Elysian (A Kotlc Fanfic)

Chapter 9

"Hurry up, what are you waiting for?!" Sophie called as she waited impatiently for her bodyguard to join her at the Leapmaster. She suppressed a grin as he followed her, panting heavily. She was still unused to his presence, though it was not that she had even tried striking up a conversation. He reminded her too much of Sandor anyway, and the fact that he was here meant that Sandor was still Neverseen's clutches. Though of course, she would get him back one step at a time, starting from coming up with a plan with her friends, who were currently training at Everglen.
Sophie gave a friendly wave as she leaped onto the property. All her friends were spread out on the open space, engrossed in their training. From the corner of her eye, she saw Marella and Linh shooting orbs of fire and water at each other, while Maruca took turns shielding one of them. Meanwhile, Dex seemed to be working on another gadget at the other side of the field, a distance away from Wylie and Tam, who seemed to be countering the effects of each others' abilities. She even saw Jensi, figuring that one of her friends must have invited him, which was good because it would totally make things easier. She needed to talk to him -which basically meant needed his help in a dangerous situation- as he was the only guster she knew who could help them find Elysian.
First things first, she approached Dex. "Oh, hey Sophie," he replied as she sat down with a plonk next to him.
"Hey, so I've been thinking, remember what Cadfael said the other day? I'm pretty sure Lady Gisela must have something planned and it seems to be related to gadgets since she has a technopath on her side as well. I know you're busy and all, but perhaps you could try and come up with something to potentially override any control Gisela may have over the trolls and ogres?" she asked.
"Sure, I'll see what I can do," Dex promised. But before she could walk away, he continued, "But Sophie, are you okay? You seem really exhausted,".
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Sophie replied, hoping that he wouldn't notice the weariness in her voice which indicated she in fact, was not.
"I'm here if you need to talk," her best friend called out as she trudged off wearily.
——————————————————————————————
"What's up, Sophie?" Jensi greeted. "I'm just surprised. What are you doing here?" Sophie asked.
"Oh, you see, Biana suggested that I join you guys for some ability training since I finally manifested. I haven't joined the black swan yet of course, but if the order needs me I'd totally be delighted to offer my services!" He exclaimed.
"About that, I kind of do need your help," Sophie admitted, diving straight into the topic. While she didn't like the idea of her friends voluntarily putting themselves in danger, she was desperate. It was the only lead she had to find Elysian, and desperate times called for desperate solutions.
"You see, I'm not sure if Biana told you, but we kind of need a guster to find where Elysian, who is this elf with mysterious powers resides. I'll explain everything later, but basically I could use your help? I can't promise that it's not dangerous though," Sophie explained.
"Are you kidding? Of course I'm in!" Jensi exclaimed, and Sophie really hoped he wouldn't regret his decision.
——————————————————————————————
"Hey," Sophie said as she sat down next to Keefe. It occured to her with a jolt that they had barely seen each other recently as she had been so busy with her various responsibilities.
"How are you holding up?" She asked. "I've just been training, mostly. Trying to keep this strange power my mom gave me within my control. Not that I'll suddenly wake up and start hurting you all of course," he said, trying for a smirk, but Sophie could see the raw fear in his eyes.
"But to be honest, sometimes it feels like the power is consuming me. It constantly haunts me in my dreams, and I have to fight to regain control of my own body," he continued. "How would you feel if you can't even trust yourself?" He whispered.
Sophie sighed, her brows furrowing in concern. "I stand by what I said before, Keefe. We will get through this. Together."
"Anyway, enough about me." Keefe declared, going for a subject change. "How have you been holding up?" He asked, directing the question at her.
"Oh you know, the usual. Trying to come up with a plan to save the lost cities from destruction," she said, trying to keep the bitterness from her voice. Not that she didn't want to help, but she was so tired of expectations from her friends, the order, and the councillors. Why was it that the world always needed saving?
"Well, I also think you need a break," Keefe pointed out. "You still look great and all, Foster, but you seem really exhausted," he said.
"Gee, thanks. That's what Dex said too," Sophie snorted.
"And I do intend to take one." Sophie decided. "Right after we fix this mess," she said, standing up.
"That's my Foster," Keefe said as he watched her walk away. 
——————————————————————————————
Sophie stood in the middle of the open field, and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "I know you guys don't really like it when I'm being all leader-y, but someone has to step up or this will be going nowhere. I'm sure you've all seen the memory in Fintan's cache, and Elysian needs to be our current priority. We need to get to her before Lady Gisela and the Neverseen do. I propose we bring a team to locate Elysian and communicate with her. I'm sure there must be something she wants, and we can bargain with her for some of her power to stop the Neverseen." She said.
"But we need a guster," someone -Sophie wasn't sure who- called out.
"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" Jensi asked. "You guys invited me here in the first place because you needed my help. Since the ability is still new to me, I can't guarantee I can make things work, but I want to try." He said.
"Okay then, we have a plan. Five of us will go, and the rest stay behind as backup. It is up to you guys to decide whether you want to go or stay behind and yes, it may be dangerous, it may be risky, but sometimes we have to make the hard calls. Because this time, we have to win. The fate of the lost cities depends on it," Sophie ended.
After some debate, they finally decided on the team. Sophie to negotiate the bargain with Elysian, Keefe because he was the one who needed Elysian's power, Maruca to shield them, and Tam and Marella on offence in case Elysian attacked them.
"If we aren't back by sundown, come and find us, " Sophie reminded them, passing the starstone to Fitz. And together, the five of them stepped into the light.
——————————————————————————————
They arrived in the meadow and all was quiet, save for the sounds of their breathing.
"Okay, I'll show you the memory we saw in Fintan's cache before we begin so you have a rough idea of what to do," Sophie said to Jensi. The rest of the group waited while Sophie played the memory, and once it ended, Jensi gave a shaky nod. "I have to warn you guys, I'm nowhere as experienced, but I'll give it a try," he said.
Sophie and the others watched in amazement as Jensi lifted his arms and sent the wind rippling around them, whipping their hair in all directions. He tried to send the wind in the opposite direction, but there seemed to be a mysterious force going against him. "I don't think it seems to be working,' he struggled.
"I can try enhancing you to see if it makes any difference," Sophie suggested, offering him her hand. Sophie transferred every ounce of energy she could muster to Jensi, and in one furious motion, the wind changed courses and rippled towards the other direction of the meadow.
Sophie and her friends exchanged astonished glances as the secret passageway appeared. One by one, they entered the hidden archway, and their dimly lit surroundings gave off an ominous vibe. They walked on and on in the seemingly endless dark corridor, but something seemed amiss. Where was Elysian?
Marella lit up the area with one of her flames, but Elysian was nowhere to be found. "Let's split up and check," Sophie was about to suggest, when she heard a voice penetrate the silence. "How nice of you all to stop by," Elysian sneered, the only warning she got before Sophie saw a flash of scarlet light shooting from her fingertips. Then the world went black.