cascade | kotlc

9. Alabestrine, and New Levels of Priority

 June arrived in Havenfield the second Sophie and -- thank god -- everyone else arrived. All of them were in one piece.

Sophie's eyes widened when she caught sight of June, and they rushed toward each other, colliding in a tight embrace and rolling halfway down the hill. June tried to not throw up as she tumbled down. Her fingers still ached, in fact, most of them were probably broken. After stumbling down the pitch-black catacombs and atop a 70 kmph train, she really did have enough rolling for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, she probably would have to do it again.

"Where were you?" Sophie screamed at her face, sobbing as she clutched her sister. "We were so fucking worried. There were- police- there and they said we were fugitives, and Mr. Forkle barely managed to get us out of there- god, this was all the Neverseen's plan, wasn't it?"

"Get the humans to do the hard work for them?" June chuckled dryly. "Sounds like the Neverseen."

"What happened?" Sophie asked again, taking in her sister. June's tunic was completely torn apart, ripped by the tunnel, and her fingers were broken and bleeding, twitching painfully. "What happened?"

"Oh." June sighed, sitting down on the soft, grassy hill. "The police tackled me through the catacombs, and I almost died- multiple times- and I barely got out alive. And, of course, I exit the catacombs in a metro tunnel."

"What the- fuck? Are you- humans- what?"

"Yeah. Ended up clinging to the train's roof for three minutes." June glanced at her fingers, wincing as they jerked painfully. "I'll be fine."

"We're getting Elwin," Sophie insisted. "Your fingers are completely shredded. You're not fine."

June shook her head. "Better get to Havenfield, then. Grady won't be happy."

He wasn't.

"I was five minutes from hailing the Council and begging them to track your pendants!" he told them as Sophie made her way over and squashed him with a hug. "Missed you too, kiddo. Everything alright?"

"No," June admitted. "Everything was not alright. But we're all here, and alive, at least. That's progress."

"It is," Grady agreed, frowning when he caught sight of her fingers. "What happened? I'm getting Elwin."

June collapsed into a silky couch, catching her breath as she sighed. "Things went... out of control. Sophie, did you find anything useful?"

Mr. Forkle arrived, and he explained about the symbol. Meanwhile, everyone was incredibly intent on hearing her story. She explained about the catacomb encounter, and the giant shaft she had to enter, and her escape from the metro line. Everyone gasped when she told them about how she almost fell off.

"But I'm fine now," she finished. "So if I just get these fingers fixed, I'll be back to myself in no time."

We both know that's not just it, Sophie's voice said in her mind. I can't begin to imagine the mental trauma you must be going through.

Hey, no need to worry. If I survived a week-long burn-torture, I think I can survive hanging onto a metro train for a while.

That's not what I meant. Your claustrophobia...

I'll be fine, Sophie. I'm strong.

Mr. Forkle handed Sophie a memory log, and she projected a shadowy symbol on the opposite page from where she'd recorded Prentice's memory. The marks were the same except for the lines on a small circle, which looked suspiciously like runes. Alabestine?