Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

This story takes place at the end of book #5: Lodestar

Sophie couldn't breathe. Everything was crumbling around her. Mr. Forkle was dead and Edaline was nowhere to be found. She was stuck in Lumenaria and had no way out. She was too tired to track any minds. Sophie thought to herself, She was going to die alone here. No one was there to help her.

She was beginning to lose all hope when the wall crumbled leaving a small hole. Without a second thought she leaped out into the cold wispy air.

She hit the ground hard. Really hard. She heard a terrible snap as her wrists reached out to catch herself. Her scream rattled through the air. The yelps turned into crying. Fast flooding sobs took over her, choking out her call for help. Sophie opened her bloodshot eyes to find herself laying on the pebble shore. She was gasping for breath when strong arms hoisted her up onto her broken ankles only for her to fall again.

"Ahh, she broke her feet!" A dark husky voice rattled through the air. Fintan. "Looks like her wrists are broken too." He continued. He grabbed her hands to prove to whomever else was there. She wanted to inflect, but her sobs had drained the knot beneath her ribs. "Why are you wearing gloves Sophie?" He sneered at her. Sophie's reply was a pained grunt. He started to pull off her gloves when she rolled over blocking Fintan. "So, you're going to play that game with me." His laugh was darker than the night sky around her. He quickly reached out his hand and grabbed her shoulder and dug his nails in.

Then the heat came. A terrible burn that reached her bones. Her skin was on fire. The pain was sucking her in, she was retreating to a nook in her mind that seemed safe. Fintan took the chance and half heartedly pulled off some of her gloves. Oh no. some of his hot skin touched her bare hand. He gasped at her hands, then ripped the gloves fully off. "You are an enhancer!" A new deadly fire lit in his eyes. His hands seemed to itch to call everblaze down. "You will be a wonderful new toy."

Then he quickly drugged her.

The drugged daze brought her back to her kidnapping. Metal bonds were wrapped tightly around her broken legs and arms. Her lazy eyes looked at her shoulder. Her black tunic had been burned away. Sophie's skin was blistered black and red. Layers of ash coated her face. Her coughs scratched her throat and brought her completely out of the daze. She then noticed that her hands were free from burns and were isolated from her body. She half heartedly tried to break free, only barely shaking the metal slab she was strapped to, causing a new pain in her wrists. "Show yourself!" Sophie's horse voice quietly said.

"Oh we are right here." All of the Neverseen emerged from the shadows.

"Looks like she can almost talk." Ruy's snooty voice made her want to claw everything, but mostly his face. She flinched as she turned to look at them.

"So you are back to kidnapping now." Sophie barely snapped back.

"Oh Miss Foster now that we know you are an enhancer we need to have you," Gethen laughed. "And now the Black Swan will never get their puppet back."

"I am not their puppet!" Sophie coughed. She hated that she was back to being kidnapped by the bad guys. But her family had to come at some point. Nobody would believe she just died or went missing right?

"I can't believe you still think that." Fintan joined in. He was putting a sedative on a cloth when she called "Wait!" Fintan looked up.

"What are you going to do to me now that you have me?" Sophie's scratchy voice called.

"Should we tell her?" Ruy asked.

"That's up to Fintan." Gethen answered.

"We are going to use your enhancing ability to win an ambush we are setting to the Black Swan." Fintan called from the corner he was setting up the sedative.

Sophie tried transmitting to everyone she could think of but the Neverseen drugged her soon after their conversation.

She was drifting in the inky blackness of the drug. Hating that she couldn't wake herself up. Hating she didn't know how much time was passing. Wondering if the Black Swan would win this ambush. Hoping that the Black Swan wins. A few seconds to her could be days to everyone else.

All of a sudden she could feel her body. She could feel energy in her mind and used all of it to connect her mind to Fitz's.

SOPHIE! His mind felt her presence right away. WHERE ARE YOU? YOU ARE NOT WITH THE SURVIVORS OF LUMENARIA.

I have been kidnapped again by the Neverseen, but you need to know that- She was cut short by Fitz.

YOU HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED AGAIN! His mind screamed.

Yes, you need to listen because I don't know how much time I have left. She transmitted. It broke her heart. Fitz and everyone else was worried about her. And right then, there was nothing they could do about it. They found out about my enhancing and drugged me at Lumenaria. They are going to use my enhancing to ambush the Black need to warn them.

What about you, are we just going to leave you to used as a toy? His thoughts asked.

I am hoping you can rescue me when they use me during the ambush. I am running out of mental energy. I am half drugged right now so I can not hold our connection for any longer. I have one last question for you, is Edaline okay?

Yes, she has a few broken bones but we found her. Everyone is really worried that you were not with the survivors. His thoughts turned sad and dark.

Her heart broke even more. Thank you, goodbye for now Fitz.

FITZ

He was running through the soft grass of Everglen where everyone was staying, looking for Sophie. Hot tears bursting from his eyes. Failing to stop in time, he crashed into his dad. "Fitz what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Sophie-Sophie she-she…" Fitz stuttered.

"Sophie? Did you find her?" Edaline's shaky voice asked. Fitz looked over to where she was and… gagged. Grady was helping her sit comfortably. Elwin was changing bandages that were stained red. They had found her not too long ago buried under a pile of rubble barely alive. They found her bleeding a ton. Elwin then wrapped silky cloth around her head, arms, and legs. Fitz tried to sugarcoat it for Sophie-not wanting her to worry. Uggggggg he is starting to sound like his dad.

"Sophie she- she-they took- she reached out to me… '' Fitz tried again, but flooding sobs took out his crisp voice. Dex immediately paled.

"They took her?" he whispered. A deadly silence was upon them. All Fitz could do was nod. A huge commotion broke out and everybody was yelling words they shouldn't. Keefe, who just returned from the Neverseen, was freaking out. He was the one who found Edaline, but he blames himself for not finding Sophie. Dex himself was mumbling mumbo jumbo. Rubbing his sides where he was burned when he was kidnapped.

Fitz broke the commotion by saying, "She tol-told me-e that the Neverseen are-are go-going to use her enhancing to-to ambu-ambush us bad." Everybody paled at that. "She said we should try and rescue her when they ambush us.'' he continued, finding his voice.

"But I want to start looking for her now and prepare to fight an-an ambush." He was scared that Sophie would be in terrible condition when they finally would find her. Images of Sophie burned and broken shook his chest, his hands curling up into tight balls. His nails dug deep into his skin, but he didn't care. The pain Sophie was going through had to be so much worse.

And with that info, everyone went into Everglen to make a plan.

A/N: Reviews are welcome! I need more ideas for this. There will be a few more chapters. Thanks for reading!