Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,42

away from the gorgodon. Then she drifted off into dreams filled with cuddly alicorn babies.

Somewhere in the night, though, the scenes shifted to glittering castles and cheering faces. And among them were two blurry figures—one male, one female—standing apart but somehow also together.

“We’re so proud of you!” they shouted in unison, stretching out their arms like they wanted to hug her.

By the time she’d fought her way through the crowd, they were gone.

* * *

“If this is how I’m going to have to dress all the time, I’m definitely passing on the Regent appointment,” Sophie grumbled, trying to lift her dark blue gown as she walked—but there were so many tiers of tulle, she couldn’t find the right layer of fabric to grab. It would only be a matter of time before her much-too-narrow heels caught on the hem and she ended up sprawled across the shimmering sidewalk.

Sure, the gown was also gorgeous. The skirt had an ombré effect that made it look like wisps of twilight were floating around her, and the waist was dotted with dozens of tiny diamond stars—the same stars that decorated the halter neckline and sparkled along the edges of her gloves. More diamonds formed a glittering galaxy across the velvet cape covering her shoulders. And Vertina—the tiny talking face programmed into her spectral mirror—had even managed to convince Sophie to brush a little smoky powder across her eyelids and tie back the front part of her hair with strands of silver tinsel.

But Sophie would never not be annoyed that she’d had to play Pretty Princess Dress-Up when she could’ve used the time to update her friends about Tam, or to check in with Keefe about his memories.

Plus, leggings, boots, and tunics were so much more comfortable.

“How much farther do we have to walk?” she asked, wishing Sandor would move a little slower so she could hide behind his massive muscles. Eternalia wasn’t as bustling of a city as Atlantis, but there were still plenty of people staring as she followed Grady down a street lined with enormous jeweled buildings.

Bo, Flori, and Edaline hadn’t been invited to join them.

“Just a few more blocks,” Grady promised, looking particularly regal in his burgundy jerkin with silver leaf embroidery, starched gray trousers, and smoky gray cape.

Their leap had brought them to the glassy river that divided the main city from the twelve identical crystal castles that served as the Councillors’ offices, and they’d spent the majority of their walk on a meandering path along the shore, bathed in the shade of the towering palmlike trees called “the Pures.” But now they’d headed into a section that was more like the capital’s “downtown”—nothing but wall-to-wall sparkly buildings for block after block. And each street was a mix of before and after. The solid-colored buildings built from bricks of a single gemstone were the “originals” that had survived Fintan’s Everblaze attack. The newer replacement buildings were elaborate, multicolored jeweled mosaics.

Either way, the wealth on display was staggering.

Sophie had only been to Eternalia a few times, and most of those visits had involved dramatic, life-changing rulings from the Council, so she found herself huffing out a sigh of relief once they’d passed the emerald walls of Tribunal Hall—one of the few buildings that had been rebuilt to look exactly the way it had looked before: huge and green and intimidating. But her chest tightened back up when she realized their path was heading toward one of the largest structures in the city: a sprawling diamond palace framed by four domed towers.

The building glittered so brightly in the midday sunlight that Sophie had to shield her eyes as they drew closer. If Ro had been there, she would’ve called it “sparkle overload.” And honestly? She would’ve been right.

“This is the Seat of Eminence,” Grady explained as they made their way up the palace’s wide diamond steps. “Think of it as the hub of the nobility.” He pressed his palm against the rectangular door, which looked like it had been made from threads of gold and silver woven together. “Only Regents, Emissaries, and Mentors may enter. But the Council has granted you early access today since they’re offering you an appointment.”

He leaned in to lick the DNA sensor that appeared next to his thumb, and Sophie’s insides squirmed as the doors swung inward to reveal…

… a whole lot of darkness.

She might’ve been staring into an unlit foyer. Or a corridor. Or a dungeon. There was no way to tell.

“Where does all of the