Their hopeful expressions crumbled as she whispered, "Prentice is gone."

THIRTY-FIVE.

IS HE USING the same trick as Gethen?" Biana asked when Sophie had finished her update.

After hours and hours of trying, Mr. Forkle had brought her back to the tree house to rest.

Sophie sighed. "I don't know."

She wandered to her window, staring at the dark forest. She had no idea what time it was. It didn't matter.

It was too late.

"Mr. Forkle and Granite tried to check," she whispered. "Since they'd both been in Gethen's mind and knew how it felt. But neither of them could last longer than a few seconds. They said Prentice's head felt like being thrown into a pit of boiling tar."

"I've never heard of anything like that before," Della said, appearing in the doorway.

"Neither have I." And it made Sophie want to kick things.

She knew so little about her purpose-but one fact had been made perfectly clear: the Black Swan designed her to heal minds.

And yet, the one person who'd counted on that ability more than anyone else was lying on a cot in a small stone house, and she couldn't do a single thing to help him.

"Prentice's mind felt like the darkness had somehow taken over," she whispered. "And what I don't understand is, what changed? The last time I read his mind it was a cage of nightmares-but he was there. He gave me a vision of Jolie, and told me how to escape."

"But you said he was drugged today, right?" Biana asked. "Maybe he was still sedated?"

"Drugs rarely have any effect on a broken mind," Della said. The sadness in her voice made it clear she was reliving the days she'd spent holding down Alden's thrashing body while Elwin struggled to keep him sedated.

"Unless . . ."

"Unless what?" Della and Biana both asked, making Sophie realize she'd spoken aloud.

"What if . . . Dame Alina did something?" she whispered. "We all saw him yesterday, and he wasn't catatonic like this. Terik even called for backup because he needed someone to calm Prentice for transport."

"But what could she have done?" Biana asked.

"I don't know," Sophie admitted. "I know nothing about Beguilers."

"Neither do I," Biana said.

The bigger question Sophie had was: Why?

Why would Dame Alina risk harming her own sanity by hurting Prentice?

"What's wrong?" Biana asked her mom.

Della shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm just . . . glad Alden isn't here to hear this."

Biana covered her mouth. "You don't think he's going to . . ."

"No," Della said, rushing over to hug her daughter. "Your father is strong, he won't let this break him again."

Biana's eyes welled with tears anyway.

Sophie's eyes burned as well. "If it helps," she said, trying to convince them as much as herself, "the Collective thinks we just need to give Prentice time. He's been surrounded by so much misery in Exile, he might've retreated to protect himself. So now that he's free, we can surround him with happier things to draw him back out. Plus, Fitz and I haven't tried working together as Cognates yet."

"That's true," Della said, clearing thickness from her throat. "We all have to remember, Prentice has only been free for a few hours. We need to be patient."

"I'm tired of being patient," Biana said.

Sophie was too.

Della hugged them both. "It's late," she said. "We should all get some sleep so we're ready for whatever the Black Swan needs tomorrow."

Sophie tried to take Della's advice. But her head was too full of questions. She stayed up reading, scouring the telepathy books the Black Swan had given her, hoping to find some clue that might explain what was happening.

"I feared I might find you like this," Mr. Forkle said from her doorway.

Sophie jumped so hard she knocked the books off her lap.

"Any news?" she asked, sitting on her hands to stop from reaching for her eyelashes.

"No change-but we're counting that as a good thing. At least he is not getting worse."

He crossed her room and pulled open her drapes, staring out the window. It was brighter outside than Sophie had expected it to be.

"Caring for Prentice is going to be far more time consuming than we'd originally planned," he said. "Especially since Calla and the other gnomes have yet to return. Do not let that trouble you," he added quickly. "Calla warned us it would take several days for her search. But . . . the fact that the plague keeps spreading proves we should be doing more to investigate. We've been pinning so many hopes on Prentice that it's made us shortsighted. So I brought your request to the Collective, and we've reached a decision." He turned back to face her, and she could see the worry in his eyes as he said, "We've agreed that the five of you should attend Exillium."

Sophie nodded, her voice momentarily abandoning her.

"You're right to be nervous," he told her. "Exillium is on the front lines of this plague. And their program is far more rigorous than anything you've experienced. But we have no doubt that you and your friends can handle it. You've proven time and again that you are both resourceful and brave. Still, you will need to prepare. And we'll have to wait until Mr. Vacker is fully recovered. You also must secure your cache in the void."

"The void?" Sophie asked.

"It's a confusing process," Mr. Forkle admitted. "But I've brought a Conjurer to guide you through. She's waiting for you in the main room."

Sophie dressed quickly, expecting to find another elf in a crazy disguise.

Instead she found an achingly familiar figure in a simple blue gown waiting for her by the waterfall.

"Edaline?"

THIRTY-SIX.

TEARS STREAMED DOWN Sophie's cheeks as she tackled her mom with a hug. "I can't believe you're here!"

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself," Edaline whispered. She glanced around the room, smiling at Della and Biana. "This definitely wasn't what I'd been imagining for your hideout. It feels almost . . . homey."

"It's not as good as home," Sophie promised.

Edaline traced her hands across Sophie's back, and for a second it felt like they were back at Havenfield, everyone safe, nobody hurt or banished.

"I love you, Mom," Sophie whispered, taking her chance to say it.

"I love you too."

Sophie leaned back, trying to read the shadows on Edaline's face. Rings under her eyes hinted that she wasn't sleeping, and a crease between her brows gave away her stress. But otherwise she looked pretty normal.

A sniffle from the doorway made them turn to where Dex stood.

"Sorry," he mumbled, wiping his eyes. "Just . . . you know."

Dex's mom and Edaline were sisters, and they looked a lot alike-same wide turquoise eyes and soft, amber-colored hair.

"Come here, Dex," Edaline said, stepping aside to include him in the hug. "Your family is going to be so jealous when I tell them I got to see you."

"They don't know you're here?" Sophie asked.

"No, even Grady doesn't. He's off with Alden. I was out working in the sasquatch pasture when Mr. Forkle appeared."

"Sorry to catch you by surprise," Mr. Forkle said. "The Council is monitoring Havenfield extremely closely."

"Are they doing the same to my family?" Dex asked.

"Of course," Edaline said. "But your dad's enjoying it. He's been rigging traps all over Slurps and Burps to catch anyone snooping. Several Emissaries have left covered in pink slime."

Dex grinned. "Wish I could be there."

"He wishes you could too. But he's so proud of you. Your whole family is-Oh! I can't believe I forgot!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wriggling bundle of orange fur.

"IGGY!" Sophie and Dex shouted at the same time.

The tiny imp squeaked and flapped his batlike wings, fluttering over to Sophie's waiting hands. She kissed his furry cheeks, gagging from the Iggy breath.

Dex coughed. "Whoa, I think he's gotten stinkier."

"He has," Edaline agreed. "He's been refusing to clean himself. And if I leave him in his cage, he flings his poop. So I've been carrying him in my pocket and bribing him with treats."

Sophie poked Iggy's belly, which felt chubbier-though it was hard to tell under the orange dreadlocks. His natural fur was gray, but Dex had a habit of slipping Iggy elixirs.

"Next time you're getting shorter fur," Dex told Iggy. "So it won't hold the stink in."

"You should make him blue," Biana said. "With sparkles!"

Iggy responded with an extraordinarily loud fart.

"Fine, no sparkles," Sophie said, rubbing his fuzzy chin and filling the room with his squeaky purr. "I didn't realize how much I missed him. I wish Grady . . ."

"I know," Edaline said.

"What is he doing with Alden?" Della asked.

"Does it have to do with the scrolls I saw you reading through my Spyball," Sophie asked.

Edaline smiled. "I've wondered if you were watching."

"What's in the scrolls?" Mr. Forkle asked.

"We're honestly not sure. The Council had ordered them destroyed, so Alden snuck them home to figure out why. So far they've all been about testing trees for something called drakostomes."

Sophie, Dex, and Biana shared a look.

"Why do I feel like there's something you haven't told me?" Mr. Forkle asked them.

Dex explained what he'd found in the archive, and how the drakostomes seemed like something the ogres held as leverage against the Council.

Mr. Forkle rubbed his temples. "That's the kind of information I expect you to tell me."

"We meant to," Dex said. "But things have been crazy."

"Yes, I suppose they have," Mr. Forkle agreed. "But if the Council wants those scrolls destroyed, they're clearly trying to cover their tracks."

"So you think the ogres are behind the plague?" Sophie asked. "And that the Council knew it could happen?"

Mr. Forkle sighed. "It's looking more and more possible."

"Then why hasn't the Council sent the goblins into Ravagog to shut the ogres down?" Dex asked.

"Because war with the ogres will kill thousands," Mr. Forkle reminded him. "And presently the plague hasn't killed a single gnome."