his relief.
Sophie felt the same way.
“Fine,” Alina huffed, glancing at the other Councillors for confirmation. “We can try that for now. And reassess if needed.”
Noland cleared his throat. “So now we just need to figure out who should mentor the boy. I would offer, but I fear my training won’t be much help, since nothing I do affects emotion.”
“I could—” Oralie started to offer, but Alina cut her off.
“He needs more than just an Empath.”
Oralie rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. Which is why I was going to say that I could talk to Lady Cadence—or Councillor Clarette—and see if either of them would mentor Keefe with me, so he’d have a Polyglot and an Empath.”
Alina tilted her chin up. “I suppose that’s not a terrible idea. But I think he should receive some lessons from me, as well. My ability has some overlaps that should be considered.”
Ro snickered. “Yeah, you two training together sounds like the perfect way to keep Hunkyhair calm.”
Alina smiled, and her voice took on a soft, sugary tone when she told Ro, “Oh, I can be very soothing when I want to be.”
Ro blinked. “Whoa. That’s freaky.”
“No,” Alina corrected, checking her reflection again, “that’s how true power works. It’s not weapons or muscles or unhinged brutality. It’s natural talent.”
“And yet I’m in charge of keeping Hunkyhair safe,” Ro reminded her. “If you guys are so powerful, how come you hide behind your bodyguards?”
“Everything’s settled, right?” Elwin jumped in before Alina could respond.
Oralie and Noland said “yes” at the same time Alina and Sophie said “no.”
“What’s your problem with this arrangement?” Noland asked Sophie.
“It’s not the arrangement,” Sophie explained. “It’s the fact that no one made sure Keefe’s okay with it. He should get a choice in his training.” Tiergan had given her one before he became her telepathy Mentor. So she asked Keefe, “Are you okay training with Alina and Oralie and whoever else?”
Keefe considered that for a second before he nodded.
Noland clapped his hands. “Good, then we’re settled. I’ll inform the rest of the Council and—”
“We’re not settled,” Alina interrupted. “I still have one final requirement.” She pointed to Sophie. “It’s already been proven that you’re capable of triggering a disturbing aspect of Keefe’s ability. And I’m not convinced you can fully control your enhancing, either. So until we understand more about what we’re dealing with—and Keefe gains some level of control—you need to stay away. No visits. No hailing each other or sneaking off or whatever else you two do.”
Noland tugged at the collar of his jerkin. “I suppose that is a valid precaution. Don’t you agree, Oralie?”
A beat of silence followed, and Sophie stared at her feet, already knowing Oralie’s answer.
But when Oralie spoke, she told Noland, “I think this should be up to Keefe. He knows his limits better than any of us—and he’s shown his desire for caution by refusing to talk, despite all of our urging. So what do you say, Keefe? Do you want Sophie to stay away from Splendor Plains for now?”
“Splendor Plains?” Fitz asked.
“That’s the name of my estate,” Elwin explained.
He said something else, too. But Sophie wasn’t listening. She was too busy studying Keefe’s face.
He was the most stubborn, rebellious person she’d ever met.
But there was no fight left in his eyes.
He looked only tired and shattered as he turned toward Oralie and nodded that yes, he wanted Sophie to stay away.
- FOUR - KEEFE
Welcome to Splendor Plains!” Elwin said as the scenery glittered into focus and Keefe turned to study the sprawling mansion in front of them, which somehow managed to be both super colorful and really, really boring.
The walls were floor-to-ceiling windows, and each pane was a different shade of glass, arranged in vibrant, alternating patterns of the light spectrum.
But the architecture itself was pretty basic.
Flat roof.
Square rooms stacked on top of each other.
Lots of sharp angles.
Even the wide, straight flight of stairs that Elwin led them up was made of dull, square stones. And the door was a simple sliding sheet of glass.
Inside, the huge main room was almost entirely empty. The only furniture was a swiveling white armchair and a small, round table, both arranged precisely in the center.
“I’m guessing this isn’t what you were expecting,” Elwin told Keefe, setting Bullhorn down so that the slinky banshee could duck down some tiny gap in the glass floor and scurry away under their feet.
It was and it wasn’t.
Honestly, Keefe had never really given a whole lot of thought to where Elwin went