Becoming Magical [2]

C H A P T E R - 2 9

"How was your first day?" Grady asked after Sophie leaped into the Havenfield pastures. He was up to his armpits in dinosaur fluff, giving Verdi her weekly bath.

"I lived."

Grady smiled. "That bad, huh?"

Sophie shrugged. Her topple-through-the-door had turned out to be the high point of her linguistics session, which basically consisted of Lady Cadence pummeling her with phrases in other languages and muttering "so pointless" when Sophie translated them correctly. It was the first time she'd gotten in trouble for being good at something.

It hadn't helped that the strange humming in her head had lingered the entire session. She'd almost considered having Elwin check her—but she knew Keefe would tease her mercilessly if she went to the Healing Center on her first day. Plus, the sound was fading. Only a hint of it remained now that she was home, and she was sure the rest would be gone by morning.

Verdi thrashed, spraying them both with soggy feathers that smelled like dirty lizard. But Sophie didn't mind. She actually liked seeing Grady back to his regular job. It felt like things were still normal.

"The Councillors are easing me into my new position," Grady said, like he knew what she'd been thinking.

"Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"

"It's different. But right now everyone is still so shocked by what happened that we're all scrambling a bit." He glanced over his shoulder, to where Silveny was trotting back and forth along her fence. "Which is actually something I need to talk to you about. The Council is hoping to be able to move up the celebration they've been planning for Silveny's introduction into the Sanctuary. Significantly."

"How soon?"

"Soon. I realize it's going to be challenging for you, but I agree with their reasoning. Our world is going to desperately need something happy once the news of Alden's tragedy breaks."

"Have they decided when they're planning to tell people?"

"This Saturday."

If hearts could sink, Sophie's would have.

"There'll be an announcement sent to all residences in the morning," Grady said quietly. "And the afternoon will have a planting in the Wanderling Woods."

"But Alden's not dead!"

Grady swiped the feathers off his tunic and wrapped an arm around her. "I know it's hard to let him go, but we have to. That's why the Council decided to treat it like he's passed away. We all need to grieve, and then move on."

The others could move on if they liked. She wasn't giving up on him.

"But that's why they want to move Silveny to the Sanctuary on the coming total eclipse."

"The eclipse in three weeks?" She couldn't imagine how she would get Silveny ready so soon. "Can't they give me at least a month?"

"No, it has to be that night. Every time there's a total eclipse, Orem Vacker—one of the Ancient members of the Vacker family—uses his incredible talent as a Flasher to put on a spectacular light show called the Celestial Festival. It's one of our world's grandest traditions, but Alden's loss will surely put a damper on the occasion—and that's the last thing the Council needs. They need everyone to feel calm and happy, assured that our world is safe and stable—"

"But it isn't," Sophie interrupted. "It won't be until they catch the kidnappers." And she doubted they expected to catch the kidnappers in the next three weeks.

"The Council realizes that, Sophie. And they are working on it. But in the meantime they have to try something else to calm the unrest. Unrest leads to rebellion, and rebellion leads to tragedy." He kicked the ground, and she knew he was thinking of the Black Swan—but all he added was, "We need to make people feel comfortable again. And what better way to do that than by celebrating the creature that will reset the timeline—and the girl who discovered her? The girl everyone has wondered about."