Reversed

xlviii. forty-eight

When the Team was done meeting with the Councillors, they all agreed to go back to Havenfield and make plans. Sophie's head was reeling by the time she stumbled through the doorway just ahead of everyone else.

It was hard to think that just this morning she'd put on her red dress after meeting with the alicorns. So much had happened since then—she felt as if she'd spent a week in the frills and fabric.

Sophie, Biana, Dex, Wylie and Stina all settled in the living room, each taking a seat.

"So . . . " Sophie started. She assumed that she was the one who should lead it. "What do you guys think of the Council's plan?"

"I think that it's . . . going to be interesting," Biana begun.

"Do you think," Dex started hesitantly, quietly, "that we could use your previous connections to lure someone out?"

Sophie rubbed her eyes, suddenly tired. "Possibly."

"I think that in the end, the Council's plan might only result in more chaos and pushback from the Neverseen," Wylie said quietly. "I believe that the Council is underestimating the them a little too much."

Sophie nodded. "The things they do . . . " she trailed off, struggling to find the words to explain what she was trying to say. She shook her head. "They had everything anticipated. Every move. Ever outcome. Every shift in their hand. Honestly, there were only a few times that we actually got one over on them. And even if we think that we've made a catastrophic blow, they only call it a 'setback', and work around it. Sometimes it even ends up aiding them."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, soaking in what she'd said.

"You're worried how they'll respond if we take one of their members," Stina said.

Sophie nodded. "As we all should be."

Dex blew out a breath. "So what are we going to do?"

I don't know, Sophie thought. But that wasn't something a leader would say. "We'll figure it out."

"How long do you think we can keep lying to the Council?" Biana asked, picking at her dress. "About . . . you. Where you've been for the past seven months. They're probably going to be upset when they find out, and even more upset when they see that we've hidden it from them."

Sophie sighed. "We'll also figure that out as it comes. Either they find out soon and it blows up, or they find out much, much later when it has had time to settle down and be less impactful. Or . . . they don't find out at all."

Biana raised an eyebrow. "That's comforting."

"It's the best we can do, for now," Sophie said.

"Ripplefluffs, anyone?" Edaline called, striding in through the doorway and balancing a platter on her hip. That explained the delicious smells Sophie had been catching wafts of ever since she'd walked in. She had blamed it on the fantasies of the hunger gnawing at her belly.

"Of course," Dex exclaimed, shooting up from the couch and taking that platter from her. He grabbed five before passing it to Biana. Sophie held back her chuckle.

"So," Stina said after a minute, her mouth full. "Don't you think that sooner or later, the Neverseen is going to try to contact you?"

Sophie paused in her ripplefluff-consuming. She'd never thought about that.

"Yeah, I mean, they just lost their Moonlark," Wylie said. "That ought to ruffle their feathers. They just lost a huge advantage."

"I'm no one's pawn," Sophie said, crossing her arms. "I'm my own person."