Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,57

it would’ve been nice if there had been, since the stop was about as smooth as a teenage driver slamming on the brakes.

Sophie was a few seconds from face-planting into the floor when strong hands hauled her back to her feet.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, blinking at her savior.

She knew she was having a strange day when ending up in Bronte’s arms wasn’t even the weirdest thing that had happened.

“Give yourself a second to adjust to the altitude,” Oralie told her, catching Sophie by her shoulders when she tried to stand on her own—and nearly collapsed again.

“How come you guys aren’t affected?” Biana asked as both Councillor Darek and Councillor Liora helped steady her.

Councillor Alina and Councillor Zarina were keeping Stina upright, Councillor Clarette and Councillor Noland each had their arms hooked around Dex’s elbows, and Councillor Ramira and Councillor Velia had lunged to catch Wylie when he’d toppled forward.

“We have these,” Councillor Terik said, pointing to his key-pin—and looking far steadier than Sophie and her friends were, even with his cane. “A clever Technopath built altitude stabilizers into them, as well as some features that help with motion sickness and balance.”

“I suppose we should’ve had something similar made for you,” Emery murmured. “Hazard of being the first to share this experience. You’re going to expose all the flaws in the system.”

“Does that mean you’re planning on appointing more Regents like us?” Stina asked, trying to tame her curls, which now looked like someone had rubbed her head with a balloon. “Or making more teams or whatever?”

“That depends on whether or not you succeed,” Emery told her.

Dex snorted. “Great, no pressure.”

“You should absolutely feel pressure,” Emery said, and the diamonds in his crown seemed to glint with the warning. “You’ve had a lot of fun making jokes today, Mr. Dizznee, but I hope you truly understand the gravity of the responsibility you’re taking on. Fail at your assignment and it’s likely that people will perish.”

“Yeah, what else is new?” Dex snapped back. “You realize how normal that is for us, right? We’ve been facing those kinds of odds for years—and by the way, some of those lives on the line? They’re ours and all the people we care about. We don’t get to hide away in the safety of our castles—”

“I’m sure you’ll agree that what happened to Councillor Kenric proves we are anything but safe,” Bronte cut in.

Silence followed, and Sophie had to steal a glance at Oralie, feeling her heart twist when she watched Oralie’s eyes turn glassy. Clearly all the months since Kenric’s death hadn’t lessened Oralie’s grief over losing the person everyone had suspected she’d secretly been in love with—and who’d obviously been in love with her, too.

“Fine,” Dex conceded, “but you have to admit that you guys aren’t exactly on the front lines—and I’m not saying you should be. All I’m saying is: Don’t act like we don’t get how huge the stakes are just because we still know how to have a little fun sometimes.”

“Yeah, maybe we joke around because it makes all the tough stuff feel a little less terrifying,” Biana added. “It doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re up against—we know that better than anybody.” She held out her arms, letting the light catch the lines of her scars. “And we’re still here—still fighting. So the only real difference is that now you guys are supposedly going to help us, instead of hindering us, like you have been.”

“Exactly.” Dex crossed his arms, eyeing each of the Councillors. “The way I see it, we’re just going to keep right on doing what we’ve been doing. And whether this new arrangement fails, or succeeds, that’s on you.”

“It’s always on us, Mr. Dizznee,” Emery said through a sigh that sounded more weary than frustrated. “Being Councillors is a tremendous responsibility—one you need to start grasping more fully if we’re going to work together. Which is why we brought you here today. We realize you’re eager to get to work, and assure you that this will only take a few more minutes. But it’s time for the five of you to understand the larger forces at play in our world, and how they shape the roles we’ve taken on.”

All twelve Councillors reached for their pins again, this time pressing the filigree inlaid into the bow and triggering a squeaky rattle in the walls.

Sophie’s ears rang as the honeycomb stones unfolded with extra panes of smooth, clear crystal that slowly rotated as the diamond stones eased apart, allowing