UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 40

Sophie watched him sprint off, dodging a hoard of Neverseen members that lunged for him as he ran.  She regretted not coming with him, but if she didn't stay here and help, more people would get hurt because of her.

She'd already started this. Now it was time to finish it.

"Gethen!" she shouted.  With Adela and Lady Gisela by the cave, Gethen was probably the one that was most in charge.

A figure turned around.  "Oh, Sophie Foster.  Remember me?"

The flashbacks ran through her mind like a blazing fire, and Sophie tried to drown them out with happy thoughts.  Happy shadow thoughts... that just reminded her of Tam, who reminded her of Keefe, who reminded her that she shouldn't even be thinking about that in the first place.

"I do," Sophie said, pushing the fear and terror out of her voice.

She was Sophie Foster. She was the moonlark.

And she was not going to let anyone tell her otherwise.

"Scared?" Gethen taunted.  

"You don't have Umber to hide behind," Sophie snarled.  "All you did that day was taunt me- standing by and watching others do your dirty work. And that's all you'll ever get the chance to do."

"Is the moonlark getting feisty?" Gethen said, his voice filled with mock impressiveness.  "Don't fear. I am not quite Adela with my insults, but when I try I leave a nasty scar."

"You're the only nasty scar around here," Sophie yelled, and despite the fact that she was so tired, she tackled Gethen head on.

Apparently Gethen didn't expect her to be so reckless. His eyes widened as she caused them to roll faster and faster down the hill.

"I can inflict on you if I wanted to!" Sophie yelled over the wind.

"I can tell that you barely have enough mental energy to stay conscious," Gethen said, quite calmy for someone who was rolling down a hill uncontrollably that lead to a cliff.

He gripped the grass with his hands, slowing them down, as he leaped up onto his feet and glared at Sophie, holding a meddler to her head.

"I will give you one chance before I use this: Where. Is. The. Boy?"

"You mean Keefe?" Sophie asked quizzically.

"Yes," Gethen said. "Don't play dumb with me, Sophie.  He was with you a minute ago. Now he's not."

Sophie wanted to laugh out loud.  They didn't know that he had gone to get Lady Gisela and Adela- maybe they didn't even know that the two Neverseen leader were knocked unconscious.

"I don't know," Sophie lied.  Then just to put him on edge, she added, "But I bet when you find him you'll be in for a nice surprise."

Gethen re positioned the meddler, pointing it against her forehead.  "Don't play games with me Sophie. You know where he is."

"I don't!" Sophie said, forcing a squeak of terror into her voice- which wasn't too hard.  At least she wasn't being cornered by an Empath.

"I don't care about the rules of Telepathy," Gethen warned.  "I can try to get into your mind-"

"Well you can't!" Sophie snapped, sweeping a leg underneath his knees and tripping him onto the ground.

"Two can play that game!" Gethen snarled, and once again, they were rolling like Jack-and-Jill down the hill.

Gethen stopped them at the edge of the cliff- sadly for Sophie, she was pressed against the ledge, while Gethen had the entire grassy field behind him.

"Scrap the mission," Gethen said into some sort of communication device he had with the rest of the Neverseen.  A crackly voice argued, "But-"

"Scrap it!" Gethen snapped.  The voice obeyed.

And the last thing Sophie remembered before the world faded to black was Gethen pressing the meddler and her falling backwards off the side of the cliff.