Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,41

singsongy.

Sophie winced.

Keefe would have way too much fun with that.

“Please tell me people won’t have to curtsy to me,” she mumbled.

Grady laughed. “They won’t have to unless you demand it. But they’ll probably do it on their own. Or bow.”

She groaned.

It was bad enough walking through the halls of Foxfire surrounded by all of her bodyguards. If people were dipping curtsies or bowing, she might as well ask Magnate Leto to set up a permanent spotlight to follow her around.

“What happens if I don’t want to be a Regent?” she whispered.

“Then you won’t be a Regent,” Grady said simply. “No one’s going to force you to accept the appointment. But at least hear the Council out before you make up your mind, okay? I know they’ve made some huge mistakes, so I don’t blame you for having reservations. I’m sure you remember how hard I resisted becoming an Emissary again after what happened with Jolie. But… I think the problems we’re facing with the Neverseen are reaching a point where having the Council on your side is going to be essential. For example, the title will be a huge help when you’re dealing with King Enki. He responds better to those with obvious authority.”

“Will the Council tell me what my first assignment will be before I have to decide?”

She’d have to make sure it wouldn’t interfere with everything Mr. Forkle needed her to work on—and the search for her genetic parents—and Keefe’s missing memories—and Tam—and…

“I know you have a lot going on,” Grady promised. “And so does the Council. I got the impression that their assignment will be right in line with everything you’re already tackling. But we’ll find out more tomorrow. They wanted to explain everything to you personally.”

She blew out a breath, wishing she didn’t have to ask her next question. “Will I have to tell them I’m unmatchable?”

“That’s up to you,” Edaline jumped in. “If you’re worried that there will be problems once they find out, then it might set your mind at ease to clue them in and see what they say. But it’s also private information—and it’s a status that may very easily change if you track down your biological parents. So, you’re definitely not required to share.”

“Take the night and sleep on it,” Grady recommended, leaning in and kissing her on the forehead. “You’ve had a long day. I’m sure everything will feel clearer in the morning.”

Sophie grabbed his wrist to stop him from leaving. “Wait. You didn’t tell me what the Councillors said about the Neverseen probing Tam’s memories.”

She was really getting tired of all the matchmaking drama sidetracking her from the bigger problems they were facing.

But Grady shrugged. “They actually weren’t worried—but that might be because Tam doesn’t know anything that specifically compromises the Council.”

“I take it that means you didn’t tell them I lost Kenric’s cache?” Sophie asked, even if “lost” wasn’t technically the right word to describe what happened.

“I didn’t,” Grady agreed, “because if the Neverseen had a way to open the cache, they would’ve used it already. And that’s actually what the Council said about all the secrets that were stolen from Tam. The Neverseen have had that knowledge for long enough to do something with it, and yet nothing’s changed. So the Councillors feel that the more important lesson is for the Black Swan to be much more open with them in the future, to ensure that our enemies never have more knowledge than our leaders.”

“But shouldn’t we—”

“I’ll update Grady on all the things Sandor told me about Tam and Keefe while you get some sleep,” Edaline interrupted, snapping her fingers to make Sophie’s dinner tray disappear. “Try not to stress. You’ve done all you can for today.”

“But—”

“You need to rest,” Edaline insisted, pulling the covers back so Sophie could crawl underneath. “Sandor told me what happened with your echoes—and thank goodness Flori’s song was able to calm them again. But that was still an incredibly close call, and you need to let your body recover.”

Sophie wanted to argue, but… she was pretty wiped.

The exhaustion hit even harder when Edaline turned off the lights.

“Sleep,” Edaline told her. “That way you can get back to work tomorrow feeling as strong as possible.”

“Sweet dreams,” Grady added, which should’ve been impossible, given her current list of worries. But Silveny reached out telepathically after Grady and Edaline left, filling Sophie’s head with soothing scenes of Wynn and Luna snuggling.

The nuzzle-filled memories left Sophie just enough concentration to warn Silveny to keep Wynn