"Indeed, Miss Foster," Fintan agreed. "And fear is the world's greatest motivator. Look at the power your group harnessed today as a result of your terror." His eyes roved to Keefe as he added, "That was your mother's mistake. She surrendered to her fear, and it cost her everything."

"Including her life?" Sophie asked.

"Interesting that the question does not come from her son," Fintan noted.

"That's because I don't care about her!" Keefe said.

Fintan smiled. "I suppose it wouldn't matter, then, if I told you she's currently locked in an ogre prison? And that your role in today's invasion surely earned her a death sentence?"

"You're lying," Keefe said, his voice cracking.

"Not this time," Brant told him. "We're the ones who sealed her in her cell."

"I suppose there's a chance we could barter her freedom," Fintan said. "But we'd need proper motivation."

Brant said something else after that, but Sophie couldn't listen. When he spoke, all she could see were his new scars. She'd thought his handsome features had been ruined before. Now they were gone.

One of his ears.

Parts of his lips and chin.

Most of his jet-black hair.

His face was more scar tissue than face. And that didn't include the mottled, veiny stump at the end of his right wrist where his hand used to be.

"Why, Miss Foster, you don't look happy to see me," he said, adding more flames to his fireball. "Didn't you swear you would find me again? I've been looking so forward to thanking you for my makeover. You too," he told Dex. "I have excellent things planned for you both."

"Forget it!" Tam shouted as a wave crashed over Brant, and Linh yelled, "RUN!"

They'd barely made it a step before a wall of fire erupted in their path.

"That's quite enough of that," Fintan said, curling the fire into a circle, closing them inside a cage of Everblaze.

"You can stop wasting your energy on water tricks," Brant told Linh. "You've complicated things enough already. Luckily, we've had eyes on you this whole time."

"What does that mean?" Sophie asked.

"It doesn't matter," Alvar said. "What do you want from us?"

The two Pyrokinetics shook their heads.

"I told you, Mr. Vacker," Fintan said. "The charade is over. I spent weeks in Exile. I let my mind be broken. I let them declare me dead. I'm not going to hide anymore. It's time you make your choice. Stand with us, or turn against us."

"What?" Keefe said as the walls of Everblaze flared brighter, painting everything in its eerie yellow glow.

Biana and Fitz stepped away from their brother.

"What does he mean?" Fitz asked.

"I mean that your brother is one of our longest standing members. Youngest to ever enlist-though he made a lot of mistakes back then. One especially big one."

Fintan's eyes flicked to Sophie, and his meaning sank in.

Dex held her steady as she wheeled on Alvar. "You were the Boy Who Disappeared?!"

The words seemed to shatter whatever remained of Alvar's facade. He smoothed his hair and shed his soggy cloak as he said, "Yes."

Rage-fire burned in Sophie's stomach, searing hotter than the Everblaze. "How could you?"

"You wouldn't understand," he said.

"Try me," Fitz told him.

"You really wouldn't understand," Alvar snapped. "You're the Golden Son. I had to find people who appreciated my talents."

"More like overestimated them," Brant muttered. "You had her right in front of you, and you walked away. Scratched her off the list."

"You want to compare mistakes?" Alvar snapped. "Ruy let both of them get away a few weeks back. And let's not forget the worst kidnapping in the history of kidnappings."

"NO!" Keefe shouted as Fitz and Biana backed away from their brother.

"You were there?" Dex asked, shaking so hard Tam and Linh had to keep him steady.

"Of course he was," Fintan said. "He helped plan it."

Sophie reached for Fitz, relieved when he didn't pull away. She had no idea how the Vackers were going to survive another family tragedy.

"How could you?" Biana asked.

Alvar's expression softened when he looked at his sister. "You'll understand, someday, when you see the Vacker legacy for what it is."

"In the meantime," Fintan said, "you're all coming with us. The seven of you have proven very useful. Especially you two," he told Tam and Linh. "Who'd have thought I'd find so much value in a pair of twins?"

And with that final insult, Sophie decided it was time for Plan C.

She transmitted a warning to her friends and reached for her Black Swan pendant. Fury and disgust fueled her as she held the glass in the fading sunlight.

A beam of white fire sparked to life, igniting the silver chest at Alvar's feet.

"That," Fintan said calmly, "was a very dumb move."

But the flames wouldn't stamp out, and they ignored every command the Pyrokinetics shouted.

"If that's how you want to play," Brant said, ordering the wall of flames to tighten.

Sophie launched another beam of her own fire, and it parted the wall of Everblaze.

"Time to go!" she screamed, dragging her friends through the gap. Flames nipped at her skin, but she barely felt them.

"Is there a cliff nearby?" she asked Tam and Linh as they ran.

"No need," Calla said.

She belted out a song that made one of the withered trees bend down and tangle its branches around their feet. A quick THWANG! snapped the tree back, whipping them into the sky. They clung to each other as they soared higher and higher.

As soon as they started to drop, Sophie split a crack in the sky.

The last thing she saw was Alvar's pained expression as they slipped into the void and teleported away.

SEVENTY-THREE.

GRADY AND EDALINE weren't outside when the traumatized group appeared in Havenfield's pastures. But as soon as Sophie called for help, they came rushing out of the glittering crystal mansion.

Within minutes Elwin had arrived to treat any burns, cuts, scrapes, and bruises they'd picked up during their various escapes. But nothing could ease the shock that had settled over everyone.

No one wanted to answer the questions Grady and Edaline kept repeating. Even Sophie could only cling to her parents and let her silent tears soak their tunics. But when Alden arrived, looking equal parts worried and relieved, Sophie knew it was time to speak.

She held tight to Grady's and Edaline's hands as she gave a brief summary of the havoc they'd caused in Ravagog. The adults' eyes seemed to widen with each dangerous detail. Their fear turned to fury when she moved on to the further chaos with the Neverseen, and Sophie pulled Grady closer so he wouldn't try to go after Brant. Alden hailed the Council and asked them to send someone to extinguish the Everblaze and start cleaning up the toxins that would've leaked into the valley from the ogres' tainted river. Then he hailed Mr. Forkle-As-Sir-Astin and told him the Collective should gather at Havenfield.

Sophie decided to wait until everyone had arrived before revealing the devastating truth about the gnomish cure. But Alden deserved to receive the news about Alvar in the privacy of close friends.

"There's something else I have to tell you," she mumbled. "But first, I need you to promise that your mind is strong enough to handle it."

Alden glanced at Fitz and Biana before he nodded.

"Wait," Elwin said, handing Alden a vial filled with clear liquid. "This will take the edge off reality, if you need it."

"Surely the news can't be that bad," Alden said.

"It is," Biana whispered, reaching for her dad. "Alvar's part of the Neverseen."

The vial slipped from Alden's hand, hitting the grass with a soft thud. Elwin tried to hand it back to him, but Alden waived the elixir away. "You're sure?" he whispered.

"Positive," Fitz mumbled, tearing out chunks of grass by the roots. "He was also one of Sophie's kidnappers."

Alden wobbled as the words hit him, and Biana helped him sit on the grass. Elwin tried again to make him take the elixir, but Alden waived the medicine away, calling Fitz to come closer. The three Vackers clung to each other and cried.

Dex turned to Sophie with a look like, Do something.

Grady and Edaline looked just as helpless. Even Tam-who could've been smug, since he'd never trusted Alvar-wiped tears from his silvery eyes and held his sister's hand.

Keefe, meanwhile, wandered away from the group, sitting with his back pointed in their direction. Sophie joined him.

"Alvar was my hero," he whispered.

She reached for his hand, wondering how many betrayals Keefe could survive. "It's not your fault for believing his lies."

"It still makes me an idiot. Plus . . ." Keefe stared at the sky, which seemed too pink and peaceful as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. "Last night, when Alvar slept in my room, he said I reminded him a lot of himself."

"He has good qualities too, Keefe."

"Yeah, but I don't think that's what he meant. I think he was trying to recruit me."

"They tried to recruit Jolie too, remember? All that means is he thinks you're talented."

"Maybe," Keefe said, still not looking at her. "He even told me to reach out to him if I ever needed anything. Said he thought of me like a brother."

"He's not all bad. No one is. That's what makes villains so scary. They're not as different from us as we want them to be."

"Villains," Keefe repeated, saying the word like it tasted sour. "And they think I could be one of them. Gethen even made it sound like my mom planned for it . . ."

"So? When have you ever done what either of your parents wanted you to do?" She'd hoped that would earn her at least half a smile, but Keefe shook his head.

"Are you worrying about what Fintan said?" she asked. "About your mom . . ."

"I don't care what happens to her."

He must've cared a little, though, because after several awkward seconds he asked, "What do you think Fintan meant about bartering for her freedom?"

"I don't know. But the Neverseen are never going to do anything to help us. It's all a trick, just like the cure. That doesn't mean we give up hope, though. There are lots of things we haven't tried."

"Like what?"

Sophie couldn't think of any, but she knew they existed. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

His shrug wasn't really an answer.

"Sophie?" Alden said, waiting for her to turn around. He looked pale, and the tight lines in his features added years to his face. But he didn't seem ready to shatter as he said, "I've often wondered how the Neverseen knew we'd found you. I never considered that I'd told Alvar when Fitz returned from San Diego. He used to be part of the search so I thought he deserved to know . . . I owe you a huge apology."

"No you don't," she promised, rushing over to give him a hug.

Fitz and Biana joined in, and after a moment she felt more arms add to the group as Grady, Edaline, Elwin-even Dex-held everyone tight. Sophie glanced to where Keefe sat alone and glared at him until he reluctantly got up and hugged his friends. Tam and Linh were the last to wrap their arms around the group, but they fit right in.

"What happened?" Della asked, sending everyone scrambling back.

She stood with all five members of the Collective, but Sophie could only focus on Della. She knew in a few seconds Della would go from worried to utterly devastated, and Sophie wished she could stop time so it wouldn't have to happen.

Alden cleared his throat. "There's much to discuss, my love. But we should go home."

Della shook her head. "Where's Alvar? What's going on-"