Keeper of the Lost Cities Story; The Lost Secret

Chapter 44

"Havenfield!" Biana shouted into the leapmaster. 

Kai felt the light carry them away, but her anxiety over the note made the process less peaceful. Kai knew that her father was involved with the Neverseen, but she needed to figure out what exactly he'd done to become their enemy. 

As the landscape came into view, Kai found it was exactly the same as it was the first time she'd been there. The animals were all roaming around in their pens, the sun shining on the glistening water, and even Grady who was feeding one of the dinosaurs. 

"Grady!" Dex shouted down towards him. 

Grady looked up at them smiling until he saw the grim looks on their faces. 

"What's wrong," He asked rushing up the path to them. 

Kai immediately stuck her hand out with the notes in it without even thinking.  

"This was in my house," Kai said quickly. "I-I didn't know what to do." 

Her voice broke slightly and Linh grabbed her hand. 

She watched as Grady's eyes scanned the letters and his frown deepened. 

"I'll contact Forkle," He said. "And I don't want you doing that favor for the Neverseen." 

Kai nodded slowly. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she had to admit that she was tempted to meet with Gisela. 

"Is Sophie here?" Biana asked. "We probably should update her." 

Grady nodded as he handed Kai the note back. "Yeah, she's training with Tarina right now." 

Kai wasn't sure who Tarina was, but Dex made a face that concerned her. 

"Okay let's go find her," he said. 

                                                                              ...

The group found Sophie lying on the ground. She wasn't dead but Kai thought she looked like it. 

"Lovise, Woltzer," Sandor, Sophie's bodyguard said politely acknowledging their presence. 

Sophie leaped up from her place on the ground and Kai could see how dirty she actually was. Dirt and mud were streaked all down her arms and legs. Somehow though, Sophie still looked stunningly beautiful. Kai could see why Keefe liked her. 

"Hi... guys," she said as she tried to brush herself off. "What are you doing here?" 

Biana brushed a patch of dirt off Sophie's face before explaining the whole note at Kai's house situation and everything that they knew. 

"So the note only has numbers on it?" She asked. 

Kai nodded and handed her the note so she could see for herself. 

The color from Sophie's face vanished. "This is Gisela's handwriting," she said. 

Kai bit her lip. She knew that it was Gisela, she just had hoped no one else would notice. Before Kai could respond, someone from behind them started talking.

"Sophie, you didn't tell me you were having friends over," 

Kai spun around to see the weirdest-looking species on the planet. 

"Hi, I'm Tarina," the troll said. 

Kai had only seen a troll once before, and never this close-up. She was surprised to see how simple this troll was. She wasn't huge and terrifying, but she wasn't tiny and cute, she was just in the middle. 

The group introduced themselves since apparently, Sophie had decided not to show her friends her multi-species army of bodyguards. 

"You can't do that favor for Gisela," Sophie said to Kai. "It's a trick." 

"I know. I wasn't planning on it," Kai lied. 

Sandor nodded. "Good, I think that if anything I should be the one to meet with her," he said. 

Sophie looked like she wanted to throw the 7-foot goblin off a cliff. 

"No, I think we should meet with her," Sophie said gesturing between her and him. 

Sandor laughed, which sounded really weird with his super squeaky voice. 

"No Miss Foster you will not be meeting anyone in your condition," A familiar voice said from the path behind them. 

Mr. Forkle and Grady were there walking towards the group. 

"May I see the note, Miss Behar?" He asked. 

Sandor handed the note over and Kai could see the concern sink deep into Mr. Forkle's face. Obviously, the numbers meant something, Kai just wasn't sure what. 

As if he was reading her mind Mr. Forkle said, "The numbers are a code." 

Kai scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"A code for what?" Tam asked, saying what everyone was thinking. 

Mr Forkle sighed deeply. "It's an old code that elves used to communicate with the Trolls."