Sophie hoped they were in a Neutral Territory and continued scanning the forest for any trace of the Psionipath. But something about the tree Coiffe had chosen felt familiar, and after a moment she remembered where she'd seen it.

"I think we're in California," she said, "and one of these trees-maybe even this one-is the Methuselah. Humans think it's the oldest living thing on the planet. But clearly they've never met Bronte."

"Ha! Good one, Foster," Keefe told her. "How old is the Miss-use-a-what-a tree?"

"Methuselah," Sophie corrected. "And something like forty-seven hundred years."

Fitz whistled. "That might be older than Bronte. But not older than Fallon Vacker, our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. He's one of the three founding members of the Council, and served for about a thousand years, before he fell in love with my great-great-great-great-"

"Yeah yeah, your really old grandma," Dex interrupted. "We get it. You guys have lots of super-old, super-important relatives. Whoop-de-do."

"Uh, the Vacker legacy is one of a kind," Fitz snapped back.

"Why is that?" Sophie asked, making Dex grin. "I mean, I know the Vackers are legendary-but what I don't get is . . . if all elves have an indefinite lifespan, doesn't everyone have a bunch of super-old, super-important, pointy-eared relatives?"

"Ancient, yes," Della agreed. "But as Fitz said, the original Council was only three members. And they added Emissaries much later. So for a long time only a handful of elves were classified as nobility. Hence the Vacker legacy. It can be quite intimidating, actually. That's why I initially rejected your father's advances. I wasn't sure I wanted that kind of scrutiny."

"Ugh, can we please not talk about you and dad and advances?" Fitz asked.

"Seriously," Biana agreed.

"You mean you don't want me to tell you about the first time your father kissed me?" Della teased, laughing as she pulled her children into a squirmy hug.

Keefe looked away.

"So," Sophie said, changing the subject for him, "do you think the tree is supposed to do something? We've been standing here for a pretty long time and nothing's happened."

"That's because you haven't been paying attention," Calla said, leaping from the top branches and landing gracefully on her toes.

"Looks like those old bones still have some spring in them," another gnome said, emerging from among the tree's roots. It took Sophie a second to recognize her as Amisi, the other gnome who lived at Alluveterre.

"Sorry we couldn't bring you here ourselves," Calla told them. "It took longer than expected to gather the others."

"Others?" Sophie asked.

Four gnomes Sophie didn't recognize appeared among the branches.

"What are we all doing here?" Della asked as the newest gnomes leaped to the ground.

"Waiting for us."

They spun around to find Mr. Forkle and Squall marching up behind them. Wraith appeared soon after, followed by Blur.

Granite arrived a few moments after. "Sorry I'm late. King Enki was still perfecting the carvings." He held up six sleek black pendants cut with jagged facets.

Magsidian.

Only dwarves could mine the rare mineral, and the dwarven guards in Exile could sense its presence-or lack thereof-and determine if someone had permission to be there. The stone also changed its power depending on how it had been cut. Sophie had seen it draw water from the air, affect the pull of a compass, and create special beams of light. But she'd never seen Magsidian cut so sharply.

Granite passed the pendants to Sophie, Fitz, Dex, Keefe, Biana, and Della.

"You guys don't need them?" Sophie asked, noting that the Collective members also weren't wearing heavy cloaks.

"We have other protections," Mr. Forkle said. "Has everyone been introduced?"

"Sorry, I got distracted," Calla said. "This is Brier, Kloris, Nesrin, and Vered."

"I thought we needed nine," Granite said.

Calla twiddled her thumbs. "This was the best I could gather. After what happened in the Strixian Plains-"

"What happened in the Strixian Plains?" Sophie interrupted.

"That's another Neutral Territory, isn't it?" Della added.

"Yes," Mr. Forkle said, through a sigh that made his shoulders slump. "It's where a family of gnomes recently contacted the plague."

"We thought it would be best to inform you after today's mission," Granite said when they all shouted "WHAT?"

"We needed to make sure your minds were focused," Wraith added.

"So you've been lying to us?" Dex asked.

"Not lying. Withholding," Mr. Forkle corrected. "And you're overestimating the gravity of this news. Only one more family of gnomes has been added to the quarantine in Lumenaria."

"Yeah, but it means the plague is spreading," Sophie argued. "That's how it turns into a full-fledged outbreak."

"That's what many of the gnomes I spoke to today feared as well," Calla whispered.

Mr. Forkle rubbed his temples. "I do not have to check your thoughts to know you're angry with me, Miss Foster. And I understand everyone's worries. But chasing clues about this plague is like chasing the wind. The only way to gain control is to get ahead of it-which is something we are working on. In the meantime, we can't ignore other important matters, like what we're here to achieve. We know Prentice is hiding something. Perhaps it relates to some of these problems. But even if it doesn't, we are freeing him today. All our surveillance indicates that this is our best chance. A group of additional dwarven guards arrives tomorrow. So please set your emotions aside and prepare yourselves for the mission." He turned to Calla. "The six of you can hold the tunnel?"

"Our voices are strong," she agreed.

The gnomes spread out, forming a circle around the old tree as they sang a slow song. The tree swayed as the roots twisted and tightened. Dirt, rocks, and debris were swept aside until a burrowlike opening appeared.

"Vered will keep the exit open," Calla told them as all but one gnome scurried into the dark tunnel.

The Collective followed the gnomes.

Sophie glanced at her friends, wondering how they felt about risking their lives when the Collective had just admitted to lying to them.

"Come on," Fitz said. "Let's go get Prentice."

TWENTY-SEVEN.

ANYONE ELSE THINK it would be easier to just carry Foster?" Keefe asked as Fitz caught Sophie from falling for what had to be the two-billionth time.

In her defense, it was dark, and the roots under their feet kept shifting-but still. Couldn't the Black Swan have given her a little more coordination when they tweaked her genes?

"Any reason we're not letting the roots drag us along this time?" Sophie asked.

"Roots this ancient do not hold the same strength," Calla explained. "We're saving their energy for our escape."

The tunnel narrowed as they sank further into the earth, forcing them to walk single file.

"Couldn't we at least have more than one balefire pendant lighting up this place?" Dex called from the back.

"This tree has been generous enough to lend us its strength," Mr. Forkle told them. "The least we can do is try not to bother it."

"You also don't want to see what's crawling around us," Blur said.

Something rustled near Sophie and she decided to take his word for it.

She counted her steps, and each time she reached about ten thousand, one of the gnomes stayed behind to ensure the song kept the tunnel open.

"It won't be long now," Mr. Forkle said when Calla was the only gnome left journeying with them. "And once we're inside, a small team of us will go after Prentice. The rest of you will be in charge of causing as much chaos as you can generate. Squall, Blur, and Mr. Sencen will head to the most unruly residents. Between your various abilities, you should be able to get them sufficiently riled up. Just be sure to stay on the move so the dwarves don't catch you."

"Meanwhile, I'll take Della and Biana," Wraith said, "and we'll head for the main entrance. We want to look like we're fleeing, so they divert other patrols to prevent our escape."

"Does that mean we shouldn't vanish as we run?" Biana asked.

"Only intermittently," Wraith said. "We need to ensure they follow us-but also not give away that it's our intention. And once we reach the Room Where Chances Are Lost, we'll vanish completely and hold for Mr. Forkle's signal."

"For the record," Keefe told Biana, "my job sounds way better."

"But they are both equally important," Mr. Forkle said. "Our hope is that all of your efforts will create enough of a distraction for Sophie to lead the rest of us to Prentice. Mr. Dizznee will then be in charge of opening his cell, and Granite and I will tend to Prentice and signal when we're ready to leave."

"What about me?" Fitz asked. "It doesn't sound like I'm doing anything."

Dex laughed at that, but fell silent when Granite said, "You're here for Sophie. She will need someone to lean on, to keep her calm and boost her strength while she tackles our most difficult task."

"And what is that?" Sophie asked.

Mr. Forkle cleared his throat. "Prentice has been moved to one of the adjuncts, and we've been unable to determine precisely which one. Imagine the main prison as a spiral, with smaller spirals branching off the outermost edge. The adjuncts have been added over the centuries to house the special cases."

"He means the most dangerous cases," Granite clarified. "Another reason we will not want to choose the wrong one."

"How many adjuncts are there?" Fitz asked.

"We have no idea," Squall admitted. "There are no blueprints for Exile."

"So how do I . . . ," Sophie started to ask. But then she knew.

"Whoa, let's not add projectile vomiting to the list of Awesome Things We Get To Do Today," Keefe said, clutching his stomach.

"Sorry," she whispered, but she couldn't fight back the nausea.

"What are you guys forcing her to do?" Dex asked.

"We're not forcing her to do anything," Mr. Forkle said. "But we are asking her to track Prentice's thoughts."

"You mean like what she does when we play base quest?" Biana asked.

Sophie nodded. She had the rare ability to follow someone's thoughts to their source. It was how she'd found Silveny, and why her team always won in their games.

"Why is that so bad?" Biana asked.

"It's not," Sophie tried to tell herself. "It's just going to be . . . intense."

"You have to open your mind to all the thoughts," Fitz guessed.

"Yeah, until I can lock in on his."

"And how many prisoners are in Exile?" Fitz asked the Collective.

"Last reported count showed five hundred and eleven," Mr. Forkle said quietly.

"Dude," Keefe breathed. "And these are all psychopathic murderers and stuff? Yeah, never mind, that is definitely vomit worthy, Foster. Panic away."

"Is there any way I can help?" Fitz asked.

"Too many broken minds," Sophie reminded him. "I'm the only one who won't get dragged under."

"She's right," Granite agreed. "But we'll still support her any way we can."

The promise sounded as empty as the tunnel ahead.

"Is everyone clear on what they need to do?" Granite asked.

"Uh, did I miss the part where you told us how we're getting out of here?" Keefe asked.

"We leave the same way we came in," Blur said. "Unless the worst should happen. Then you use those pendants we gave you to create a unique path of light and leap away."

"Why don't we just do that in the first place?" Keefe asked. "That sounds way more awesome than carrying Prentice through a tunnel with angry dwarves chasing us."

"I can assure you, it isn't," Mr. Forkle told him. "The Council has added a new force field around Exile, designed to pulverize anyone trying to leap through. The cloaks you're wearing will dissolve into a protective coating, but the leap will still take a large toll. So only use your pendants if we're captured."

"Then why aren't you wearing them too?" Biana asked.

Several seconds passed before Mr. Forkle said, "We will foolishly be viewed as the more important targets. Our surrender would give you a chance to leap away."