Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(68)

She fished through a golden trunk, pulling out handfuls of tiny bottles. “This will make for a pretty awful day,” she warned as she emptied a vial of dried leaves into her palm. “But I’m guessing that’s probably true already. Now, which one of you can help me?”

“Foster volunteers!” Keefe said, then whispered in her ear, “You’ll feel better if you help.”

“Ah, it’s the moonlark,” Physic said as Sophie stumbled forward. “Glad we get to meet—though I wish I weren’t stuck behind this mask. I’d tell you my real name, but then I’d face the wrath of that one.” She tilted her head toward Mr. Forkle, who did not look pleased. “See those serums I took out?” she asked, pointing to a cluster of vials on the bed. “Pop the lid on the purple one and hand it to me. Then uncap the green and blue and wait until I’m ready.”

Sophie did as she instructed, and Physic smashed the herbs in her other hand until the leaves formed a pulp. “Okay, on three I need you to pour those on his chest at the same time I pour this one. Got it?”

Sophie nodded.

On “one” Physic sprinkled the leaf-mush all over the veiny spiderweb.

On “two” she massaged the pulp into Fitz’s pale skin.

On “three” they both drizzled the syrupy elixirs all over the leaves until every single bit of the spiderweb was covered.

“That will draw the venom out of his skin,” she explained as she wrapped Fitz’s chest with a roll of silver silk. “And this”—she dusted off her hands and poured a vial of thick yellow sludge under Fitz’s tongue—“will get it out of his system. It will make him vomit. A lot.”

“Don’t we need to get him a bowl or something, then?” Della asked.

“Way ahead of you.” Physic pulled out what looked like a shiny silver handkerchief and shook it a few times, turning it into a bag big enough to hold a bowling ball. “Keep this sealed tight when he’s done. I need an uncontaminated sample.”

“You want a bag of Fitz’s barf?” Keefe asked, snapping out of his daze. “Wow, that’s even too gross for me.”

Physic shrugged. “It’s not even in the top ten grossest things I’ve done.”

“What’s in the top ten?” Keefe asked.

“I’ll tell you another time.”

“Wait, are you leaving?” Biana asked as Physic closed her trunk.

“Only briefly. I need to run to the apothecary to pick up one more supply to make sure none of this leaves a scar.”

“Are you going to Slurps and Burps?” Dex asked. “My dad will get us anything you need. I could even go with you to make sure.”

“You’re sweet to offer,” Physic told him, “but that would ruin my incognito thing.” She adjusted the tilt of her mask and glanced at Mr. Forkle. “You know it’s only a matter of time before I slip and use my real name, right? But today I’ll play along. And I actually need to go to a gnomish apothecary,” she told Dex. “They have a much better selection of feces.”

“Is that in the top ten?” Keefe asked.

“Not even close. And speaking of gross things, someone needs to stay here with Fitz and make sure he doesn’t choke on his vomit.”

“Fun as that sounds,” Keefe jumped in, “I have a project to work on.”

“And what project would that be?” Mr. Forkle asked.

Keefe’s eyes darted to Sophie before he said, “I . . . might have remembered something.”

He slipped out the door before Mr. Forkle could ask more questions.

Physic left too, but not before she warned them that Fitz looked ready for “Retching round number one.”

“So we’ll take turns?” Sophie asked, feeling less than excited.

“Actually, why don’t you let Della go first,” Mr. Forkle said. “You and I need to talk. Now.”


The sound of Fitz’s violent vomiting felt oddly appropriate as Sophie and Mr. Forkle paced in front of the common room campfire.

“You’ve been lying to me,” he said. “You should’ve told me about Kenric’s cache. And you definitely should’ve consulted with me before you volunteered for Exillium.”

“I didn’t lie, I withheld,” Sophie said, using his earlier excuse against him. “And it’s not like you tell me anything—or involve any of us in your decisions.”

Mr. Forkle rubbed his temples. “I gave one of your memories back.”

“And I swore fealty. But that doesn’t make us equals, does it? All you guys do is boss us around.”

“And all you kids do is push.”

“Because we have to!”

Mr. Forkle’s sigh ran so long, Sophie was sure he’d pass out from lack of breath. “What would earn me more trust?” he eventually asked.

“A name would be nice. Physic is willing to give us hers and she just met us.”

“Have you considered that it’s easier for her because she’s just met you?” Mr. Forkle asked. “She’s never had to lie straight to your face.”

“And continuing to lie makes it better?” Sophie countered.

The most endless silence in the history of endless silences followed.