Flashback ( PDFDrive )

wasn’t just me who saved the gnomes that day in Ravagog. So if you
want an alliance with me, you’re going to need to let me be open about
it with my friends. I’m not saying I’ll spill every single secret. But I
don’t work alone. And I can’t commit to something that requires me
to lie to everyone.”
Tarina let out a heavy breath, smoothing the thick green strands of
her hair. “I suppose we can leave that mostly to your judgment—with
the understanding that we’ll need to establish some boundaries once
we’re not so pressed for time.”
Sophie nodded.
“Was that an agreement?” Tarina asked. “Because I’m going to
need something a bit clearer than that.”
Sophie swallowed hard, keeping her eyes on Silveny to remind
herself why she was doing this. “Okay, we have an alliance. Now tell
me how we save Silveny’s babies.”
“Perhaps we should go somewhere with a bit less of an audience,”
Tarina suggested, her eyes flicking to Timkin, who’d gone from
looking suspicious to looking seriously concerned.
When Sophie nodded, Tarina switched back to the Enlightened
Language and said, “We’re going to take a quick walk so I can contact
my empress.”
Edaline sucked in a breath. “Does that mean you’ve thought of
something that might help?”
“It’s possible,” Tarina agreed. “And I realize time is of the essence,
so if there’s anything you can do to slow the progress of the alicorn’s
labor—do it. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Sophie could feel everyone’s stunned stares trying to hold her there
like mental tractor beams. But no one argued as Tarina led her down