t tell she actually found the idea fascinating. Councillor Bronte had taught her that inflicting pulled emotions from her heart—and Fitz had seen an emotional center in her mind. So did that mean people could feel different things in different places?

Okay, I’m in! Fitz transmitted, making her jump. Sorry, I thought you could feel me slip through.

Nope. I never know you’re there until you say something. Is that how it is for you? She stretched out her consciousness until she could hear his thoughts. Did you feel that?

I wish. I always catch everyone else. My old Mentor said I should be a Keeper someday. And the fact that you can sneak by me means you would make an awesome Probe.

Huh. I always thought I was a Keeper, since, y’know, secret information planted in my brain and all.

Well, I’m pretty sure you could be either one. Way to make the rest of us look bad.

Sophie smiled. If we’re going to be Cognates, do we each have to be a different thing?

I think that’s usually how it works. I know that’s how it was for my dad and Quinlin.

They’re Cognates?

They were. Until they did the memory break on Prentice. Quinlin told my dad afterward that he hadn’t wanted to do it, and it turned into this big fight.

Huh, when your dad brought me to see Quinlin in Atlantis, they acted like friends.

They got over it eventually. But they couldn’t go back to being Cognates. The trust between them was breached, since Quinlin had proven he held things back.

Sophie shifted in her seat.

Wow, it really freaks you out having to share everything, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t scare you?

Not really. You already know about Mr. Snuggles.

Sophie laughed. Yeah, but Mr. Snuggles is the best.

Fitz had confessed about the sparkly stuffed dragon he couldn’t sleep without during one of their previous trust exercises. He’d even brought it over to her house to cheer her up.

Did you bring him here? she asked.

Of course! We’ll see how long it takes before Keefe catches me.

You don’t care if he does?

I thought I would. I even spent forever finding a good hiding place for him. But now . . . I don’t know There are way bigger things to worry about than a little embarrassment, you know? I mean, we’re getting ready to break into Exile.

The words made her shiver.

So what do you say? he asked.

What do you mean?

I mean, why not just blurt out whatever you’re super embarrassed to tell me and get it over with. Wouldn’t it be a relief?

Or it could be the biggest disaster ever—it depended on how he felt.

How I feel about what? Fitz asked, reminding her he could hear what she was thinking.

Come on, he begged as she scrambled to get her thoughts under control. I promise, whatever it is, it’s not going to change anything.

But it would.

It had to.

Come on, he urged. All you have to do is trust me.

Sophie looked away, her brain and heart beating so fast she was sure she would soon implode.

How about you just blurt it out on three? Fitz pressed. You can do it. Here we go.