A VALIANT FIGHTER:

Since his abduction, Wylie has begun working much more closely with the Black Swan. It’s unclear whether or not he’s sworn fealty, but he’s definitely been involved in many of their recent activities, including coming to Sophie and Fitz’s aid during a brutal ambush arranged by the Neverseen. Those who witnessed the battle testified to the incredible power Wylie displayed, both as a Flasher and a fighter, which is one of the reasons the Council offered to appoint him as a Regent to serve as a member of Team Valiant. Wylie accepted the appointment readily, and didn’t even protest when he wasn’t selected as leader, despite the fact that he’s the eldest member of the team and the only one to complete his elite Foxfire training.

FINAL NOTE:

The greatest measure of Wylie’s character may be his relationship with Sophie Foster—the girl who was inadvertently the cause of so many of the tragedies in his life. There have clearly been times when he’s blamed her—even resented her. But over time, he’s come to accept that she’s not responsible for what happened. More than that, it appears he’s even come to understand why his father sacrificed so much to protect Sophie, and seems to be determined to stand by her side. Whether he’ll ever consider her accomplishments to be “worth it” will likely depend on what she achieves. But he seems ready and willing to follow her lead.

REGISTRY FILE FOR Stina Destry Heks

KNOWN ABILITIES: Empath

RESIDENCE: Sterling Gables

IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Timkin Heks (father), Vika Heks (mother)

MATCH STATUS: Unregistered

EDUCATION: Current Foxfire prodigy

NEXUS: No longer required

PATHFINDER: Not assigned. Restricted to Leapmasters and home crystals.

SPYBALL APPROVAL: Granted

MEMBER OF THE NOBILITY: Yes

TITLE: Lady

NOBLE ASSIGNMENT: Regent; member of Team Valiant

SIGNIFICANT CONNECTIONS: Works with the Black Swan (but hasn’t sworn fealty); trained caretaker at the Heks unicorn preserve

ASSIGNED BODYGUARD(S): None

A CHALLENGING FAMILY:

The Hekses are known for many things in the Lost Cities—but one that’s rarely discussed (and yet seems to be incredibly defining) is this: They can be difficult. It’s unclear whether there’s something fundamentally unlikable about their personalities, or whether they’re simply misunderstood. Either way, they’re a family with few friends, and many who—while not willing to classify themselves as enemies—would prefer to have as little to do with the Hekses as possible. And yet, the Hekses remain part of our world—a valuable part, even. Just oftentimes a less enjoyable part. And Stina seems to be a particularly strong example of her family’s take-me-or-leave-me attitude, regularly causing drama with other prodigies at Foxfire—especially Dex Dizznee and Sophie Foster.

A GIFT WITH EQUINES:

Before the Heks women got involved, unicorns were dangerously close to becoming extinct as a result of their isolating behavior and sporadic breeding (and of course the threat humans posed to the species). The caretakers at the Sanctuary tried everything they could think of to repopulate the species, but the numbers continued declining—until Pelipa Heks (Stina’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother) paid a visit to the Sanctuary and discovered that her ability as an Empath provided her with a unique understanding of the unicorns’ needs. She petitioned the Council to move one male and one female unicorn to her property to test some of her theories, and months later—after the unicorn couple delivered their first foal—several more unicorns were assigned to her care. Thus began the Heks family’s most vital contribution to the Lost Cities: unicorn caretaking—a task that Stina and her mother (Vika Heks) are heavily involved in. Stina’s been working at Sterling Gables since she was old enough to walk the pastures, and now that she’s manifested as an Empath, her training has reached a whole new level—which proved to be valuable when the female alicorn’s pregnancy turned out to be twins. Vika and Stina may have been bitter that Silveny hadn’t been entrusted to their care (particularly since Silla Heks—Stina’s grandmother—had been the one to rehabilitate Greyfell before he was placed at the Sanctuary). But they readily put their frustrations aside and stepped in when Sophie teleported to their property begging for help because Silveny had gone into early labor. With Vika and Stina’s guidance—as well as some special aid from the trolls—both Silveny and her babies (Wynn and Luna) are currently healthy and thriving.

THE SCANDAL THAT WASN’T:

Stina’s father (Timkin Heks) is one of the Talentless. Her mother (Vika) is an Empath. As such, their marriage should’ve been ruled a bad match. Yet mysteriously, it wasn’t. Timkin’s name is clearly included on Vika’s first match list—toward the top, it should be noted. Conspiracy theories abound about how that could be possible (mostly in whispers, since no one wants to face the wrath of the Hekses), and the most common story is that records were altered at the Matchmaking Office by Timkin’s sister’s husband, who works there. But no proof has ever been found of any such tampering. In a more recent investigation, one report did suggest that the real reason Timkin was able to return to Foxfire, complete the final few weeks of the basic levels, and graduate with his class (despite having been expelled and sent to Exillium for faking his “special ability”) was because he [DETAILS REDACTED FOR SECURITY]. And if that’s true, then perhaps [REDACTED FOR SECURITY]. There is, however, no way to confirm. As such, Vika and Timkin’s marriage remains an officially approved match, and the family is spared from any scandal.

DISCIPLINE PROBLEM:

As already mentioned, Stina has a propensity for causing drama with numerous other prodigies at Foxfire, and since the school doesn’t tolerate bullying, she a lengthy disciplinary record. She’s been assigned the second highest number of detentions—though the gap between her list and Keefe Sencen’s list is quite large. But she—unlike Keefe—doesn’t seem to enjoy her punishments. In fact, she’s tried having her mom speak to the principal several times, to see if anything could be done to lighten her sentence. But Foxfire takes bullying very seriously, and as of this writing, she’s never been able to get out of any of her detentions.

HER FATHER’S FEALTY:

For years Timkin has tried to convince the Council to appoint him to the nobility (despite his Talentless status). And for years he’s been denied. Perhaps that’s why he opted to swear fealty to the Black Swan when they were still an illegal rebellion. It’s hard to tell, given what little is known about his involvement in the order. Records suggest that while his involvement with the order tends to be more “hands-off,” he may have occasionally used the name “Coiffe” and relied on a disguise of full-body, curly white fur (caused by an elixir that may have been created by Kesler Dizznee) to protect his identity. And he’s apparently assisted Sophie and her friends during their banishment from the Lost Cities, despite the fact that he disagrees with the Black Swan’s decision to utilize children in their rebellion. In fact, it seems he’s done what he could to keep Stina away from anything he’s been working on. But Stina’s ended up involved anyway.