Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(78)

“What is he doing with Alden?” Della asked.

“Does it have to do with the scrolls I saw you reading through my Spyball,” Sophie asked.

Edaline smiled. “I’ve wondered if you were watching.”

“What’s in the scrolls?” Mr. Forkle asked.

“We’re honestly not sure. The Council had ordered them destroyed, so Alden snuck them home to figure out why. So far they’ve all been about testing trees for something called drakostomes.”

Sophie, Dex, and Biana shared a look.

“Why do I feel like there’s something you haven’t told me?” Mr. Forkle asked them.

Dex explained what he’d found in the archive, and how the drakostomes seemed like something the ogres held as leverage against the Council.

Mr. Forkle rubbed his temples. “That’s the kind of information I expect you to tell me.”

“We meant to,” Dex said. “But things have been crazy.”

“Yes, I suppose they have,” Mr. Forkle agreed. “But if the Council wants those scrolls destroyed, they’re clearly trying to cover their tracks.”

“So you think the ogres are behind the plague?” Sophie asked. “And that the Council knew it could happen?”

Mr. Forkle sighed. “It’s looking more and more possible.”

“Then why hasn’t the Council sent the goblins into Ravagog to shut the ogres down?” Dex asked.

“Because war with the ogres will kill thousands,” Mr. Forkle reminded him. “And presently the plague hasn’t killed a single gnome.”

“It could,” Sophie pressed. “Any day we might get the bad news. How could the Council not warn the gnomes that this could happen?”

Mr. Forkle glanced over his shoulder, lowering his voice before he said, “You must be very careful with these accusations, Miss Foster. That is the kind of revelation that would shake the very foundation of our world. Let’s also not forget that the only gnomes currently affected are those who chose to live beyond the protection of the Lost Cities—and that we don’t even know what these drakostomes are. Can I borrow those scrolls when I bring you back to Havenfield?” he asked Edaline.

Sophie grabbed Edaline’s hand. “You’re not leaving already, are you?”

“No, but I’ll need to bring her home soon,” Mr. Forkle said. “So we should focus on hiding the cache.”

Edaline flinched at the word. “I can’t believe you’re responsible for guarding one, Sophie.”

“It’ll be much safer once the cache is tucked into the void,” Mr. Forkle promised.

“Do you mean the same void I go to when I teleport?” Sophie asked. “How do you hide something there?”

“Everything in the universe is connected,” Edaline said. “Tied together with thin threads of energy. The void is where all those threads converge. Conjurers can pull at the threads in small ways, snapping things back and forth.” She snapped her fingers and a plate of custard bursts appeared in her hands. When everyone had taken one of the crunchy-gooey treats, she snapped her fingers again and the plate disappeared. “I can also leave something tangled in the web, if I choose.”

“Does that mean I won’t be able to reach the cache without your help?” Sophie asked.

“Not if I do my job right. I can tie a new thread between your mind and the cache, which you’ll be able to pull on. I’ll also add an emergency command, to be safe.”

That sounded a bit wibbly-wobbly for Sophie, but she took Edaline’s word for it. Plus, it explained how Oralie had made Kenric’s cache appear.

“Do you have the cache with you?” Edaline asked.

Sophie removed the tiny marble from her pocket. As soon as the light hit the glass, Iggy zipped off her shoulder and snatched the cache in his tiny paws.

“Give that back!” Sophie shouted as he flitted to the top of the waterfall.

Iggy’s eyes narrowed and he dragged his teeth along the cache with a cringe-worthy scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaape.

Edaline snapped her fingers and the cache popped back into Sophie’s palm. When Iggy dove to steal it back, Edaline snapped again, bringing his cage from Havenfield and dropping it right in his flight path. The startled imp crashed inside, and Edaline slammed the cage shut behind him.

“Well,” Mr. Forkle said, clutching his chest. “Perhaps we should send that infernal creature home, before it does any permanent damage.”

“Aw, we can’t send him away,” Biana said. “He looks so sad. Can’t he stay here?”

“You want to keep him?” Dex asked. “You don’t think he’s gross and stinky?”

“Uh, I grew up with two older brothers—and Keefe. I’m an expert on gross and stinky—and troublemakers,” Biana reminded him. “Plus, he’s so cuddly, and my room feels so empty at night and—”

“You want to keep him in your room?” Sophie interrupted.

Biana’s cheeks flushed. “I know he’s your pet. I just thought it might help me sleep.”

“He snores like a growling bear,” Sophie warned. “But if you want to brave it, I can tell Iggy likes you.”

“I like him, too.” Biana slipped her fingers through the bars of the cage and Iggy snuggled against them.