UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 67

It wasn't a deep cut- at least as far as Sophie could tell, strapped to a rock and gagged -but the intention was clear, and the fact that the old Neverseen member had even done so was enough for Lady Gisela...

She stared at the thin line of blood across her shoulder. "You-"

Adela flickered out of sight- and for the first time, Sophie was cheering her on -and Keefe's mom growled angrily.

Keefe wake up, Sophie transmitted. Adela just-

I saw, Keefe promised. I'm pretending. To be knocked out and all.

For a second they were quiet and Sophie tuned out the screams of the fighting Neverseen members.

Are you scared? Of her? Sophie had to ask.

No.

Sophie knew he was lying but didn't call him out on it.

Are you scared in general? she asked instead.

And fifteen painful seconds passed before Keefe admitted quietly, Yes.

Sophie didn't trust her mental voice from not cracking so she severed their mental communication, and focused on what Lady Gisela and Adela were doing instead. 

"-remember you place, Adela!" Lady Gisela was saying, backing slowly around the room. The figures in black cloaks stiffened. Adela was still vanished. "You created the Neverseen, remember? Remember how much you hated your brothers for doing that to you? Remember how you saw me that day, told me that my son I was having could create a legacy more than the one we were destined to have?"

Was that... just a tiny bit of emotion in her voice?

"Remember the legacy we were going to have together?"

And Adela flickered back into view as Neverseen member grabbed for her- but she stayed in sight only long enough to whisper, "Never."

She flickered again and the light passed through her.

Sophie squirmed beneath her gag- A/N I would to, I need to talk! Ranting and rambling about fandoms is life -she concentrated enough to use her telekinesis, undoing her handcuff locks and slowly peeling off her gag....

"Why have you turned on us so suddenly?" Gisela demanded fiercly. "You have been with us since day one. Square one. And you have built us far beyond that one day. What has you sticking up for insufferable brats such as these-" she gestured to Sophie and her friends; Sophie tipped her head downwards so she couldn't see her half-off gag "-and your brother?"

Sophie finished removing the piece of tape.

"Remember how they used you? Remember how they told you what you could be and then they turned you- turned you-"

"I'm not doing this for them," Adela said stiffly, her voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. Sophie could spot Keefe flinch from the corner of her eye where he was feigning unconsciousness. 

Lady Gisela narrowed her eyes in no particular direction, seeing as Adela was still vanished. "Then who is it for?" She groaned. "Please don't tell me it's for that insufferable-"

"Don't call him insufferable!" Adela warned.

Sophie had no idea who they were indicating... but it sounded like the elf in question was special to Adela in some way...

"It was... it was for his sister," Adela whispered, and Lady Gisela looked even more enraged at her answer.

"Who was this sister? I will kill-"

"My moonlark knows who I am talking about," Adela told her calmly- and for once, Sophie was fine with being called her moonlark.  

But Sophie didn't know.

She had nooooo idea who they were talking about.

"I fell in love with him all those years ago, did you know that?" Adela fizzled into view- but no Neverseen members lunged for her, no pointy weapons attacked. "It started right when we were children. I was an outcast- the sibling of two horribly demented brothers, or one, in everyone else's eyes. I hated my brothers. I hated the world. I hated everything.

"And then I met him- and he understood me, did you know that? He. Understood. Me. And then my brother's experiment came... I was in love... but the shadowflux inside of me was too new, too fresh and I couldn't control it. I lashed out on him. I killed him.

"His dying wish was for me to protect his sisters. One in particular."

Adela's brown eyes met Sophie's own and Sophie was struck by how similar they were.

How much Adela understood her.

But also how much they could never be the same.

"Who was it?" Sophie could barely bring herself to whisper.

"Edaline."