“Very well,” Mr. Forkle said. “What is your plan for the prisoners?”

“That is to be determined.” Emery closed his eyes and turned away to moderate a telepathic debate with the other Councillors.

Everyone else swarmed closer to Sophie, Tam, and Fitz.

“You smell like smoke,” Elwin noted, trying to flash an orb of red light around Sophie—even though Edaline was busy strangle-hugging her.

“I’m fine,” Sophie promised, not letting her eyes stray to the glass pyramid in the distance. “Tam and Fitz helped me take them down before things got out of control.”

“We’re fine too,” Fitz said as his parents and Biana practically crushed him. “Thank goodness Tam’s shadows could break us out of Ruy’s force field.”

“Is that true?” Tam’s mother asked. “You’re a hero?”

“Still not ready,” Tam said, raising a hand to halt his parents as they approached. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Linh, and she buried her face in his shoulder.

“You guys have a lot of explaining to do,” Dex told them. “Do you know you trapped me in that room? The mirror sealed shut the second Tam vanished. Sandor had to smash the glass.”

Biana begged for the whole story, and Sophie was grateful Fitz had the energy to tell it. He kept it short and sweet, focusing on their victories.

There’s clearly more you’re not saying, Mr. Forkle transmitted.

See for yourself. Sophie’s nails dug into her palms as her mind replayed the whole showdown, from the moment the Neverseen arrived, to Keefe’s latest betrayal. You need to move Wylie out of Alluveterre—now. And Tam and Linh can’t go back.

No, they can’t.

Mr. Forkle’s eyes flicked to Granite, and Granite scrambled for his pathfinder.

“Excuse me,” he told the Councillors. “I must check on my son.”

“Your son?” Councillor Terik asked, catching Granite’s slip.

“Yes, I have a son, and another life behind this disguise. Surely that doesn’t come as a surprise. And hopefully someday you’ll learn to cooperate with us and I won’t have to hide. But until then . . .”

Granite leaped away, and Blur and Wraith followed.

“One of our hideouts has been compromised,” Mr. Forkle explained. “Fortunately, it sounds like the Neverseen are facing the same dilemma.”

“On a way larger scale, right?” Biana asked. “If Tam does that shadow trick again, won’t that take you to all of their hideouts?”

“Any that are connected to the symbol,” Tam said. “Not sure if that’s all of them.”

“Then shouldn’t we get moving on that?” Alden asked. “We don’t want to give them a chance to clear out.”

“We also don’t want to be hasty,” Councillor Emery said. “First let’s handle the prisoners in our custody. We’ve voted to move them to Lumenaria, where we’re already holding their co-conspirator. We’d been hoping to send a message during the summit that this worthless rebellion will soon be a thing of the past. And what better way to do so than to present them with three defeated prisoners? We’ll arrange a viewing on the first night.”

“I’m assuming you’ll also be performing a memory break?” Mr. Forkle asked.

“Not until after the summit.”

“That might be too late.” Sophie squared her shoulders as all eyes focused on her. “We have reason to believe the Neverseen have a larger plan in the works—a plan that both Ruy and Brant were involved with. Interrogating them is our only chance to learn how to stop it.”

“And what is your reason for believing this?” Councillor Emery asked.

Sophie thought she was ready to throw Keefe to the wolves. But . . . her voice wouldn’t cooperate.

When Tam and Fitz didn’t chime in either, she went with a different tactic.

“You’re really going to doubt us—after everything we’ve uncovered? You don’t think this proves we might know a little more than you?”

“When it comes to the dirty schemes of this refuse,” Councillor Emery said, sneering at Brant and Ruy, “perhaps you are ahead of us. But we must think beyond this simple rebellion. We’re trying to send a message to the other species of this world that they should fear and respect our power—and showing them a group of drooling, mindless wastes is not an image we’re willing to present. We must always appear strong—always superior—even when it comes to our prisoners. Let them see we faced and stopped a worthy foe. And when the Summit is over, we will shatter and squeeze every shred of truth out of these disgraces. But only after we ensure they do not diminish the respect for our kind.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t interrogate them,” Mr. Forkle reminded the Council. “With cleverness, we might be able to glean a few crucial truths.”

“Perhaps,” Councillor Emery said. “The matter will be taken under consideration after the prisoners are properly secured, and after we’ve searched every last one of these hideouts you claim to be able to lead us to. It’s about knowing what deserves priority.”

Please don’t argue any further, Mr. Forkle transmitted as Sophie opened her mouth. I’ll raise the issue again tomorrow, once a few more things are settled. For the moment, it is wise to focus on storming the hideouts.

Fine, Sophie told him. Out loud, she asked the Council, “Are you going to let us help with the raids on the hideouts?”

“It sounds like we’ll require young Mr. Song’s assistance,” Councillor Emery said, ignoring Tam’s scowl at the use of his family name. “The remainder of you should return to your homes.”

“It’s not that we don’t value your assistance,” Oralie jumped in. “It’s that you’ve risked your lives enough. I wish we could spare Tam the responsibility as well, but his talent—and the nature of this gadget—make him crucial. I have no doubt we’ll need your assistance for many things in the days ahead. So please, take this time to rest.”

“I’m not opposed to keeping you safe,” Edaline told Sophie gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

The other parents agreed, and that seemed to settle it—except Linh, who insisted on staying with her brother.