Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,137

Linh said quietly, “so that will be fun, at least.”

“You’re sure about—” Sophie tried to ask.

But once again, Linh cut her off. “I’m sure.”

“Yeah, well… I don’t like this plan,” Marella said, shrugging when Linh turned toward her. “Someone had to say it.”

“I agree,” Maruca added. “Maybe I should go with you—that way I can shield you if anything goes down.”

“I’ll be fine,” Linh repeated for what felt like the millionth time, and the weariness in Linh’s voice made Sophie leave it alone.

After all, Linh had started her day thinking she’d found a way to rescue her brother. And instead, she was now stuck moving back in with the people who’d failed her over and over, because they’d been ashamed that she was a twin. Plus, she’d picked up an abundance of new worries for herself and for Tam.

“We’re going to get him back,” Sophie promised, pulling Linh into a hug—which Maruca and Marella quickly turned into a group squeeze.

Linh nodded against Sophie’s shoulder.

But there were tears in Linh’s eyes when she ended the embrace, and she wouldn’t look at anyone as she fished out a small, round home crystal that Sophie never realized she carried.

No one broke the painful silence, until Bo marched over to Linh and barked a bunch of orders about letting him take the lead and sticking by his side. And Sophie tried to think of something encouraging to say as Linh held her crystal up to the sun.

But every promise sounded so empty. So she went with the same assurance that Linh had said when she first found out that Tam had left with the Neverseen.

“Tam can take care of himself.”

“I hope so,” Linh whispered as she let the light carry her and Bo away.

Marella and Maruca left soon after—though not before Maruca made it clear that she would be talking to the Collective about joining the order. And Sophie didn’t try to stop her.

If Tam’s warning had proven anything, it was that they needed all the protection they could get.

Though it wasn’t nightmares about cloaked figures coming for Linh—or coming for any of Sophie’s friends—that had Sophie building another makeshift bed under Calla’s Panakes that night.

It was Tam’s voice, replaying in her head.

Shouting over and over, I LIKE IT HERE. I’M EVEN MAKING FRIENDS.

* * *

“We need to have a serious discussion about your leadership skills, Miss Foster,” Bronte’s sharp voice barked the next morning, jolting Sophie out of the dazed, half-sleepy state she’d been lingering in since sunrise. “And perhaps also about your strange choices for sleeping location.”

Some part of her brain had been telling her that she needed to get up and get ready for a big day of super-important stuff.

The other part had decided that all of that stuff could wait a tiny bit longer.

And then a tiny bit longer after that.

And a little more after that.

As if she’d found some sort of strange mental snooze button—which she was happy to keep hitting as long as it let her stay surrounded by baby alicorns and Calla’s soothing songs instead of having to face reality.

And now her entire brain was telling her that the best solution to her current situation was to pull her blankets over her head and wait for Bronte to go away.

The only problem was… Bronte was right.

Part of the stuff she had to do that day was the rather important task of going to Loamnore with Grady and the rest of Team Valiant to meet with King Enki and examine the dwarves’ security. And she’d planned to check in with Dex, Biana, Wylie, and Stina the day before, to make sure they were ready.

But then there was the chaos with Wynn and Luna and the gorgodon—and Maruca, Marella, and Linh showed up with their risky plan, and there was all the drama with Tam and…

It totally slipped her mind.

She also still hadn’t followed up with Wylie and Stina about their meeting with Lady Zillah—despite her vow not to get sidetracked from that again.

And she couldn’t even argue that they should’ve reached out to her when they didn’t hear from her, because she’d ignored a bunch of hails after her standoff with Mr. Forkle, and there was a good chance that some of those had been from her teammates.

She was also pretty sure that she hadn’t actually given Dex an assignment to work on.

And Biana…

Sophie stopped breathing when she realized who Biana had been trying to arrange a meeting with—and why.

The same person who barked again. “Miss Foster, I