Sophie's P.O.V
It was a normal day for me and my friends when we decided to go to Everglen and play a few rounds of Base Quest. When we got there, we saw Alden holding a scroll in his hands, waiting for us when we walked inside.
"What is it dad?" Biana asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Something is very wrong," Alden said. "And I think you should read this to find out."
He handed it to me and my jaw fell open when I read it.
TOMORROW AT MIDDAY WE WILL HONOUR THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF COUNCILLOR EMERY
BY PLANTING HIS SEED IN THE WANDERLING WOODS
AN ADDRESS FROM THE COUNCIL WILL FOLLOW,
ALONG WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOMINATION PROCEEDINGS.
I quickly handed it to Keefe who was standing beside me.
"Councillor Emery's dead!!!" Keefe shouted when he read it. "How?!?"
"The Council is refusing to tell anyone until the planting tomorrow," Alden said.
"Who would kill a Councillor?" I asked. "And why Emery?"
"No one knows who killed him and why they did it. But we're trying to figure it out."
"We?" Fitz ecoed.
"Some elves in the Nobility are trying to figure it out," Alden explained.
"Did they find anything?" Biana asked.
"A symbol of an eye was written on the wall with his blood."
"Does that mean that the Neverseen escaped?" Fitz asked.
"They did," he said, "but they escaped after Councillor Emery died."
"I feel like there's something you aren't telling us," Keefe said.
Alden stared at each of them before saying, "Most of them escaped."
"What do you mean most of them escaped?" I asked.
"Three members of the Neverseen were killed while the rest of them escaped," Alden said.
"Who died?" Biana asked.
"Lady Gisela, Vespera and Gethen."
"Who escaped?" Fitz asked.
"Fintan, Ruy, Trix and Alvar," Alden said.
"If I ever get my hands on him I'll-"
"Stop Fitz!" I shouted at him, cutting him off. "When will you ever let it go? When will you stop being angry at Alvar?"
"How can I not get angry at him?" Fitz asked me. "He's a murderer and my brother. He could have been one of your kidnappers. He's pure evil."
"But when will you stop?" Biana whispered.
"When he's dead," he replied.
"I know what will cheer you up," Keefe said. "How about that game of Base Quest we were going to play?"
"That's a good idea," Biana said. "Maybe it'll distract us from thinking about it."
Keefe gave Alden the scroll back and headed towards Everglen's grounds with the rest of us behind him. We played a few rounds of Base Quest before Della came out and asked us who was staying over for dinner. I declined saying that Grady and Edaline would want me back home. I took out my Pathfinder and leaped to Havenfield. When I got there I was met by my bodyguards, Grady and Edaline.
"I assume you know the news about Councillor Emery," Grady said.
"I do," I said. "Who do you think will replace him?"
"Could be anyone," Edaline said. "There are a lot of elves who would do great for the job. But I think Magnate Leto would make a good candidate."
"Are you going to vote?" I asked them.
"We haven't voted since Jolie died," Grady said. "But we might now that we finally let her go."
Third Person P.O.V
"What is your plan this time Flare?" Fire asked. "Is it another way to try and get us caught?"
"It was the only thing we had," Flare said. "The Neverseen created us for this reason and this reason only."
"But we weren't supposed to kill Lady Gisela, Vespera and Gethen," Phoenix said. "We were only supposed to kill Councillor Emery."
"They were Fintan's orders, remember," Flame said. "We were supposed to kill them so he could become leader again."
"What about Ruy?" Flare asked.
"What about him?" Fire asked.
"He helps Gisela," Flare said.
"So?" Flame asked.
"He might find out we killed her," Phoenix said. "He might even find out Fintan told us to kill her."
"He won't find out," Fire said. "And he knows that he can't kill us or Fintan."
"I guess you're right," Phoenix said.
Sophie's P.O.V
The next morning I got dressed in the same green dress I wore to Kenric's planting deciding that Emery's planting wasn't any different from Kenric's. I looked into my full body mirror as Vertina appeared.
"Something bad happened, didn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied. "A Councillor died."
"Did you know them like how you knew..." Vertina trailed off. "The other one that died?"
I could barely hear the last part but I made out enough to answer. "I didn't know him that well but I know him enough to feel bad about what happened."
"But you didn't do anything," Vertina said. "It was whatever or whoever killed him."
"I guess you're right Vertina," I said. "But I have a feeling the Neverseen is behind this."
Grady peeked his head through my door making me jump.
"I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." I took my adoptive father's hand who held it out for me to take.
We walked down the stairs in silence to the Leapmaster where my adoptive mother, Edaline, Sandor and Flori were waiting for her.
"Are you ready?" Edaline asked.
I nodded.
"This feels just like Kenric's planting," I said when we arrived at the Wanderling Woods.
"But it is less crowded than usual," Grady said.
All around them people were huddled together crying.
"Lord and Lady Ruewen," a goblin greeted. "You are needed at the front."
Grady nodded and led me and Edaline to the front of the crowd where all the other Councillors were standing. I looked at each Councillor when I locked eyes with Bronte who gave me a small nod. I nodded back. After a few minutes the planting began. Councillor Terik took a wobbly step forward. His step looked steadier than the last time I saw him. He started talking but I zoned out. I didn't hear anything he said until I heard him say my name.
"Sophie would you mind coming up here?" he asked.
I swallowed hard and nodded. I forced my legs to work as I walked towards him. When I reached him he gave me a circlet and a marble-sized item that looked like a cache.
"Is that..." I started.
"Yes it is," Councillor Terik said. "He would have wanted you to have it."
He held it out for me to take. I hesitantly took Emery's circlet and his cache.
"What's in the cache?" I found myself asking.
"Who knows," Oralie said. "But that's for you to find out."
"But guessing his passwords is going to be impossible," I mumbled, putting the cache and circlet away.
"We know that." Councillor Loria said. "But none of us have time to work on it, especially now that the Neverseen has escaped and we need to elect a new Councillor."
There was a collective of gasps. I started to hear whispers from the crowd.
"The Neverseen escaped?"
"We're not safe."
"Did all of them escape?"
"Why are they telling us now?"
"When did they escape?"
"I know you're all worried," Bronte said. "But you have to understand that we did not know about the escape of the Neverseen until we found out two days ago."
"Why not tell us sooner?" someone asked in the crowd.
"We would have," Terik said. "But we were planning to tell you about all of this after the planting."
"Which reminds me," Oralie said. "We still have to plant Emery's Wanderling."
Councillor Darek dug a hole where the seed was placed. I closed my eyes as I heard the bottle shatter. I opened my eyes after a second to see Emery's Wanderling grow. His tree has dark brown bark like his skin color with sapphire blue flowers on the dark leaves. I left my parents' side and ran. I didn't know where I was running until I stopped and took a look at my surroundings. That's when I noticed the Wanderling in front of me. It was Kenric's. And someone was lying in front of it. I didn't know what to do. I looked around to see if anyone had followed me, but I saw no one. I slowly walked towards the figure on the ground thinking that they were dead until I saw slight movement of their chest.
"Who are you?" I whispered.
"Who's there?" The person rasped.
"It's me," I said. "Sophie Foster."
"Sophie?" they asked. "Is that really you?"
"Yessssss," I dragged the word trying to figure out what to say next. "Who are you?"
The person tried to stand up but I can tell that was very difficult for them because their leg was bent in a weird way. I could already tell who the person was without looking at their face. From the wild red hair and broad shoulders, I could tell that it was someone who should have been dead.
"Councillor Kenric?" I asked.
"Hi Sophie," he said, turning his head towards me. "Long time no see."
What happened to him? Who did this to him? What did they do to him?
"How are you alive?" I asked taking a step back.
"I'll tell you later," he said. "But for now," He managed to get up and lean on his Wanderling. "I'm in urgent need of a physician."
"I'll hail Elwin," I said. "But are you sure you don't want to see everyone else first?"
"See who?"
"The rest of the Council is here."
"Why are they here?" he asked. "Did someone die?"
I nodded.
"Who died?"
"Councillor Emery."
Kenric's face paled. "Who killed him and how did he die?"
"I don't think I'm the right person to tell you." I said. "If you let me help you get to where everyone else..."
"Take me there," he said.
I walked over to him and helped steady him. He put some of his weight on me, which I didn't mind. I had a million questions to ask him but I stopped myself from asking them. I thought we were lost when we heard the sound of people talking. Kenric stopped making me stop.
"What is it?" I asked him.
"Nothing," he said.
We took a few steps forward before he collapsed. He fell to the ground as I screamed for help. Grady and Edaline came along with the Council and everyone else who was still there.
"Is that Councillor Kenric?"
"I thought he was dead."
"He should be dead."
I heard people whisper.
"What is this?" Bronte asked. "Where did you find him?"
"I-I found him by his Wanderling," I explained. "I helped him get here but he collapsed."
Bronte cursed. I have never heard that word, so I assumed it was a word that I should never repeat.
"We need to get him to Elwin." Councillor Terik said.
Grady and Alden supported him as they stepped into the light that Bronte created for them. When they left people started to panic. The Council managed to calm them down and send them all home. One by one each Councillor took out their Pathfinders. I assumed they went wherever they took Kenric. I noticed that Oralie was the only one who hadn't light leaped yet.
"Is everything ok?" I asked her.
"Everything's fine," she said. "Why won't I be ok?"
"Is it because Kenric's back, isn't it?"
She nodded.
"I think you should get some rest," Sandor told her.
"No!" She shouted. "I can't go to sleep without knowing he's ok!"
"Then why don't we go together," I said.
"You should go home," she told me.
"I'm not leaving until I get some answers."
"Very well." Oralie took out her Pathfinder and we all leaped together.