Elwin vowed to come as well, in the hopes that there'd be blossoms ready to harvest. None of the gnomes in Lumenaria were showing red yet, but the sooner they got the cure, the better.

"What about you?" Mr. Forkle asked Tam and Linh. "I can bring you to your family. Or, we have two tree houses that now have vacancies-regardless of whether you join our order."

The twins exchanged a glance.

"If you mean that," Linh said, "we'd like to take your offer."

"Someday we'll face our family," Tam added. "But not until we're ready"

"Fair enough," Mr. Forkle said. "And what about you, Mr. Dizznee? I'm assuming you'll be going home?"

Dex nodded. "Unless Sophie needs me."

Sophie choked down the lump in her throat. "Give the triplets a hug for me."

Dex hugged Sophie first, telling her to hit her panic switch if she needed him. She promised she would as he glittered away.

"Which leaves you," Mr. Forkle told Keefe. "You can stay with Tam and Linh. Or I'm sure Alden has a place for you at Everglen."

"We have one here as well," Grady said.

"Wow, didn't see that coming," Keefe told him. "And thanks. But . . . I'm going back to Candleshade-and there's no need for that tidal wave of worry you're hitting me with, Foster. I'll be fine."

"Fine?" Sophie repeated, remembering Keefe's epic freak-out when he'd found out the Black Swan were considering letting his father join their ranks. "You can't go back there, Keefe. You hate it."

"I do," he agreed. "But I can't keep running from who I am."

His voice hitched on the last words, and he wouldn't look at her as Mr. Forkle created him a path to Candleshade. When he glittered away, she caught a glimpse of the scared angry boy she was starting to know too well.

Part of her wanted to chase him, drag him back to a better place. The other part of her couldn't handle any more drama that day.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Mr. Forkle told her. "And I'll send your belongings within the hour. I know there's a certain blue elephant you cannot sleep without. As well as a troublesome imp!"

Sophie mumbled her thanks, but sleep was out of the question. How could she sleep when she knew Calla was out there, changing?

"Come on, kiddo," Grady said, wrapping his arm around her. Edaline did the same, and they walked inside arm in arm.

Sophie studied Havenfield's living room, with its crystal walls overlooking the ocean and its wide curved staircase, trying to feel like she was truly home. Edaline made custard bursts while Sophie showered and changed, and she was glad to be wearing nonfurry pajamas. But even with Ella in her arms and Edaline rubbing her back, her bed felt weird.

Her room felt weird.

Everything was wrong.

When her parents finally left, she squeezed her eyes tight and stretched out her mind to Silveny.

FRIEND! the alicorn transmitted. SOPHIE! FRIEND! VISIT!

Sophie only had one question.

Safe? she transmitted.

SAFE! SAFE! SAFE! Silveny agreed, and Sophie felt her shoulders relax. She hadn't forgotten the secret Keefe had shared with King Dimitar.

Tomorrow, she would have to ensure Silveny stayed safe-permanently.

Calla's Panakes tree was the most exquisitely beautiful tree in the history of beautiful trees. It stood stately and elegantly on its hill, with long sweeping branches floating on the ocean breeze. The tree reminded Sophie of a weeping willow, but it didn't make her sad like she'd thought it would. Somehow, the tree felt hopeful-and friendly.

It might've been the braided bark, which reminded her of Calla's plaited hair. Or the way she could hear soft whispers in the rustling star-shaped leaves. Most likely, though, it was the colorful blossoms. Thousands of them-maybe millions-turning the branches into garlands of silky fluff.

The flowers changed colors in the shifting sunlight, sometimes pink, sometimes purple, sometimes blue. Their indescribably sweet scent made Sophie's head feel clearer, her heart lighter. She had no doubt they truly could heal anything.

The Council invited all the gnomes to come to Havenfield to gather the petals. And while there were definitely tears, there was also a bittersweet celebration. Every one of the gnomes knew the sacrifice Calla had made for them and vowed to honor her memory. Grady and Edaline invited them to visit the tree any time they wanted, and the gnomes joined hands and circled Calla's tree, singing a song of love and gratitude.

With each powerful lyric, Calla's tree grew taller, and new blossoms sprouted to replace those that had been harvested.

The Council arrived later, quieting the celebration by reminding the gnomes that they now had a choice: They could remain in the Lost Cities, or they could start a new homeland.

"The ogres hold no threat over your species any longer," Councillor Emery assured them. "So if you'd prefer to establish a world of your own, we'll do all we can to support you. The Neutral Territories hold many beautiful places, and once we eradicate the plague, you would be welcome to any of them. We'd also provide any help and protection you require."

Stunned silence followed.

"You don't have to decide today," Councillor Emery told them. "We realize this is a rather large decision."

The gnomes didn't need the extra time. They all spoke in unison, shouting, "We choose to stay in the Lost Cities. Our lives are here-and they have always been happy. All we ask is that you promise there will be no more secrets."

"Agreed," Councillor Emery promised.

"And for the record," Councillor Terik added, "we're honored you've chosen to stay. Please don't ever think of yourselves as our guests. The Lost Cities are your home."

That triggered a huge eruption of cheers, followed by celebratory songs as the gnomes called roots to carry them away to their regular residences. Grady and Edaline tried to convince the Havenfield gnomes they should take time to rest, but the gnomes were itching to get back to work. Within hours, the animals were bathed, the pastures looked pristine, and they'd built a gorgeous fence around Calla's Panakes tree.

By evening it almost felt like Sophie had never left Havenfield. The Council even gave her a shiny new registry pendant.

But when Edaline offered to clasp it around her neck, Sophie hesitated. The Council had yet to prove they were truly going to work with her. She had one demand-one she knew they would resist. She had to make sure they'd agree to it before she committed to her return.

Grady didn't ask questions when Sophie asked him to arrange a meeting with the Councillors at the Sanctuary. He did insist that he and Edaline join her, but she'd wanted them there anyway. She also asked Keefe to meet her there, but decided not to bother the Vackers. They were dealing with enough at the moment. And Dex, Tam, and Linh weren't really involved.

Keefe was the first to arrive outside the humongous snow-covered gates in the shadow of the great mountain. The smile he greeted her with definitely wasn't convincing. She noticed he wasn't wearing his registry pendant either.

"So what's with all the vagueness and mystery?" he asked.

"I'll explain when everyone gets here."

Keefe nodded, but his eyes strayed to the sun, like he was checking the time.

"Do you need to be somewhere?" Sophie asked.

"Still worrying about me, I see," he said. "I guess it's good to know the Mysterious Miss F. hasn't gotten sick of me yet."

"I'll never get sick of you, Keefe."

"We'll see."

She noticed he hadn't actually answered her question.

Before she could press him, he reached into his pocket and handed her a small blue-velvet pouch. "By the way, um . . . this is for you."

Sophie's cheeks warmed, despite the biting cold. And when she poured the pouch's contents into her palm, she found a long necklace, each bead painted with a different flower.

"This is the one you made for your mom," she said, tracing her fingers over the stunning beads. The intricate details he'd given each blossom made them look like photographs.

"Yeah," he mumbled, fussing with his hair. "I know you already have a ton of necklaces and stuff, but . . . I wanted you to have it."

"You're sure you don't want to keep it?"

He shook his head.

He still wasn't looking at her, so she leaned closer and whispered, "She's not gone yet, Keefe."

"I know. But either way, it's yours now. I even made you a new bead."

He showed her one in the bottom center, slightly larger than the others, and decorated with . . .

"Is this a Panakes blossom?" she asked, squinting at the lacy pink, purple, and blue flower he'd painted. He'd set a tiny crystal on the largest petal, like a sparkle of dew. "How did you know what they looked like?"

"I stopped by around sunrise to see Calla."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to interrupt your Ella cuddle time."

"So . . . you just sat outside by yourself? For how long?"

"Not that long. It wasn't a big deal. I was heading home from a thing and decided to check on Calla on a whim."

"A thing . . ." she said slowly, waiting for Keefe to elaborate. When he didn't, she told him, "If you hate being at Candleshade, Keefe, you don't have to stay there."

"I know. I probably won't. Aren't you going to put that on?" he asked, changing the subject.

The beads felt cool on her skin as she slipped the necklace over her head. "How does it look?"

Keefe's smile looked more sad than happy. She wanted to ask if he was okay, but she could see Edaline giving her one of those isn't that the CUTEST? smiles straight out of every teenager's nightmares.

"Thanks," she mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It's really beautiful."

Keefe shrugged. "It's nice to see someone finally wearing it."

"Well, you'll be seeing a lot of it. I'm going to wear it every day." She hoped that would earn her a smile, but Keefe's eyes returned to his feet. He seemed almost . . . nervous. His palms even looked a little sweaty.

The Council arrived then, ending the uncomfortable moment-though they brought their own tension to the mountain.

"Just because you've been pardoned, Miss Foster, doesn't mean you get to demand our attention," Councillor Alina snapped.

"Tell us, Miss Foster," Bronte said. "Why have you called us here?"

Sophie reached for Keefe's hand, needing his support as she stared into the faces of the twelve Councillors and said, "I want you to set Silveny and Greyfell free."

SEVENTY-SIX.

AT FIRST THE Councillors laughed, assuming Sophie was joking. But when the punch line never came, they switched to shouting and arguing.

Sophie stood in silence, waiting for one of them to get to the right question. Oralie was the one to finally ask it.

"Why?"

"We had to tell King Dimitar that Silveny's pregnant," Sophie said, causing a whole lot more yelling and arguing. "It was the only way to sell the lie we used to distract him. So he knows. And I'm sure he's going to go after the alicorns even harder, now that he doesn't have the drakostomes. It's only a matter of time before he finds a way to break into the Sanctuary. They're getting closer each time."

"So we move the alicorns," Councillor Terik suggested.

"To where?" Sophie asked. "Some tiny underground cavern where Silveny and Greyfell will be miserable? How will that be good for the baby?"

"We also don't know if the Neverseen have any other spies helping them," Grady added. "They've been pretty good at hiding right under our noses."

"And how is it safer to release the alicorns and leave them completely unprotected?" Councillor Emery asked.

"Because they can teleport," Sophie reminded the Council. "Why do you think it took you so long to find Silveny? The only reason she let me catch her was because she chose to come to me-and it took tons of convincing to prove to her I was safe. I'm sure she'll be even more careful now that she has a family to protect. And the ogres can't steal her if they don't know where she is."

"Her reasoning does have its merits," Councillor Clarette said quietly.

"How?" Councillor Alina demanded. "This world is too dangerous."

"The alicorns survived for thousands of years on their own," Bronte argued.

"Yes, and Greyfell very nearly didn't," Councillor Emery reminded him. "We've all seen his scars-and those happened decades ago, before humans built their weapons of mass destruction."

"They'll also have ogres hunting them this time," Councillor Alina added. "And the Neverseen."

"Not if we make them think the alicorns are still in the Sanctuary," Edaline suggested. "They'd never expect us to set them free. So let them keep their focus on the wrong place."

"And Sophie can transmit to Silveny and check to make sure she's okay," Oralie added.