Dex snorted. “Yeah, well, at least I actually fought back that night. What were you doing? Hiding behind Mommy and Daddy?”

One of the Councillors sighed—Sophie was pretty sure it was Councillor Zarina because she looked like she wanted to zap all of them with lightning. “I’m starting to remember why we don’t work with teenagers.”

“It’s going to be an exercise in patience,” Councillor Darek agreed, tearing a hand through his dark, curly hair.

“Hey, we’d be fine without Stina,” Biana pointed out. “She’s the one causing all the drama.”

“And Keefe’s a way more powerful Empath than she is,” Dex added. “So it’s a super-easy fix.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Grady said, “but… Keefe would be a better fit for this.”

Councillor Emery shook his head. “Mr. Sencen’s ties to the Neverseen pose too great of a risk.”

“Keefe’s on our side,” Sophie argued—even though this was exactly the kind of assignment she had to keep Keefe far away from. But that didn’t mean they needed to be stuck with Stina Heks in Team Whatever-They-Were-Going-to-Call-It—assuming she was willing to go along with this. “Shouldn’t we get to pick who we work with?”

“Absolutely not!” Councillor Bronte said, shaking his head so hard, the points of his Ancient ears flapped against his crown. “You chose your group for the Black Swan—and we’ve all seen how far from ideal things have gone for you. A change in strategy is essential for you to become truly successful.”

“And Stina Heks is your big solution?” Dex asked. “Like… for real?”

“I don’t appreciate the way you all keep singling out my daughter!” Vika snapped.

“Um, your daughter was the first to complain,” Biana reminded her. “She also called us losers, so…”

“Right, and you guys weren’t already looking at me like you’d rather work with a muskog,” Stina countered.

Dex flashed his most wicked grin. “A muskog would smell better.”

Grady coughed through another laugh—and Sandor’s shoulders shook like he was holding in a fit of goblin giggles.

“Enough!” Councillor Emery cut in, before Stina could respond, and Sophie was grateful for the outburst.

They couldn’t afford to waste the rest of the day cracking jokes and bickering—even if it was mildly entertaining.

“Miss Heks is a talented Empath who’s proven to be clearheaded under pressure,” Emery continued. “And since her father is already affiliated with the Black Swan—”

Vika sucked in a breath. “That information isn’t meant to be public knowledge.”

“Yes, well, we are not the public.” The diamonds in Emery’s crown seemed to shine brighter with the words. “And we’re working hard to remove the veils of secrecy separating ourselves from that order. Which is why we felt it would be best to draw from a family with an existing connection to the Black Swan, since that would make for a smoother process when we need to rely on the Collective for these projects. And we have no doubt that once the five of you learn to work together”—he turned back to Sophie, Biana, Dex, Wylie, and Stina, eyeing them each in turn—“Miss Heks will prove to be a valuable teammate.”

“She will,” Vika agreed. “But I don’t understand how this is such a big ‘change in strategy.’ You’re pulling almost everyone from the same failing group that Sophie already works with.”

“They haven’t failed,” Councillor Terik corrected, taking a slow step forward. His prosthetic leg still wobbled—and he still leaned heavily on his cane—but the movement did seem smoother than it did the last time Sophie had seen him. “And Miss Foster needs to trust her teammates—and trust takes time to build. Time we cannot afford to lose, given the severity of the challenges we’re facing. So yes, we did pull primarily from the core group of friends that we knew Miss Foster would be most comfortable with—but we specifically selected those whom she doesn’t rely on as closely. Those whom we believe have far more to give than what they’ve currently been allowed to offer.”

“Uh, I rely on Dex and Biana all the time,” Sophie argued, holding up her hand—and then realizing the panic-switch ring that Dex had designed for her was hidden under her glove. “The only reason I haven’t relied on Wylie as much is because he’s newer to working with the Black Swan.”

She glanced at her friends, expecting to find them nodding along. But they were all staring at their feet. “What?”

“Well… I mean… you do leave us out sometimes,” Biana mumbled. “Or you only include us if we force you to.”

“And it’s never like that for Keefe and Fitz,” Dex added.

“It totally is for Keefe,” Sophie argued. “He just doesn’t take no for an answer—you know how Keefe is. Plus, we’re fighting his mom. And Fitz and I are Cognates—”

“Yes, we’re all very aware of that connection,” Councillor Alina jumped in, tilting her head just so, to make the highlights in her dark hair gleam under the spotlight. “And sometimes it can be quite useful. So if it turns out that we need Mr. Vacker, we’ll add a sixth member to your team. But we also fear that you’ve come to rely on your telepathy as a crutch—and no one is saying the ability isn’t valuable,” she added, before anyone could protest, “or that we don’t want you using it. All we’re saying is that if it was the only ability that mattered, your order wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to give you four others. Isn’t that right, Tiergan?” She flashed a gleaming smile when she noticed the frowns on Vika’s and Stina’s faces. “I’m guessing your husband never told you that Tiergan is a member of the Black Swan’s Collective?”

“Timkin doesn’t know,” Tiergan corrected. “And since you seem bent on outing those of us in the order today, I feel the need to add that just because the Neverseen have some extra knowledge about our members, that doesn’t mean we want you to share that information whenever and wherever you please.”

“Why do the Neverseen know…?” Biana started to ask—but then her eyes widened. “Did Tam tell them?”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Sophie assured her. “Gethen probed his memories.”

She didn’t have to use her telepathy to see the news snowballing inside her friends’ minds.

“Does that mean you’ve talked to him?” Biana asked.

“And didn’t tell us?” Dex added.

“See?” Councillor Terik said when Sophie nodded. “This proves my point.”

“No it doesn’t,” Sophie argued. “I talked to Tam yesterday—and I would’ve told them about it by now if you guys hadn’t made me come here today.”

“And you haven’t told Fitz?” Biana clarified. “Or Keefe?”

There was something pointed about the way she said the second name—something that made Sophie a little nervous to admit, “I… actually talked to Keefe last night—but you’ll understand why once I explain what’s going on. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll—”