Flashback ( PDFDrive )

covering Greyfell’s shimmering fur was blue, not red—and instead of
an oozing wound, he had a congealed blue blob sinking into his skin.
“You remember how soporidine works, don’t you?” Keefe’s mom
asked as black veins bulged across Greyfell’s body, and the mighty
male alicorn collapsed. She said something else after that, but Sophie
couldn’t hear it over her pounding heart and the roaring monster and
Silveny’s panicked transmissions—until Lady Gisela shifted her
weapon to Silveny and shot her just below her shimmering horn.
The mama alicorn crumpled like a piece of paper, and the only
thing that stopped Sophie from doing the same was Keefe, who
wrapped his arm around her waist as his other hand pressed his palm
against hers. After a few seconds, Sophie remembered to tap her
fingers to bring back her enhancing, and her mind flooded with
calming breezes.
“Well done, Keefe,” Lady Gisela told him. “You’ve always been the
best at keeping Sophie together during these stressful situations.
That’s why I had Silveny ask for you when I made her send those
transmissions. I need the moonlark to focus—you with me, Sophie?”
She waited for Sophie to nod before she added, “Good. Now. As I was
trying to say, I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen us use
soporidine. We have to conserve our supply, after all. So just to make
sure we’re all on the same page: The dose I just gave your precious
alicorns is half of what I gave Ro in Atlantis. Which means we have a
little time to chat before things become fatal—but not too much, so I’d
recommend keeping your interruptions to yourself. The sooner we
settle things, the sooner I can give you this.”
She dropped Ro’s dagger, letting the blade sink point-first into the
ground, so that she could reach into her pocket and retrieve two vials,