TIGHTROPE | fitz vacker

Chapter 5.

   "I can imagine," Mr. Forkle said quietly. "And we're ready to help with whatever the Council requires. But for now, I suppose we should move on to my brother's planting." 

   "Only if you're feeling ready," Tiergan- Granite -told him. 

   "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." 

   "Then I'll let Blur and Wraith know to meet us at the planting site," Juline offered. "And I brought this." She fished a delicate green bottle out of the pocket of her cape. 

   Kesler side-eyed his wife. "Did you steal that from Slurps and Burps?" 

   Juline's cheeks flushed, but her posture stayed tall and proud. "The store is half mine, so it's hardly stealing." 

   Kesler grumbled something about never-ending secrets, but he wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close, tucking her amber-colored hair behind her ear. 

   "You're welcome to join us," Mr. Forkle told Councillor Oralie. "I wish I could. But my absence would be noticed. Councillor Terik is meeting with Elwin this afternoon- as well as a team of Technopaths -to make some adjustments to his new leg, and the rest of the Council is expected to be there for moral support." 

   Sophie glanced at Dex. "I thought you were helping with the prosthesis." 

   "I was. But he wanted me to design something that could be permanently attached, and that's too... complicated." 

   "It's absurd is what it is," Kesler corrected, then quickly apologized to Oralie. 

   "Actually, I agree," Oralie told him. "I think Terik's hoping they'll be able to build something that will function exactly the way he was able to before Lumenaria- and I can't blame him for the inclination. But technology is not flesh. He'll be much happier if he allows his body to adapt." 

   "It can't be easy, though," Grady said quietly. "Especially since so few understand what he's enduring." 

   "I wonder if it would help him to speak to the Redek family," Alden suggested. "I know Caprise's injuries were vastly different, and her struggle is mostly emotional. Still, they can at least relate to the challenge of having a drastic change in physical circumstance." 

   Oralie moved to leave then, holding a shimmering pendant up to the light. "It's incredibly good to see you," she told Mr. Forkle, choking slightly on the words. 

   He cleared his throat. "It's good to be seen." 

   As soon as Oralie glittered away, he removed a blue pathfinder from his pocket and reached for Sophie's hand. "Let's go say goodbye to my brother."

   "WHERE ARE WE?" Azalea asked, wishing she'd worn something warmer when the blisteringly cold wind hit her. 

   They'd leaped to a sharply angled slope in the middle of a green-gray valley, with snow-crowned mountains surrounding an ice blue lake. 

   As she started to regulate her body temperature, she felt a cape being draped over her shoulders. She looked behind and saw a very nonchalant Fitz, staring ahead of her. 

   "I think we're in Norway." Sophie replied.

   "That's what the humans call it, yes," Mr. Forkle agreed, his deep breaths clouding the air. "And that"- he pointed to the massive rock jutting horizontally out of the mountain far above them -"they call Trolltunga." 

   "Troll Tongue?" Sophie asked. 

   Mr. Forkle smiled. "My brother and I gave the humans the nickname, and it's stuck all these years- along with so many of the stories we invented. I suppose we had a touch too much fun ensuring that the legends about us stayed as convoluted as possible." He turned away to wipe his eyes