cascade | kotlc

25. The Injured Return

"FINALLY!" Sophie exploded, panickedly waving from within Havenfield. June had the audacity to smile as literally all her friends and the Black Swan and even Tiergan charged down the hills.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THREE HOURS. THREE HOURS." She hiccuped and hugged June, and she hugged back. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"When have I not been?" June joked, caressing Sophie's back. "I'm fine. Let's head inside, shall we?"

Tam stepped forward, his hand clutching awkwardly. He had been tasked to hide the briefcase behind a veil of shadows, and it left a small murky bit within his palm that wasn't too noticeable. Still, Mr. Forkle would probably realize, and so would Tiergan.

"We've been reading the journals Lady Gisela left us," Sophie ranted, dragging them back to Havenfield. "Apparently there's a second Nightfall. It's somewhere in Atlantis, and the entrance will be marked with this symbol." She showed them a swirling gold-lined symbol, identical to the one they'd seen on the briefcase. June and Tam shared a look.

"Let's not tell them about anything," Tam decided over his encroaching shadow. "I'll have Biana study it more. Until we have a definite conclusion, I don't think it would be wise to tell anyone else."

Sadly, June agreed.

Apparently everyone had been desperately trying to locate them for hours. The goblins were not happy, especially Grizel and Woltzer, whom the Vackers somehow managed to sneak past. Currently they were attempting to redo their entire security, which saved them from an entire lecture, complete with Biana-styled PowerPoint presentations. Woltzer had learned to make that work.

"We've just been settling some matters," was June's official excuse. After all, everyone knew about Team Echelon. It wasn't that unbelievable for them to have two back-to-back missions. She just hoped no one would hail the Council to let them know.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Biana slip away, vanishing and taking the briefcase from Tam. Viridescent sparkles trailed her as she flew down the pastures and dashed into Havenfield proper, already conjuring up slide decks and code consoles.

A shadow passed over hers again, complete with the chilly voice. "We will have to tell Bronte about distitopiknian, won't we?" Tam asked. "With it being a Forgotten Secret and all?"
They would. If it would help them decrypt the caches, they would have to tell him eventually.

"About time you got here!" Grady roared from the pterodactyl enclosure, a huge lasso in his hands. Edaline yelled something else from atop a mastodon, her fingers poised and ready to snap.

"Sorry, mom, dad!" she called back, fleeing the scene and escaping her angry parents.

"What the fuck was that for?" Sophie demanded, sprinting alongside her. "Next time you fucking decide to go on a fucking top secret operation in fucking China of all places, fucking tell me. I'm the fucking Polyglot and Infliction and Teleporter and Enhancer-"

"It was a Team Echelon mission," June explained, hoping she sounded reasonable. "I couldn't bring you."

"You brought Tam! And Linh! But not your fucking own sister. Do you really think I'm that-"

They both skidded to a stop when they saw the two figures conversing before them. Because one of them was Keefe, and the other was Faye.

The two sisters blinked and stole glances at each other, before Sophie decided to clear her throat and make their presence known.

Keefe startled before his eyes lit up joyously, and he flung himself at his girlfriend, with a very loud and very jubilant cheer of "Foster!" Meanwhile Faye leaned against the bars of the unused alicorn enclosure and offered June a tight smile. She walked closer, lightning flickering nervously between her fingertips and the grass below.