“Now that everything’s in place,” Emery said, “it’s time for you to make your oaths. And as I mentioned before, the vow has been slightly amended for this occasion. Regents generally say: ‘I swear to use everything in my power to serve the Council and make our world a haven of peace, hope, and illumination.’ But for you five, given that you’re making this oath at a time when war threatens to cast its shadow over our world, we’ve made two small adjustments to the wording. The vow we’re asking you to make is: ‘I swear to fight with everything in my power to serve the Council and keep our world a haven of peace, hope, and illumination.’ We’ll have you make your oaths one at a time—and then you should let the Prime Sources carry you back to Eternalia, where your assigned Councillors will give you a few final instructions. Then your appointments will officially be complete and you can get started on your assignment. Is everyone clear? Good. Who would like to go first?”

“Shouldn’t our fearless leader show us how it’s done?” Stina suggested, smirking at Sophie.

“Actually, a true leader goes last,” Emery corrected, “to ensure that everyone in their team successfully completes their task.”

Stina’s smile faded.

“I’ll go,” Wylie offered, and when his eyes shifted to Sophie, it took her a second to realize he was waiting for her approval.

That… was going to take some getting used to.

She nodded and he reached for Ramira’s and Velia’s hands, then cleared his throat and said, “I swear to fight with everything in my power to serve the Council and keep our world a haven of peace, hope, and illumination.”

“May the Prime Sources carry you safely,” Emery told him, and Wylie turned back to Sophie. Once he had her permission, he pulled Ramira and Velia forward and the three of them stepped into the blinding light, vanishing in a shower of shimmer.

Biana went next, copying Wylie almost exactly. The only difference was the tiny wink she gave Sophie before the light whisked her, Darek, and Liora away.

Then Stina made a big fuss about it being her turn. It looked like she wasn’t going to get Sophie’s permission before doing anything. But at the last second Stina rolled her eyes and turned to face her new leader. “We good, Foster?”

Sophie considered the question, wanting to make sure she was being honest when she nodded.

Stina nodded back and huffed out an annoyed breath before she repeated the oath and disappeared with her Councillors in a particularly bright flash.

Then it was Dex’s turn. And when his eyes met Sophie’s, he looked more nervous than she’d been expecting. As if the reality of what he was agreeing to was finally hitting him.

“Ready to become Lord Dex?” she asked, trying to help him relax.

“You ready to become Lady Fos-Boss?” he countered.

The title didn’t feel like a tease this time, and Sophie assumed that meant he was asking if they were making the right decision.

She honestly didn’t know.

But they never knew if they were making the right decision. They just took their best guess and kept going.

So she told him, “I’ll never be Lady Fos-Boss. But… everything else? Bring it on.”

His dimples peeked out of the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, bring it on.”

“And then there was one,” Emery noted as Dex, Clarette, and Noland glittered away.

“The girl who changed our minds,” Terik added, and Sophie couldn’t tell if he meant that as a good thing or a bad thing.

She pressed her hands to her sides, refusing to tug on her eyelashes during such a crucial moment. Instead, she took her chance to ask the question she’d been wondering about since she first stepped into the Paragon.

“The day I first met you guys,” she said, turning to Oralie and Bronte, “when you tested me to decide if I qualified for Foxfire, you were wearing the same cloak pins you are now. Does that mean you’d been up here before you went to Everglen—or came up here after you left?”

“Yes,” Emery answered for them. “We all made the journey that morning, since we sensed that your arrival was sure to be a turning point in our world.”

“We wanted to ensure that we had the proper perspective when we met with you,” Oralie explained, “in order to make the best possible decision under such unexpected circumstances.”

“We leaped straight from here to the gates of Everglen,” Bronte added, “and I thought a lot about the Sources during our visit. In fact, the whole time I was there, I couldn’t help wondering if someday you’d be standing up here beside us—and now, here you are.”

He snorted when Sophie’s jaw fell open.

“No need to look so stunned,” he told her with a rueful smile. “I never said I was pleased with the idea. I could simply tell that this was where we were heading. Why do you think I pushed you the way that I did? I had to ensure that you were truly someone who could be trusted with the role you were surely meant to play. And I won’t claim that my behavior toward you was always admirable—or fair. But… you bore it far better than I ever would’ve expected. And now, here we are, and I must say… you are certainly worthy.”

Sophie’s eyes burned worse than they had with Wylie’s earlier compliment.

A couple of tears might’ve even spilled over.

She hoped no one noticed.

Oralie took Sophie’s hand, gently twining their fingers together. “Are you ready to make your oath, Lady Sophie?”

Sophie nodded.

But instead of the vow, she found herself blurting out, “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Bronte took her other hand, guiding her closer to the beam of light. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Sophie. One that you may or may not find reassuring. None of us know what we’re doing.”

Terik laughed. “No, we certainly don’t.”

“That does not make me feel better,” Sophie told them.

But as the words left her mouth, she realized they weren’t true.

Maybe this was what growing up meant—tackling the huge challenges, whether you were ready for them or not. And trusting that you’d figure out a way to get through it.

“You ready?” Bronte asked.

“She’s ready,” Oralie answered for her, offering a shy smile before adding, “The Empath would know.”

Sophie tightened her grip on each of them—the two Councillors she’d first started her adventure in the Lost Cities with.

It seemed fitting to let them guide her into this next stage.

She only wished Kenric was still with them.

But she’d let his loss fuel her determination.

She owed him a victory. Hopefully this was how she’d get it for him.

“Okay,” she said. “I swear to fight with everything in my power to serve the Council and keep our world a haven of peace, hope, and illumination.”

Then, without a second’s hesitation, she led Bronte and Oralie forward, and they each stepped into the light and let the Sources carry them away.

NINE

SOPHIE HAD ENDURED LEAPS OF all different speeds and sights and sensations during her years in the Lost Cities—but she’d never experienced anything that made her feel so… small.