cascade | kotlc

28. The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

Keefe and Sophie fell out. Biana decided not to ask why.

Currently Sophie and Fitz were doing some other sort of Cognate exercise called Trigger Cues. It was exceedingly boring to spectate, more than the others. All it consisted of was Sophie and Fitz staring into each other's eyes, staying quiet until eventually someone said something. June was standing behind Fitz, holding Glistensteeel menacingly.

"221B Baker Street," Fitz said suddenly. "Oh, is that how you retrieve the cache?" He covered his mouth. "Sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud. And I didn't wreck anything by saying the words, right?"

"No, it only works with my voice-"

"I DID IT!"

Dex jumped up to his feet, holding the Twiggler in the air like the Statue of Liberty. He pumped his fist as Biana inspected the gadget. Stone wheels were attached to the sides like water wheels, rotating slowly as Dex adjusted a screw.

"You got the Twggler to work?" Sophie asked, rushing to his side. "Does that mean you can use keywords now?"

"And all kinds of other things," Dex said. "If I do this" -- he spun the hweels he'd attached -- "it pulls up all the files that have text blacked out. And right here, in the middle, it tells us what the drakostomes are. They're nematodes!"

"Roundworms?" Biana asked, her brows furrowing. "Aren't those parasites? Wait- is that what- oh, no- oh Calla-"

"What am I looking at?" Calla said, leaning closer to the hologram. "This looks like an ancient scroll."

Dex nodded slowly. Biana approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we shouldn't- at least not right now-"

"Is this a transcript of the ogre treaty negotiations?" Calla asked. "Why is it talking about nematoes? I don't..."

"Um," Biana said uneasily. "Perhaps-"

Calla sank to her knees as the understanding washed over her.

"They knew?" she whispered. Her eyes locked with Sophie's, then with her. "You knew?"

"Not for sure," she said slowly. "We hoped it wasn't that way."

Calla stumbled back, rushing for the stairs.

"Wait," Sophie called, chasing after her. "I know this is huge, but we need to think this through before-"

"Stop," Biana whispered. "Let her go."

Everyone turned to her in shock as she shut her eyes.

"This is their only hope. Let her go and tell her people."

Calla's voice was as hollow as her eyes as she whispered, "The Council has wasted far too much time already. Now we're too late. You are right, Biana. This is our only hope, and it's dying."

"YOU TOLD CALLA?" Mr. Forkle shouted, storming around the girls' common room.

"We should've told her long ago," Biana whispered. "They've lost hope. This is their only remaining strand."

He turned around to face her, his eyes twitching madly as he swallowed back words. "The Lost Cities will be in disarray."

"They already are," she said defiantly. "The Council is incompetent. They have let the plague spread."

Mr. Forkle's mouth opened and closed, as if he was trying to say something but his tongue wouldn't let him.

"We've betrayed them. The gnomes deserved to know what they were up against. The Council should've told them long ago."