Neverseen by Shannon Messenger

Author:Shannon Messenger [Messenger, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-EIGHT

THE WORDS BOUNCED around Sophie’s head, making her ears ring.

Lur and Mitya and Sior had the plague.

They could be dying.

No—not “could be.”

They were dying, if someone didn’t find a cure.

“How long can someone have the plague before . . . ?” She couldn’t finish the question.

“We still do not know—but that’s good news, in a way,” Calla said. “All the Wildwood colonists are still alive and fighting.”

The answer helped a little—but it didn’t change the fact that the infected gnomes were running out of time. Maybe they had months. Maybe weeks. Maybe days. Whatever it was, they deserved more.

“But you’re safe?” she asked Calla. “You haven’t been exposed?”

“I was very careful,” Calla promised, drying her eyes with her long braid. “I would not have come back if I wasn’t certain. I would never risk Amisi’s safety.”

“So what happens now?” Keefe asked.

Calla let out a slow, heavy breath. “I don’t know. This . . . there was no plan for this.” Her eyes welled up again.

“Does the Collective know yet?” Sophie asked.

“I couldn’t find them.”

“They’re taking care of Prentice,” Sophie said.

“Does that mean he hasn’t been healed?” Calla asked.

“I tried—”

“It’s okay,” Calla interrupted. “I have no doubt you’ll do everything you can. Do you know if they’re at the Stone House?”

“Is that a cottage in the middle of the Moors?” Sophie asked.

Calla nodded and turned to leave. “I need to speak with them before I tell Amisi. They might know something that could bring her better comfort. She and Sior are courting.”

“I’m going with you,” Sophie said, following Calla down the hall.

Keefe rushed after them. “Me too.”

“I don’t know where you’re going,” Dex said as they entered the boys’ main room, where he sat on the floor, surrounded by Twiggler supplies. “But you’re not going without me.”

“I suppose that means you’re coming too?” Calla said, glancing toward an empty corner.

“Ugh, I really thought I’d figured out how to hide that time!” Biana said as she appeared. “But yep, I’m in. Where are we going?”

Sophie did her best to catch them up.

Dex looked like someone had crushed all his gadgets to dust. “We have to help them,” he whispered. “They saved us, Sophie. Lur and Mitya.”

“I know,” Sophie said.

Biana rushed to give Calla a hug. “Are you sure it’s safe for you to leave Alluveterre? The plague seems to be popping up everywhere.”

“We’ll travel deeper than normal, and I’ll steer clear of the Neutral Territories,” Calla promised, heading outside and down the winding stairs. When they reached ground level, she sang a deep, earthy song to create a tunnel and tangled the roots around them. The journey was faster than ever—so fast Sophie was sure she lost her stomach several times. But it was worth the nausea when they arrived at the Stone House after only a few minutes of journeying.

Sophie had assumed it would still be sunny, but when they climbed out of the tunnel the sky was bruised by twilight, the only light coming from the early stars and the hideout’s windows.

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