Deadly Secret

Everglen

Esther grasped her pathfinder crystal in one hand, brushing off bits of dust from the underground tunnel, "Where are we going?"

"I suppose Everglen," Ro drawled, "I almost prefer Fitz and the Vackers to the council members or the Black Swan. And if I have to face Keefe's Daddy Dearest, I might just tear him to shreds,"

"Keefe's... father," Esther narrowed her eyes, "Where does he live?"

Ro yawned, teeth gleaming dangerously, "Shores of Solace. You don't want to go there. At least it isn't sparkly, but... Lord Jerkface is incredibly strangle-worthy,"

Esther scanned the healing center one last time, silently whispering a fond goodbye, before raising the crystal to cold, bright sunlight. The rays fractured and spun, and she opened her mouth...

"Stop!" A familiar, grumpy gnome marched forward, shooting a nasty glare in Esther's direction.

"Bramble," she sighed.

Ro raised her eyebrows, unimpressed, "Who are you, little guy? Sparkly Hair and I were just leaving, but I could always use a... pre-light leaping snack,"

A heartbeat passed, and Bramble's gaze darted nervously around the room, "Esther," he said, "Could I talk to you alone?"

"Look, I'm just going on an errand," Esther said, "Why don't you dabble in the kitchen a while longer, and I'll be right with you,"

The gnome frowned, "It's about the pathfinder,"

"The pathfinder?" Esther squinted at him, "There's nothing to say. We got lucky,"

"Lucky? You must be an idiot to believe luck was involved. Bad luck, sure, but I have a theory..."

Esther inhaled sharply, "I'm going now, Bramble,"

"I need the crystal," he grunted, "if I'm going to investigate,"

The young, stubborn gnome leaped forward suddenly, arms outstretched.

Esther held the pathfinder high above her colourful locks, and breathlessly whispered, "Everglen."

A soft flare of light shred Esther into a million fragments and sewed each chunk together in the blink of an eye.

She found herself standing before a massive gate. Blue skies and acres of rolling hills stretched for miles, and in the midst of the extensive property, a castle-like structure rose from the ground, sculpted entirely from crystal. A light breeze carried a faint scent of blossoms from the surrounding country.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. Her fingers stretched out to graze the smooth, white arches of the gate as an imposing figure drew nearer.

"It's sparkly," Ro snorted.

Esther whirled to face her, dramatically flipping her shimmery locks, "Are you saying my hair isn't beautiful?"

 Ro smirked, "It is sparkly, and that's unforgivable, though I like the dye," she motioned to her own bright red pigtails.

"What are you doing here?" an accusing voice interrupted them. A boy strode forward, teal eyes flashing, "Where is Sophie? Who is she?"

"I'm Esther," she stepped forward and glanced at Ro, "Sophie is in the Healing Center,"

"What?" his accented voice was laced with an explosion of fury and concern, "Is she okay? What happened?"

Ro bared her teeth in a menacing grin, "It's not Sophie you should be worried about. WE have news. Who else is here at Everglen, Fitz?"

"News?" Fitz's gaze darted between Esther and Ro, "If it involves Sophie, I can handle it. Umm... Dex came to work on something with Biana,"

"Dex and Biana, huh?" a sly grin crossed Ro's face.

Fitz shrugged.

A moment passed, and Esther spoke up, "Well, let's go then, shall we?"

The three trudged forward, Fitz taking the lead.

"So..." Esther sighed, "How do you know Keefe?"

"He's my best friend," he answered simply, though a strain of doubt poisoned his words, "How do you know Keefe? Why do you want to know about him? Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Wow, umm..." she blinked, "Could you repeat the first question?"

Ro glanced at her, "Don't bother. There will be plenty of questions later, and I for one don't want to hear the same answers over. And over. And over,"

Best friend... the words repeated in her head, and she looked at Fitz with a new found interest. This was her brother's best friend? She stared at him, wondering...

A faint click brought her back into reality, and Esther watched as the doors of Everglen swung open dramatically. A soft light radiated from within.

The reluctant trio stepped together into the halls of Everglen, and as they navigated the Vacker's home, Fitz provided a casual tour for Esther's sake.

Ro was not impressed, "It's even more glittery on the inside. Where do you keep all the weapons? You must have a weapon room," she fingered one of her daggers fondly.

"Homes just aren't the same without armories," Esther joked.

"That's my girl!"

Fitz ignored the interruption and rambled on. His crisp, accented voice continued to ring in their ears as two new kids joined the ensemble.

"Where's Keefe?" a boy with periwinkle eyes quickly examined Esther, then his attention shifted to Ro. His fingers were still twined around a dark haired girl's petite hand.

"Is something wrong?" the girl held an uncanny resemblance to Fitz, and when she spoke, Esther detected the same faint accent.

Periwinkle Eyes glanced at Esther for the second time, and he looked ready to ask another question when Fitz interrupted.

"Well?" He crossed his arms, "Do we finally get some answers? Biana and Dex are here,"

"Answers?" Everyone became silent as a new, cold figure joined them. His blond hair was painfully slicked back, but something seemed oddly familiar about his face.

"Lord Cassius," Ro snarled, "How good of you to join us,"