Does anyone else think Stina deserves a Zuko level redemption arc? And sorry, this is a short chapter, but at this point I just need to get it out of my drafts.

TWENTY EIGHT

Sophie threw the door open without another thought, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "How did you find us?"

Dex muscled out of her hug and raced into the apartment, grabbing their coats from by the door. He threw Sophie's coat at her, and grabbed Keefe's arm. "We have to leave. Now."

"What's the matter?" Sophie asked, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. "Are you okay?"

"I did something very, very bad," he said, tugging them toward the door. "For a good reason, but still very bad, and now you guys need to get out of here."

"Dex," Sophie said, dread gripping her in its hand. "What did you do?"

"Mr. Dizznee," a deep voice said from behind them. A familiar voice. A voice Sophie had thought she'd never hear again. "Why am I not surprised to find you here?"

Dex froze, his entire body tensing like the voice had given him an electric shock.

Sophie, Dex, and Keefe turned as one to face Councillor Emery, who'd just leapt into the middle of the living room.

Along with the rest of the Elvin Council.

Dex froze, his grip tightening around Sophie and Keefe's arms like a vice.

"I hope your little show of teenage rebellion was worth it," Councillor Alina said, stepping up next to Councillor Emery. "Because it has well and truly ended."

Dex's hands released Sophie and Keefe's arms and went to press against his stomach. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking and tears forming in his eyes.

Sophie bit her lip. Grabbing Dex's hand she turned toward the door, ready to run, only to find it blocked by an unfamiliar goblin.

"We have the entire building surrounded," Councillor Emery announced loudly, a note of finality in his voice, "and the use of force has been authorized. Attempting to flee would be unwise."

"How did you find us?" Keefe demanded, stepping forward and drawing the Council's attention away from Sophie and Dex. But she didn't know what he wanted her to do. Although her adrenaline levels were high, there was nowhere for her to jump from to teleport, and if all the exits were truly blocked...

Councillor Alina sneered at Keefe, and then turned to Sophie. "How do you think we found you? Your friend Mr. Dizznee led us right to you."

Sophie stiffened next to Dex, but she felt no anger. She'd had an inkling since she first saw Dex outside her door. Tears streamed down Dex's cheeks. Sophie squeezed his hand to let him know she held no hard feelings. Only frustration at herself.

How could she have deluded herself into thinking this would work?

Keefe pulled a melder out from behind his back. Sophie didn't know where he'd gotten it, and she had a feeling everything was about to go South as soon as she saw the light from the doorway behind them glinting off the dark metal.

She wasn't wrong.

"We're not going back with you," Keefe told the Council, waving the melder at them menacingly.

"Don't be dramatic, Mr. Sencen," Councillor Emery said sternly. "You will be coming back to the Lost Cities with us, and I've already said we will use force if necessary. I advise you don't make it necessary."

"Stay back!" Keefe yelled at Bronte, who'd taken a step forward, his mouth open. Bronte closed his mouth sourly and stopped mid-step.

"What are you going to do with that, Mr. Sencen?" Bronte asked doubtfully. "You're not going to be able to incapacitate all of us before we retaliate, there are goblins surrounding this building - including just past that door frame - and attacking a Councillor is a serious offense. You could be Exiled."

"You'd have to catch me first," Keefe shot back.

Sophie stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keefe, it's alright."

Keefe shook her hand off, but not before she felt him trembling. "No it's not alright, Foster. I'm not going to let them take you back and make you marry Fitz."

"And I'm not going to let you ruin your life in a doomed but noble attempt to save mine," she told him, pushing the melder down. Their eyes locked, and Sophie's heart wrenched at the swirling turmoil within. But she held his gaze, hand over the melder, and eventually he broke, lowering the weapon. She turned to the Councillors. "What do you want from us?"

"Your parents miss you," Councillor Emery told her, his tone gentle but cold. "Fitz misses you. We just want you to come home."

"The Lost Cities aren't her home anymore," Keefe shot back, taking a step forward, but Sophie stepped in front of him.

Councillor Emery opened his mouth to respond, but Councillor Alina beat him to it. "I grow tired of this pointless back and forth," she said, waving a lofty hand in the air. "Gas them."

Tiny balls rolled into the room, exploding and emitting blue gas. Realizing what was happening, Sophie held her breath, grabbing Dex and tugging him toward the door. But the goblin was still there, and she couldn't hold her breath any longer. Starving lungs forced her to breathe, and her vision slowly fuzzed to black.

The last thing she saw was a blurry grey blob leaning over her.

When she woke, Sophie was in her bed. Her bed. Her bed at Havenfield.

She shifted, pushing herself into a sitting position, only to find her body pinned under the covers. On her left, Edaline layed on top of the covers, her arm draped over Sophie. On her right, Grady slumbered, his deep, rumbling breaths shaking the bed. Iggy was curled in a ball on her chest. He was a bright, sparkly yellow. Dex must have dyed his fur while Sophie was gone.

When Sophie shifted again, Edaline's eyes blinked open.

"Sophie," she breathed, and then she was crushing Sophie in a hug so tight she couldn't breathe.

That woke Grady, and he joined the lovefest.

It was a teary reunion, but too soon, reality burst through the door.

"Councillor Emery is waiting downstairs," Alden said from the doorframe.

"Well he can't see her," Edaline said, clutching Sophie's hand tightly as she shifted into a sitting position. "I don't care if he's a councillor, I'll - "

"Mom," Sophie said, placing her other hand on Edaline's shoulder. Her mother had lost weight, weight she couldn't afford to loose. It was like touching a skeleton. Sophie pulled her hand back. "I have to do this sooner or later." When Edaline still didn't seem convinced, Sophie added, "You know I'm right."

Edaline shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. "I just feel so helpless."

Sophie pulled Edaline into a hug. "Everything's going to turn out okay," she promised. "I'm not going to run away again. I promise."

Alden stayed with Edaline and Grady in her room. Iggy nipped her heel as Sophie walked out the door, but it was no less that she deserved. Her throat tightened as she descended the staircase.

"Miss Foster," Councillor Emery greeted when Sophie reached the ground floor. He was alone, looking out of place on the plain white couch in his fancy robes. Garish. He didn't belong there.

"Councillor Emery," Sophie acknowledged, swallowing her disgust and taking a seat on the couch across from him. She'd thought she would be afraid. She wasn't. Anger simmered in her gut.

"I'm here to discuss the upcoming wedding."

"Wedding?" Sophie asked, her brow furrowing. It had been 11 months. Surely... "It's still on?"

"You'll be married in a week."

Sophie scrambled to pull her snippets of thoughts into a coherent, logical argument. "But won't it look suspicious after everything that's happened? Aren't people starting to suspect that my relationship with Fitz isn't what it seems?"

"No."

Sophie waited for the councillor to elaborate, but he remained silent; watching, waiting, assessing.

"Well can I ask why not?"

"Because Mr. Sencen is currently being held in Exile."

Sophie's heart stuttered in her chest. "Keefe's been Exiled?"

"Temporarily, Miss Foster." The councillor's assurance did nothing to ease her fear. "Your friend will be released and rehabilitated as soon as you agree to our demands."

That made her angry. The fire in her belly bubbled up until she was seeing red. They could do whatever they wanted to her - make her marry Fitz, force her to graduate early, control her career as an Emissary - but they couldn't mess with Keefe. She wouldn't let them.

"You can't do that!"

Councillor Emery blinked, the only sign that he was surprised by her outburst. "Of course we can, Miss Foster."

"Keefe's done nothing wrong! You can't Exile him because he helped me foil your nefarious plan!"

Councillor Emery shrugged. "Maybe not, but we can Exile him for kidnapping."

Kidnapping.

The ugly word echoed around her head, but no matter how many times she turned it over, it didn't make sense.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how Mr. Sencen's jealousy grew and festered until he kidnapped his former friend's bride-to-be."

The pit in her stomach grew until Sophie could feel the bile sitting in the back of her throat. "Keefe didn't kidnap me. I left of my own volition."

"No one else knows that."

"Let him go!" Sophie yelled. "Keefe has nothing to do with this!"

"Mr. Sencen has everything to do with this, Miss Foster. You've made sure of that."

The councillor was right. She had dragged Keefe into this, she had run away with him. To everyone else in the world, who until the day she disappeared probably believed she and Fitz had a perfectly happy relationship, the idea that Keefe - someone known for being selfish and impulsive - would kidnap her...it probably wasn't so far-fetched.

Keefe was in Exile because she'd been naive enough to think she could escape. He was wasting away in Exile because of her. And she would do whatever it took to get him out.

The anger faded, but it didn't disappear. It simmered in her gut, transforming into a single minded determination. She would do whatever it took to get Keefe out. She would do whatever it took to save him, just like he'd tried to save her.

"What do you want me to do?"

Councillor Emery smiled, though the action was hollow; that smile held no true happiness. "You're going to marry Fitz. You're going to graduate next semester. You're going to become an Emissary. You're going to project the image of a charmed life. Is that clear?"

Sophie was about to nod, but she paused, biting her lip. There was something that didn't make sense. "Why is this so important to you?" she asked. "Why do you care what I do and who I marry? What does it matter?"

Emery ran a hand over his face. "I don't want to do this to you, Miss Foster," he sighed. "I know you think I enjoy ruining your life, but I don't want to force your marriage, or threaten your friends, or guide you into a career path you don't want. But I will, because this is what's best for our people."

"I don't understand."

"Your life matters to me, to the Council, because our world is vulnerable. Our people need to see that we are adjusting, that we can overcome all the adversity we've come up against in the past few years. And unfortunately, thanks to your strange abilities, Miss Foster, you have been thrust into the spotlight. They need to see that you are not just adjusting, that you are thriving. They need to see that you are taking a leadership role in our society. I'm sorry to do this to you, Miss Foster, but I will because you have a responsibility to our people, just as I do. We both must think of their needs and their happiness before our own. Such is the price of power."

"I can take a leadership role without marrying Fitz. You don't understand," she told him desperately. "When Fitz and I are together, it's not healthy. We bring out the worst in each other. Please, Councillor Emery, don't make me do this."

Councillor Emery's face was hard. "Miss Foster, we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, some more than others. This is your sacrifice, and our world thanks you for it."

"So, what? Keefe is your bargaining chip? If I don't agree to this, he'll stay in Exile?"

"I'm glad we understand each other."

Sophie reigned in her emotions until only her rage was left. "I want him released now."

"And I want things like the Neverseen to not exist, but we don't always get what we want, Miss Foster."

"I mean I'll do it. I'll marry Fitz. But I want Keefe released now, not after the wedding."

Councillor Emery looked at her, assessing her. Then he nodded. "I'll have Keefe released as soon as I leave."

"Thank you."

Councillor Emery stood to leave. He hesitated at the door. "Miss Foster, if you do anything to sabotage this wedding, Keefe is going right back into a cell. I want to make myself unequivocally clear."

Sophie stood as well. "I understand."

"Good. I'll tell Fitz and the invitations will be sent out tomorrow."

Sophie managed to hold in her tears until the front door clicked shut.