Okay, so here I am. With the second update of today. A whole new chapter! Yay! And pretty long compared to the last chapter. FINALLY! The Matchmaker's Scrolls are here! Tell me what you think. :)

THIRTEEN

Emotions warred in her stomach as Sophie leapt home from Foxfire that afternoon. All afternoon she'd been torn between elation she'd convinced the Council to change their minds, and guilt she'd lied to Grady and Edaline about the Tribunal. They still thought she'd gone to Exile and started healing minds. This morning they'd been so proud of her. Edaline had even made blitzenberry muffins. And Sophie had to act like everything was fine, like she was excited to be healing instead of breaking for once. At least for the time being. To date, that had been one of her hardest…no, her hardest deception ever.

The peace of Havenfield's pastures contrasted her inner turmoil, and she walked slowly down the path to the house, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, as if she could draw strength from the sun's warm rays. A gentle breeze caressed her face as she opened the door, carrying the scent of mallowmelt. Her stomach revolted and she nearly lost her lunch right there.

"How was it?" Edaline asked brushing her hands together to dispel the remaining flour stuck to her fingers.

Stall! Stall! STALL! "I…ummm…is Grady here?"

"I think he's out with the gnomes working on the flaredon enclosure. Is something wrong?"

She wanted to pull out an eyelash, but she'd promised herself she wouldn't do that anymore. SSo she settled for nervously playing with the ends of her hair. "No, I just…I didn't go to Exile today." Avoiding Edaline's eyes Sophie dropped her bag and sat down on the couch.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sophie." Edaline sat lightly next to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Did something happen with Bronte or did the Council just decide it wasn't a good day to start?"

Sophie's hand twitched at her side. 'I really am a horrible daughter,' she decided, guilt rearing its ugly head as the butterflies in her stomach went AWOL. "I didn't go to Exile, I went to Luminaria."

A pause. Then the dreaded, confused "Luminaria? What for?"

Sophie took a deep breath and promised herself that she would be better about lying to her parents in the future. "A Tribunal."

Crickets.

When Edaline finally responded her voice had taken on a hard edge. "I assume Alden knew about this."

Guilt's claws scraped up and down her arms, she could feel the phantom blood dripping down her fingers—Plop. Plop. Plop—as bile rose in Sophie's throat. "Yes."

"And Grady?"

"No I…I didn't tell either of you. We thought it would be best to wait until after."

"I see."

"Are you mad?" Sophie asked when she couldn't bear the interminable silence anymore.

"No. I'm just disappointed."

That somehow hurt worse.

"What was it for?" Edaline finally asked. She tried to cover up the pain in her eyes, but Sophie could see through the cracks. She had done this to Edaline. Granted, she'd been trying to protect her foster mother, but still. Edaline was obviously in a lot of pain. And it was all Sophie's fault for making a stupid decision and lying. Again. Why hadn't she just been brave and told them the truth?

"There was an issue with my Matchmaker's Scroll," Sophie lied, and Guilt came at her with its sharp teeth this time, ripping into her flesh and tearing from her bones like she was a prime rib. "They fixed it, it's all okay now."

"An issue that warranted a Tribunal?" Edaline asked skeptically.

Stall! Stall! STALL! "Well," Sophie hedged, "it was a decently sized issue."

Edaline's eyes narrowed. The jig was up. "How decently sized?"

"They didn't want to give one to me."

"A Matchmaker's Scroll?" Edaline asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"The Matchmakers or the Council?"

Sophie paused, contemplating. "I'm not sure. I think the Council. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I just…with everything that happened with Jolie…I didn't want you to worry."

Edaline sighed. "Sophie, sometimes you drive me absolutely crazy. How many times do I have to explain that I'm your mother? I'm going to worry about you regardless of whether you tell me what you're up to. In fact, I'll just worry more if you keep lying to me. Do you think you being in a Tribunal is any more stressful that you going to Exile to heal the minds of some of the most dangerous criminals in history?"

Sophie's cheeks reddened. "I didn't think about that."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Sophie, but please just be honest with me. Even if you think it'll be hard."

Sophie opened her mouth to agree like she had so many times before, but Edaline's raised hand stopped her.

"If you're going to say it won't happen again, don't bother. I'll go talk to Grady. Why don't you head on up to your room?" Guilt's sword pierced her chest, and her heart gamely beat its last, dying beats as she bled out on the living room floor.

The week passed excruciatingly slowly. As she'd expected, Grady hadn't been very happy she'd lied about the tribunal, and it had resulted in a blowup of epic proportions. When Grady started ranting about Alden, Sophie pointed out that he probably would have reacted even worse if the Council hadn't already changed their minds. "Do you really think this would have helped at all?"

Grady agreed and sat back down on the edge of her bed. "Sophie, we just want the best for you. You've already been through so much, to ask you to do anything more seems so…"

"Grady, I know. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But it was as much my decision as Alden's. Please don't get mad at him."

They'd made up, but all in all it had been a tense few days. Sophie couldn't wait to get out of the house and stay with the Vackers for a weekend. "Ready?" Biana asked, calling the crystal for Everglen in the atrium of Foxfire.

"Of course." Sophie gave her friend a relieved smile as she shifted her backpack and grabbed her hand. She'd stopped bringing an overnight bag long ago, because Biana just dressed her up anyway. Biana even kept a spare toothbrush for Sophie in her bathroom.

"Okay," Biana said, practically squealing with excitement as she pulled them into the light. "Mom! Mom! Did it come yet?" Biana shouted, sprinting through the gates as soon as they opened. Della was waiting right inside.

"Not so fast," Della said, yanking the roll of ivory paper out of Biana's reach. "That one's your brother's. This one"—she produced another identical roll from behind her back—"is yours."

Biana grabbed it eagerly. "I can't breathe. I think I'm going to pass out from excitement. Is this normal?"

"I know just how you're feeling!" Della gushed as they started making their way to the house. "Open it!"

"I can't!" Biana wailed dramatically. "I've got to wait for Linh and the boys!"

"Just a peek!" Della prompted, nudging the end of the bright red ribbon with her finger. She eyed the scroll like a starving man would eye a roasting pig. "The boys never have to know! You won't tell, will you Sophie?"

They both looked at Sophie, eyes wide and innocent, identical bottom lips pouted in the universal "puppy dog" expression.

Sophie sighed. "You're the one that wanted everyone to wait, Biana"—Biana and Della's faces fell—"but"—they both perked up again—"if you peek I won't tell anyone."

Mother and daughter shrieked in unison and in the blink of an eye the shiny red ribbon was covered in the dust of the path and Biana was holding her list. Della tried to peek, but Biana turned away and held the list up with a flourish, her eyes glowing with excitement. "'By Official Arrangement of the Matchmakers: Matches for Biana Vacker,'" the girl read, her voice trembling with nerves. "Number one: Ke…"she trailed off and grabbed the list with a white knuckled grip, her expression becoming confused, then worried, then angry as she read farther and farther down the list. "Twenty-six?" Biana finally screeched unbelievingly. "He's my TWENTY-SIX?"

"Who?" Sophie and Della asked at the same time, even though they bother knew what "he" she was referring to.

"Keefe!" Biana yelled. "He's my twenty-six!"

"Yay!" Della laughed giddily. "I can't believe it! I was so hoping he would be on your scroll—"

"Mom!" Biana yelled, her face red and eyes watery. "This is NOT a good thing!"

"But Biana—"

"He was supposed to be my number ONE!"

Della and Sophie both went quiet, neither sure how to handle the delicate situation. "Twenty-six is still—"

"If you say 'very high,' Mother, I will never talk to you again."

"Biana," Sophie interrupted, "don't you think this is a little dramatic? At least he's on your scroll."

"It would be better if he wasn't," Biana muttered.

"Don't say that!" Della cried.

"If he's not my number one there's no point," Biana told them primly. "He's never going to notice me if I'm his twenty-six. I've got to reapply. It's the only answer."

"It's not the only answer, Biana," Sophie groaned. "Twenty-six is practically in the top quarter."

"He's not even in my top quarter?" Biana screeched, her voice echoing across the expansive property. "Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Biana turned on her heel and stalked back toward the house.

Sophie and Della shared an eye roll. "What's the plan of attack?"

"Just let her rant for a second," Della decided. "Then we'll ambush her and tickle her until she admits Keefe being ranked her Twenty-Six isn't the end of the world."

Sophie rather liked that plan.

"Where's your scroll, Sophie?" Della asked as they walked back to the house.

"Well…there was a problem with it, so I'm getting it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Della asked, her brow furrowing in confusion as she brushed a lock of wavy chocolate hair out of her eyes. Then understanding flashed across her features. "Does this have something to do with the confidential Tribunal on Monday?"

Sophie's embarrassed smile was all the answer Della needed. "Does Biana know?"

"Not yet."

"Why haven't you told her?"

"I don't want her to feel like she has to wait for me," Sophie explained. "She should get to open hers tonight. With all the rest of them."

Della pursed her lips. "No matter how much she wants to open hers now, I think they should all wait for you."

"Really, Della. It's not necessary. Biana's practically dying to see Keefe's Scroll. I'm not going to be the one to make her wait."

Della smiled and hugged Sophie. "I'm going to go get some dinner started. Why don't you go grab Biana and meet the boys on the path? They'll probably be leaping onto the property soon."

Biana was sprinting toward the gate faster than Sophie could say, "Keefe's going to be here soon."

They met the boys at the gate. Along with Tam, Linh, and Dex. But they waited until after dinner to gather in Biana's bedroom with their scrolls.

"I'm surprised you haven't peeked yet, Keefe," Sophie smiled. "You don't exactly seem like one for delayed gratification."

"Wonderboy here leapt home with me so I couldn't look," Keefe muttered, throwing a hostile glare at his best friend. "You never let me have any fun anymore."

Fitz let out a sigh, but didn't lament Keefe's use of Dex's nickname. "We agreed we'd all open them at the same time, right?" he asked, looking around the circle and meeting each of their gazes. "Right."

"Where's your scroll, Sophie?" Biana asked, noticing for the first time that her friend wasn't holding an elegantly rolled piece of thick stationary.

"There…there was a problem with my scroll. The Council wanted to check it, so I'm getting mine tomorrow."

"Do you want us to wait?" Biana asked, but Sophie knew it was a halfhearted offer. Biana wanted—no, needed—to know where she was on Keefe's scroll.

"Of course not!" Sophie told her, and Biana's smile returned. "I'll just bring mine over when I get it tomorrow and open it with you."

"I think we should all get to be there," Keefe interjected quickly. "I mean, you might be the Mysterious Miss F, but there's no way we're letting you keep your Matchmaker's Scroll a secret, right guys? We've been taking bets."

"You've been taking bets?" Sophie asked, horrified.

"Of course!" Keefe laughed. "Tam and I put our Prattle's Pins on Fitz, Dex put his on himself, and Fitz thinks it'll be me."

"I bet on Fitz too," Biana said quickly, with a nervous glance at Linh. "And she bet on Keefe."

"What about you?" Sophie asked Tam, morbidly curious.

"I abstained, as I don't particularly care either way," he told her casually, in true Tam fashion.

"Gee, thanks," Sophie said dryly. "Now open your stupid Scrolls, you guys."

"Biana, why doesn't yours have ribbon?" Keefe asked, his tone simultaneously offended, accusing, jealous, and impressed.

But Biana quickly interrupted yelled over him, "Let the Matchmaker's Scroll Opening Commence!"

And then the world crazy. ribbons flew everywhere as all of Sophie's friends tried to be the first to read their scrolls. Dex actually ripped a corner in his haste. It was silent as everyone made their way down the list. Keefe finished first. Sophie knew because he shouted "This is alicorn crap!" and threw his scroll into the pile of trash. "Where's my real scroll?"

"That's it," Biana said, looking up from her scroll innocently. "Why? What's the matter?"

Keefe briefly glanced at Foster, then stared at his feet. "They made a mistake or something. There's no way that scroll is right."

Biana snatched it from the pile and scanned the list of names, her face falling with every line. "Number 62," she said tightly, forcing a smile as she handed it back to him. "I'm your number 62."

Keefe looked at it again. "That's so weird. Why would they match us together? You're practically my little sister."

Biana looked crushed, and all Sophie wanted to do was give her a hug, but then Keefe made the situation even worse. "Hey, Linh! You're on here too. Number 60." Now Biana looked just about ready to murder someone. Possibly Keefe, probably Linh, likely even a Matchmaker or two.

"Let me guess," Dex said, throwing his scroll down in the center as well. "No Sophie?"

Keefe shook his head morosely. "You either?"

Dex shrugged and they both looked to Fitz. Sophie did too. She was holding her breath and her entire body felt coiled like a spring. She wanted to be on there so badly. She didn't even care where. Number 1 or 100 it didn't make a difference. As long as her name was on the list. When Fitz looked up he didn't meet her eyes. He just shook his head sadly.

So all three of them glared at Tam, but he was having none of it. "No, she's not on my scroll either, so keep your pathetic, jealous, angry glares to yourselves. And while we're at it, let's keep the useless pining to a minimum, please."

"Back the t-rex up. None of us have Sophie?" Keefe asked, looking at everyone else incredulously. "Are you kidding me? What are the odds of that?"

Sophie felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. She wasn't on Fitz scroll? She wasn't on any of their scrolls? It wasn't necessarily that she'd wanted to be on everyone's scrolls, but she'd always thought she'd be on at least one of them.

Everyone started passing their scrolls around the circle at that point, but the excited air was gone.

"Umm, Dex," Biana started, "are you aware that Stina Heks is your 34?"

Dex's face went beet red. "Yeah."

"Well…okay then."

And that was that.

Dex quietly pointed out that he was Linh's 87, and she was his 98. Neither of them seemed too excited.

"Hey!" Tam said, startling everyone with his loud voice as he looked up from Biana's scroll. "Sorry, sorry. But I'm your number 12!"

"Oh, cool," Biana said morosely, still smarting from the knowledge that she was Keefe's 62. And that he thought of her as "practically his little sister."

"And you're my number 3!" Tam said happily, a genuine smile on his face as he passed Biana's list on to Linh, who was still reading Keefe's.

"Great," Biana said flatly, and so ended that conversation. Tam's smile faded as he shifted awkwardly on the floor and waited for Dex's scroll from Fitz. Sophie couldn't help but feel bad for him, but not too bad. Biana might be too obsessed with Keefe to notice him, but at least he was on her scroll. Sophie was in the exact opposite predicament. She liked Fitz, and he even liked her back. But she wasn't on his scroll.

As if he could read her mind he transmitted, I'm applying for a new scroll next month.

Who knows? You might be on my scroll when I get it tomorrow. And I might be your number 101. We just have to stay hopeful. She sent him a big smile, and Keefe scoffed, but didn't comment.

Eventually Fitz looked up from the scroll he was reading and said, "Linh, I'm your 28?" When she nodded, he said, "I think you're on mine too. Maybe in the 50s or something?"

"48," Linh corrected quietly, blushing as she looked back down at the scroll she was meeting.

"Cool," Fitz said, passing the scroll on to Tam, and Sophie couldn't help but be jealous of Linh. She was gorgeous and sweet and on Fitz's Matchmaker's Scroll. Then she shook her head and went back to peering at Keefe's Scroll in Biana's hands. "Hey Biana, I'm your 34!" Dex said wonderingly, staring incredulously at the list in front of him.

"Yeah, I'm your 20 or something."

"15," Sophie and Keefe corrected at the same time. Neither of them looked up when Biana and Dex muttered something unkind about where they could stick their photographic memories.

When they were done Keefe got up on his knees and sighed. "So, I know we're all trying to ignore the elephant in the room, but I'm afraid we're going to have to bring it up at some point. Who thinks this batch of scrolls was rigged?" He raised his hand, and looked around the circle. "Really? Nobody? I thought for sure you would be…oh, you are," Keefe aid with a mischievous smile as Fitz too raised his hand. "I was gonna say, you have just as much of a reason as I do. How about you, Dex?"

Dex sighed and raised his hand into the air as well. Keefe's smile grew. "And we all know you got who you wanted, Bangs Boy, so you don't have any reason to care, do you?"

"You know what," Tam asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I might just join in on this bet of yours."

"You don't even own any Prattles Pins," Keefe scoffed.

"He can have some of mine," Linh defended her brother.

"I bet one…Prattle's Pin…on Fitz!" Tam said triumphantly as he sneered at Keefe.

"My money's on Fitz too, so you can stop the whole constipated gremlin routine," Keefe told Tam with a smirk. "I'm hungry. Who's hungry."

"We just had dinner, Keefe," Sophie reminded him.

"But now I want dessert. Who wants mallowmelt?" Sophie opened her mouth to argue, but Keefe interrupted with, "Don't you dare say no, Foster. We all know you never say no to mallowmelt."

"Fine," Sophie conceded, and the others were quick to agree.

On the way down to the kitchen, Biana trailed behind. "I'm going to use the bathroom, you all go on ahead," she told them. Worried, Sophie followed her into her room.

As soon as the door shut clicked shut Biana rounded on Sophie. "Still think Keefe likes me more than you?" she accused, tears already running down her cheeks.

"Come on, Biana. Keefe only wants me on his scroll so he can win the bet. He probably was just surprised you were so high on each other's Scrolls and didn't know how to react." There was a quiet knock on the door, and Sophie opened it to let Linh inside before continuing.

"Then why is he talking about applying for another scroll? And the Matches being rigged? And he bet on Fitz, not himself!"

"He's nervous you don't like him back, and it's kinda adorable, 'cause Keefe doesn't get nervous often."

Biana wiped her tears off her cheeks. "You're right. It's the only explanation that makes sense. Don't you agree?" she asked Linh.

"Of course." Linh's small smile was encouragement enough for Biana, and she hurried into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. As soon as she was gone Linh turned to Sophie and whispered, "You shouldn't encourage her like this."

"What?"

"Telling her that Keefe likes her. It's clear he likes someone else." Linh gave her a significant look, but Sophie was confused.

"There's no way Keefe likes anyone else," Sophie informed her.

"He said he thinks of her like a little sister," Linh hissed. "That's not how people with crushes act."

"He only said that because he's nervous she doesn't like him and he's not sure how Fitz will react. Believe me, I know him. He likes her. Just give him a little time."

"I sure hope you know what you're talking about," Linh said, and Sophie nodded. Then Biana came out of the bathroom looking better than ever and they hurried down to the kitchen for some midnight dessert. After all, mallowmelt always tastes better when consumed in the middle of the night.

That night they went to sleep early—the boys in Fitz's room and the girls in Biana's—each hyperaware of the others only a hallway away and each heady with the anticipation of the arrival of Sophie's Matchmaker's Scroll for their own reasons.

"Sophie!"

The voice wound its way through her dream, bleaching the color from her beautiful world and shaking it to its very core.

"You've gotta wake up."

"5 more minutes," Sophie mumbled, rolling over and desperately clinging to the traces of peace and light.

"Let me try," a different voice said.

The next thing she knew she was coughing, spluttering, and completely and utterly soaked.

"What in Exile?" she shouted when she'd coughed all the water out of her throat.

"Sorry," Linh said sheepishly. "Here, let me dry you off."

With a flick of Linh's wrist all the water on the bed and Sophie was hovering in and undulating sphere in midair. Despite the fact that her friend had almost just drowned her (a slight, but fair, over exaggeration) Sophie couldn't help but admire Linh's control.

Still, she didn't appreciate being awoken by a tidal wave.

Sophie hopped out of bed and stretched. "What time is it?" she asked through her yawn.

"7:30."

Sophie stared at Biana incredulously. "Are you kidding me? It's not even a school day."

"Well, your Scroll's been here for 3 minutes already, and Linh wouldn't let me open it for you, so I need you up."

Sophie rolled her eyes and held her hand out. "Just give it."

Biana smiled deviously. "The boys are already waiting outside."

"Outside? We're seriously doing this outside?"

"Fine," she said in mock exasperation. But in truth, she was just as excited as Biana as she threw on a tunic and some leggings and followed her friends down the path to the lake.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, noting the absence of both Keefe and Dex. Fitz's face flushed scarlet, and Tam heaved a weary, put upon sigh.

"Your boyfriend here got another scroll, so they leapt home to make sure they didn't miss theirs. Here's a thought: if the dude delivering the scrolls says you're not getting another, you're probably not getting another. Just a thought."

"How long do you think they're going to take?" Sophie asked, glancing anxiously at her scroll. If they took much longer, the temptation might be too much to handle. Her fingers twitched with the desire to rip it open and her brain could hardly stop them.

"They leapt home just after the messenger showed up," Tam said. "That was fifteen minutes ago."

"Do we have to wait for them?" Biana whined. "They're being stupid."

Despite how much it pained her to do so, Sophie nodded. "Of course. They waited all of yesterday. I can wait for a few more minutes today." As an afterthought she added, "But only a few more."

She didn't even need to wait a few more because right at that moment Dex stalked up to the lake. "Nothing. Can you believe it? Nothing!" He kicked at the ground in front of him, sending up a cloud of dirt. "Wait, where's Keefe?"

"Still not back yet," Biana muttered grumpily.

"Fitz, hail your buddy and tell him to get back over here," Tam growled.

"Whoa, take it easy," Fitz said. "Okay, okay."

He walked off to the edge of the lake and within moments Keefe was in front of them. "Where is it?" he asked eagerly.

"Where's what?" Biana asked.

A scowl crossed his face. "You guys didn't already open it, did you? Ugh! You did. Not cool!"

"Open what?"

"At least tell me if Sophie was on it!"

"I lied, Keefe," Fitz said as he walked up behind Sophie. "There's no Scroll."

"What?" said everyone ever.

"I told him the messenger just dropped off his replacement Scroll. Hey! Don't look at me like that! He's here, isn't he?"

That was true. All of them were there.

"Okay, Sophie! Open it!" Biana said, bouncing with excitement.

"Okay, okay," Sophie said with a smile. Very carefully she untied the red ribbon, Fitz mirroring her movements with his own teal one.

Possible Matches for Sophie Foster:

Fitz Vacker

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

That was it. Just Fitz Vacker. What? There had to be an error. But Fitz looked just as puzzled when he met her eyes.

"Okay, I'm sensing some serious confusion here. Care to enlighten those of us who already have our scrolls?" Keefe asked.

"There's been a mistake," Fitz said, standing up and offering Sophie a hand. "I think we should go talk to my dad."

"What?" Biana asked, craning her neck in an attempt to see his scroll.

"Sophie's the only one on here," Fitz told them.

"And Fitz is the only one on mine," Sophie whispered, turning her scroll around to show them as well.

"You're kidding, right?" Keefe said, glancing back and forth between the scrolls. "I mean, Fitz already got his, and it had 100 options on it. No offense, but you weren't even one of them."

"Yeah, and then it got voided," Fitz said.

"That's not fair! Where's my second scroll?" Keefe whined. "I want Foster on mine too."

Fitz and Sophie both ignored him and hurried to Alden's office. "Dad," Fitz said as they burst in. "There' something wrong with our…"

Fitz trailed off right around the time they both recognized the Councillor sitting in the seat across from Alden. Sitting in Sophie's seat. "Ah," he said with a relieved smile. "I see you received your updated Matchmaker's Scroll, Fitz. What do you think?"

Fitz's jaw dropped, and frankly, Sophie couldn't believe it either. "You mean you did this on purpose?"

"Of course. Our most powerful elf can only be Matched with the best." He looked so smug, so sure of himself. Sophie wanted to wipe his self-important smile off his face.

"This is your brilliant solution?" Sophie asked angrily. "Manipulating my life by not giving me a choice?"

Sophie's mood soured further at the Councillor's shocked expression. "Of course we're giving you a choice. There's always a choice, Miss Foster."

"Oh, right. Sorry. My choice is marry Fitz or never get married. Thank you for your generosity." As an afterthought she added, slightly less hostilely, "Nothing against you, Fitz."

"I completely understand," he agreed, frowning at the Councillor.

Just then the door burst open to reveal Biana, Linh, Tam, Dex, and a very angry Keefe.

"When am I getting my updated Scroll?" he demanded.

"Mr. Sencen, this is highly inappropriate."

"This isn't fair. You can't just give Sophie one match. You should at least give her two. And it's pretty obvious who that second should be."

"Mr. Sencen—"

"Also, not cool that you took away all of Fitz's matches. I happen to know 100 girls that will be very disappointed with your decision."

"Mr. Sencen!" Councillor Emery yelled. "This is a confidential meeting. Get out!"

"Fine. Sheesh. Whatever. Not like I care." The door shut behind him with him still muttering.

"Don't you think you could give Sophie one more match?" Alden asked. "And Fitz back his VOIDED Scroll? This is all a little unorthodox"

"Of course I could," Councillor Emery said. Alden starts to smile but then Emery continues, "But if someone like Sophie is going to reproduce, her husband must be super powerful too. That way they can rig the gene pool."

"Of course," Alden agreed. "Sophie's husband should be very Talented."

"Extremely Talented."

"Yes, extremely Talented."

Sophie was starting to get a little hesitant about where this was going.

"And they should probably be from the Nobility, correct?"

"Or at least a prospective member of the Nobility, yes," Alden agreed.

Sophie was very hesitant about where this was going.

"So it's settled, then. Sophie Foster is officially engaged to Fitz Vacker. Now, I must go, I have rather urgent business to attend to. Enjoy your Devoir Gala, Sophie!"

"Devoir Gala?" But the Councillor was already gone.