Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,161

said. “What do you mean ‘regardless of what I choose’?”

“I mean you still have one more decision to make before we get started.” She sat next to Sophie on the pillow-mountain and held out her hands, which were both curled into fists. “The thing is, as I was putting together this fix, I realized there were two ways to do it. We can go small”—she opened her left fist, revealing a tiny milky-white pill—“or we can go big”—she opened her right fist, revealing a larger pill that was shimmering emerald green. “Either one will trigger a reaction that will reset your inflicting.”

“So what’s the difference?” Sophie asked as Sandor and Grady already started calling for her to pick the white pill.

“The difference is, the white pill has a quarter of an ounce of limbium in it,” Livvy explained, “plus some other stuff to target the inflicting parts of your brain. And the green pill has half an ounce of limbium, the same stuff to target the inflicting parts of your brain, plus some stuff that’ll target one other place.”

“Where?” Grady demanded before Sophie could ask.

Livvy chewed her lip. “Her heart.”

Sophie reached for her chest, pressing her fingers against her ribs. “My heart.”

Livvy nodded. “The power for most abilities comes from our brain—but everything I’ve read on inflicting says it works a little differently. Your brain switches the ability on, but the real power comes from here”—she pounded the fist holding the green pill against her chest—“because inflicting’s all about channeling your emotions out into the world. And the emotions here”—she pounded her chest again—“are so much purer. So if we really want to see how strong your power can be, we should reset both places—head and heart. But we also absolutely don’t have to. I want to be super clear about that. Everything we’re trying to fix will be covered by this.” She held up the white pill. “This will make it so your brain reins in your emotions the way we designed it to, and let you channel them in a much more targeted way. This is absolutely a solution.”

“But the green pill’s better,” Sophie pressed.

“ ‘Better’ might not be the right word,” Livvy told her, “because it does up the risks as well—and probably your recovery time too, since it’s going to stop your heart for a few seconds, and that’ll take a toll.”

Now there were a lot more people calling for her to take the white pill.

Including Fitz.

And it did look so much simpler.

Small. Bland. Boring.

The green was so much more vibrant.

The color of life.

But also the color the elves wore to their funerals.

“You think I should take the green pill, don’t you?” Sophie asked Livvy.

“I think it’s your decision,” Livvy corrected.

“But you made the green pill,” Sophie reminded her. “You could’ve stopped at the white, but you knew you could probably do better so you kept going, right?”

Livvy sighed. “I’m a scientist, Sophie. I like pushing limits and solving puzzles. And your genetics are basically a playground for me. The last reset we did on you was completely mental, so part of me wants to know what’ll happen if we stray into uncharted territory and tweak a few other things with your heart. That’s why I made the green pill. And I’ve done everything in my power to make sure it’s still safe for you. But ‘safe’ in this kind of situation leaves room for a lot of pain—and the potential for side effects. So the white pill really might be your better option. It’s up to you and how hard you want to fight through.”

Livvy held out both pills again as Elwin handed Sophie a bottle of Youth.

And it sounded like pretty much everybody wanted her to take the white pill.

She didn’t hear a single call for green.

But there were definitely a few voices missing from the shouting.

Friends who were letting her decide.

But would probably take the bigger risk.

And the songs whispering through the air turned to melodies of boldness and bravery. Of tiny roots finding the strength to crack through solid stone.

“Just take the white pill, Sophie,” Fitz pleaded. “You’ve risked enough.”

She had.

Over and over and over.

And she was tired of it.

But the fight wasn’t finished yet.

And what was the point of fighting if she wasn’t going to put her whole heart into it?

“That’s our girl,” Keefe said quietly as Sophie snatched the green pill and gulped it down before she could change her mind. “Knew she was going to Foster it.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

FIRST THE WORLD TURNED