Survivor

Chapter 30

Soon after a hassling few teleporting trips everyone was standing in front of The Fort, in the cold and complaining very much.
"Oh for the sake of my sanity just go inside." Sophie snapped after returning with Fitz and Grady. Just as they were approaching the front door a ball of inky black shadows followed by a blue shield appeared in their path.
"It's me!" She called out looking around, and everyone looked at her like she was crazy until Zeph and Eden's head popped up from the roof.
"Sorry Sophie," Zeph called out and then scanned the group "friends?" Sophie looked back and then with a slight nod turned back.
"I guess so."

Once everyone was inside Sophie closed the door against the harsh wind outside. Everyone was scoping out the main foyer until Eden came pounding down the stairs, flying at Sophie like a rocket and wrapping her in a hug.
"Oh my gosh where have you been, we were worried! There have been so many attacks, What happened to your dress! Did you go to Exile?" She rattled off questions left and right and Sophie tried to answer them all but eventually, Zeph rescued her by giving her a hug of his own. Noticing the tension between the two groups Sophie introduced everyone.
"Everyone this is Zeph and Eden, Eden and Zeph this is Biana, Dex, Fitz, Grady and Edaline and I believe you know the councillors Sophie said pointing to each person. Zeph looked a bit wary of the Councillors but Eden smiled warmly at everyone and gave a little wave. Looking at all the group assembled Sophie frowned.
"Where's everyone else?" Grady took the question,
"They are hiding out the other Back Swan hideouts, there are three in all-"
"Four, Now there are four." Sophie cut in gesturing to the sprawling house around them. Emery nodded in satisfaction.
"We had hoped so, the others are getting rather crowded. The Neverseen are going after Emissaries and Keepers basically anyone who had anything to do with the Council As well as the Talentless, it's getting hard to shelter everyone." He replied looking at her approvingly.
"Tam and Linh as well?" She asked it worried her that they weren't amongst the people to set her free.
"No they are in Alluvetere, they're both very strong and we want to use them for missions we can't afford them being captured before they can be of use."
That got Sophie's attention.
"Missions?" She asked puzzled.
"That's what we would like to use this base for, we want you to teach combat and have anyone who wants to learn live here, it will give us an edge with the Neverseen, a combative base of operations." Oralie spoke up, she had been quiet since that arrow had been launched at her head. The logic in that did make sense.
"We want to leave one Councillor at each base to share information, we want Emery here." That again was confusing.
"If this is to be a combat base then wouldn't it make sense to have Bronte here as an inflictor?" Alina scoffed at the question.
"Don't be daft, the other bases will need protection as well." She sneered, her first words since they had let Sophie go. With a glare Sophie turned on her heel, making her way to the stairs.
"I'll show you to your rooms." She said coldly, it was a new habit; Whenever anything particularly annoyed her she had a gift at effectively changing the subject. After showing everyone to their room she snuggled down into the covers of her own bed and was about to drift off to sleep when her eyes shot open at a sudden disturbance in her mind.
"stay out of my head Fitz, were not cognates anymore." That seemed to effectively shut him down and she didn't hear a peep the rest of the night.

Over the next few days The Fort really turned into a fully operating hideout, the kitchen was always fully stocked due to the conjurers who migrated there from other bases. The training room was fully equipped as well as the armory and people started filing in, refugees from Gisela's tyrannical reign. Anyone who came was always carefully screened by Telepaths and anything alarming was found Grady was called in to extract information. But Sophie was growing restless, not a word was heard from or about Keefe and it was setting her teeth on edge. Eden had kept her on bed rest from the stab wound because of some "internal bleeding" that happened because of her brawl in the prison. Emery was difficult as usual but Oralie would come to visit every once in a while to help with a new outfit, apparently, her old one looked to Neverseen-ish and Oralie and done away with it. This one included more color with red undertones but she had insisted on the black base color, Oralie had been trying to make her wear white. As if. So far the new one sported a simple black jumpsuit made out of some kind of stretchy silk material. The belt Oralie had given her with extra dagger sheaths and black knee-length boots. She had kept the face mask and added a hooded cloak with a red design. All in all, it looked pretty awesome. When not in design class with Oralie Sophie taught classes or learned about the new Neverseen dynamic. Gisela has turned the Tribunal Hall into a throne room of sorts and she spent most her time there presiding over people who weren't forced to flee. Everyone said Gisela wasn't the real problem, it was her right hand. He was supposed to be positively deadly with a blade and showed no mercy to anyone who needed to be "culled"
He was to be her first mission, she couldn't go right for the throat at Gisela, she had to seed distrust within the ranks by killing or capturing the second in command. She preferred the former as she had a prediction that it was the same man who had dragged Keefe off. If so he would pay, with his life.