Moonlark Turned Evil

2: Moonlark

Author's note: These first couple chapters are gonna be a little short.

Sophie slapped the list down on Pixel's desk.

It was a compilation of a bunch of things, some new weapons, a new transmissions device--all things she could just teleport to herself with her special ability. But she'd learned through experience that relying on her abilities was stupid. It was better to have a back-up plan, and have a back-up plan for that back-up plan, because nothing ever goes the way you want it to.

Pixel raised an eyebrow as he picked it up, reading it through. He set the paper down on the table and looked back at her. "You seriously need this much, kid?"

Sophie shrugged, sitting down on the edge of the table. "I don't know how long I'll be away for. It's best to stock up."

The Technopath sighed. "A philosophy I can't argue with."

And he proceeded to bustle around, picking up this and that and putting it all down on his desk in neat rows.

Pixel was the Neverseen's best Technopath, a member of Sophie's Guild, and one of her favorite people. He and Fintan were the only senior councillors who found her pranks funny. He had brown hair with a few grey streaks—that he dyed for special effect, it was rumored—and was a head shorter than Sophie.

Pixel was her go-to whenever she needed something, whether it was to grab some handy things, or if she just needed to talk.

"Here," Pixel said, placing the last bomb on the table with a soft clink.

Sophie grinned, jumping off her perch and hurrying over to his side. She picked up the two new pistols she had written in as top priority on her list—the Neverseen had started using firearms after she joined, Pixel modifying them with elvin technology—and turned them over in her hands.

"Perfect," she declared, slipping them into the holsters strapped to her upper thighs.

She picked up the other weapons, sliding them into various hidden pockets in her outfit.

"Also, take this." Pixel handed her a cube. Sophie slipped it into a tiny pocket on her sleeve. "Lady Gisela told me to give it to you, in case you're captured. Press your finger on it, wait for it to beep, and then put it against your forehead. It will erase your memories of the Neverseen for two weeks. If that's not enough time to escape from captors, erase the memories yourself. And it's only usable once," he warned.

"Thanks Pixel." She glanced up at the clock. "I have to go," she said apologetically. She hurried into the corridor, throwing a wave and a grin over her shoulder before the door swung shut behind her.

Sophie tossed her cloak onto her bed, glancing around the room. Her roommate Glimmer, also a member of her Guild, wasn't in. She was probably out training somewhere.

Sophie walked over to her desk, opening the left drawer and pulling out a handful of cubes. 

Pixel had recently discovered how to disguise weapons as cubes—"small, easy to hide, and very light," he explained—and the invention was on high demand. Sophie had been the first to order one—well, she had the advantage because she was at the senior councillor meeting when Pixel introduced them—which was why she had so many.

She sorted through the cubes, dropping the ones she would need into a brown draw-string pouch. She opened her wardrobe and threw on some human clothes, settling on a plain white shirt and jeans. She slipped the pouch through her belt, and glanced at herself in the mirror.

She looked human enough.

"My name is Sophie Foster," she said out loud. "I hear thoughts. I don't know I'm an elf. I grew up with humans. I'm loyal to the Black Swan." She barely managed to say the words. Taking a deep breath, she added, "I'm the Moonlark."

The war inside her instantly faded. Ales stopped shouting profanities.

Sophie let lose another breath.

"I'm the Moonlark," she said again, and this time she felt like she meant it.