Keeper of The Lost Cities: Book 9: Showdown

Chapter 37 - Sophie's POV

I meet separately with Kesler, Elwin and Livvy, along with Edaline (who appears to have more knowledge of this than Grady does) and my usual entourage of bodyguards at the Wanderling site. Livvy's waving around something that looks terribly like a human metal detector.

"I came when I received your hail," Elwin says as he hurries to where I'm standing. "Livvy briefed me, too. I was afraid I'd find you at some the brink of death. Again." he smiles at me, though my heart clenches at the reminder of my near-death stunts.

"I'm fine. As fine as fine can be. Do you know what - I mean, is there any possibility that there's no accelerant?"

Before Elwin could respond, Livvy called out, "There are definitely traces of an accelerant."

"And there's your answer." Elwin shrugs. "Though it can be stopped." he pauses to peer at Edaline, standing atop the hill with Livvy. "You're lucky," he says suddenly.

"That Edaline figured it out?" I ask, skeptical.

"Well, that too," He concedes. "But that you have parents that care about you. More than one set."

I'm reminded of Oralie. "Sure."

"I'm not kidding," Elwin warns. I know he's thinking of Keefe. "Have you ever not felt loved by your parents? Human and not? I don't mean not belong, or not alone."

I narrow my eyes a little. "All parents love their children."

"I'm sure Keefe would argue otherwise," Elwin says. "And if that's your argument, then you're lucky that you've parents who know how to express it."

There, he's not wrong. I don't like it when someone else is not wrong.

"But that's not what I'm here for," Elwin tells me, patting my shoulder. "Though you could use the reminder."

"I didn't need it," I say lightly. "But I suppose you should talk to Livvy, see what she says. And maybe Kesler, too."

We both trudge up the hill to where Kesler's doing some 'light' digging, and Livvy's standing ready with tweezers. "We're trying to locate some roots of another tree, see if there's anything in the immediate vicinity," Livvy says. "Though Kenric's Wanderling was on a hill by itself; I doubt the poison would manage to reach roots of trees elsewhere."

"You never know," Kesler warned. "Not with accelerants."

"You'd think that as the 'intelligent' species that we are," I mused aloud, "we'd have such a thing as 'de-accelerants'. You know," I gesture vaguely, "so that we don't find ourselves in these types of situations."

"You'd think right," Livvy replied, "only we elves were, unfortunately, a bit stupid. So we never thought of situations of these kinds."

"But I don't think a de-accelerant would be hard to engineer," Kesler says thoughtfully, still looking for some roots. Elwin provides light so it's easier to see, and uses other orbs to scan for any roots close by. "We'd need a sample of the accelerant first. Reverse-process that."

"Only if necessary," Livvy mutters under her breath. "I really can't tell if there are roots here. Or if this poison of hers can spread through plain soil."

"You and me both." Kesler squints at the moon. "Eda, why don't you take Sophie home? The three of us will figure this out tomorrow."

Edaline spares me a glance. "It's not like we can do much here, in the dark anyway."

I shrug. "I suppose that's fine. Though it's your call."

"My vote's on Sophie going home," Flori says from the deep recesses of somewhere.

Everyone turns to look at her.

"What?" she asks, indignant. "I like home."

A/N: And because this chapter was short and slightly pointless... another chapter!