UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 25

"I can explain!"  Glimmer shouted quickly as she saw all the death glares she was receiving from around the room.

Everyone was half shooting furious glances at Glimmer and quick I-told-you-so stares at Tam.  Adela and Lady Gisela just looked amused, their eyes darting around to everyone's expressions like they were watching a very interesting tennis match.

"You better," someone said from behind Sophie, but she didn't bother turning around to see who said it.  It could've been anyone, and she really didn't want to take her eyes of Glimmer.

The only reason they could tell it was her was because she was still wearing her Neverseen cloak, but she was a lot shorter than the others.

Glimmer opened her mouth to speak but Adela quickly vanished out of sight and reappeared next to her, putting a hand over Glimmer's mouth.

"Not right now," she said out loud for all of them to hear.  "Your times has not come.  You haven't filled in your part of the deal."

Sophie felt like collapsing right there on the spot.  The last time someone had made a deal with Lady Gisela, Keefe had ended up knocked out for a week, and the effect just kept leading to the next like dominoes.

Thankfully, it didn't look like Glimmer was prepared to hurt anyone, and it didn't sound like she was planning on it either.  Adela had been talking about a skilled Flasher that could harness the power of Stellarlune, and then Glimmer had walked in, probably meaning that Glimmer was that special Flasher.

But why not Wylie?  Or Elwin? Or even Luzia Vacker?

Sophie had already figured out half of the deal- she would summon stellarlune and give it to Sophie, and then probably disappear with the Neverseen all over again.  Part of Sophie wasn't sure about the last part.  Everything from the fact that she still had her hood on, she kept shifting her feet as if she was nervous, and sounded guilty and unwilling to do whatever she was going to do suggested that maybe she was being forced into doing it.

Sophie had no idea what they wanted in return.

"Sophie!"  Adela said, and her tone implied that she'd been calling her name for a while now.  "Here's the deal; Glimmer gives you the Stellarlune.  And we're even giving you the prisoners. Yay! In return, you have to-"

"Wait a second," Tam interrupted.  "Wasn't the whole point of the Stellarlune so that we could get them in the first place?"

"Think about it this way," Lady Gisela chirped as if she thought she was being helpful.  "You get the prisoners for free, and a side bonus of Stellarlune."

Adela scowled at her like she hated Lady Gisela cutting into her evil reveal moment.  "In return, my moonlark, you have to take this."

She held up a small syringe filled with dark, sloshy liquid.

"What does it do?" Keefe asked before she could.

"Just injects a tiny bit of shadowflux into her veins," Adela replied as if they were simply discussing which place to eat at.

"I am not taking that," Sophie said, remembering her echoes, which was probably the least fun experience she'd ever gone through.

Lady Gisela must've read the panic in her eyes because she assured her, "This isn't enough to bring back the echoes, or to have the same effect as Umber and Gethen gave you.  It won't effect your abilities, or your physical strength.  Remember: It's all in your head."

"The echoes were in her head," Fitz pointed out.

"It won't be like that," Adela said quickly.  "But we're getting off topic.  Will you do this in exchange for the Stellarlune, and your parents?"

"And Maruca," Wylie added.

Adela hesitated, but hastily put in, "And the Psionipath."

"And you must inject it here," Lady Gisela put in.  "So we know that you have done it."

A part of Sophie was dreading it.  But a part of her was saying, Grady and Edaline would do it for me.

She thought of every single moment she'd broken down and cried about something and Grady and Edaline had given up their time and probably half their sanity to be there for her.

And Maruca too- she might not have known her for that long, but she was just as close to Sophie as the rest of her friends were.

She gulped down a wave of panic and doubt and terror, snatched the syringe from Adela's hand, and pushed it into her arm.