what happened after unlocked

chapter thirty-five ~ the new and improved team valiant

"Why do we have to go to them?" Sophie whined. "I mean, Team Valiant's disbanded, so why do have to go to all the way to the Seat of Eminence?"

Edaline and Grady both shrugged.

Sophie groaned. "And why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"Just wear your nicest gown and be ready for something new," Edaline said shrewdly.

"But I still don't get it," Sophie argued, "Why am I going?"

"Because . . . you'll see," Grady said with a tiny smirk.

Sophie sank so low she was almost bent in half. She did not like wearing anything remotely uncomfortable – though that was the understatement of the century.

But maybe this meant the Council was finally doing something – and better yet, what if they were reforming Team Valiant?

Though, as Sophie thought about it more, she wasn't on the Council's side. So did she really want to follow their orders again?

Or did she want to succumb to whatever torture she'd have to endure in order to finish her duties as the moonlark?

"I know you don't want to do this," Edaline said, as if she could read Sophie's mind, "But I promise it will help you."

"Really, though?" Sophie said. "I mean, is serving the Council again actually going to help me?"

"At least being on their side will help you," Grady pointed out. "Because if you're all in harmony, they're more likely to listen to you."

"Ugh, fine," Sophie moaned, dragging her feet all the way upstairs. Her bedroom was a few degrees warmer than downstairs, but it was still quite cold, so Sophie chose the thickest gown and cape she could.

Before she could leave her wardrobe and hastily drape a cape over her shoulders, Sophie saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her heart ache.

It was all the Regent items she'd received when her, Biana, Wylie, Stina, and Dex had been appointed to Team Valiant.

And it was painful to leave it all behind – even if she was so against the idea of being a part of the Nobility.

Did she really want to leave it all behind? Was she so against her own society that she would never even help it to grow, only because of her own stubbornness?

Because now, after thinking it through some more, losing to Lady Gisela was the last thing Sophie wanted.

***

"So...who else is coming?" Biana asked Della awkwardly.

"I've already told you this at least three times," her mother answered, somewhat irritably, "The rest of your friends are coming later. For now, it's just you and Team Valiant."

Behind Sophie, Biana, Della and Grady were Dex, Juline, Wylie, Tiergan, Stina and Vika. Sophie's spotlight had changed so that it was now a deep magenta, and she supposed it was because of her new ability, even though it was far from dominating.

Nobody else's spotlights had changed.

"So, how come everyone's coming?" Sophie asked Della, in effort to learn something without her question being turned down.

"It's . . . well, you'll see," Della said, with the hint of a smirk.

Sophie glanced at Biana with a frown. Biana gave her an encouraging smile and hooked her arm through hers.

They continued along the pitch-black hall, lit only by the different spotlights.

No-one spoek until they reached the very end, where twelve silver spotlights were shining on each Councillor. It was hard to look at each of them, because the light was so blinding, but it was especially hard to look at Oralie – what she'd done made Sophie's blood boil.

"Welcome, everyone," Councillor Emery said grandly, leading the eleven other elves behind him toward the approaching ones. "I suppose you are wondering why we summoned you here."

The former members of Team Valiant each stepped forward and nodded silently.

"Very well," Emery said, his eyes firmly on the five. Wylie, Stina, Biana, Dex and Sophie had each worn the nicest clothes they had in their possession. "The other Councillors and I have decided to reform Team Valiant."

Biana looked so joyful at this that Sophie was surprised she wasn't levitating.

But Sophie wasn't even amazed like she was – she'd been expecting this.

Wylie's small smile into a huge one, making his face brighter. Stina tried to hide her gratefulness with a scowl but Sophie could tell she was completely over the moon – and Sophie didn't even need to read her emotions. Dex grinned and clasped his hands together, tears in his eyes. Sophie smiled at him and when his eyes met hers she realized something was wrong.

"You okay?" she mouthed.

"I just kinda wish Jensi was here," Dex whispered back.

Sophie looked up at Juline, whose face was shining in pride for her son. Sophie couldn't describe how glad that made her.

"But there's a twist," Councillor Terik added, stepping forward so he was adjacent to Emery. "We'll explain in a moment."

At the sound of a familiar elf's voice, the five newly reinstated Regents turned to see two faint pink lights in the distance, followed by orange and gray, then blue, then bright yellow and green, then two more blues, dark gray, and white and pale purple.

It was all of Sophie's other friends and their parents.

"Fitz!" Biana called to her brother, who was walking beside Alden.

Fitz looked around, wide-eyed, at the final hall he was now standing in with all the others. Keefe and Lord Cassius moved closer to Sophie and Edaline, Tam and Linh joined Tiergan and Wylie, Maruca, Marella, and their parents joined Stina and Vika, Jensi and his father finally joining Dex and Juline.

Sophie grinned over at the Councillors – even Oralie seemed happy.

"This is all very touching," Emery interrupted, "But we need to discuss now what we have decided on for the twelve of you."

"Wait, so I'm in this too?" Keefe asked him. "Because I thought you didn't trust me."

"That was before we thought about who you were, not what you were," Emery sighed. "Anyway, we have decided to reform Team Valiant – but this time, with all of you in it."

They all blinked.

And then Jensi started to tear up and little, holding on tightly to Dex's hand as he smiled, and somehow that led to Biana and Linh beginning an applause together.

Eventually, the only one who didn't seem as enthusiastic was Tam – he was too busy staring glumly at the back of Keefe's head.

The noise died down and Councillor Bronte took a deep breath and spoke this time, his eyes shadowed with something Sophie's Empathy couldn't understand. "We were wrong, and we are going to give to you a privilege we know you've always wanted. Some of you have always dreamed of helping people in this way. And some of you wanted to be with your friends. So now, we grant you the permission to do just that – this is now the new and improved Team Valiant!"

Bronte's happiness made the air in the room so much lighter as people began laughing and exchanging their new proposals. Biana and Keefe stood next to Sophie as she looked directly at Bronte's face – she still hadn't forgotten what Lady Gisela had told her about Bronte helping her.

Bronte used to be friends with a murderer.

But did he mean it?

Could Sophie really blame him for falling under Lady Gisela's cruel, manipulative spell?

Sophie supposed not.

So she smiled with everyone else, soaking up the joy, relishing the hope and dreaminess of their new position.

Sophie was going to work as hard as she could to set things right, and that started with being a Regent.

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