Biana stomped through Everglen, trying to find Keefe, with Dex, Linh, and Tam close behind her.

"Why isn't he with you?!" Biana yelled at her brother, kicking his door open. Fitz was peacefully sitting on his bed reading through the paperwork Elwin gave him.

"Uhh, who?" Fitz asked.

"Keefe! You two are always together figuring out something stupid to do, where is he?!" Biana snapped.

"Okay, wow, wasn't exactly expecting to be called out like that. But Keefe actually snagged an internship in the Elvin Headquarters. The Council just left for some diplomatic mission, and he was asked to attend as an assistant."

"What?!" Biana gaped.

"Yeah, I believe he is Oralie's assistant. I think she feels bad about Sophie and gave him the job just to ease her nerves. Why, what did he do now?" Fitz asked. Dex fished a pamphlet out of his bag and threw it onto Fitz's bed. Fitz's face slowly dropped as he looked through it.

"This is Keefe's art style," Fitz muttered, looking it over.

"Every single elf in the Lost Cities got one of these things, the Council apparently confiscated as many as they could before they went on this mystery mission of theirs," Tam explained, leaning on the threshold of Fitz's door. Fitz stared at the back of the pamphlet, rereading over the snippet.

"What is it?" Linh asked.

"I recognize this," Fitz muttered, tapping his pencil against the paragraph on the back.

"What? It looks like-"

"It's human poetry." Fitz started, getting up from his bed and moving to one of his drawers. It was one he always kept locked, and as he opened it, Biana realized why.

It was full of a bunch of Sophie's belongings and trinkets they shared between them. Notes and telepathy inside jokes between them, random elven mind games and even-

"Is that Ella?" Biana asked, pointing to the blue stuffed elephant. Fitz glanced at it, chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, Sophie gave it to me a while ago when I was having a hard time, and Mr. Snuggles was out of commission." Fitz looked away, "The Neverseen took her before I could return it." He muttered. A little more digging, and he pulled out a small book.

"Sophie really liked this American poet named Maya Angelou when she was in the Forbidden cities, and she got both Keefe and me this collection of some of her poems. I found them fascinating and read the book three times over again, but Keefe only liked a few. One in particular..." Fitz flipped through the book, scanning the pages.

"Ah! Here." Fitz grabbed the pamphlet and placed it side by side to the book.

Fitz read the paragraph from the poem, the exact same section from the pamphlet.

"Why would Keefe choose a human poem?"

"I think it is less who wrote the poem and more what it is about," Fitz explained. Biana leaned over her brother's shoulder to look at the name.

A Brave and Startling Truth- Maya Angelou

"A Brave and Startling Truth... Keefe is trying to tell the truth? Of what? Is he telling the truth of the Assassins, is he breaking their trust?" Dex asked.

"No, no..." Linh tugged on her silver-tipped bob, "He is trying to tell the truth about the Vatarians. How they aren't a species of monsters." Linh looked at all of them, "He is trying to tell the truth about what we know, and to humanize the Vatarians, show they aren't beasts."

"Why would he have taken that internship? He is trying to become a teacher, not a Council worker." Dex asked.

Biana answered.

"The Conference." She breathed.

"What? How is that possible? The Vatarians were so quiet about it." Tam countered.

"There is a traitor in the Assassins." Biana stated, "They are the one that planted the crystal in the nursery so Vespera could get away."

"Keefe knew that the traitor was probably going to contact the Council... so he got into the council," Fitz answered.

"So the traitor isn't loyal to the Neverseen, nor the Council. They are rogue, doing what they want to complete their goal in any way possible." Tam sighed.

"And their goal is to bring down the Assassins. Why?"

"To know that, we need to figure out the traitor."

"Who could it be-"

"Biana! Your friends are here!"

Biana squeaked, her hand flying to her mouth.

"I can't believe I forgot!" Biana cursed.

"Should I go stall them?" Linh asked, standing up.

"Wait, who is here?" Dex asked.

"Linh and I ordered one of our matchmaking scrolls a while back, and we invited the girls to come over to look through them together."

"Wait, you two ordered your matchmaking scrolls? Why?" Tam asked.

Linh smiled, wiggling her eyebrows, "Why? Are you curious if Biana and I will get someone we know on there?"

Tam averted his eyes quickly, grumbling.

Biana and Linh ran out the door, but not before Biana popped her head back in.

"Keep an eye out for Keefe or anything stupid. We still need to hold up this charade-"

"Biana! Come on!" Marella called out, Maruca's voice and a few others heard in the background. Biana ran back down the stairs, and her brother stared at the pamphlet.

"What's wrong?" Tam asked.

Fitz sighed, "He is risking a lot being with the Council right now. I just hope he doesn't screw it up for all of us."

The Inner Circle followed as Maria navigated away from the base and towards a small shed a few blocks away. Maria knocked on the sandalwood door four times, and Lilac's little head popped out as she unlocked it.

"Lilac?" Sophie rushed in, picking her up, "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying with your friend Giana while I was gone?" Lilac looked at Maria as everyone scuffled in, leaning into her sister a bit more, her eyes sleepy.

"We rode all last night to get here. I was supposed to come alone, but she insisted that she came." Maria explained as she checked all of the nooks and crannies for intruders.

"Mom, what is all of this? Why are you here?" Alexios asked. Maria sighed, shaking herself out.

"I kinda lied when I first told you why I was here, but I didn't want any of the Assassins to overhear."

"What is so bad that our own men couldn't hear?" Nour asked. Maria sighed, crossing her arms.

"Leto didn't send me, but he is the reason I am here. Leto, his health is... deteriorating." Maria sighed.

"What?!" Everyone asked, except Maha, who looked extremely confused about this Leto she never really met.

"He came to my boutique after the Battle of Foxfire, we all sat down, and he just tried to recollect everything. The last time he was in Inalia, it was on fire. But he was muttering about Kynareth, how he died during the Fall of Inalia, and it seemed so sincere, I almost believed him. But he was sickly, and he just... Amalia, do you know what is happening to him? Something from elves since he was with them for so long, maybe?" Maria asked.

Leto wasn't going mad, he was going through the realization of what Kynareth really did.

"I-I..." Sophie struggled with words. Gods above, just tell them! They won't judge you-

"I don't know," Sophie whispered, leaning against Lilac's sleeping head and readjusting her in her arms. Maha stared at her, her eyes analytical, running her hands over her palms.

Maria sighed, looking hopeless.

"He mutters how Kynareth is growing impatient, he says that you have involved Amalia. He says she won't let you go, she won't either of you go." Maria looked so defeated, "I grew up with Leto, and now that I finally see him again, he goes into a delusional fever. He has a high temperature, the shakes, and a lack of appetite."

Sophie held Lilac tighter, a feeling eating her up inside. Was it guilt? Worry?

"He just keeps repeating... she is growing impatient." Maria whimpered. Alexios sat next to his mother as she put her face in her hands, whispering gentle words.

"Do you believe anything he says?" Sophie asked quietly. Maria scoffed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Why should I? I haven't seen Kynareth, and even if I do meet her, I have some choice words for her if she is even real." Maria spat. Sophie looked away from her aunt, pacing with Lilac in her arms.

"I came to inform you about Leto's health, and also to hopefully find a cure. He isn't diagnosed, but we have a physician and Filomena looking over him right now. I heard rumors Queen Arsinoe has extremely talented healers. I am going to ask her about it during the Conference." Maria sighed.

"You are attending the Conference with us?"

"I was invited to attend by Arsinoe when I contacted her about physicians, saying she could help me during the Conference. Not to mention how she is rearranging the Conference, she thought you would need me."

"For what?"

"It is no longer just a private get together, it is a political gala. And, it is well known, I'm the only one in this family with a sense of class." Maria bragged, tossing her hair behind her. Sophie glared, but Alexios snorted in agreement.

"I am here to make sure we are taken seriously," Maria admitted.

"We are going to be taken seriously-"

"How are you arriving?"

"Uh, walking-"

"What are you wearing?"

"I thought my armor was going to be fine-"

"How are you going to handle the nobles? Flirting? Charisma?- Actually, no, you should leave those to your brother." Maria spout. Alexios gave Sophie a victorious smile, and Sophie scoffed.

"I can deal with the nobles just fine-"

"During the last ball, you threatened to cut out a nobleman's tongue if he kept flirting with you," Nour stated.

"Who's side are you on?" Sophie snapped at him.

"However, Amalia, you are going to be taken more seriously. You have weight behind your name, and you are generally a person people gravitate towards. If we play this right, the Morretti family will be on top." Maria explained. Sophie and Alexios glanced at each other.

"Alright. We will follow your lead." Sophie answered. Lilac mumbled against Sophie's shoulder.

"And what about you?" Sophie cheerfully whispered to her little sister, "Why are you here?"

Lilac yawned, rubbing her eyes, "I was worried about you." Sophie faltered.

"I know you have been having trouble lately, and I missed you," Lilac whispered. She didn't have any life-altering information, she just missed Sophie, and the at least semi calm lives they had before all of this.

Sophie smiled, bouncing Lilac in her arms.

"The Conference is tomorrow evening. Alexios and I were assigned an additional mission from Arsinoe, but we finished it last night," Sophie explained,

"So that gives us today to prepare," Maria muttered.

"What should we do?" Mansi asked.

Maria explained everything. Mannerisms, arrival times, political opponents, what they should be conveying.

"Everyone with the last name Morretti should ride in the main carriage, everyone else in the Inner Circle should find a way to already be in the Conference, scoping things out."

"Alone?" Maha asked.

"Probably would be the best way to go," Sophie admitted.

"Wait, but, won't the Avriman King be there?" Maha asked, standing up from her seat.

"Yeah, he will. Maha, what's wrong?"

"I-I..." Maha clenched her fists, words not coming out of her mouth. She sighed and tucked aside one of her braids.

"Nevermind." She whispered.

"No, Maha, I want to hear from you. Want is wrong? Why do you not want to be alone with the King?" Sophie asked. Maha glanced around, and straightened, her eyes wet.

"You are my friends? Right? You are my family?" Maha insisted. Mansi sat next to her.

"Of course, Maha," Mansi whispered. Maha glanced outside the small windows of the shack, swallowing.

"I can't let the King see me." Maha loosed a breath.

And Sophie paled as she whispered, "-because I'm an Avriman fugitive."

Utter silence.

Everyone was deadly quiet, but Alexios finally spoke, "What?" He growled.

Maha shuddered.

"Not a traditional fugitive, I didn't commit any crimes. I ran away." She whispered. Sophie held Lilac in a tight grip, who was now awake and nervously glanced at Maha.

"Why-what? I don't-"

"I was abandoned on the steps of the Temple of Byzanthar when I was a baby. I was raised by two priests there, who I call my fathers. But after I was discovered, the King didn't react how I thought he would. He praised me, thought of me as a gift sent from the gods. I was all of a sudden overwhelmed with all of these people suffocating me and harassing me."

Maha took a deep breath, "My fathers saw how it was just... killing me. So in the middle of the night, they found a carriage to stow me away in and sent me away. I was never to look back, never to return." Maha let out a pathetic chuckle, "Little did I know that very cart was going to be jumped by the Neverseen two days later." Maha muttered. Maha never spoke about Avrima, she never went back to tell her father's she was alright.

"Maha, why did the Avriman King take such an interest in you?" Nour asked. Maha didn't answer, rubbing the palms of her hands.

"Maha-"

"I can't tell you that," Maha muttered.

"We won't tell anyone, we are your family," Maria assured. Maha violently shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't." Maha took a hiccuped breath, "Please, don't make me go near him alone." Maha begged Sophie.

Gods above... it was all starting to click. She refused to talk of home; she never returned to her fathers; she never really wore or talked much of Avirman culture.

"I want you by my side the entire night, Maha, you understand?" Sophie asked.

"What?"

"Everyone else is going to be doing their assigned positions, but your position is by my side. I don't want the King getting close to you under any circumstances."

"What is he sees me?"

"He probably will. But I dare him to try to take you away if he does, he is going to face the full wrath of our family. And he knows we are going to bring the wrath of the gods down onto him." Sophie answered. Maha nodded, swallowing her quaking voice, fiddling with one of her golden tipped braids.

Maria took a deep breath, "Come now, all of you, we have work to do."

"Mom, we don't have any of the regalias we need. We were planning on arriving in our armor-"

Maria held up a perfectly manicured finger, cutting her son off, "Ah, ah, ah. I know that I am your radiating savior, and playing into that role, I come prepared."

"Of course, you have." Mansi laughed as Maria struggled to drag out her boxes. Alexios and Alvar grabbed them for her, carrying them and propping them on the table she pointed to. She broke them open and started handing out dresses, suits, fans, shoes, makeup, and everything else under the sun.

"Uh, may I have a pair of gloves, please?" Maha shyly asked.

"They weren't really in my plans for you, but..." Maria shuffled around in the crate and pulled out a pair of purple-ish pink lace gloves.

"Here you are, my love." Maria smiled, handing them to Maha. Maria finally turned to Sophie, a wicked smile gracing her cheeks.

And then she pulled out Sophie's dress.

"Oh, auntie, it's beautiful!" Sophie breathed, taking the dress in her hands.

"Who is it for?" Sophie asked.

"You, silly." Maria chuckled.

"Maria, I don't think I could-" Maria put a finger on Sophie's lips, stopping her from talking.

Maria rolled her eyes, "It is either this or the pink furball the Council gave you."

Sophie gaped, looking at her aunt, then the dress, then back at her aunt.

"Alright." She mumbled.

Maria smiled, gently running a thumb over Sophie's cheek, "It will look great on you, Candessa."

Sophie took all of the other things Maria handed to her beyond the dress, an outfit created explicitly for her by one of the people she knew best.

"Now, let's all go over the plan." Sophie sighed, gathering everybody close.

The night of the Conference had finally come.

Sophie secured the straps over her shoulders, looking at herself in the mirror. The dress was revealing and glimmering, one of maturity and confidence. The way her hair was done was simple, but it didn't need to be complicated. She was a powerful woman who desired a dress of her standing but didn't need glitter and stones to show her strength. She radiated it in every step she took.

The back of the dress was scooped out, which made Sophie's heart drop. She saw a sliver of Kynareth's marking in the mirror but quickly looked away. She wasn't going to look at it, she wasn't going to give Kynareth the satisfaction. Luckily, at the shoulders of her sleeves were long swaths of chiffon that followed her as she walked. She managed to twist and pull at them just enough for it to hide her back, but she still had to be careful. As she struggled to cover her back with the chiffon swaths, she froze as the door opened. Crap, she shared this dressing room with-

Maha walked in, grabbing her shoes from the end table, humming an Avriman lullaby.

Sophie couldn't turn away fast enough, and Maha gazed upon her half-covered back. Maha froze, her eyes scanning over the tattoo, her humming halting in her throat.

Sophie whirled on her, her eyes wide.

"What was that?" Maha asked quietly.

Sophie didn't answer, her fists clenched as she reeled for a lie.

"Amalia. What. Was. That?" Maha articulated, pointing to her back.

"Something I got a while ago-"

"When? You wouldn't have had time to go to a tattoo artist. And where is the marking you got on the ship back from Cariana?" Maha interrogated, walking forward to try to get a glimpse of Sophie's back. Sophie shuffled away, keeping her back out of Maha's sight.

"It is just, it's a- I got it-"

"Lia!" Maha snapped, grabbing Sophie's arms and turning her around. Sophie was as stiff as a statue as Maha stared at Kynareth's marking. She ran her hand over one of the markings on Sophie's spine, and her mind flashed to the writhing pain Kynareth put her in as she scalded those into her flesh. She squirmed out of Maha's grip, grabbing her necklace from the table and glaring at Maha.

Maha was wide-eyed. She was the first person to ever get a full view of it. Not even Ruy saw all of it, he only saw bits of it under her shirt.

"Who-"

"Not a soul." Sophie snarled. Maha pursed her lips.