Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,233

Lady Gisela stalked to the edge of the force field before she added, “I know my son way better than you do. That’s why I left him his own message.”

Ro groaned and muttered a string of words that seemed to cover every ogre insult ever created. “I’ll kill him.”

“I’m sure you’ll try,” Lady Gisela told her, stomping her foot again, making two more dwarves crawl out of the floor.

And with them was a sand-crusted, disheveled blond guy who was very clearly not tied up or restrained in any way.

Keefe coughed a few times and shook the dirt out of his hair before he stole a quick glance at Sophie. And his smile looked more sad than sheepish as he shrugged and told her, “Couldn’t let you have all the fun without me.”

FORTY-NINE

YOU PROMISED!” SOPHIE SHOUTED AS Ro screamed, “WE HAD A DEAL!”

“I know.” Keefe shuffled his feet, tapping his toe against the floor as the dwarves who’d dragged him there disappeared into the sand. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s it?” Sophie glanced at Ro, wondering which one of them looked more eager to launch a dagger at Keefe’s head.

“That’s all you have to say?” Ro added.

And Lady Gisela must’ve seen the murder in their eyes because she clapped her hands and called out, “All right, everyone—take a deep breath! Let’s not forget that there are hostages to consider! So keep those weapons tucked away. And I don’t like the way that some of you are trying to move right now either—especially you three.” She pointed to the Councillors, who’d been silently skirting the perimeter of the Grand Hall, moving toward the door. “Wishing you could go back to cowering in your crystal castles?”

“As opposed to cowering behind a force field?” Councillor Noland shouted back.

“Wait—what hostages?” Keefe asked.

And then his eyes seemed to notice, for the first time, the daggers being held at Flori’s and King Enki’s throats—and he stumbled back, shaking his head.

Sophie assumed he was fighting the same mix of frustration and horror and disgust that she was.

But Keefe had focused on the piece she’d missed. “You’re holding the DWARVEN KING hostage?” he shouted at his mother. “In the middle of HIS CITY? Right by HIS THRONE?”

Lady Gisela shrugged. “It’ll be fine, so long as you cooperate.”

Keefe whistled. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You’re in a way bigger mess than we are.”

Sophie had to agree—but she couldn’t share Keefe’s smugness.

The Neverseen rarely made mistakes—and when they did, they were disasters.

Vicious, bloodthirsty newborn troll–level disasters.

And now they had a dwarven king being held at knifepoint.

And while King Enki was being shockingly quiet and submissive for the moment—surely it was only a matter of time before his guards came charging in.

What if they blamed her and her friends, since one of them had made the force field that first trapped him?

Would the Councillors be able to smooth over a situation that fraught?

“Oh, stop with the wide-eyed-glancing-over-your-shoulders-with-panic thing,” Lady Gisela told her. “You look as pathetic as your little friends cowering behind your goblin—who’s supposed to be protecting you, isn’t he?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Sophie told her, glad to see that Sandor had positioned himself between Wylie and Maruca, since she had Ro near her. “You’re the one who’s going to be facing down an army of angry dwarves. Is all of this really worth it?” She waved her arms around the damaged throne room, imagining the depths of King Enki’s fury. “Whatever crazy thing you’re planning—”

“There’s nothing crazy about this!” Lady Gisela corrected. “Though those who lead the charge are often seen as such. And I’ll endure the scorn, and the risk, and the sacrifice, and the work, because I’m building something lasting. I’m building a—”

“If you say ‘legacy’ right now,” Ro interrupted, “I’m seriously going to hurl—and it won’t smell good, so others will follow, and it’ll be a great big barf-fest. And usually I’m all for that! But… you’ve got a knife pressed to my sweet little gnome-y friend’s neck, so I’d rather we all stay focused, okay? At least till the army of angry dwarves gets here.”

“Shouldn’t be too much longer!” Keefe added.

Lady Gisela smiled. “Oh, but it will be—because that army is currently very, very busy in the main marketplace, thanks to Vespera’s intricate little plan. Her style’s a bit much. Though she has a true flair for the dramatic—but you know that already, don’t you, Sophie? I’ll admit, I’m a little surprised that you haven’t so much as asked about your other friends. You really should be much more