UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 74

"So... the moonlark comes at last," the head dwarf mused, walking around her and Maruca who were still struggling inside the net thoughtfully. "We've been waiting."

Ugh- she always fell for these kind of traps, didn't she?

She was just about to enter the dwarf's mind- maybe try to see what they were hiding? -but her consciousness slammed into something hard, making it reel back into her own mind. Sophie rubbed her throbbing temples.

The dwarf cracked a smile. "Don't try to read my mind," he warned, smiling. "Trust me- your little tricks do nothing against me."

"Somehow I doubt that," Sophie spat, getting ready to inflict- but Maruca put a hand on her wrist with a look that clearly said Don't get them too mad before we know what we're up against.

Sophie risked a glance in Keefe's direction. His eyes still weren't open and his skin had turned a sickening pale color. Sophie was too far away to see if his heart was still beating but...

Sophie.

She tried to hide her surprise by coughing. Is that you Adela?

It's me.

Sophie held her breath- due to the fact that Adela had been the failed version of Project Moonlark, their cells had a connection that allowed them to telepathically communicate through the shadowflux in which the Forkle brothers had used to tweak their genes. You're awake then?

I am. But I need someway to get out of here. My telekinesis isn't strong enough.

Is Keefe and Biana okay?

There was a beat of silence that made Sophie's heart turn both heavier and lighter at the same time.

Biana is okay for sure, Adela transmitted carefully. The Neverseen and I all had cloaks to mostly protect us. Keefe had one too... but he gave his to Biana. So...

Oh.

Sophie's world was drowning right before her eyes. Keefe had already died once before- and it wasn't like she could bring him back a second time. The first time had been a miracle.

"My head hurts," Sophie whispered to Maruca, making sure the dwarves could hear her, trying to cover up for her silence.

"Lady Gisela is dead!" Maruca announced when the dwarves looked dubious.  "She died by our terms. Your faithful leader has fallen. Your- er, other leader, has betrayed you. Every single other elvin member has turned their backs on you and still you stand here fighting us. Have you not given up yet?

"Funny thing is," the dwarf countered. "We think the same to you. There are so many more dwarves here. Underground. Above ground. This cave is bigger than any of you could imagine. More secret tunnels, more clearings. We have hundreds of us living in these walls and still you stand here fighting us. Have you not given up yet?"

Sophie obviously was not the only one who noticed how the dwarf had copied Maruca's wording. She scowled.

Was it bad that she didn't care about what happened right now? All she cared about was checking in on Keefe.....

"Don't even think about it Sophie," the dwarf warned. "No transmitting to those little friends of yours."

"I'm not," Sophie told him as forcefully as she could. Judging from the mix of skeptical amusement on the dwarves faces, she was an extremely bad liar.

Keefe, she transmitted, trying to keep a straight face. Keefe, can you hear me?

The silence was painful. This reminded her way too much of when Keefe was going through Lady Gisela's awful transformation and all the days she spent wasted, transmitting threats and bribes and everything in between to get him to wake up.

Except.

Except what had worked then? 

Stellarlune.

But there was a lot of problems with that plan. How would she be able to inflict when her mental energy was drier than the rocks around them? How would she even be able inflict at all without drawing suspicion from the dwarves? And the way she'd created the stellarlune on her own had taken even more energy- plus it was reversing her echoes. And she didn't have the echoes anymore, did she?

Wait.

Sophie's mind was spinning into overdrive...

The echoes were imprints of the effects from shadowflux. Magsidian was made of shadowflux too- but carved to counter shadowflux, and all the dwarves in the cave guarding them were carrying some to counter the darkness...

And both Sophie and Adela already had shadowflux inside of them. Carved into their DNA by the Black Swan....

This would work. It could work.

What are we doing now? Maruca asked, and it took Sophie a minute to remember her mind was still open to hers.

But she steeled every single bit of determination and confidence she could muster as she told her, I have a plan.