There are no unraveled spoilers; since we're re-covering a period of time we've already seen, there are references to specific events in Stellarlune
Shannon Messenger was accompanied by B.B. Alston, author of Amari and the Night Brothers, who asked the questions
Enjoy! (Quil note: this might be one of the best ones, lads đ)
Shannon has pre-release jitters. Even though she's done this so many times, she'll never not be nervous
It's a different book with a different POV. She's just as excited as she is panicked. "I contain multitudes!"
Why is this 9.5 instead of 10? Why a Keefe book? Is this part of a bigger story or just a fun bonus? It's a little of both. Keefe fans are gonna love a whole book about him, but Shannon never would have taken attention away from the main story if it wasn't essential for the series, since everyone's anxious for book 10.
Be patient! She's never written a 10 book series before. She's "trying to build a bridge while crossing it."
Keefe wasn't just eating human food having fun, though Shannon would've written 800 pages of snacking if she could.
What he got up to Shannon planned/outlined that it would all come out in book 9 when he was back, but, "No, Keefe is not ready to share these secrets. There's reasons why he's gonna keep this hidden."
"That's a problem for future Shannon!"
But then everything future Shannon tried with book 10 didn't quite work. This is Keefe's story, and KOTLC is limited to Sophie.
In order for Sophie to know, Keefe would have to sit down and talk it out with everyone, and he wasn't quite ready to do that when Shannon needed him to.
So, special 9.5! So we can live that time with Keefe, see what he does, where he goes, who he meets, what he uncovers.
This way readers will be much more familiar with it when we get to all that in book 10--for the first time ever, readers will actually know more than Sophie!
Shannon confirms we're getting Keefe's middle name--she debated with herself, thought about keeping that secret forever, but she wants there to be big pay-offs in Unraveled. And what book could be more perfect for this?
Was it hard to write from Keefe's POV? Usually his voice comes super easily, so Shannon was expecting it to be word-vomit. But throughout the book and especially at the beginning, he's not himself. Everything he's been through has changed him, made him afraid of himself, more quiet and reserved. How does she balance making this interesting when her jokester character won't talk!
It was interesting diving into his head to see where he's at and why he's acting different. And it was interesting flipping it--Sophie's a fish out of water in the Lost Cities, but this time Keefe's the fish!
She had to keep reminding herself all this stuff familiar to her is new to him. "Flaming Hot Cheetos??? Is that food...????"
How has Keefe changed the most since book 1? In some ways he's lost his confidence. He's discovered a lot that's made him question if he's good, if he's causing problems, if he's putting people at risk. In his head he's not nearly as much the casual, lighthearted guy he seems.
He's also matured. He really had to step up and say, "Okay, it's time to take action. I can't just goof around. I've got the fate of the world on my shoulders in some way too." He's also trying to protect his friends and feels very personally responsible. His burden is a lot heavier than it used to be.
What's his favorite part of the human world? He definitely enjoys the human pop culture. Seeing how humans depict elves, certain (not all) human foods.
Lot of fun for Shannon as a snacker, but he's vegetarian, which makes it harder. He can't have fried chicken--but not every scene is about food.
Any places Shannon knew she had to send Keefe? She prefers to write places she's been if possible; in fantasy, if you can get the real accurate, it makes the fantastical that much more believable. So she started with places she's been, but she hasn't been nearly enough to cover all this. So she included places she'd like to, places she knows other people have been so she can get details from them.
(itty bitty seriously small spoiler from Shannon) Keefe starts looking for libraries, so Shannon googled cool libraries and went down that rabbit hole.
Keefe's been crushing on Sophie since the moment they met. What's does he like the most about her? (Lot of hearts in chat). "Keefe appreciates that Sophie is such a different perspective. He really sees that she doesnât necessarily see herself accurately, but he understands her. He can see why sheâs harder on herself with her upbringing, the bad thoughts she heard. He realized she doesnât always understand herself."
Heâs also really impressed by how brave and strong she is, and how sheâs willing to risk her life and do the thing when everyone's like Sophie don't do the thing! And sheâs like I must do the thing! Keefe thinks, âWow canât stop her from doing the thing!" It'd be great if she stopped ending up in the healing center, but he appreciates her for doing it despite the consequences. Admires her for it. He really wants to be worthy of how amazing he thinks she is. (More hearts in chat)
Can we confirm Keefe's POV of the kiss? Yes! Shannon almost wasn't able to do it. Unraveled was supposed to release November 12, but then her kids, "caught every possible virus they could possibly catch." Plus, publishing takes time, so they had to move it back. Those extra days allowed her to squeeze in the bonus story and she had a lot of fun writing it.
She knew she couldn't continue the book past when he leaves the human world, but she knew readers would really want it. She understands if you skip to the end to read it first--and there shouldn't be too many spoilers if you do, but she still recommends going from the beginning.
Why did it take Sophie and Keefe so long to get to the kiss? Did you know it would be in Stellarlune or did it happen naturally? Shannon tries not to pre-plan emotional things because it makes it feel forces. As the author she's in charge of the plot, not the emotions. Every time Sophie almost dies, that's her, but how Sophie feels about almost dying is all Sophie.
So anything emotional like this, Shannon's checking in with Sophie, and, "She really wasn't ready to see this was an option for her--she really was in the Great Foster Oblivion. She had no idea that Keefe liked her, and she wasn't the type to start developing feelings without having that piece of the puzzle. She genuinely thought Keefe was just teasing and was a flirt with everything. She didn't think it was something to take seriously."
She also had her eye on someone else for quite some time, so the story had to wait until Sophie was ready to take that step. Shannon discussed it with her editor a lot
Every week they have a zoom meeting to talk through the plot. They thought Stellarlune was probably the book for the kiss, but Shannon didn't know for sure until she got to that chapter. She's very proud of Sophie for being brave enough to take that step and bring the walls down.
The fact it took so long and tortured readers wasn't on purpose--"Torturing my readers is fun, but I wouldn't do it unnecessarily!"
It was interesting going back to write the kiss from Keefe's POV. She was worried as she did that though Sophie was ready for it now, what if Keefe wasn't? But, "then it was like oh, no, nope heâs on the same page." Keefe was screaming "FINALLY!!!" in his head.
How different is KOTLC now from how you first imagined it? The problem they're dealing with is fundamentally built into their world--it's not just an evil villain who decided to take over. "Multiple rebellions are going on because there are some fundamental injustices that have been ignored and ignored and ignored. And two groups have said enough is enough."
She always knew they'd have to reckon with this--in some ways they have, but there's more to come. But she also always leaves room for ideas to grow. Her first ideas aren't her best; they're too obvious. Now she's had a lot of time to think Keeper through.
Even still, she worries about doing it justice and, even with a plan, never knows for sure what will happen until she sits down to write it.
Shannon returned the question to B.B. He said the same thing--at a certain point as the story grows, you can really do so many more things, you have so many more villains. It builts the characters and relationships.
Shannon takes a moment to recommend B.B.'s series, Amari and the Night Brothers. She can't sing it's praise enough. "After you race through Unraveled, race through this!" There are 3 books out with 2 more to come. Maybe more.
10 books is a lot--how does Shannon do it? This is part of why she has those weekly zoom chats. But she's constantly going back to look things up, making lists of unanswered questions, listening to the audiobooks. It's all daunting. "It's all chaotic. Wonderful, glorious chaos. That's what I'm telling myself."
Readers are anxious to get back to Keefe and Fitz. How awkward would a conversation be now? Oh yeah. They've had to be around each other since all of that, but that haven't had to openly acknowledge it. But Shannon can feel the scene on the horizon and can't avoid it forever--though Keefe would love to. "Peace out!" Given Fitz's temper, Shannon fully expects there to be yelling, but sometimes he surprised her. We'll see once she gets there.
When Shannon gets too specific in outline, it sucks the life out of her story. She needs to know the rough order of the plot--this threat, then this thing, this this reveal. But the little emotional beats are more up to the characters. Talks this through with her editor too.
Can you tell us anything about book 10? Would love to be like it exists and it's coming out tomorrow! Sadly, still writing it and doesn't know the exact release date. She promises she'll get it to us as soon as she can. Obviously we left Stellarlune on a huge cliffhanger and Unraveled answers some questions but doesn't deal with it at all.
"Keefe's secrets...secrets do have a way of coming out." He can't hide them forever and it'll take something big to motivate him to come clean. "Wow, that's the most non-answer. I swear answers are coming!"
Is there any news on the movie? Earlier this year they announced Warner Brothers got the rights and Emma Watts is the producer. Currently Emma is working hard to get everything behind the scenes in a row to give the movie the best possible chance it has to get greenlit and made since it'll be so expensive.
Shannon thinks this team is one of their best shots at it happening. There's still a bit of finger crossing, but it anyone can make it work, it's Emma Watts.
Shannon is NOT writing the screen play. She's got book 10 to write, plus she doesn't think she can be objective about the changes that'd need to be made to adapt it. She's too attached. She wants to give input and suggestions, but wants something with more screenwriting expertise and distance from the story.
B.B. doesn't want to write his screenplay either--it's a totally different skill.
What's your best advice for new writers? Ooh, okay. 9 times out of 10 when a young writers asks for advice, Shannon asks "Have you written your book yet?" And the answer is no. They're just thinking about writing a book. So her advice: focus on writing! Finish that book! You can't be a writer unless you write! Then revise and revise and revise. "The work is not done when you get to the end."
When you have the best book you could possibly have, then think about next steps and publishing. But for now...write!
Shannon returned the question to B.B., who says to read widely. Read as much as you can to build up your story skills. Find what you like. As KOTLC readers, we've seen in the story how to develop characters and plots and arcs.
He also says don't put pressure on yourself. Write for the fun of writing, so even if it never goes anywhere, you still have something you're proud of.
"Once it's a job it's a job. It's different."
Shannon doesn't find books on writing helpful for her; they're procrastination. Instead she reads and asks herself what's working and why--why am I enjoying this so much?
She learned the most from books she didn't like. She asked herself why she wasn't into it--which doesn't mean there was anything wrong with it. It was personal preference, which helped her find her writing voice. She likes a lot of dialogue, a lot of humor, cliffhangers, etc.
School may ask you to read things you don't like; as a writer, take it as an opportunity to pick it apart and find out why.
How do you come up with character names? Baby name books. By the time she had to name her own kids, she was already an expert. She likes names to match the character.
Sophie was going to be named Alexandra because it means helped and defender of mankind, but it was too on the nose. She wasn't an Alex, or Alexis, or even an Alexandra
Sophie means wisdom, which is what she gives to her world. "No pressure, right?"
Fitz is from Fitzroy, which means son of the king, and his family is almost like royalty.
"Keefe means handsome. *shrugs* So. Obvious there." The book she got it from said "good-looking one" specifically.
It's the same for B.B. He likes to look at the year the character was born and what was popular, too. Amari means inner strength, and a big part of her story is learning she's more than where she's from and to believe in herself
How does it feel to write from a new POV? Would we maybe get a Fitz book? Shannon's learned to never say never. The story could throw her another curve ball, she might do a short story in his POV. If the story dictates she needs to step into anyone else's shoes, she will. "I've gotten this far by trusting the story."
Who was Shannon's favorite author/book when she was 12? Shannon grew up before the big children's media boom, she she didn't have a lot of options. She did like the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
"You have no idea how lucky you are there's so many great stories out there. Different POVs, more characters that look like more people--though still need more work on that front."
For B.B., he was a huge fan of Charlie and the Chocolate factory--but he also didn't have much to pick from.
When Shannon was around 12, she also fell out of love with reading. She had a 7th grade teacher who was very strict about reading "at your level." And she decided Shannon was at college level, so kept giving her older books like Crime and Punishment, Little Women, etc.
While Shannon appreciates the classics, they weren't what she wanted to read, and it turned it into a chore. She went from a kid who took stacks home from the library to someone who only read if it was an assignment. (Shocked faces in chat).
Shannon firmly believes in letting your kids read what they want. That doesn't mean don't encourage them to broaden their horizons, but don't take away things they love. That's how you kill someone's love of reading.
B.B. gives props to Shannon for the female main character; it's one of the reasons Amari can exists--"well Shannon did it and it worked."
Shannon's very glad Amari exists. Keeper got a lot of rejections with coded wording that made it very clear female main characters were not as marketable as boy heroes. And she wasn't an instant success--it took about 5 books to gain momentum, and a lot of that was teachers, librarians, book sellers, and the kids themselves telling their friends to read it.
Any info on the graphic novel? Part 2 is definitely coming and in the works, it just takes time. She's seen some tentative cover sketches, might see more soon, and is very excited.
Team Fitz or Team Keefe? Even though Shannon's written a whole book from Keefe's POV *she holds it up backwards, then upside down, then gets it right* and has a Keefe cutout in the corner *moves the camera so we can see him--he was gonna be in the background but it looked creepy*, she truly is Team Sophie. If she ever got a tattoo, it's say Team Sophie. But she's terrified of needles so never will.
People think they kissed so it's settled, right? "Well, the series isn't done yet. Sophie could change her mind." This goes back to what Shannon talked about with letting the characters dictate the emotions.
What first inspired Keeper? A lot of things. Hilariously, it started as a short story. Epic fail--she's what, 8,000 pages into her short story? She was working on a different book and got stuck, so decided to get to know a side character.
The side character she chose was Fitz. For some reason, she doesn't know why, the plot was he'd meet a little girl and realize she was an elf.
But "Guess what, you're an elf!" was a terrible ending and she couldn't stop thinking about it. What happened to that little girl? How could she not know she was an elf? Why would they hide her?
A few weeks later she knew "yeah, I gotta switch books." She couldn't get it out of her head, but it was daunting because she knew it would be a massive project. But that little girl would not go away.
What was the inspiration for Amari? Doing pre-med stuff is long and boring, so he was looking for something fun. He thought about Men in Black and what if there were supernatural creatures living amongst us. He was working on the world and one day Amari popped into existence.
Has Shannon ever made the Keeper recipes and what's her family's favorite? Shannon actually developed the recipes herself, which wasn't something she ever thought she'd have to do. It took a lot of baking fails, but her favorite is anything mallowmelt--but she always warns people it's SO sweet. Good, but a few bites is enough sugar for a week.
Planning any non-Keeper series? Shannon doesn't know what she'll do once she's done with KOTLC. She'll definitely keep writing because she loves telling stories, but she's so immersed in Keeper all her other ideas are on the back burner.
B.B. thanks Shannon for being so inspirational with her work and how she interacts with her fans--he learned a lot from her. Shannon says B.B.'s always one of the top people she loves to do events with.
Once again, she is begging everyone to read Amari and the Night Brothers. "Please, please, please read them! Oh and I guess read Unraveled too. *accidentally holds it upside down again*"
âTomorrow it's out in the world. Thank you for your faith in me and I can't wait for you to learn all of Keefe's secrets. It's gonna be an adventure.â
Genuinely irks me when ppl talk about how much better kotlc would be if Sophie just didnât fall in love or saying sheâs too good for both of them cause like
Falling in love is CLEARLY something sophie wants. Every time it comes up itâs really obvious that itâs something she wants to have. Even when sheâs dating Fitz and isnât really happy in the relationship, she looks at Sandor and Grizel and says she wishes she could have something that easy, because she wants to fall in love. She wants romance and that doesnât make her any less strong or any less of a girlboss
So I donât know why such a large chunk of the fandom is so strongly opposed to the main character getting to experience something thatâs clearly important to her?
Like yâall are out here like youâre her mother saying âI know whatâs best for youâ when all she wants is to have someone hold her hand and compliment her while she blushes and gets butterflies in her stomach. Is it so wrong for a fifteen year old girl to want that?
So honestly, you donât get an opinion on whether sheâd be better off single, because thatâs HER decision and she doesnât WANT to stay single. Let a teenage girl have romantic dreams! Let her fall in love!
everblaze: iâm only me when iâm with you, gold rush
neverseen: everything has changed, hey stephen, mine, jump then fall, run, wonderland, forever winter, i wish you would, death by a thousand cuts
lodestar: i knew you were trouble, if this was a movie, innocent, back to december, haunted, afterglow, the way i loved you, this love, treacherous, the very first night, betty, how you get the girl, love story
nightfall: begin again, i know places, out of the woods, youâre not sorry, the last time, the other side of the door, style, false god, stay stay stay, i think he knows, miss americana and the heart break prince
flashback: delicate, you belong with me, august (keefe pov), untouchable, dress, Question�, the 1, speak now, right where you left me, teardrops on my guitar,
legacy: ivy, illicit affairs, cruel summer, high infidelity, sweet nothing, cowboy like me, gorgeous, wildest dreams
unlocked: donât blame me, new years day, sad beautiful tragic, exile, right where you left me, all you had to do was stay, i almost do, last kiss, my tears ricochet
stellarlune: come back be here, message in a bottle, cardigan, state of grace, labyrinth, sparks fly, daylight, you are in love, snow on the beach, lavender haze, dancing with our hands tied, the archer, the great war, paris, call it what you want, ours, king of my heart, mastermind, end game
As someone who has been apart of this fandom since 2014 I have no shame in saying if book 10 is delayed another year and all thatâs out out this year is a collection of Keefe short stories than Iâm sorry but sm and team deserve any and all hate they get
Transcript of The Trade, the Marella KOTLC short story (Including the author introduction)
Note: OG pictures taken by Kenna!, provided by @fintan-pyren. Some words are obscured and the transcript may contain errors. Neverless, I hope this is useful to anyone who may need/want it :)
Hello, wonderful Keeper readers! Some of you might already know that I love to sneak a little something extra into the paperback versions of my books whenever I can (since I don't think hardcover readers should get to be the only ones who sometimes find fun bonuses). For those who didn't know that: surprise! :)
I knew I wanted to include a story from Marella's POV this time. Not only is she on the cover (looking fierce and fabulous!) and a fan-favorite character, but she also had some key scenes in Stellarlune that we only got to "hear" about. The Keeper books are limited to Sophie's POV, so I can only include moments where Sophie is present--and since Sophie didn't go with Marella to her meetings with Fintan, we only learn what Marella tells Sophie later. But what if there was something Marella didn't share?
Over the next few pages, you can watch one of Marella's conversations with Fintan play out in real time and hear all Marella's thoughts and reactions to what's happening. I've called this story "The Trade"--and I've worked in lots of fun little extra details (some of which might even turn out to be important later...*wink*).
For those wondering, this story is based a [sic] scene in chapter 31 of Stellarlune--and if you haven't read Stellarlune yet: SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! Reading this first will probably be confusing and will also give away a few tidbits too early. You'll be much happier if you start by reading Stellarlune and then come back here for all the Marella fun once you're done!
Happy reading! [shannon's signature]
~
"Ugh, I hate this place," Marella muttered, shaking the freshly fallen snowflakes out of her gilded blond hair much harder than necessary and yanking her thick velvet cape tighter around her narrow shoulders.
She said the same thing every time she had to trudge through the knee-high snowdrifts and found herself staring at the icicle-crusted entrance to the now familiar cave.
Didn't matter how many times she'd gone there--or how important her visits were. She was never not going to dread making the long, slippery trek down to Fintan's frozen cell.
The cave looked like some sort of open-mouthed snow beast waiting to devour everything in its path--which was probably intentional, since the prison was designed to be as miserable as possible.
Especially for someone like her.
The goblin guards even gave her pitying stares as they moved aside to reveal the endless icy path that wound down and down--and down a whole lot more--to a place where the tiniest glimmer of heat had long since been swallowed up by the suffocating cold.
No amount of clothing could keep Marella warm in the heart of the prison She'd actually tried wearing so many layers that she'd looked like an overstuffed gulon--and she still couldn't stop shivering. And the whole "body temperature regulation" thing wasn't exactly possible when she had to use so much concentration to make sense of Fintan's ranting.
it wasn't fair.
Everyone else got to train their special abilities in fancy rooms at Foxfire, with Mentors who weren't creepy, unstable murderers.
But they weren't Pyrokinetics.
Marella was lucky the Council was letting her use her ability at all.
They could just as easily label her Talentless, kick her out of their snobby academy, and ban her from ever sparking another flame.
Or they could decide she was too dangerous and lock her away.
in fact, Marella wouldn't have been surprised at all if the Council was already building an icy cage just for her--but the thought still made her shiver and wish she could've manifested as...
Nope.
She stopped herself from finishing that sentence.
If life had taught her anything, it was that there's no point wanting things that were never going to happen.
Instead, she focused on the thin beams of sunlight streaking through a gap in the gloomy gray clouds. The light was far from warm, but if she really concentrated, she could feel a hint of lingering heat tangled among the brightness.
She called the warmth closer and soaked it in--let it pool under her skin, pounding with her pulse, swelling with every heartbeat. Growing hotter and hotter and hotter until...
Snap!
A flick of her fingers sent a small tangle of flames sparking to life above her left palm.
"Feel better?" Linh asked as Marella let out a long, slow sigh.
Marella nodded--though she definitely could've done without the whispered that were now hissing around her head.
The flames had a soft, crackly voice. And they always made the same plea.
Feed me.
Feed me.
Feed me.
Fire craved fuel--constantly wanting more, more, more--and it would've been so easy for Marella to let the fire swell bigger and bigger and bigger.
But that was the kind of thing that would lead to a lifetime of shivering in an underground ice cube, so she forced her gaze to shift to Linh, who stood in a small, snowless circle surrounded by a halo of hovering snowflakes---none daring to touch her long silver-tipped hair or shimmery purple cape.
Marella knew how hard Linh had fought to achieve that level of control, and how tentative Linh's hold over her ability still was. But the fact Linh could stand in a sea of frozen water and do nothing except keep the falling snow from settling on her flushed pink cheeks was very...
Annoying.
Then again, everyone annoyed Marella a little.
Her dad used to call her "fiery" long before he realized how accurate that description truly was.
But it wasn't Marella's fault!
People tended to be annoying.
Especially a Hydrokinetic who was currently looking all peaceful and pretty and perfect while making snowflakes flutter and spin in intricate patterns.
That didn't mean Marella wasn't also grateful that Linh was willing to tag along to her Pyrokinetic lessons. it was nice to see a friendly face after hours of Fintan's rambling. Plus, it seemed like a good idea to have someone with water powers around while she practiced setting things on fire.
They were even finding some pretty cool ways to work together. Fire and water might be opposites--but that didn't mean they couldn't be combined. Marella had actually figured out a way to ignite Linh's rain, and she couldn't wait to use that little trick on the Neverseen--assuming those black-cloaked losers ever showed up again.
For a fearsome, unstoppable rebellion, they sure spend a lot of time hiding.
"Are you going to start by asking him about the cache or do the lesson first?" Linh asked, reminding Marella why they were there.
Marella shrugged. "Depends on Fintan's mood."
Sometimes he was already babbling about some fancy new fire trick when she arrived, as if he'd started the lesson without bothering to wait for her. Other times she couldn't get anywhere with him until she'd let him go on and on and on about how foolish the Council was, or how badly he'd been wronged, or how much he missed the feel of a flickering flame--and she didn't necessarily blame him for the last one.
Part of her wanted to hold on to her fireball forever.
Make it her smoky little pet.
Instead, she curled her fingers into a fist and snuffed it out--but she didn't let all the heat dissipate. She called a single tingling glint deeper, letting it sear through her veins and settle into her heart.
She knew it was a risky move, even with all the defenses she wrapped around it. But she couldn't bear the cold emptiness of Fintan's prison without a least a tiny fleck of warmth tucked away.
A secret spark whispering, I'm here. You're not alone.
"Okay," she said, weaving a few strands of her hair together to clam her twitchy fingers. She'd picked up the nervous habit years ago--after her mom's accident--and the tiny braids were kind of her trademark now. "i guess I should stop stalling and head down to deal with Sir Creepysparks, huh?"
Linh smiled. "Probably. Unless you want to rehearse what you're going to say."
"Nah. I'm just going to offer him an ugly flower--that doesn't exactly need a big speech. Oh, but that reminds me..."
She reached into her cape pocket and pulled out the spiky dark blue Noxflare--which looked more like a dying weed than a super-rare flower--and held it up to the guards. "Mr. Forkle already checked this before I brought it here, to make sure it's safe for me to offer to Fintan. but I figured you'd want to check it too."
"We do," they agreed in unison as one of the biggest, deadliest-looking guards took the Noxflare from Marella and brought it over to the other goblins.
A lot of mumbling about potential kindling and fire hazards followed.
Eventually, the guards decided to quick-freeze the Noxflare into a block of ice in case there was any heat stored inside.
"Whoa," Marella said when the scary guard returned with the flower-filled ice cube--which had turned out as big as her head. "How heavy is that thing?"
The guard studied Marella's skinny arms. "I can carry it for you if you'd like."
"That's probably be smart." Marella was pretty sure she'd drop it, or her fingers would freeze off during the long walk--and using telekinesis would drain her mental energy. "But can you stay out of sight? I was planning to tell Fintan he can only see his weird flower thing if he gives me access to his memories, and that's kinda ruined if there's a giant goblin holding it right next to me.
Not that it made the plan any less pointless.
Fintan was obviously going to turn her down.
He's already made it super clear that the only trade he was interested in was for his freedom--which was never going to happen.
Marella doubted a dying flower frozen in ice was suddenly going to make him be like, You know what? Who needs out of this horrible prison when I can have that!
But she was out of other ideas.
And Sophie wanted her to try the Noxflare thing, so...
Whatever.
Marella didn't care about Sophie's current power trip the way Stina did.
As long as she didn't have to be the one coming up with all the plans--or almost dying all the time--Marella was fine following orders. Especially if she got to say I told you so when they turned out to be a huge waste of time.
"Sure you don't want me to come with you?" Linh asked as Marella pulled thick gloves onto her hands. "Fintan likes me."
Marella wasn't sure if "like" was the right word, since Fintan didn't seem to like anybody. But he'd definitely been impressed with Linh.
He'd demanded to speak with "the Hydrokinetic" after Marella mentioned she practiced her pyrokinesis with Linh, so Marella had convinced the goblin guards to let Linh down into the prison. And when Fintan asked for a demonstration of Linh's ability to ensure she wouldn't "hinder his training," Linh had stirred up all the ice shards on his floor and made them rain around him like he was trapped inside a snow globe--which actually made him applaud.
Apparently, most Hydrokinetics struggled to manipulate water in its solid form, and were limited to liquid water or water vapor.
But not Linh.
Of course.
Marella was pretty sure that Linh was more powerful than any of her other friends.
"Well, if you need me, you know where to find me," Linh said as Marella forced her feet to carry her into the cave. "I'll just be here, making another snow menagerie." She flicker her wrist and wove the hovering snowflakes into a soaring alenon.
"Ugh, at least make some ugly creatures this time," Marella called over her shoulder. "I want to see a row of snow ghouls when I get back here. Or a giant Princess Purryfins!"
Linh gasped. "Princess Purryfins is not ugly! I'm going to tell her you said that!"
Marella laughed. "I'm sure you will."
She would've teased Linh more about her ridiculous obsession with her pet murcat, but the frigid air from the prison hit Marella hard, and she had to lock her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.
As least she didn't have to make the journey by herself this time.
Marella could hear the scary goblin guard keeping pace several steps behind her as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim blue light cast by a series of glowing spheres dangling from the ceiling. The downward slope grew steeper with each winding curve, and Marella was always tempted to try sliding down the icy floor instead of walking--but she'd probably end up crashing into one of the weird ice thrones outside Fintan's cell. And she knew better than anyone that injuries couldn't always be healed.
Plus, the trudge gave her a chance to add extra defenses to the heat she'd tucked away in her chest.
She often wondered if Fintan had hidden a few sparks of his own when he was arrested. After all, he had to know the Council would put him on ice for the rest of eternity. Wouldn't he try to preserve what little heat he could?
But Marella had stretched out her senses a zillion different ways and never felt the slightest tingle of warmth when she was around him. So either there was nothing to find or Fintan was that good.
She had a horrible feeling it was the latter, and he was waiting for just the right moment to reveal his grand plan--but that wasn't the kind of thing she should be thinking about before having to face him.
Still, she spent the next few turn trying to figure out what she'd do if she were right.
Her feet turned numb while she plotted, and her bones were officially aching by the time the path widened-- the only warning that they were getting close to Fintan's cell.
A few curves later, his cage came into view: a stark, icy bubble in the center of a circular cavern.
The round wall was reflective on the inside, so even though Marella could see Fintan pacing along the edge of his frozen barricade, he wouldn't be able to see her until she triggered the sensor by sitting in one of the freezing thrones positioned at the only point Fintan could peer through.
He looked extra tired that day--his sky blue eyes sunken by more shadows than usual, and he kept muttering under his breath about incompetence as he tucked his messy blond hair behind his pointy ears with a bit more force than necessary.
Marella glanced back at the scary guard, making sure he'd ducked into the shadows near the back of the cell before she made her big appearance. Then she took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her heart, reaching for her secret spark of warmth one last time before plopping into the closest ice throne.
"Awwwww, looks like you missed me," she said, tossing back her hair and flashing her brightest smile.
She liked to start her visits by showing Fintan she wasn't afraid of him--even if she totally was.
But Fintan didn't glance her way.
"I'm not in the mood for games," he warned as he continued his slow march around his cell.
"Neither am I" Marella assured him, deciding that was her cue to start with the cache. She sat up taller, trying to look extra confident as she added, "But I do have an awesome trade to offer you!"
Fintan sighed. "If this is about my cache, I already told you what I'm willing to accept. Unless you're here to grant me a day of freedom--"
"I'm definitely not. But! I found something you should like even better." She paused, hoping the extra bit of anticipation would somehow make her offer should more exiting when she told him. "Noxflares!"
Fintan scrunched his slender nose. "What are Noxflares, and why would I care about them?"
Marella tilted her head, trying to tell if he was faking.
She hadn't expected him to jump around or applaud or anything--but she had expected him to at least know what Noxflares were.
Then again, his mind had been shattered and pieced back together so many times, his memories had to be in shambles--and Ancient minds tended to be a total mess anyway, since they were crammed with thousands of years of information and the past and present blurred together.
"Would it help if I told you I stopped by your old estate on my way here?" she asked, "Your garden could use some gnomish help, by the way. All the plants have turned into a giant dying tangle. But I dug around and managed to find this scraggly vine with dark pointy flowers--and I hear that plant is special to you, so I picked a few and--"
"You picked my Noxflares?" Fintan snapped, rushing to the wall of his cell and pressing his palms against the ice. "You must let me see them!"
Marella's lips curled into a huge smirk. "I thought you didn't know what they were."
Fintan gritted his teeth so hard, it sounded like cracking ice.
"Hey, I'm not saying I won't share. Buuuuuuuuuuut it'll cost you--and I'm pretty sure you can already guess what I want." She paused for another beat before she added, "Just so we're clear: I'll show you one of your Noxflares if you open your cache and show me what's inside."
Fintan's jaw tightened even more and his hands curled into fists.
But he didn't say no.
He didn't say anything--which was definitely new.
Marella had already offered him a long list of trade suggestions that she, Linh, Maruca, and Stina had all come up with--some really cool ones! And Fintan had shot down each one down before she could even finish the offer.
She couldn't believe he looked so tempted by an ugly flower.
but as the silence dragged on, Marella started to wonder if she'd misread the situation.
maybe she'd pushed him too hard--taunted him too much--and now Fintan was letting her sit there in the cold, knowing the icy throne was turning her butt and legs numb.
She was trying to decide if she could make standing up look like a power move when Fintan told her, "Fine. You have a deal--but since you're only offering one Noxflare, I'll only show you one memory."
Marella barely stopped herself from blurting out, SERIOUSLY?
"Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr," she said instead, wanting to kick herself for not bringing more Noxflares with her. The whole thing had just seemed so silly--and the first few she'd picked had crumbled to dust. But the vine had lots more flowers, so she could fix the mistake super easily. "How about I go back, grab eight more Noxflares, and then you show me all nine memories?"
Fintan grinned. "Tempting. But one Noxflare is really all I need."
Need?
Marella wasn't a fan of that wording.
But before she could ask him what he needed it for, he added, "My offer expires in ten seconds," and started counting down.
By "six" she decided that one memory was better than nothing.
"Fine," she said, pulling the cache from her pocket and holding the marble-size orb up to the light. "But you go first. How do I open this thing?"
No way was she going to risk letting him back out--especially since he probably wasn't going to be happy when he saw his precious flower was stuck in the middle of a giant ice cube.
Fintan held out his hand. "Give me the cache, and I'll open it."
Marella laughed. "Hard pass."
"Ah, but you don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can access the memories. And I need to make physical contact with the cache in order to do so."
Marella squinted at the tiny gadget.
She didn't know much about caches--aside from the fact that only Councillors used them and that each colorful inner crystal held a single Forgotten Secret. But she did know that Dex had already tried everything he could think of to open the cache and failed--and he was one of the best Technopaths ever.
"Do I need to start counting down again?" Fintan asked. "I believe we'd gotten to five..."
Marella chewed her lip. "Uh, how do I know you're not going to destroy the cache or try to hold it for ransom or something?"
Fintan's smile was colder than his cell. "You'll just have to trust me."
"Yeah, I don't see that happening."
Fintan shrugged. "Then our deal is off."
Marella rolled her eyes. "Come on. Even if I wanted to, it's not like I can open your cell door and hand the cache to you."
She wasn't even sure if his cell had a door. The wall looked like one big solid piece of ice.
"You've proven to be very resourceful during our lessons," Fintan reminded her.
"Yeah, but--"
"It's your call," he interrupted. "If you want a memory, you'll have to trust me."
She snort-laughed--but before she could get another word out, he repeated, "You'll just have to trust me." And she could tell that was the only response he was going to give.
She turned to the scary guard, who had started pacing in the shadows. "Is there a way to pass Fintan a small item?"
"Ah, you have a hidden goblin escort--I knew you were resourceful!" Fintan clapped his hands. "And yes, there is a way to pass me my cache, otherwise I wouldn't have suggested it. Any guard can open the disgraceful tube they pass my horrid, frozen bits of food through. The cache should fit nicely."
The guard gripped his sword. "I cannot allow any unauthorized item to enter his cell."
Fintan clicked his tongue. "Clearly you're not considering the fact that I've already had plenty of chances to make this trade--and turned them all down. Do you think I would do that if the cache was even remotely useful to me?"
The goblin couldn't argue with that logic.
Neither could Marella.
And when Fintan went back to counting down, she told the guard, "The Black Swan knows I've been trying to make this trade--and they're working with the Council now. No one would let me do this if they thought the cache was dangerous."
Then again, they'd never discussed the possibility of handing the cache over to Fintan--but surely someone must've considered that during all their endless talking and obsessive overplanning...right?
Besides, if anything went wrong, she could always remind them that this was Sophie's idea.
"I don't like this," the scary guard growled. But Marella gave him her I-totally-know-what-I'm-doing glare until he set the frozen Noxflare down with a particularly dramatic thud, snatched the cache, and spent an eternity squinting at the tiny crystal, spinning it all different ways. "If anything happens, my priority will be subduing the prisoner--not protecting you. Are you certain you want to take that risk?"
Marella absolutely wasn't.
But...this might be their only shot at seeing one of Fintan's Forgotten Secrets.
Plus, she had her tiny little spark buddy she could call on if she needed. Surely she could use that to...
To what?
Take down a superpowerful, much more experienced Pyrokinetic with a history of murdering poeple?
But...did she really want to wimp out?
Sophie wouldn't.
And yeah, Sophie had, like, a permanent bed in the Healing Center. But Marella was pretty sure their whole group would vote "DO IT!"
There were also a dozen other armed goblins who would rush down as backup.
And Linh could attack Fintan with her cutesy snow animals.
It'd almost be worth it to watch Fintan get swallowed up by an ice wave shaped like Princess Purryfins.
"I can handle myself," she decided, using a tone that hopefully sounded intimidating.
Fintan's gleeful laughter echoed of the ice.
The scary guard muttered something about the arrogance of elves as he reached toward the top of Fintan's frozen cell and felt around for a specific spot. A faint clicking sound followed, and a tiny round door slid open--far out of Fintan's reach.
"I can neutralize you within seconds," the guard reminded him as he held the cache up to the opening. "By numerous means. Some far more painful than others."
"Yes, I'm well aware of the absurd lengths the Council has taken to keep me contained," Fintan assured him. "But I don't plan on giving you a reason to use any of them. Not today, at least."
The guard bared his supersharp pointy teeth, and Marella wanted to shout NEVER MIND, JUST KIDDING! But she let the guard shove the cache through the tiny opening--and then it was too late to change her mind.
All she could do was watch the glass orb make its slow descent, rolling around and around and around--down some sort of invisible path etched into the wall of the cell.
Her stomach backflipped with each rotation, and she felt more than a little vomit-y when the cache dropped low enough for Fintan to catch it. But he simply held it up and studied it.
Then he coughed on it.
And sneezed on it.
"Ewwwwwww," Marella groaned when he followed that up by drooling on it. "You know, there are better ways to give it your DNA."
"Yes, I'm aware." Fintan cleared his throat and launched a slimy blob of spit at the cache. "I also know your little Technopath friend is going to ask you how I accessed the memories, so feel free to give him a detailed list." He wiped the cache dry with his fingers and then ran it through his greasy hair before sneezing and coughing on it again. "Some of these methods are vital. Some are distractions. None can be re-created without me--but it'll be fun if he tries, don't you think?"
He laughed so hard, it brought tears to his eyes, and he smeared them across the cache before sneezing and spitting on it again--making Marella very glad she had gloves to keep her hands clean once he returned the cache.
Assuming she actually got it back...
She tried to make out what he was saying when he started mumbling a bunch of stuff into the crystal, but the words were all mushed together. He also tapped the cache in so many different places that she doubted even Sophie and Keefe with their fancy photographic memories would be able to re-create the patterns. And he looked so smug as he did it all that Marella decided to look as bored as possible--which was why she was barely paying attention when the cache flared to life, projecting a small hologram of Fintan standing alone in a wide, empty field.
"Huh," Marella mumbled. "Gotta admit, I was expecting something a little more exciting than a tiny glowing Fintan in the middle of nowhere doing...nothing."
"Then you should learn to be more observant." Fintan pointed to the swaying grass around the hologram's feet, and after a few seconds, Marella realized there was a vine of blooming Noxflares. "I figured I'd show you what Noxflares can do, since you're so generously bringing one back into my life."
Marella squinted at the tiny flowers, waiting for something to happen.
And waiting.
And waiting.
"So...they...blow in the wind?" she asked.
Fintan sighed. "No, they do this."
The hologram of Fintan waved his arms, and all the Noxflares erupted with searing white flames.
"Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah, still not seeing why this needed to be a super-hush-hush Forgotten Secret," Marella grumbled as the Fintan hologram flicked his wrist and added purple fire to the white.
Sure, the flames were pretty--but all flames were beautiful.
"Try thinking like a Pyrokinetic!" Fintan snapped. "Tell me, are there any other flowers that could remain intact under such an inferno?"
Marella couldn't think of any.
And the Noxflares still didn't burn when the Fintan hologram added yellow flames to the fiery mix.
but other than clearly being fire-resistant, Marella didn't see the Noxflares actually doing anything--and the hologram of Fintan must've been equally unimpressed.
He frowned at the flaming petals and dragged a hand down his face, mumbling "something's missing."
"Still not seeing the point of this," Marella noted. "I mean..."
Her voice trailed off as the tiny Fintan waved his arms again and blasted the Noxflares with pink flames--which made the flowers spray sparks in every direction.
The effect was breathtaking.
Kind of like the sky during the Celestial Festival.
But that still didn't necessarily scream, THIS MEMORY IS IMPORTANT.
"How come the grass isn't catching fire?" she asked, grasping for anything that might be significant. "Do the Noxflares protect it or something?"
"No, I was protecting it. A pyrokinetic should always be in control of their flames."
He sounded so smug Marella was tempted to remind him that he let five Pyrokinetics die when he tried to teach them how to call down Everblaze and they all lost control--but that would probably make him throw one of his tantrums and send her away.
She needed the cache back first--and to hopefully find something useful in this boring memory. But sadly, all Fintan's hologram did was stare blankly at the stars and mumble "something's missing" again before the image flashed away.
"That's it?" the scary guard demanded, beating Marella to the complaint.
"Yeah, so...you put on a little fire show all by yourself with some spark-shooting flowers," she added, trying to sum up what she'd seen. "You were clearly disappointed by that little show. And then you must've remembered you needed to..."
She waved her hands, cuing Fintan to fill in the blank with whatever was "missing."
But he just stood there, staring at the cache with the same glazed look he always got whenever he started rambling about the beauty of fire--and Marella wished Linh had come with her after all.
Linh could pelt him with snowballs or something to snap him out of it.
But then she realized...
"You never figured out what was missing--did you?"
Fintan blinked and met her gaze. "Noxflares are full of possibility. But they need to burn."
"That doesn't answer my question," Marella noted.
Fintan shrugged. "Context was not part of our bargain."
"yeah, because I figured when I saw the memory, it would be obvious why it's this big Forgotten Secret. How does you setting some flowers on fire and then realizing you did it wrong matter to anyone?"
"I did nothing wrong," Fintan assured her, with a particularly haughty smile--butt Marella wasn't buying it.
There was a tightness around his eyes that was way too familiar.
Her dad had that same tightness every time her mom was having one of her "bad days," and she knew exactly what it meant.
Disappointment.
Frustration.
A hint of helplessness.
So she marched over to the guard and grabbed the frozen Noxflare from the floor--too irritated to even notice how heavy the ice must've been as she hauled it back.
She plopped it in front of Fintan's cell. "Ta-da! One ugly flower, as promised--and I'm sure you're not surprised that I had to freeze it before i brought it down here."
"I'm not." Fintan dropped to his knees and gazed at the Noxflare like he was seeing a long-lost friend.
He pressed his hand against his cell, trying to get as close as he could. "Such power. Such...promise."
"Uh-huh," Marella agreed, letting his stare and stare, hoping it would help him let his guard down.
When his eyes turned a little teary, she went in for the kill.
"But there is something still missing, isn't there? That's why you saved this memory--to remind yourself to keep looking."
A whole lot of painful silence passed before Fintan slowly nodded.
Marella wanted to feel triumphant.
But all she'd done was prove the entire trade had been pointless.
There was no game-changing clue.
No dirty little secret about the past.
Certainly nothing to help them stop their enemies.
And she had a pretty strong hunch the other eight memories in the cache would be just as ridiculous.
"The answer is out there," Fintan murmured. "I can feel it. I just can't grasp it. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps?" Marella prompted when his eyes locked with hers.
Fintan stepped closer to the ice, keeping his voice low, like he didn't want the guard to hear him. "Perhaps a different Pyrokinetic is meant to find the truth. One who's already convinced the Council to trust her."
Marella laughed. "The Council doesn't trust me."
"The fact that you're here for a pyrokinesis lesson says otherwise--particularly since the lesson is with me." He started circling his cell again, mumbling under his breath and nodding. The only words Marella caught were "possible," "improvising," and "best option."
After three more times around the cell, he stopped in front of Marella again, leaning even closer to the icy wall as he whispered, "I believe it's time for me to offer a trade of my own."
"A trade," Marella repeated, not missing the way the scary guard gripped his sword.
Fintan glared at him. "This conversation is between me and my prodigy. She stands here of her own free will, shielded by who knows how many different kinds of protections--and she can leave anytime she pleases. Your presence is no longer needed."
"You still have her gadget," the guard argued.
"I suppose I do. but that can be easily remedied." Fintan set the cache on whatever invisible ledge it had slid down in the first place and gave it a good shove, sending it spinning up the path toward the top of the cell.
The guard had to scramble to catch it when it launched out of the ice bubble.
"See?" Fintan said, shifting his gaze back to Marella. "I can be trusted."
"Pretty sure the only thing I can trust is that you'll do what's best for you," Marella countered.
"As long as you get what you want, why would you care? After all, no matter what, I'm still stuck in here, aren't I?" He waved his arms around his little ice bubble, which suddenly looked way less secure than it had during her other visits. "Oh, relax--all I'm asking for is a little information."
Marella crossed her arms. "Right--and information has never gotten anyone hurt or killed."
"It's not that kind of secret. It's..." He frowned. "Honestly, I don't know what it is--and for someone my age, with my connections, that says something, doesn't it? I doubt any of the Vackers even know the full truth."
"Then how am I supposed to find it?" Marella demanded.
"As I said, you've proven to be quite resourceful. Particularly when you team up with your little friends." He scowled at the guard again before motioning her to step closer--until her ear was practically pressed up against the ice.
A voice in the back of her head kept screaming, WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO HIM?
But...she was curious.
And there was nothing wrong with hearing his offer, was there?
Fintan's breath fogged the ice, obscuring his face as he whispered, "All I ask is that if you ever find out what's missing from the Noxflares, you share it with me."
"Why?" Marella glanced at the frozen flower, wishing she could see something more than just ugly shriveled petals.
"Because I want to know," Fintan said simply. "And because I can give you what you want in return."
"The rest of the memories in your cache," Marella clarified.
Fintan nodded. Then his lips curled into a smile. "And one other--something you've long wondered about, even though you probably don't admit it to yourself."
Marella raised one eyebrow, refusing to show any more interest than that.
Fintan cupped his hands around his mouth and pressed them to the ice before he whispered, "I know what happened to your mother."
Marella sucked in a breath.
"Yes," Fintan added. "I'm talking about her 'accident'--if we can really call it that. I know why she fell. And why her injuries were so incurable."
Marella stumbled back, collapsing into the nearest throne and hugging herself to stop her body from shaking with tremors that had nothing to do with the cold.
A tiny, terrified part of her had always thought the story she'd been told about her mom's fall hadn't totally made sense.
But everyone--everyone--was convinced it had been an accident.
Even her father.
And if it wasn't...
She leaned toward Fintan. "I don't need your games."
"Oh, this definitely isn't a game. But it's the only way you'll ever know the truth, and before you start overthinking everything, consider this: You have all the power here. Make the trade, don't make the trade--it's totally your call. You also don't have to make a decision right away. I'm trapped in this prison. I'll never find the answer on my own--and I'll never know if you find the answer unless you decide to tell me. So there's zero pressure. No one even knows we've had this conversation--and don't worry about the guard. See how frustrated he looks? That's because I made sure he only heard what I wanted him to hear. The rest is our little secret."
Our little secret.
Fintan was probably the last person she should have a secret with.
And yet...he had a point.
No one knew he'd made her this offer--and it wasn't like she'd come to any decision.
She didn't even have the information Fintan wanted anyway!
And with the way their investigations always seemed to go, she'd probably only find a whole lot more questions.
So there was really no point in telling anyone about this.
She could tell them whens he needed to.
If she needed to.
That wouldn't be wrong...would it?
It didn't feel wrong--or it wouldn't have if Fintan's smile wasn't so creepy.
"I'm not agreeing to anything," she said, wanting to make that very clear.
"You're not," Fintan assured her. "So how about we put this out of our minds and get started with our lesson? I'm sure your Hydrokinetic friend is wondering why you haven't come up to practice yet."
Linh was probably starting to worry.
She'd probably also built enough snow animals to make a frozen Sanctuary.
"Fine," Marella said, standing up and dusting ice off her cape. "What do you want me to work on today?"
"How about I teach you how to make those colored flames you saw in the memory," Fintan suggested. "You know, in case that ever comes in handy."
He winked, and the guard groaned and held out the cache to Marella. "Sound like I'm no longer needed."
"You aren't" Fintan agreed.
The guard growled--looking scarier than ever--and turned to march away. But he spun back after a few steps. "He's right that I don't know what he offered you. But I can tell you're tempted. And I hope you're smart enough to reject it. Never make a deal with someone who has nothing to lose."
"I'm not," Marella promised.
And she wasn't.
She hadn't made any decisions--except to keep this to herself. But that didn't mean anything.
She was just trying to avoid a ton of drama and arguing and having people give her advice she didn't need.
Plus, everyone has secrets.
Shoot--the great Sophie Foster had more secrets than anyone.
So it was fine.
Everything was fine.
Nothing had changed.
Time to focus on controlling her fire.
And yet, for the rest of the lesson, the tiny spark in her heart burned hotter and hotter and hotter. Whispering a new plea.
So who will be posting the Marella short story tomorrow for poor souls like myself who are not in the United States currently and cannot get the paperback ??
janainaart
discoholicmusic
dededos
jacobvanloon
baratheonpilled
andulkaphoto
izzy806
areudirty
