keep your friends close

(15)

It's a long, silent walk to Alden's office.

Sophie's unsure how to break the ice with him. Out of all the Vackers, Alden had the most information on record because of his Emissary status, and yet she feels like she knows the least about him—except for his involvement in Prentice's arrest.

"Is everything okay?" she finally asks.

He closes the door as Sophie takes a seat in front of his desk. "Everything's fine," he tells her, but his expression looks troubled.

She braces herself for the worst. "Then what is it?"

Alden presses his mouth into a thin line. "I know you're the Moonlark, Sophie."

Her heart stops. "What?"

"But that's not what I want to talk about," Alden says quickly. "I assure you, I haven't told anyone else. I just wanted to ask you about Prentice Endal."

Sophie's head spins at the mention of Prentice's name. "... You were the one who ordered the mind break on him."

Alden winces. "I know. It was a mistake."

Her first instinct is to hate him—to hate the man who orphaned Wylie, who took away Prentice's well-being—but then she remembers that she had a part in that, too. And Alden looks weary enough, like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. With his son missing, it probably felt like it.

Sophie pushes away her mixed feelings. "What do you want to know?" she asks quietly.

Alden folds his hands on his desk. "When Lumenaria was destroyed, Exile was raided shortly after. Prentice was unaccounted for. I've always wondered...." He clears his throat.

"He's alive," Sophie says. "And healthy. I fixed him."

Alden stares at her. "Are you serious?"

She nods. "It took me a long time to do it, but I did." Prentice's rescue from Exile had happened right before Mr. Forkle recovered her from the Forbidden Cities, but it wasn't until years later—when Sophie was eight—that she was able to heal Prentice's broken mind. It wasn't in time for him to be reunited with Cyrah before she died, but Sophie chooses not to mention that to Alden.

"And his son?" he asks.

"Wylie's doing fine," Sophie says with a fond smile. "Legally, Tiergan is still his adopted dad, so he actually has two dads now."

Alden sits back in his chair, visibly relieved. "Thank you," he says, blinking away unshed tears. "I'm sorry to spring all that on you, but as soon as Bronte told me you would be here—I had to know."

She raises her eyebrows. "Councillor Bronte?"

"He was the one who encouraged me the most to reach out to the Black Swan for protection for my family," Alden says, and Sophie's head starts spinning again. "I was hesitant when I saw you were a child, but if what they say is true...."

He smiles. "You're a remarkable girl, Sophie. I'm glad the Black Swan found you again. And... thank you. For what you're doing for my family. Please let me know if you need anything at all."

Sophie tries to smile back, but her stomach twists with guilt. Bronte told Alden almost everything, it seems—except that his family was under an ongoing investigation.

She can't tell if that's good or bad, but it meant one thing—the Council thought the Vackers were hiding something, and they didn't want Alden to know their suspicions. There was hardly anything strange to her about the Vackers, aside from Alvar's disappearance. But that wasn't their fault—it was the Neverseen's.