Chapter 15- Sophie

(A/N: LAST CHAPTER! Oh, I'm soooo happy we are almost done! This exact chapter is also going to be in the newest book that I'm making. More notes later on!)

"I don't understand", voicing the thought she was pretty sure they all were having. "She sounded like Lord Cassius." 

And then she remembered: Keefe's mom can mimic. 

"You?" Keefe pointed to the Sencen crest on his cape. "But Dad was the one who gave this to me." 

"And I'm the one who gave it to him. Honestly, Keefe"—she stomped her feet, shaking the snow of her heavy boots, even though they immediately sank back into the snowdrift—"Don't you know your father at all? He never set so much as a hair out of place, especially if it risked all those honors he's gotten from the Council."

"But, Dad's—"

"A jerk?" Lady Gisela finished for him. "Yes, he is. And your hating him has been hugely helpful to me. Every time I slipped and let any emotions that might've given me away show through, I could just blame it on your latest mess. In fact, when I return home tonight, all he'll feel is a mother distraught over her son's tragic disappearance."

"You monster!" Biana shouted, accidentally revealing that she'd moved dangerously close to Lady Gisela. Lady Gisela grabbed Biana's cloak and pressed her melder against Biana's head. "I wouldn't move, if I were you. A blast this close will likely cause permanent damage." 

"Go ahead," Biana told her, her voice surprisingly steady. "You can drop the mock bravery, my dear. There are safer ways to impress my son. Just ask that one."

"SHUT UP!" Keefe screamed as Lady Gisela tilted her head toward Sophie. "Yes, you're right," his mom agreed. "I'm cold. And the altitude remedy the ogres gave me is triggering a headache." She pointed her melder at Keefe again. "This is your last chance to spare your friends unnecessary pain. Throw down your weapons and come with me."

"Uh—in case you didn't notice, there's five of us and only one of you," Keilar reminded her. "That's Keilar. Always missing the obvious." She covered her face with her hood and stomped her foot again. And when the ground rumbled, Sophie realized what she was doing. "She's calling her dwarves!" she shouted, but she was too late. A dozen furry bodies launched out of the snow and surrounded them. "Any ideas?" Fitz asked, backing up as the dwarves circled closer. "I'm thinking." Sophie wasn't sure if she could inflict without taking her friends down in the frenzy—and with the ice clawing up her poorly-dressed legs and feet, she didn't think she could concentrate hard enough to affect such a large group anyway. "I'll give you until the count of three to throw down your weapons and lie in the snow," Lady Gisela called. "Never," Keefe shouted. "Guys, leap out of here!"

"Not without you!" Sophie shouted back. "One," Lady Gisela counted. "And you'll never create a strong enough beam of light in this storm." Sophie glanced at the flurries around them, hating that Keefe's mom was right. Especially when she counted, "Two." 

"Three!" Mr. Forkle shouted, belly flopping onto four of the dwarves closest to Fitz and Sophie, crushing them with his massive girth. A handful of the Black Swan's dwarves popped out of the ground and dove into the fray, and Lady Gisela dropped Biana and turned to run away. But Keefe tackled her, sending them toppling through the wall of wind and vanishing into the white nothing. Sophie, Fitz, Keilar and Biana chased after them—or tried to, anyway. The snow was waist deep, and they were climbing uphill again, so it felt like they were dragging heavy chains. Apparently only Keilar was having progress moving through the snow— it looked as if the snow was melting beneath her more quickly, making her move faster.

 "He's over there!" Keilar shouted, pointing to a flash of black, before it was swallowed again by the blinding white. 

They picked up their pace, pushing their bodies so hard they could barely breathe. Keilar reached first. But by the time they reached them, it was still too late.

Keefe lay facedown in the snow, pinned under his mom's foot, with her melder pointed at his head. Sophie had barely screamed, "LET HIM GO!" when Keilar pounced, slamming into Lady Gisela and sending them tumbling down the incline. Keefe scrambled to his feet and chased after them, joining Sophie and Fitz on the way. "Did you know Keilar could fight like that?" Sophie asked as Gisela tried to stop their tumbling, and Keilar shoved her shoulders and sent them both toppling again. "No." Both the boys said in sync. Sophie smiled—but it quickly faded when she realized how close Keilar was getting to the edge. "KEILAR, STOP!" Sophie, Fitz, Biana and Keefe all shouted, but Keilar either couldn't slow or didn't hear them. They were seconds away from dropping of the edge when Lady Gisela grabbed Keilar's arms and swung them both into a drift of snow so deep, it seemed to swallow them.

"It's over, Mom," Keefe called as she struggled to her feet. He pointed his melder at her heart as she raised her foot to stomp for her dwarves. "I will drop you with this if I have to." She shook the snow out of her hair and stomped her boot anyway. No dwarves jumped out and attacked them. "Well, I guess they're busy," Lady Gisela said, glancing at the cliff behind her. "There's nowhere to go, Mom. Just give up and come with me." He raised the melder at her head. "I don't want to use this—but I will."

"I know." She smiled at him then, but it was a sad smile. 

A broken smile. 

"I'm not going back with you," she told him. "You don't have a choice." 

"Oh, there's always a choice." Her smile faded as she turned to look at the ledge again, and Sophie realized what she was thinking a second too late. She screamed almost as loud as Keefe and Fitz when Lady Gisela launched herself backward. And they all watched in horror as she plummeted of the edge of the cliff. Taking Keilar with her.

(THAT! THAT WAS THE CLIFFHANGER I WAS TALKING ABOUT! FINALLY, I'M HERE! This was the LAST chapter in the book, and THIS was how I planned for the thing to end. Also, this is my FIRST actual finished book! *WHOOOOOOOOOOO!!* And yes, the next chapter is the epilogue, and after that is the sneak peek of the next book series. If you want a date of when this ended, then it's the 21st August. So...

Black --> out.)