“You were there, weren’t you?” she asked when he moved away from her. “You helped the Neverseen burn the gate?”

“All I did was keep watch.”

She shook her head. “How could you be a part of that?”

The Neverseen were willing to risk anything to steal Silveny. They’d even broken one of her wings. All because the elves believed that allowing a creature to go extinct would throw off the delicate balance of the entire planet. Whoever controlled the last two alicorns—and their unborn baby—could blackmail the Council. They’d also prove to the world how little the Council could do to protect something it cherished, and fuel the unrest threatening to boil over.

“I knew Silveny and Greyfell weren’t there anymore,” Keefe argued. “That’s the only reason I agreed. And in case you’re wondering, I haven’t told the Neverseen anything.”

“Yet,” Sophie corrected. “Even if you don’t tell them, they can use a Telepath to fish out all of your secrets.”

“They don’t have a Telepath right now. Gethen was their only one, and the Council has him locked away—thanks to us. I’m telling you, I’ve thought this through. I just need you to trust me.”

She wanted to.

She really did.

She’d even done her best to convince Fitz, Dex, and Biana to not give up on him.

But she could still hear the Neverseen telling Keefe: Surely you’ve realized that switching sides means betraying your friends.

“Please,” Keefe begged. “I promise, I’m still me. And I can do this.”

He took a cautious step toward her.

Then another.

And another.

Until he was right in front of her, his lips curling with the world’s saddest smile.

“Back to nervous habits, huh?” he asked as he brushed a fallen eyelash off her cheek.

“It’s been a rough few weeks,” she whispered.

“Yeah. It really has.”

He blew the eyelash away and she wondered if he’d made a wish—until she remembered that elves didn’t have silly superstitions like that.

She probably shouldn’t either, but she went ahead and sent a silent plea into the universe.

“You’re not still afraid of me, are you?” he asked. “You trust me?”

She honestly didn’t know. So she offered him a shaky hand. “You tell me.”

Keefe’s fingers curled around hers and his brow creased as he closed his eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his lips stretching into a glorious smile. “I knew I could count on you, Foster.”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t. That’s why I came here today—I had to find a way to warn you. The Neverseen are planning something big. I don’t know any specifics yet, but I know it involves Grady and Edaline and—whoa, easy there.” He steadied her when her knees wobbled. “It’s going to be okay. See why I’m doing this? I can stop things before they get bad.”

Sophie took a slow, deep breath, trying to remind herself that Grady’s ability as a Mesmer gave him an incredible advantage. She’d seen him make all twelve Councillors smack themselves in the face. He’d even made Brant burn off his own hand.

But the Neverseen were ruthless.

And clever.

And always ahead of the game.

Which made her realize . . .

“You can’t go back there, Keefe. Today was probably a test. I bet they gave you that information to see if you’d sneak away to warn me. They could be tracking you right now—what?” she asked when she noticed how hard he was biting his lip.

“It’s not a test. They . . . sent me here.”

“Why would they do that?”

Keefe’s eyes returned to the ceiling. “Probably because I suggested it. I needed a way to warn you—and they needed me to prove my loyalty. This was the best solution I could come up with.”

Cold chills washed through Sophie as he removed two items from his cloak pocket—a flat golden triangle and a blue pendant with a single facet.

“This next part is going to be rough,” he whispered. “But if you cover your face, I promise you’ll be safe. And just in case . . .” He unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling the hood up over her head. “I’ll tell them I lost this in the chaos.”

“What chaos, Keefe? What are you doing?”

“I’m helping you. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.”

Sophie tried to shout for Sandor, but Keefe covered her mouth with one hand and flung the golden triangle toward the ceiling with the other. One of the points stuck to the center of the apex and the gadget flashed green.

“That means we have ten seconds.” Keefe said. “Just get down and cover your face—everything is going to be okay. Sandor will be safe. Goblins have super-thick skin—just trust me, okay?”

He pulled his hand back, but Sophie was shaking too hard to scream. She dropped to her knees and pulled the hood against her head.

“Please don’t hate me,” Keefe begged as he held his blue crystal up to the light to make a path. “Tell everyone I’ll be back as soon as I finish this. And remember—I’m on your side.”

He glittered away right as the green gadget turned red and a high-pitched squeal blasted from the ceiling, sending a rippling sound wave rushing down the walls.

Shattering all of the glass.

THREE

IT’S NOT AS bad as it seems.”

Magnate Leto had said the words a dozen times—and Sophie wanted to believe them. But all she could see were the slivers of glass glinting in his hair.

She was covered in them as well, but they were mostly stuck to Keefe’s thick cloak. She’d been spared any cuts or scratches, just like he’d promised.

The glass pyramid hadn’t been so fortunate. Magnate Leto’s office was in shambles, its walls now empty metal frames. And while the rest of the pyramid had simply crackled and splintered, all of the glass would have to be replaced.

At least no one had been hurt—and the other buildings on campus had been spared. But that didn’t change the fact that the Neverseen had now attacked Foxfire.

And it had been Keefe’s idea.

All twelve Councillors had visited the school to assess the damage, and questioned Sophie thoroughly. Then Magnate Leto had followed her home to get the real story.