UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 50

"You are not going there."

That was the first thing that Sandor told her as he snatched away the Neverseen's note and scanned it over.

"Yeah, well what else are we supposed to do?" Sophie demanded.  "I know: this happens every time with the Neverseen.  We think that we can outsmart them and then we fall into a trap.  But... you of all people should know that trying and falling is better than not trying at all."

"That's different," Sandor insisted stubbornly.  "We have lives at stake, not...."

"Exactly," Sophie reasoned.  "You have to let me go. For Keefe. For me. For every single person in the Lost Cities.  It's a game in a bigger battle- and it's time we win."

Sandor blew out a breath.  "How do you suppose you're going to do that- how do you suppose, that you and that boy are going to defeat the evil organization that half the Councillors, the Collective, and all your friends combined, didn't even come close to defeating?"

"We won't defeat them- well, probably not. I told you, Sandor.  It's a game in a bigger war.  And... Lady Gisela isn't out to kill.  She's here for Keefe's legacy- which has basically been an elvin road block for us, since it's hard to work around the fact that his sinister mom is planning some horrible legacy for him."  Her voice cracked just a bit as she added, "And I'm not leaving Keefe behind."

There was thirty seven very long seconds before Sandor said, "Even if I let you, how do you know that your parents will also agree to this..." he waved his arm around, and Sophie had to admit he had a point.

"I can convince them," Sophie said quietly.

"Well... I give you my okay, if it means anything.  I know I'm constantly not wanting to get you into danger but... the Black Swan created you for a reason, and if this is what the reason brings us to, then I have to believe my skills will be enough to protect you- or in this case, my training will be enough for you to help yourself.  Even if I'm not happy about it."

"Thank you?" Sophie told him.  "I'm... going to.... I don't know, hail the others, just in case I need backup or something?"

"You do that- want me to take care of Grady and Edaline for you? I'll leave the long teary goodbye for you alone but..."

"That might be better," Sophie admitted.  She watched Sandor hurry downstairs as she picked up her Imparter and murmured, "Show me Fitz Vacker."

The screen buzzed for a second, and then Fitz's face appeared.  "Sophie? What are you... it's like one in the morning!"

"Sorry- it's kind of an emergency.  Here, let me...."

Sophie clambered off of her bed, picked up the note from where Sandor had dropped it, and showed it to Fitz against the screen.

"Can you pass along the word? I don't think you're going but just in case..."

"Yeah... yeah okay," Fitz said quietly. "But... stay safe, okay Sophie?"

She snorted, knowing how unlikely that was going to be... but.... "being powerful doesn't mean saving the world singlehandedly. It just means standing up for what you think is right."  Amy's words.  That just reminded her of another life that could be at stake if at some point, they failed to stop the Neverseen.

Sophie knew it was cliche, but it certainly applied here.  And what she thought was right was saving Keefe from his horrible legacy- and maybe making it backfire on Lady Gisela too.

"Bye Fitz," Sophie said abruptly as the screen turned blank.  She hurried downstairs, just as Sandor managed to convince her overprotective adoptive parents to let her go.

"Sophie!" Edaline said tearfully, as she finished putting on her very bland and boring clothes and stumbled down the stairs.

Sophie sank into her hug as Grady wrapped his arms around them.  But it didn't last long, because Sophie knew what she had to do- and it was getting to the point where images were forming in her head about what they were going to do to Keefe...

"I have to go," Sophie told them, trying to constrain her voice to a whisper and keep it from quivering.

Edaline gave her one last kiss on the forehead, and asked, "Are you teleporting there? Do your friends know?"

"I... hailed Fitz to tell everyone.  And I'm saving my strength so..."

"Leapmaster 500's all yours, kiddo," Grady said.  "Stay safe- or as safe as you can."

"Okay." She hurried up the stairs to the Leapmaster before she could start really hamming up the already-tearful goodbye.

"Atlantis," she whispered.  For Keefe. For her parents. For Amy. For the Council and the Collective and every single other elf in the Lost Cities.

This was what she was born to do.

Made to do.

And it was time to finish Keefe's legacy once and for all.