Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“Or they wanted me out of commission,” Sophie suggested quietly,
not wanting to share too much about her troubling theories. “I’ve lost
how many weeks in the Healing Center? And I’m still not fully
recovered.” She tilted her chin toward her sling—and decided not to
mention the echo.
“I suppose that could’ve made sense if something significant had
happened during the time of your recovery,” Tarina reasoned. “But
nothing has, has it? And here’s another thing I don’t understand: Why
would they ever mention that they had some sort of tracker on you?
Why volunteer that information, knowing you’d obviously then do
everything you could to find and destroy whatever they were using? I
don’t know these enemies—but they don’t seem like the type to make
such a foolish mistake. So there has to be a larger goal.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Mr. Forkle said, reaching up to rub
one of his temples. “Or that we shouldn’t continue to ponder these
questions. But as you said, you do not know the Neverseen. If you did,
you’d know that they feed off attention and spectacle to a degree
where it truly can be their own folly. For instance: Fintan successfully
faked his death. None of us had the slightest suspicion that he was
still alive. And his order already relied on cloaks to hide their
identities. So he had absolutely no reason to show his face the day he
threatened the Council in Eternalia—other than his own vanity. He
wanted credit for the feats he’d pulled off. Just like Fintan had no
reason to insist that Alvar reveal himself as a traitor. No one had
suspected the eldest Vacker of anything at that point—and as a
Vanisher, he likely could’ve kept his ruse going for a good long while
and continued to spy on his father and brother and whatever else he’d
been doing. And yet, Fintan forced Alvar to reveal himself, for no