Exile

Sophie wakes up on a cot in a dark space where she faces Mr. Forkle. She demands her memories and journal pages back, and he insists that it’s better for her not to know at this point. He agrees to answer one question, and Sophie asks if the Black Swan murdered Jolie. Forkle emphatically replies no.

He explains that they gave Sophie an impenetrable mind and inflicting abilities so that she could enter broken minds and heal them by inflicting positive emotions. Whereas Bronte taught Sophie that inflicting can produce only negative emotions, Forkle explains that some of her DNA tweaks were inspired by the positive emotions alicorns can impart through inflicting. That might also be why she has brown eyes. Sophie is horrified, calling herself “part horse.” Forkle says the leap that caused her to fade created a gap in her mind that Fitz and light can break through. To heal it, she must take a large dose of limbium, followed by an antidote. It will be painful and risky. Forkle gives her a choice to protect herself, but she thinks of Alden and Prentice and drinks the limbium.

The allergic reaction is agony, but she feels a release in her mind and then the relief of the antidote. She wakes up with Keefe, who reports that Forkle almost lost her twice but believes she’s fixed now. Sore, achy, and weepy, she wants to go home. Keefe can feel a fraction of her pain and wonders how she’s enduring it, calling her “the bravest person” he knows (355). As they prepare to Teleport back to Havenfield, a black net drops over them, and five black-cloaked figures appear.

Keefe attacks them using weapons that Grady insisted he take, but they fight back using their own weapons. Silveny’s thrashing breaks through the net, but her wing is injured when they throw a lasso around her. Mr. Forkle and a group of dwarves rush out and fight the intruders, screaming at Keefe to leap Sophie home, but neither she nor Keefe will leave Silveny. They climb on her back, and Sophie orders her to fly, but when she jumps off the cliff, her injured wing will not work. Sophie orders her to teleport, but Silveny asks for help. Silveny’s desperation triggers Sophie’s instincts, and she teleports them back to Havenfield.

As Elwin treats Keefe and Sophie, and Edaline tends to Silveny, Keefe admits that he may be done with adventures for now. Silveny’s wing is badly broken, and Edaline fears she may never fly again. Sophie doesn’t reveal that she was the one who teleported them home. When she tells Grady that the Black Swan didn’t kill Jolie, it relieves his guilt, while Sophie finds hope in the knowledge that she wasn’t created by murderers.

After Grady and Edaline ask about the kidnappers, Keefe recalls seeing a patch on their sleeves bearing a symbol that he’ll try to draw. Sophie notes that they only seemed to want Silveny. Sophie then asks Elwin to flash a light into her eyes to see if it hurts and is thrilled when the light has no effect. She wants to go to Everglen the following day, but Bronte and the Councillors arrive, and he announces that they may all be exiled by then.

Bronte berates them for allowing Silveny to become injured. This causes Sophie to privately question the Black Swan’s motives, but she reminds herself that however confusing their methods, they’re “the good guys” (368).

Sophie announces her intention to heal Alden. Bronte interjects that the consequences of healing a broken mind must be carefully considered and regulated. He says they must deliberate who would be eligible for healing and reach a unanimous decision, and an argument breaks out among the Councillors. Sophie brings it to an end by reminding them that they still don’t know if it’s even possible. They agree to reconvene at Everglen the following day. Keefe wants to be there, and his concern for Sophie impresses both Grady and Sandor.

At Everglen, Biana and Della wrap Sophie in a hug, and Biana apologizes. Fitz tries to transmit to Sophie but can no longer get through, which is more evidence that Sophie may be fixed. He pulls her aside for a private conversation to apologize, and Sophie’s heart flutters.

Everyone surrounds Alden’s bed as Sophie connects with his mind, which is dark and quiet. No fractured images break through her mental barrier as she fills his mind with memories and people. A spark of warmth leads her to the nook, and she reminds herself that Forkle designed her for this. Recalling that she needs to inflict positive emotions, as Silveny does, she fills her mind with love, “the most powerful emotion of all” (377) and shoots it into Alden’s mind. When she tells him she can fix Prentice, Alden wakes up.

Everyone begins laughing, crying, and cheering. Elwin herds them out so that he can check on Alden, and the Councillors, Tiergan, and the Ruewens begin debating what to do next. Alden asks to speak alone with Sophie. He confirms that he felt the first crack when he saw Prentice and shattered when he saw Wylie. He thanks Sophie for all she has done for him and his family.

Bronte accuses Grady of treason for allowing Silveny to leave with Sophie, and another argument breaks out among the Councillors. Bronte argues that Grady promised to have Silveny ready for the celebration that was meant to restore “hope and trust and faith” in the Council (382). Ultimately, Kenric convinces the Council that exile would be an injustice. Sophie interjects that she’ll give the Councillors the spectacle they want to “save [them] from looking bad” (384) on the condition that no one is punished, but she doesn’t reveal that she’ll be the one teleporting. They agree.

Silveny doesn’t want to leave Havenfield, but Sophie has prepared her. It isn’t safe for her anymore. She needs to move to the Sanctuary and meet the new alicorn. After a heart-to-heart with Grady and Edaline, they leap with Sandor to the Sanctuary, while Sophie teleports with Silveny. Wild cheers great their arrival, and Silveny briefly flies, thrilling Sophie.

Terik tells Sophie that the Council is pleased. They can feel the unrest lifting. Bronte demands to speak with Sophie alone and confirms that her mind is impenetrable: He has been inflicting, but she has felt nothing. If she can inflict positive emotions, he says, then they’ll have something to learn from each other.

Dex, Keefe, Fitz, and Biana find her. They know about her teleporting ability and DNA, and they support her. Keefe tells her that nothing’s wrong with her, and she hesitantly agrees, feeling calm and happy.