The Matchmakers

TWENTY FIVE

"GET UP YOU UNGRATEFUL brat!"

Sophie bolted upright at the commotion rubbing her sleep-swollen eyes as she tried to figure out why Councillor Alina was standing in the middle of her room, yelling at her.

At an ungodly hour of the morning.

Sophie groaned as she rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head, but the Councillor continued her tirade unaffected.

"We could have not given you a scroll," Councillr Alina shrieked, the noise piercing even through the fluffy layer of pillow over Sophie's ears. "We could have made sure you stayed alone for the rest of your pitiful, worthless life. Instead we showed you mercy, and how do you repay us? With the most public, high profile breakup in the history of the Lost Cities? Not on my watch!"

With that the pillow was ripped off of Sophie's head.

Accepting defeat, Sophie rolled over and met the eyes of her former principal and current least favorite member of the Elvin Council. "What's going on?" she asked, looking toward the open doorway, which was noticeably empty of either of her foster parents.

"This is ludicrous," Councillor Alina commented. "It's one in the afternoon. Get up!" Councillor Alina grabbed Sophie's arm and dragged her out of bed, pushing her roughly toward the closet. "Good. Now get dressed."

"What's going on?" Sophie demanded from her closet as she changed into a plain white tunic and some brown leggings.

"What's 'going on,'" Councillor Alina mocked as she waited outside—Sophie could hear her foot tapping rapidly on the carpet; Sophie only hoped the flowers of her rug would survive—"is that I'm fixing the mess you and your idiot fiance made last night at the graduation ceremony. Now brush your teeth and..." she gesticulated wordlessly at Sophie's head as Sophie reappeared, "do something with your hair."

Sophie frowned at the beguiler, but did as she was told. When she emerged from the bathroom, Councillor Alina headed for the stairs.

"Okay, I'll ask again," Sophie said, following her out the bedroom door, "what's going on?"

"We've already sent out wedding invitations," Councillor Alina tossed over her shoulder, "so don't bother trying to argue with us. You'll be married in a month."

"To who?" Sophie choked out. "Fitz? In case you missed it we broke up last night."

Councillor Alina laughed meanly. "Your naivete is always refreshing, Miss Foster," she mocked, "but that's not how it works. You don't break up unless we allow you to."

Sophie glared at her, crossing her arms stubbornly and stopping in the middle of the stairs. "I won't marry him."

Councillor Alina shot her a confident sneer. "I think you will," the woman said in a victorious tone. "You see, if you break up with the golden Vacker, I will personally drag your name through the mud."

"I don't care," Sophie interrupted. "I've had enough of caring about what other people think of me. I'm done."

"You didn't let me finish," Councillor Alina said, her eyes narrowing. "If you break up with the golden Vacker, I'll drag your name through the mud. Then I'll make sure you never join the nobility. And before you say you don't care about that either, consider this: all it would take is one call to the sanctuary, and poof! Poor little Keefe Sencen is out of a job."

Sophie bristled as Councillor Alina turned and continued down the stairs. "Leave Keefe out of this," she demanded as she hurried after the councillor.

Councillor Alina cackled, the noise reminding Sophie of Ursula, Maleficent, and every Disney villain wrapped into one, beautiful package. Well, beautiful on the outside. The package was rotted through on the inside. "My dear, oblivious girl," Councillor Alina continued, mindless of where Sophie's thoughts had wandered, "Mr. Sencen is just as much a part of this as you or your fiance. You made sure of that."