Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian

Chapter 62

They were safe from the abyss... for now.

That was an idea Sophie's beleaguered brain could get behind.

As for her Cognate status with Fitz, she could fix their relationship through time. She knew that.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her felt unsteady, and she stumbled to the ground. In front of everyone. What. The. Heck.

Then she realized how tired she was, and every muscle in her body told her to rest.

She felt Flori and Edaline holding her steady and took a deep breath.

Somewhere, she heard people asking if she was alright. She tried to open her mouth to give a response, but she didn't know what to say or how to say it.

Her eyes scanned desperately for something to happen- anything.

Elysian caught her eye and gave her a quick nod. But in many ways, it meant the world.

Because Sophie knew Elysian was as tired as she was, and yet she was willing to make this sacrifice for her.

Sophie felt slightly guilty, but all of it vanished when her eyelids started drooping.

"Sophie needs to rest," she said authoritatively. "The explanations can wait until later."

"Of course," Biana said, and it seemed to be for everyone. "Fitz, be patient."

"I'm trying to be," he answered unconvincingly.

Then Merida was there to defend her, and her voice was the last thing before Sophie slid into a much-needed slumber.

In her dreams, she was somewhere far away in a place she couldn't describe.

The strange thing was that she could see a sky full of stars, but the time of day kept changing rapidly. One moment the sky would be the hues of sunrise or sunset, and the next it would be the black of midnight.

All the while, the stars were there and blinking down at her.

Within them, there was a pattern. A pattern of harmony.

But it was an extremely delicate balance- and in some moments, Sophie could almost feel the pattern sway to a certain side, tearing the balance.

Was this a memory?

It didn't feel like one. This felt like she was seeing the present.

Sophie heard... voices.

Voices she had heard before... somehow.

We're free now.

As free as an everlasting blaze, as free as the tides of the ocean, as free as the north wind, as free as the blooming of flowers in spring, as free as the day, and as free as the night.

But a murmur of doubt entered the expanse.

Do you think we made the right choice?

Have we chosen the right allies?

Affirmation passed through all the voices collectively.

Then there was a trickle of fear.

However, they must be careful... one wrong step, one small blunder, can make a difference.

Indeed. The fight has only begun.

It can be so easy to overlook her weaknesses- that can easily be her downfall.

Then Sophie was standing back on the island of Elysian alone, bewildered and troubled.

Who were those voices?

What did they want- and had they been talking about her?

The wind blew her hair back as she looked around.

This was a very familiar part of the island- one that sent her heart spiraling out of control.

Sophie heard a familiar voice.

A voice that she shouldn't have heard.

A voice that made her paralyzed to her core.

"Foster."

She shouldn't have turned.

She shouldn't have looked.

She shouldn't have even considered the possibility that he was there. Because it was crazy and ridiculous and impossible.

But she turned regardless and saw the ring of Noxflares.

And beyond it, the exact scene the abyss had shown her- Keefe's door in the Hallway of Life and Death.

Sophie took a step closer, filled with uncertainty. "Keefe?"

His voice rang from deep within the ring, from a colossal distance. "Foster... please. Help."

No.

This was Jolie all over again.

She had failed- she had destroyed Jolie's chance of return.

Or perhaps it was an illusion- a cruel trick that was meant to destroy her.

What if it was the abyss?

Or the Veil?

Sophie clutched her head, trying to escape whatever this twisted vision was. It was worse than she had imagined.

But the scene remained ingrained in her brain and she knew she would never be able to erase it.

The Hallway of Life and Death.

Keefe's voice.

It was all too much- and she was helpless.

"Help," he begged. "Help me- you're the only one who can."