UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 70

The feeling of Everblaze burning against her skin was more vivid than the flashbacks.

Because it was real.

Smoke burned in her lungs and the fiery heat pressed against every part of her like darkness closing in. The rocks on the edges of the cave began to singe and slowly started crumbling downwards...

"Oralie!" somebody shouted over the cackle of the fire. Sophie mentally cursed herself- in all of the craziness, she'd completely forgotten about her biological mother that the Neverseen had lured them there with.

Sophie forced her eyes open and ignored the terrible memories shooting across her mind... Keefe shook his head at her- probably trying to convince her against risking it -but Forkle was right.

In a game with this many players, this many stakes, they would need all the help they could get. And Oralie was essential to both the Council and the Black Swan... without her, they could risk the organization- or the elvin world -crumbling away.

But not only that.

It didn't matter how mad Sophie was with her genetic mother for lying to her all those years. She was just as much alive as Sophie and her friends were... and her life was worth just as much, even if Sophie was the moonlark.

So she transmitted a quick apology to Keefe- hoping that the rocks tumbling down the sides of the cave wouldn't trap him there- wrapped her cloak tighter around her, and plunged into the crackling flames, searching in the way that Adela was pointing.

The smoke and ash wafting through the cave made her mind groggy and her limbs so much more exhausted than they should've been.  She glanced back and turned the corner as the rocks on the outskirts of the cave tumbled onto the floor trapping Sophie's friends- and the formerly bad Neverseen members -inside.

But also locking her out.

She willed herself to believe they were still alive- even though it was highly likely they were dead-and crawled into the narrow tunnel that Adela had told her about.

"Sophie?" Oralie's voice echoed through the dark.  Sophie felt a sense of calm wash over her just because somebody was in this mess alongside her.  "Is that you?"

Sophie took a minute to get her voice working again.  "It's me.  Where are you?"

"To your left,"  she supplied, her voice shaky.  "I'm in some sort of cage and they've got me blindfolded.  I got rid of the gag a few hours ago..."

Sophie felt around through the darkness, gripping the cold iron bars with her fists.  "Back up,"  she warned, feeling for the lock and cupping it in her hand.  "Dex taught me some tricks."

It took a while- but she finally managed to shake the lock loose and help her mother out.  She peeled off Oralie's blindfold and let her blink and adjust to the darkness.

"Did you come alone?  Where is everyone?"  

Sophie hesitated- and then she remembered everyone still pinned inside and shook her head,  "Long story.  Right now we need to-"

"Foster?"

Sophie froze.  She would recognize that nickname anywhere.  But... Keefe was trapped in the cave next to them.... the cave next to them.  He was only a wall away.

She pressed her ear against where the weak voice had come from.

"Keefe, where are you? How can I... are you okay-"  

"The Everblaze.  It triggered a memory.  Do you see a big rock above you?"

Sophie looked up, squinting.  "Yeah."

"Use that fancy telekinesis of yours and remove it,"  Keefe's voice directed.

Sophie felt herself grabbing for her mothers hand as she slowly hovered the boulder down from the ceiling.

Everblaze rained down on her, burning her raw skin.... all around her the heat was closing in... she couldn't breathe, couldn't think...

"Keefe what did you do!?"  She yelled.

"Not Keefe," an all too familiar voice corrected.... a Polyglot in particular... one who could easily imitate her son's voice....

Lady Gisela stood watching her with amusement from where she stood a few feet away, protected from the flames pouring onto Sophie by a force field.

But not a force field made by Ruy.

It was.... Maruca?