Love in the Darkness (Tam Song x oc)

Chapter 8

Cinnia's POV
“Does that mean you have to come with us?” I asked. “I don’t have to. I want to.” Calla replied. “But it’s dangerous—especially for you,” Sophie warned and I nodded to emphasise the point. “I know the risks. But I will see my homeland, however lost it is. And I will take back freedom for my people.” I could tell there would be no arguing the point, and Sophie must've thought the same because she made a note that they’d need to make another Neverseen robe for Calla. "Okay, so that’s progress,” she said. “But I feel like we still need a better plan for how to stay hidden.”
“I might be able to help with that,” Mr. Forkle said. “No need to hide that paper, Miss Foster,” he added as he made his way to the table to join them. “I know what you’re planning.”
“You’re not going to try to stop us?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “I doubt I could even if I tried. Plus, I learned from the mistakes in Exile”—his eyes strayed to Fitz—“that it’s far better if we coordinate our efforts.” He took her list and scanned it. “I assume your mother is working on reaching out to Mr. Vacker?” Fitz nodded. “Good. I’ll have Granite talk to Lady Cadence about the Markchain. Perhaps she knows how to amp up its aroma to better cover a group of ten.”
"Ten?” Sophie asked. I did a quick mental head count. With Alvar and Calla I only had us at eight. “Who are the other two?”
“Two elves with incredibly powerful abilities, who should solve many of these problems you’re tackling. The trick will be convincing them to help.”
“Who?” Fitz asked, but I already guessed.

"That's a lot of information to get in five minutes,” Tam said, staring at the curved ceiling of the small den. Their dwarven house looked like a clump of bubbles inside the earth, with tiny round rooms that somehow felt cozy, not claustrophobic. Maybe it was the subtle glow from the flecks of lumenite peppered through the walls. Or the way the stone furniture had been hand painted with intricate patterns of lines and dots. But even with Mr. Forkle filling a large portion of the space, I didn’t want to leave. Or maybe that was because I knew my friends were back in Alluveterre working with Calla to arrange the supplies we’d need. Once Tam and Linh were on board—if Tam and Linh were on board—we would be departing for Ravagog that evening. Or maybe it was the fact that I was standing rather close to a particular someone. Part of me wanted to lock everyone up to keep them safe. But then the gnomes would die—or end up King Dimitar’s slaves. And knowing Keefe, he’d find a way to sneak off on his own. Teamwork was the best option—but I’d made Mr. Forkle promise he’d be upfront with Tam and Linh about all the risks. “So . . . if I’m understanding this correctly,” Tam said, “you want us to take a secret tunnel into Ravagog to steal the cure from the King?”
“It might not be directly in King Dimitar’s possession,” Mr. Forkle said. “We’re actually not sure where he’s keeping it, or what kind of vessel it will be contained in.”
“Oh good,” Tam said. “And here I thought it was going to be impossible.” I smiled.
“Nothing is impossible with the right team,” Mr. Forkle told him. “That’s why we need your help. Your shadows can keep everyone hidden.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Tam said. “I’ve never covered more than two people.”
"You'll have Cinnia to help you." Mr Forkle reminded him. Tam looked st me and smiled. “Plus, I can add mist to thicken the shadows,” Linh reminded him. “It may not work under close scrutiny, but it will hide us from a distance.”
“There’s always going to be some danger,” I added quietly. “But some risks have to be taken.” Tam brushed his bangs out of his eyes and paced the ten steps the floor allowed. “Here’s what I don’t get. You said the gnomes can already tell the cure is working, right? So why did the ogres give a whole week for them to decide?”
“I’ve been pondering that question myself,” Mr. Forkle said. “And I suspect the deadline is strategic. It’s possible King Dimitar is hoping the Council will send in goblin forces, and he’ll finally have his war. More likely though, the Neverseen is hoping we’ll attempt something like this.”
“You think this is a trap?” Sophie asked, her voice too loud in the small space.
“Quite simply . . . yes,” Mr. Forkle said.
“Then, uh, why would you walk right into it?” Tam asked. "Tam's right." I said. “We’re not,” Mr. Forkle said. “We’re taking advantage of their distraction. They’ll be so focused on what they assume we’re going to do that they won’t be prepared for us to go a different way. That’s why it’s so important that we have you and your sister on the team. Your unique, unexpected abilities will give our strategy the advantage we need.”
“Right, but—” Tam started to argue, but Linh stepped forward. “I cannot speak for my brother,” she said, “but I will go. The gnomes at Wildwood took care of us for years. I’m honored to have a chance to help.”
“I guess that means I’m in too,” Tam said. His eyes latched onto mine as he added, “Don’t make me regret this.”
"You won't." I assured him with a smile that he returned.

"Oh good, Bangs Boy decided to join us,” Keefe grumbled as we returned to the girls’ tree house. I sent him a glare which he ignored. Tam didn’t seem to notice the insult though, too distracted by the leaves flying everywhere as Dex tested one of his Sucker Punches against the shrubbery chairs. Sophie, meanwhile, was focused on an unfamiliar face, to me, at least. “Alvar!” she said, rushing over to give him a hug. Alvar laughed and set down the scroll he’d been reading to hug her back. “Always good to see the famous Sophie Foster!” he said. Alvar had the Vacker accent and the Vacker insane good looks, though he was more meticulous about his appearance. His dark hair was perfectly gelled, and his clothes never had a speck of lint or a wrinkle. He also had his mom’s cobalt blue eyes instead of teal. “Thanks for coming to help us,” Sophie told him. “How could I not? Apparently I’m the only member of my family not helping the Black Swan.” I grinned. “Remember when you didn’t think the Black Swan existed?” Biana asked her brother. “You and Dad used to fight about it all the time.”
“But wait, Fitz said you used to go out looking for me. Why would you do that if you didn’t think the Black Swan existed?” Alvar laughed. “I was wondering when you guys were going to call me out on that. Honestly? I did the Sophie Search just to keep my dad happy—and because it was fun to sneak to the Forbidden Cities. It was probably good that Fitz took over. I’m sure my biases affected my search. I visited each girl expecting not to find an elf. All I needed was one detail to prove I was right, and I was out of there. I never could’ve looked past your eye color.” I went over to Tam and Linh. "Confused?" I asked with  a grin. The twins nodded. I gave them the quick version of Sophie's story, and it left them wide-eyed. I laughed. “I almost didn’t, either,” Fitz admitted. “As soon as I saw the brown, I thought I should leave. But . . . there was something about her. The way she kept herself separate. The way she was so much smarter than her teacher. And other than her eyes, she definitely looked like an elf.”  
“So you really lived with humans?” Tam asked. Sophie nodded. “It’s a long story.”
“One we do not have time for,” Mr. Forkle added. “I don’t think we’ve met,” Alvar said, turning to Tam and Linh. “New recruits?”
“More like temporary assistants,” Mr. Forkle corrected. “Much like yourself. We would never expect any of you to swear fealty with so little information.”
“But now we’ve seen your secret hideout,” Alvar teased. “How can you keep us away?”
Mr. Forkle didn’t return the smile. “I dare you to find it again.”
“What if we want to join?” Linh asked, ignoring her brother as he elbowed her. “That’s something we could discuss,” Mr. Forkle said. “After this mission. For the moment, we must stay focused. How is our progress?”
“Sucker Punches are almost done,” Dex said. “Then I’ll make as many of these as I can.” He held up one of the cube-shaped gadgets he’d used in Exile. “The cloaks are also finished,” Calla said, pointing to a stack of black robes. “I’m still assembling the rest of the outfits.”

A/N: Hey guys. Hope you like the chapter.