"Your attack... it was unprovoked."

"Unprovoked?" Sophie repeated in disbelief, "You're kidding, right?"

Her attack was unprovoked?

Hers?

When the Neverseen have done far, far worse?

"No, Sophie - none of us think this is a joke," Grady said quietly, "I'm really hoping you don't either. Because you just turned this into a war."

Sophie pointed to herself, shock settling into her features, "I did? Me? I started this?"

She started a war?

Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Sophie glanced at her friends, looking for them to back her up.

They were there.

She expected them to look just as affronted. 

They had to know she didn't start this.

Something.

Anything.

... They all looked away.

Clenching her jaw, Sophie turned back to Tiergan and Grady.

"This was already a war," she told them darkly, "It has been since the moment I was kidnapped. Actually, no, it started much earlier. Lady Gisela was already working on her stellarlune thing before Keefe was born. And they killed Jolie way before that."

Grady flinched, and Sophie couldn't help feeling a bit bad to bring it up.

But... If they thought she started this war, then they needed a reality check.

Badly.

"Just... look at how much they've hurt us. How many scars we all have - how many times we've almost died! Tam was their prisoner! Keefe's afraid to talk because he has all these scary new abilities. Kenric is dead - and so is Mr. Forkle. And you're accusing me of escalating this?!" With each new sentence, Sophie's voice raised higher.

"Yes," Tiergan said simply, like they weren't talking about a group of murderers here, "Though 'accusing' is the wrong word. 'Informing' is better. We have to make sure you understand you haven't just changed the game for the Neverseen - you've changed it for everyone. Up until now, we haven't attacked. We've defended ourselves. But raiding their hideout - and then destroying it - is an attack, Sophie. And that means we're now officially at war."

Sophie was appalled. Of course it was an attack.

She knew that.

They were talking about the same group, right?

The same group who single-handedly put the entire gnomish race in danger?

The same group who burned Eternalia to the ground?

The same group, who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

Sophie felt fresh tears sting her eyes as she clenched her fists tightly to her side, repeating, "This? This was already a war, nothing has changed. They've attacked us. Time and time again - and what have we done? Nothing. We let them take everything from us."

A moment of silence.

Then, "You know so little of war."

"And you do?" Sophie snapped back, "When will you realize we can't win like this? How many more losses will we have to suffer for you to realize we can do something about this?"

She looked at Sandor. 

He knew the hardships of war.

He had to back her up on this, right?

"The most dangerous time in any movement is when a new leader first takes their place. They're still fledgling and weak and full of mistakes. Not ready for the onslaught they'll be facing," Sandor warned from the doorway.

Sophie supposed he had a point.

But then again....

"If I'd stuck to our plan, the Neverseen would've just moved all their stuff to a new storehouse and carried on like nothing happened. Glimmer is right about this when she told us we've made a mistake in all our plans. Now they have to change their strategy, now they're the ones scrambling. I brought us a victory. A real one - not just a Yay-we-didn't-die! kind of thing," Sophie told them.

"No one's denying any of that," Tiergan told her gently, his tone patronizing, "But... you should be careful of that word."

"Victory?" Sophie asked exasperatedly.

Tiergan shook his head, "I."

Sophie stood up taller. "You think I did this... for me?"

"No. I think you acted alone. And I realize you're going to argue there wasn't time for a big debate or discussion-"

"And who's fault was that?" Sophie snapped back through gritted teeth.

Tiergan ignored her, "- and I'm certain there wasn't. But that doesn't change the fact you made an enormous decision that will affect everyone entirely on your own."

"You even made sure the Neverseen knew it was you," Sandor said, "I saw the mark you left before we leaped away."

"What mark?" Grady asked.

Sandor held Sophie's stare when he answered, "It looked like a flying moonlark."

"Oh wow," Biana whispered.

Grady sighed.

"The Black Swan puts the sign of the swan on everything!" Sophie argued.

"But we are a group," Tiergan countered.

"And I'm a part of that group," Sophie reminded him, narrowing her eyes.

"But that wasn't the symbol you used," he reminded her, "You made your own, positioning yourself as the threat and the victor. Not the Black Swan. Not your friends. You."

Sophie backed up several steps, needing air -space, "You seriously think I did this for attention?"

"Whether that was your goal is irrelevant," Tiergan told her, "My point is you've now made yourself a true target. So you need to be prepared for the Neverseen to come after you."

They seriously thought...

"And I wasn't before?!" Sophie snapped.

More silence.

"So, that's it then?" She asked quietly, suddenly very, very tired.

Sophie couldn't do this anymore.

She just couldn't.

Everyone looked at each other - their silence speaking volumes.

Sophie's hands tightened around her home crystal. Once she was at Havenfield, she could teleport - hopefully without Edaline noticing. She didn't know where she was going yet, she just knew she needed to get away.

Sophie looked at them, her eyes darkening, "you want to know the reason we keep losing?"

She met Tiergan's guarded eyes, holding up her crystal to the light.

"Take a look around you."

And then she let the rushing warmth whisk her away.