to talk to you about,” he told her, shifting his weight to lean closer. “Whether or not you want to be a leader, Miss Foster, you are one—and I’m not saying that because I designed you to be that way. The leadership simply comes from who you are. You’re a powerful, brilliant, determined, inspiring young lady. People naturally look to you. And they’re going to do that more and more, the stronger you become. Today was a huge part of that. I’m proud of the stand you took. And for the record, I think you made the right call.”
“You do?” Sophie whispered.
“Absolutely. You saw the mistake we’d all made, and a path to correct it, and you did what needed to be done. But,” he had to add, right when she was starting to feel a little better, “you also made some fairly significant mistakes.”
She slumped lower. “Like what?”
“Well… for starters, did you warn the others about what you were doing, and make them all step back before you sparked the fire?”
“No,” Sophie admitted. “But they were already far enough away.”
“Yes, but people do move, you know. It’s always best to communicate. And what about the larger danger? Did you take any measures to ensure that the fire wouldn’t spread anywhere else beyond the Neverseen’s hideout?”
“No,” Sophie had to admit again. “But I didn’t need to—the storehouse was behind a giant waterfall!”
“Did you actually consider that, though?” he pressed. “And what I mean is, did you have a conscious thought about there being an abundant water supply nearby that would safely extinguish the blaze before it could spread? Because if you didn’t, you don’t get to take credit for the waterfall’s safety. That’s what we call random luck.”
Sophie reached for her eyelashes, giving them a soft tug. “It wasn’t like I had a lot of time to think—”
“There’s never enough time to think in war,” he interrupted. “That doesn’t mean you don’t need to do it. Believe me, Miss Foster, I understand the complexity of the situation you faced today better than anybody. But since it’s only the first of many complex situations you’re going to find yourself in, I need to make sure you’re truly prepared for the responsibility you’re going to face. Because if it weren’t for the random luck of being near a waterfall today, you could’ve set off an enormous firestorm and caused untold collateral damage.”
Sophie shuddered and closed her eyes, trying to fight back the painful flashbacks.
But she could still hear the screams.
Still see the neon yellow flames.
Still remember the last time she saw Kenric’s face.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Be better. And remember that mistakes don’t have to be mistakes if you correct them quickly. You could’ve alerted someone about the fire the second you arrived at Solreef—had them go back to the hideout to monitor the blaze and contain it if necessary. But you didn’t do that, either.”
She wanted to point out that Tam and Flori and Sandor and Bo and Glimmer could’ve done that too, and hadn’t. But…
They weren’t the ones who smashed those sconces.
“None of this is easy,” he told her. “And sadly, it’s going to get harder. But you must never let yourself forget that winning won’t matter if you sink fully to the Neverseen’s level.”
“Glimmer thinks that’s the only way we’re going to win,” Sophie mumbled.
“Yes, well, Glimmer has much to learn as well. There’s a way to be bold and brave and stand up to your enemies without forgetting that actions have consequences.”
Sophie nodded, twisting a loose string on the edge of her sleeve as she worked up the courage to ask, “What consequences are going to come from what I did today?”
Mr. Forkle blew out a breath. “I wish I knew. But that’s how it always goes with hard decisions. I had no idea what would happen when I helped create a powerful young girl—a fearless moonlark. I just knew she was going to change the game. And now… she has. You have. And I’m proud of you. I believe in you. And I’m here to help you and guide you as much as I can.”
Sophie couldn’t think of what to say to that.
Was she supposed to say “thanks”?
Be grateful he’d dumped this impossible responsibility on her shoulders?
Maybe.
And maybe someday she’d even feel that way.
Someday when this was all over and life was normal again, maybe she’d look back and be glad she got to play a part.
Assuming that day ever happened.
But for now,