Exile

Sophie is annoyed that she’ll still be required to perform the mascot dance in Foxfire’s Opening Ceremonies. Sandor places a tracking device inside her mastodon costume. The 12 Councillors, each “flanked by two bodyguards” (187), open the ceremonies. Sophie notices that not all the adults clap, and some make snide remarks until Emery announces the discovery of Silveny, which receives deafening applause. Principal Alina opens the ceremonies.

In the rehearsal area, Tiergan asks how Sophie feels about having Fitz in her lessons, revealing that it wasn’t his choice, but it’s worth investigating why Fitz can bypass her blocking. Sophie privately notes that Tiergan never forgave Alden for allowing Prentice’s Tribunal and memory break and wonders what he knows about the Black Swan. After he leaves, she gets nervous about working with Fitz.

The performance begins, and to Sophie’s relief, she gets through her dance with no major disasters. Alina’s speech follows, and Sophie feels hopeful hearing that a Foxfire education is intended to help “youth find their place in this world” and “to truly know who they are” (193).

While trying to find Edaline, Grady, and Sandor, Sophie overhears Keefe’s “arrogant and overbearing” (195) father, Lord Cassius, berating him. Sandor finds her, prompting students around them to clear a space, fearing danger. Keefe lightens the mood with jokes, while his father questions Sophie about Silveny. Father and son resume arguing as Sophie walks away. Spotting Alden, she hugs him fiercely, noting how much better he looks.

Next is the elite dedication, when the older prodigies who live in the tower dedicate the flowers they have cultivated and perform a dance. Sophie spots Wylie among them and asks Alden if Wylie blames her for what happened to his father. Alden replies, “He blames me” (198). After the ceremony concludes, Alden touches his head and collapses. Edaline and Grady leave with the Vackers to help Alden, ordering Sandor to take Sophie back to Havenfield. She’s upset about being excluded. Feeling Sophie’s panic from across the room, Keefe comes to comfort her, assuring her of Elwin’s skill.

The following morning, Della asks Sophie to come to Everglen. Elwin admits that he can find nothing physically wrong with Alden, but he has not regained consciousness and screams whenever his sedatives wear off. Fitz and his older brother, Alvar, urge Sophie to tell them what happened in Exile, and she finally admits that they lost contact during the memory break of Fintan.

Fitz is furious with her and rushes to his father’s side, determined to search his mind. Alvar warns him to let Sophie do it, since her mind is stronger, but Fitz scoffs that she’s “just a kid” (206). Immediately upon entering Alden’s mind, Fitz screams and collapses, unconscious. Sophie enters Fitz’s mind and finds it empty but calls his name until he returns. When Fitz reveals what he saw, Sophie realizes that Alden’s mind must be broken.

Elwin forbids Sophie from entering Alden’s mind. Fitz blames her, but Elwin stops him. Sophie refuses to give up on Alden and uses her skill as an Imparter to hail Tiergan, the one person who she believes can help Alden. However, when Tiergan tries to enter Alden’s mind, he finds it chaotic, “beyond repair.” As she discusses the situation with Tiergan, Sophie recalls watching the elites, including Wylie, and asking Alden if Prentice’s son blamed her. After replying that Wylie blamed him, Alden collapsed. Sophie whispers that Alden’s condition is her fault.

Sophie tells Elwin and Tiergan that Alden’s malady is guilt. She remembers his reaction to her revelation that Prentice remembered him, and his “sorrow and regret” (214) watching Wylie, and blames herself for not getting him help sooner. Tiergan orders her not to let Alden’s guilt cloud her mind, since his comes from the truth catching up to him, or she’ll end up in the same condition as him.

Sophie recalls each time Alden experienced a headache and what was happening in that moment. She wonders whether she helped him then and can help him now, deciding that she must, whatever the risk. Before anyone can stop her, she enters his mind and finds it as fractured as Prentice’s was. She pulls herself out, and Tiergan immediately scolds her, making her promise not to try again. Privately, she believes some part of Alden is still there and wonders if guilt can be reversed.

Alvar says they should notify the Councillors, but Tiergan wants to wait a day. She returns to Havenfield, determined to bring Alden back. Tiergan accompanies her to speak with Grady. When they arrive, Sophie tells him about her special connection with Silveny. He had suspected that her mind is “far superior” to any others but doesn’t know what Sophie’s inability to block Silveny might mean.

Tiergan comments on how bravely Sophie is bearing the events, noting that her human upbringing works to her advantage since death and loss are common in the human world. When Sophie asks why he’s not more affected, he replies that he has “known more loss than anyone” (222).

That night, Sophie sobs, unable to sleep, until Silveny fills her mind with calming images. Sophie marvels at how much Silveny has experienced and at how lonely she was before they met, until she finally drifts off to sleep.

The following morning, Grady is dressed in his finery and prepared to take Alden’s place as Emissary. Later, Sandor won’t let Sophie out of his sight, adding that his job is to keep her safe, not to report everything she does. They agree that he won’t leave her side but also won’t disclose her activities until she’s ready.

Sophie searches Jolie’s room until Vertina scolds her. When Sandor announces that Edaline has returned, Sophie slips out, taking Jolie’s letters with her, and is surprised when Edaline suggests clearing out Jolie’s room. Edaline offers to move Vertina to Sophie’s room, giving her an opportunity to learn more about Jolie.

That night, reading through Brandt’s letters to Jolie, Sophie finds a photo of the happy couple taken a few months before Jolie’s death. Brandt’s tunic bears a familiar symbol. Chasing a blurry fragment of a lost—or perhaps “taken”—memory, Sophie recalls the same elvin runes in her childhood journal (232, italics in original).

Sophie looks frantically for her journal but realizes that she left behind “probably the most important clue to the Black Swan” and “to who she was” when she came to the elvin world (234). She must recover it.

Before the first day of school, Grady tells her the Council has decided to keep Alden’s condition quiet until they agree how to move forward. Sophie worries about whether Biana and Fitz still blame her, but they’re absent from school, and Sophie has trouble concentrating. At the elite tower for her polyglot training, she meets Master Leto, the Beacon for the Silver Tower.

Leto leads her to the room where she’ll train with Lady Cadence, who has been forced to return to oversee Sophie’s training. They pass through a room filled with mirrors. Light flashing off one of them triggers a headache. At the classroom door, Sophie trips over her too-long robes and falls into the room, prompting a cutting remark from Cadence.

Later, Sophie tells Grady that was the high point of the polyglot training session. He informs her that Alden’s condition will be treated like a death to give the elves an opportunity to mourn him. They want Silveny ready for the Sanctuary in three weeks—not enough time, according to Sophie—to coincide with the total eclipse, when Orem Vacker, an Ancient family member, will use his Flasher talent to create a light show. The Council feels that the elves will need something hopeful to counteract Alden’s tragedy, and Grady agrees. Otherwise, they’ll become vulnerable to rebellion and more tragedy. Sophie privately resolves not to give up on Alden and to do everything possible to prepare Silveny.

Sophie and Silveny practice flying. The Councillors want Sophie to fly the alicorn into the sanctuary and land at the center of the Council, but Silveny continues to thrash and buck when anyone besides Sophie approaches her. Tired and bruised from their sessions, Sophie visits Foxfire’s Healing Center during lunch.

While Elwin is examining her, his orb’s light flashes in Sophie’s eyes, triggering a migraine. She later learns she was unconscious for an hour, and Elwin fetched Tiergan for help, but he couldn’t pass her mind blocking. Sophie attributes it to stress but privately worries about how many times light has triggered headaches.

She insists on finishing the day, and in study hall, Keefe he asks her about Alden. She tells him to speak to Fitz about it. Before Keefe can respond, their study hall Mentor gives them detention for talking. Sophie reflects that she must put aside her fears and check on Biana and Fitz.

After school, Sophie finds Edaline at Everglen. Alvar tells her that Fitz is “mad at the world” (253). She finds Fitz and Biana in the kitchen. Fitz lashes out at her for not warning Alden about her headaches. Had he known that her brain was “damaged,” Alden may not have relied on her. Fitz’s words hit Sophie “like a slap” (254). Alvar intervenes, and Fitz storms out, dragging Biana with him. Alvar urges Sophie not to let guilt tear her apart lest everything Alden did to save her be for nothing. Sophie agrees, resolving privately to save Alden as he saved her.

Grady gives her a small vial of white liquid before her first inflicting session with Bronte. At the session, Bronte tells Sophie that she doesn’t like or respect her power because she doesn’t come by it naturally; it was given to her by her creators “in their infinite absurdity” (258). As a result, she doesn’t understand how to use it. He then asks her to inflict pain on him. When she’s unable to do so, he inflicts pain on her to the point of collapse, while Bronte gloats, “I knew you weren’t as strong as everyone thought” (259, italics in original). While she drags herself to her satchel to retrieve the vial Grady gave her, Bronte delights that “everyone will know” about her now (260).

Leto instructs Sandor to carry Sophie to the Healing Center. Keefe is already there for his own injury and asks why Fitz will not answer his calls. Elwin finally tells him that Alden’s mind is broken, and Keefe is devastated. Later he tells Sophie he can feel her hope and offers his help.

After school, Keefe comes to Havenfield. She agrees to his help provided he never repeats anything to Fitz, never argues with her decisions, and won’t hate her, no matter what he learns. He says the last one is easy. Sandor adds his own condition: He goes where Sophie goes. Keefe agrees to all but is disappointed that her plan doesn’t involve more action. He notices that her room has less “human stuff” than he had expected. He reveals that his father finds her “fascinating,” while he himself is a disappointment to his status-focused parents (267, italics in original).

Grady interrupts their conversation to inform her that after her inflicting session with Bronte, he “demanded a demonstration” (268) of Silveny’s progress. The Councillors are waiting downstairs.