Keeper of the Lost Cities: Rebuild [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Five - SOPHIE

Sophie watched a goblin family as they strolled the perimeter of the queen's courtyard.

Unsurprisingly, the floor mirrored medieval cobblestones, all gilded. What did surprise her were the imperfections in the gold—a brown blotch here, a silver streak there. A part of her just assumed something like this place would be crafted as opulently as possible—and while it certainly was, she found the lack of perfection unexpected.

An uncomfortable feeling of guilt settled in her stomach, and she wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to hold it all back.

She had been in the Lost Cities for a little less than a decade now, learning about its culture, the other species, the magic, the impossible. But twelve years of being a human (or believing that, anyway) still affected her in strange ways.

Some part of her had grown to understand the elves' prejudice toward the humans.

The humans were ignorant. They didn't know half of what she knew, nor did they have the capacity for a lot of it.

That had been her revelation for years.

Sophie, since that day so many years ago, when Fitz had found her in that museum, had been the new girl.

More than that, she had been the Moonlark—the Black Swan's creation. And while she had struggled to understand what her place was sometimes, she had found it. Had defeated the Neverseen. Had done her duty.

So what was her purpose now? Why did she feel so helpless—so guilty?

"I can't believe you," Marella growled for what had to be the tenth time.

Sophie looked away from the goblins and studied her friends.

Marella was pacing back and forth, nursing a child's flame in her palm. Her eyes were wide from adrenaline, a stark contrast to Tam's heavy lids. He was leaning against the courtyard's wall, shadows seeping out of the cracks and wrapping around him like ropes.

They were already falling apart, and it had only been two days.

She was such a failure. She couldn't lead them—not like this. Not when she didn't know what she was doing.

"I don't understand!" Marella shouted, voice cracking. She seemed to realize the show of vulnerability and quenched her flame, keeping the one hand fisted.

"Please don't punch him," said Sophie.

Marella spun to her. "What's up with you?! Isn't this mission, like, your big break? If this is a success, you've proven yourself, the world gets saved, etcetera etcetera? But oh, wait, I forgot not everyone wants to live another day!" Her withering gaze locked on Tam then.

"Marella," Sophie started, but Tam's gravelly voice interrupted her.

"No, Sophie, let me handle her." He pushed himself off the wall with some resistance from the shadowvapor.

Sophie tried not to flinch as it moved toward her; sometimes her echoes stirred if shadowflux got too close.

"You don't get to handle me, not after your moronic performance in that room!" Marella snapped. "Look, I messed up my lines—I kinda freaked, you know? You were supposed to convince the queen—"

"This is the first time I've ever heard you admit you were wrong," said Tam in mock disbelief.

"Shut up!" Marella screamed, shoving him into the wall. "You don't know me!"

"I know enough, Marella," he hissed, shadows gathering around his fingers.

Sophie moved to step in between them, but saw a gray blur out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face it instead and saw it was a tall, lanky goblin with the royal insignia woven onto his vest.