a great big softie. Meanwhile, I am not. So when I make a threat, I mean it.” She flashed a pointy-toothed smile at Keefe. “One…”
Come on, Keefe, Sophie transmitted when Ro got to “three.” Say “alicorn.” Or “gulon.” Or better yet—tell me what the Great Gulon Incident was!
“Four,” Ro warned.
Keefe bit his lip so hard it looked ready to draw blood. But before Ro got to five, he whispered, “Mrs. Stinkbottom.”
Sophie had to laugh at his word choice.
But the best part was: Nothing happened.
“See?” Noland told Keefe. “It’s that easy. Now say something else—a little louder this time. Your power doesn’t come from volume. It comes from tone.”
Keefe shook his head.
Ro groaned. “Come on, Hunkyhair. I know you have about fifty different jokes you’re dying to make. Especially with Captain Cognate over there. Give us your best one!”
Keefe shook his head again, and Sophie tried to imagine what it would be like if he stayed quiet like this all the time.
He wouldn’t be Keefe anymore.
You’re really going to let your mom win like this? she asked. Give her this kind of control?
No. I’m just trying to be responsible—for once. If I’d tried that a few days ago, I would’ve listened to Tammy Boy—and you—and stayed out of Loamnore. But I did what I always do, ignored everyone, and look how awesome that worked out for me.
Except you’re still ignoring everyone, Sophie argued. Do you really think Noland would tell you to try this if he was worried it would put him—and two other Councillors—in danger?
Probably not, Keefe conceded. Unless he’s looking for an excuse to send me to Exile.
A cold shiver rippled down Sophie’s spine, and she turned to study the Councillors, wondering if they would sink that low.
They definitely would.
But… that wasn’t what this was.
They already have a reason to exile you, she reminded him, fighting another shiver. They know you numbed five people. That’s more than enough to lock you up.
I guess. He blew out a breath. But… maybe I should be. I know what happened, okay? The emotions got overwhelming, and I needed them to stop—so I MADE them stop. And with my empathy so sensitive right now, we both know that could happen again. Especially when I’m with…
The thought trailed off, but Sophie knew exactly what he’d stopped himself from saying.
“His mood is sinking,” Oralie announced before Sophie could figure out what to say. “So perhaps we should hold off on any more practice for now? I suspect his emotional state is directly tied to this new ability.”
“You can feel his emotions?” Alina asked. “Without any contact?”
Oralie nodded. “And in case you’re wondering, that’s definitely a new development.”
“Have there been any other developments?” Alina asked Elwin. “Aside from Keefe’s stronger emotions, becoming a Polyglot, and whatever this new ability is?”
Elwin snapped his fingers, flashing orange light around Keefe. “Well, he’s been battling a headache and nausea since he woke up. Guessing that’s from stress, though—and from being unconscious for three and a half days, and almost dying.”
Alina’s jaw tightened. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
She tapped her shoe against the floor—tap tap tap tap tap—until Fitz told her, “Keefe’s empathy is stronger too.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vacker,” Alina told him. “I appreciate someone cooperating—even if it should have been our Regent.”
“I’m cooperating,” Sophie argued. “I’m just not sure if Keefe’s empathy is stronger, or if it’s just extra sensitive right now because the ability reset.”
“Well, how about you try giving me all of the information and let me decide what I do and don’t need to know?” Alina countered.
Sophie crossed her arms. “Fine. Want me to describe how he accidentally glued his jaw shut with squelchberries, too?”
“I love when our sweet little Blondie shows her claws,” Ro said—which earned a soft snort of laughter from Keefe and an epic eye roll from Councillor Alina.
A staring contest followed—until Oralie murmured, “I wonder if this new ability isn’t an ability at all.”
“What do you mean?” Noland asked her.
Oralie’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not certain. It just seems significant that Keefe is now a Polyglot and an Empath, and used his voice to control emotion. That almost sounds like the two abilities merged somehow—or synchronized. Which would make sense, given that Keefe was exposed to shadowflux and quintessence. Elements trigger change. They rarely create something entirely new. But I’d need to do more research to know for sure.”
“We all need more research,” Noland said, smoothing the sides of his ponytail. “Particularly when it comes to the larger question. New ability—merged