War. War. War.

And for some reason, Sophie found herself staring at the tree, wishing she could hear its song whisper through its leaves.

Maybe it would tell her what to think or feel or say or do.

But the tree stayed silent.

So did her friends.

“If I’d stuck to our plan,” Sophie said quietly, “the Neverseen would’ve just moved all their stuff to a new storehouse and carried on like nothing happened. Now they have to change their strategy. Now they’re the ones scrambling. So, even if I did start… whatever… I also brought us a victory. A real one—not just a Yay-we-didn’t-die! kind of thing.”

She didn’t understand why they couldn’t see that.

It made her wish Keefe were there—he would’ve backed her up.

In fact, he probably would’ve helped her spark the flames at the storehouse.

“No one’s denying any of that,” Tiergan told her gently. “But… you should be careful of that word.”

“Victory?” Sophie asked.

Tiergan shook his head. “I.”

Sophie stood up taller. “You think I did this for me?”

“No. I think you acted alone. And I realize you’re going to argue that there wasn’t time for a big debate or discussion—and I’m certain there wasn’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that you made an enormous decision that will affect everyone entirely on your own.”

“You even made sure the Neverseen knew it was you,” Sandor said from the doorway. “I saw the mark you left before we leaped away.”

“What mark?” Grady asked.

Sandor held Sophie’s stare when he answered. “It looked like a flying moonlark.”

“Oh wow,” Biana whispered.

Grady sighed.

“Hey—the Black Swan puts the sign of the swan on everything!” Sophie argued.

“But we are a group,” Tiergan countered.

“And I’m a part of that group,” Sophie reminded him.

“But that wasn’t the symbol you used,” he reminded her. “You made your own, positioning yourself as the threat and the victor. Not the Black Swan. Not your friends. You.”

Sophie backed up several steps, needing air—space. “You seriously think I did this for attention?”

“Whether that was your goal is irrelevant,” Tiergan told her. “My point is that you’ve now made yourself a true target. So you need to be prepared for the Neverseen to come after you.”

“They’re always after me!”

“Not like this,” Sandor warned. “The most dangerous time in any movement is when a new leader first takes their place. They’re still fledgling and weak and full of mistakes. Not ready for the onslaught they’ll be facing.”

Sophie’s mouth went dry, and it took her several seconds to find enough voice to tell him, “I’m not trying to be anyone’s leader.”

“And yet, it’s what you were made for,” a new voice said.

A voice that always managed to fill Sophie with hope and dread—and now there was also a healthy amount of wariness as Sandor stepped aside to let Mr. Forkle shuffle into the office.

He looked less swollen and wrinkled than usual—like he’d rushed there after finishing some other assignment. And his piercing blue eyes seemed tired when he focused on Sophie and said, “If all of you wouldn’t mind, I think it’s time for Miss Foster and I to have a talk.”

Sophie’s stomach turned sloshy somersaults as everyone stood.

Fitz’s and Biana’s expressions were still unreadable, and Tam’s half smile mostly seemed to say, Glad I’m not you. And as they all glittered away, Sophie couldn’t shake the feeling that something fundamental had changed for all of them.

“I’ll see you at home, kiddo,” Grady told her, pulling her in for a hug and whispering, “We’ll get through this. Just be careful. And know that I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back, then remembered to add, “Dad.”

He kissed her forehead, begging her to be careful one more time before he disappeared in a shower of sparkle.

Tiergan and Mr. Forkle exchanged a look—probably communicating telepathically—before Tiergan left with Sandor and Flori, telling them he’d like to discuss Solreef’s security.

Mr. Forkle closed the door behind them, and Sophie sank onto one of the ottomans, trying not to feel like a scared kid in the principal’s office.

“I don’t want to be the leader,” she said, deciding to go preemptive-strike on him. “That wasn’t what I was trying to do today.”

“I know.” He huffed out a heavy breath as he lowered himself to the ottoman across from her. “And I realize how overwhelming this all must be, and how hard you’re trying to do the right thing. That’s why I want to make sure you’re truly ready for what lies ahead.”

“I don’t want to be the leader,” Sophie insisted. “I don’t.”

“I know,” he agreed. “And yet… it’s rather interesting, isn’t it?”

He stopped there, waiting for her to ask what he meant—and she really didn’t feel like playing along.

But she finally rolled her eyes and said, “What’s interesting?”

His smile brightened. “You kids can be so stubborn. But I suppose that’s also what makes you so strong. And what’s interesting is that you chose to leave your own symbol—which sounds like quite a powerful image, I might add—when no one has ever asked you or advised you to do that.”

Sophie slumped a little. Shrinking in on herself. “I didn’t do it because I want to send some sort of message that I’m in charge or anything. I just… wanted the Neverseen to know it was me—that I dealt that blow to them—after everything they’ve done to me. That’s it, that’s all it was. And maybe it was a bad idea. I don’t know. I didn’t put much thought into it.”

“And that’s what I want to talk to you about,” he told her, shifting his weight to lean closer. “Whether or not you want to be a leader, Miss Foster, you are one—and I’m not saying that because I designed you to be that way. The leadership simply comes from who you are. You’re a powerful, brilliant, determined, inspiring young lady. People naturally look to you. And they’re going to do that more and more, the stronger you become. Today was a huge part of that. I’m proud of the stand you took. And for the record, I think you made the right call.”

“You do?” Sophie whispered.

“Absolutely. You saw the mistake we’d all made, and a path to correct it, and you did what needed to be done. But,” he had to add, right when she was starting to feel a little better, “you also made some fairly significant mistakes.”

She slumped lower. “Like what?”

“Well… for starters, did you warn the others about what you were doing, and make them all step back before you sparked the fire?”

“No,” Sophie admitted. “But they were already far enough away.”

“Yes, but people do move, you know. It’s always best to communicate. And what about the larger danger? Did you take any measures to ensure that the fire wouldn’t spread anywhere else beyond the Neverseen’s hideout?”