Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities) (15 page)

The expansive grounds of Everglen made the pastures of Havenfield seem like a shoebox—and the estate itself was more like a castle than a house, complete with crystal towers and golden accents and humongous glittering rooms. All elves were given a birth fund with more money than they could ever spend in their lifetime. But somehow the Vackers seemed to have
more.
Maybe it came from having so many generations of their family in the nobility.

“ ’Bout
time
you got here,” Keefe called as they crested a hill and entered a grassy meadow peppered with tiny blue flowers. “I was getting tired of stomping Fitz to a pulp in bramble.”

“Only because you cheat!” Fitz shouted, tossing a red tri-pointed ball at Keefe.

Keefe caught it and whipped it back so fast Fitz had to dive to avoid being smacked in the face. Then the strange ball curved back like a boomerang and Keefe caught it one-handed. “Only losers play fair. Which is why I call Foster for
my
team today.”

“Hey—why do you get her?” Fitz asked, dusting grass off his dark pants as he picked himself up off the ground. “I think the Telepaths should be together.”

“Yeah, because
that’s
fair,” Biana argued. “Sophie’s with me and we’re playing boys against girls.”

“Wait—what are we playing?” Sophie asked.

“Base quest. And you’re with me. Together we shall be
unstoppable
!” Keefe pumped his fist at the sky.

Now she knew why they all wanted her on their team. Base quest was a strategy game, a bit like capture the flag meets hide-and-seek. And thanks to her ability to track thoughts telepathically, Sophie was undefeated.

“How about we play without special abilities?” she suggested. “That’ll make it fair for everyone.”

Fitz shrugged. “I’m up for the challenge if you are.”

“Lame. I vote for The Unstoppable Team Keefe! Or Team Foster-Keefe if you’re one of those egomaniacs who needs your name in there. I can share
some
credit.”

“Whatever you guys want,” Biana said through a sigh. She may have gotten her nexus off early, but she hadn’t manifested a special ability. And she was several months older than Fitz had been when he became a Telepath.

Sophie suspected Biana’s frustration had more to do with the fact that Keefe didn’t want to be on her team, though. “Looks like ‘no abilities’ wins. So why don’t you team up with Biana, Keefe?” she tried.

“No way,” Keefe said. “If abilities aren’t allowed then I’m with Fitz. He’ll let me cheat.”

“He better not. And you guys have to quest first.” Biana pointed to a nearby tree with lavender leaves that swirled up the trunk like stripes on a candy cane. “That’s our base. You have five minutes to hide and then we’re coming for you.”

“Sounds good,” Fitz agreed.

And you’re going to regret the no special abilities rule,
he transmitted to Sophie.

She jumped this time, surprised that his mental voice felt louder than usual. His words were still echoing when she transmitted back,
Hey, I had to give you guys a fighting chance for once
.

He grinned.

Keefe looked back and forth between them and rolled his eyes. Then he grabbed Fitz’s arm and pulled him into the woods.

When the five minutes were up, Biana took off after them. Sophie went the opposite way, in case they’d split up or doubled back. Usually she stood guard at the base and transmitted Fitz and Keefe’s location to Biana. But if she couldn’t track the guys’ thoughts, they both needed to go hunting.

She ran up the nearest hill, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boys from above. But there was no sign of them anywhere. She stopped to catch her breath, trying to decide which way to run next when a bird startled out of a bush at the bottom of the hill.

Fitz and Keefe burst from the leaves and took off running.

Sophie raced after them, channeling all of her core energy to her legs to speed her downhill sprint. Somehow the guys managed to stay ahead of her, though, and as they drew dangerously close to the base, she focused on the warm hum in her mind, trying another brain push. The rare skill wasn’t
technically
cheating, since she was just channeling a different energy that most people couldn’t feel. But as her mental energy mixed with her burning muscles, she felt a strange sort of pull.

Her vision narrowed to a singular point—a speck of light in the distance—and as she rushed toward it she felt her feet leave the ground without realizing she’d decided to jump.

Wind whipped against her cheeks as she soared so high and fast she felt like she was flying. Then she started to drop and her vision cleared and she realized the purple branches of her base tree were far,
far
too close.

This was going to hurt.

S
OPHIE FLAILED AND TWISTED AND
barely managed to grab on to a branch that stuck out a little farther than the others. Pain shot through her arms as she fought to hold on, but she gritted her teeth and . . .

Found herself stuck twenty feet above the ground with sharp bark slicing into her palms and her strength quickly fading.

But she was alive!

“What the . . . ?” Keefe shouted as Fitz transmitted,
Are you okay?

I’m fine,
she told him, searching for a way to get down. She really didn’t want to have to admit she was stuck like a treed cat.
I just overestimated my strength, I guess.

I’ll say.

She kicked her legs, hoping that if she could swing to a more steady position, she’d be able to climb down.

Craaaaaaaaaack!

Before she could even scream, Fitz shouted, “I got her!” and two arms wrapped around her waist. The momentum from his jump pushed them sideways and somehow he managed to flip them before they crashed, sending them tumbling across the soft grass.

“Are you guys okay?” Keefe asked, rushing to where they’d landed.

“I think so.” Sophie wasn’t sure which was hurt more, her bruised body or her pride.

She wiped a giant splotch of mud off her cheek, trying not to think about how soggy and dirty her shirt felt as she pulled bits of leaves from her hair. At least her pants looked pretty normal. The black fabric hid the grass stains.

“Dude—Fitz—you should’ve seen how high you jumped to catch her—and the way you guys curved through the air and flipped across the ground?
Awesome
.”

Fitz laughed and rubbed his shoulder as he sat up.

“Are you really okay?” Sophie asked him.

“Yep. I’m just glad I caught you.”

He smiled as he said it and Sophie thought her heart might explode from the flutters. “Me too.”

“And
you
,” Keefe said, shoving between them. “What was
up with the whole Amazing Flying Foster routine?”

She bit her lip, wondering if she should confess to the brain push. The only time they’d seen her do one was during a splotching match against Fitz, and they’d all been pretty weirded out by it. “I guess I’m still learning how to channel.”

“Uh—it was a little more than that. When did you learn how to blink?”

“Blink?”

“When you let the light pass through you and disappear. It’s like what Vanishers do, but it only lasts for a second,” Fitz explained. “Remember, I did it the day I found you—when you wouldn’t believe you were an elf?”

“That’s right, I’d forgotten about that. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Fitz laughed. “I felt the same way when I realized you were one of us.”

“Okay, you guys are seriously bumming me out with all this sappy reminiscing. Not to mention, uh, hello—Foster just
flew.
And blinked in and out while she was doing it. You aren’t developing another special ability are you? ’Cause seriously—save some for the rest of us.”

“Actually, I think she just wanted to distract you boys so we could win,” Biana said, tagging Fitz and Keefe from behind.

Keefe groaned. “If that really was your plan, you guys are evil geniuses,”

“It wasn’t our plan,” Sophie admitted.

“But the win still counts,” Biana added.

“No way—I’m calling shenanigans. You shouldn’t be able to—”

“You’re bleeding,” Fitz interrupted, lifting Sophie’s hand and examining her palm. Thin streams of red dripped down her skin. “These look bad, Sophie. You should get them treated.”

“I’m fine,” she said, trying not to think about the blood, or the fact that Fitz was technically holding her hand, since both things made her head spin way too fast. “Really. It’s not a big deal. We don’t need to call Elwin.”

Fitz grinned. “Actually, I was thinking we could just ask my mom. She always keeps some basic first aid in the house just to be safe.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, feeling her face flame.

Keefe snorted. “Only Foster has a physician on standby.”

“THIS MIGHT TINGLE A BIT,”
Della told Sophie as she smeared a bright orange salve along both of her palms.

Sophie tried not to flinch as the cream sank into her skin, zinging like tiny jolts of electricity. Fitz, Keefe, and Biana were watching her, and she didn’t want them seeing how squeamish she still was about medical things. Especially since elvin medicine didn’t use things like needles or machines like humans did.

“That should do it.” Della wiped the sticky orange goo away, revealing soft, scrape-free skin. “And I have something that will help with the bruising, too.”

She tossed her chocolate brown hair and stood, her aquamarine gown shimmering with the movement. No matter how many times Sophie had seen her, she couldn’t help staring at Della. There was something unreal about the beauty of her wide, cobalt blue eyes and heart-shaped lips. Though it might’ve also had something to do with the way Della disappeared and reappeared with every step she took. She didn’t realize she did it—Vanishers rarely did—but even after almost a year it still made Sophie wonder if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Was that what she’d looked like as she was blinking?

The crystal walls of Everglen were cut like prisms, shooting streaks of color in every direction as Della crossed the room. She removed two round green vials from the drawer of a small apothecary cabinet and handed one to Sophie and one to Fitz when she returned. “This will ease any aches from the fall.”

The label said
ACHEY BREAK
and it had the Slurps and Burps logo.

Sophie swallowed the bitter serum, and it rushed through her like warm bubbles floating into all the places she’d felt sore.

“Drink this, too,” Della said, handing her a clear fluted bottle labeled
YOUTH
. The water had a special enzyme that helped keep everyone healthy. “And why don’t you change into something of Biana’s? I can ask the gnomes to clean your tunic before we send you home. That way Grady and Edaline won’t know about your little ‘accident.’ ”

“Eh, I’m sure they’re used to Foster’s catastrophes by now,” Keefe said, clapping her on the back. “She has one every other week.”

Sophie sighed as everyone laughed, hating that he was right.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Della asked.

“You have to,” Biana told her. “We’re having an aurenflare to celebrate school starting.”

“Um, great.” She still needed to talk to Alden anyway.

Keefe smirked. “You have no idea what that is, do you?”

“It’s . . .”

It’s a special kind of bonfire,
Fitz transmitted.

It was hard not to smile—and Sophie was careful not to look at Fitz as she folded her arms and told Keefe, “It’s a bonfire.”

Keefe glanced at Fitz, then back to her. “Telepaths,” he grumbled.

Fitz grinned at her, and this time everything inside Sophie turned fluttery.
Thanks.

Anytime.

BIANA GAVE HER A RED
tunic with a white silk sash and tiny white roses embroidered along the V-neck collar. It was too bright and too fancy and too fitted—but Biana had insisted and told her to clean up and meet her downstairs.

Biana’s bathroom was like a shrine to all things
girl
, complete with hair-curling elixirs and rosy-cheek powder. For about half a second Sophie thought about trying some. Then
she washed her face, brushed as much of the mud out of her hair as she could, pulled the parts that were still crunchy back with one of Biana’s jeweled barrettes, gathered up her dirty tunic, and headed back downstairs to rejoin the others.

“Well, if it isn’t Sophie Foster.”

Sophie backed up to find Alden sitting at his huge black desk in his round office. Half the wall was a curved window overlooking the lake behind the mansion. The other half was a floor-to-ceiling aquarium, filled with all kinds of strange floating creatures.

He motioned for her to come inside. “I almost didn’t recognize you. I take it Della and Biana have been playing dress up?”

“Well, they sort of had to.” She held out her muddy tunic and explained what happened. She even admitted she’d used a brain push.

“How far did you fly?” he asked, standing to look out the window.

She moved to his side and pointed to the hill she’d climbed, explaining that she’d jumped from about midway down and flown to the tree with the lavender leaves.

“That’s an incredible distance,” Alden said after a second. “An
impossible
distance. And you blinked as you were doing it?”

“I guess. I wasn’t trying to.”

“Fascinating,” Alden whispered.

“So . . . how weird is that, compared to, like, normal people?”

“You
are
normal, Sophie. That doesn’t mean you can’t also be exceptional.”

“You realize those two things are opposites, right?”

“Actually, someday you’ll find that when you stop equating normal with acceptance, the two are far more similar than you think.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

Alden laughed. “Give it time.”

Sophie glared out the window. She hated when adults said things like that.

Glints of silver caught her attention, and she focused on two graceful birds floating on the lake. Their necks were hooked like swans and their heads were crested with wispy feathers. Long silver tails like peacocks trailed behind them as they glided along the reeds.