Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“Yes, I saw.”
“How?” Keefe asked. “I thought you were at the festival.”
“I was. You still haven’t pieced it together?” She laughed at their
blank stares. “Well, I suppose you have been a bit busy tonight. But I
thought for sure you would’ve realized that the reason Vespera kept
talking about showing the world was because everything that
happened at Everglen was broadcast at the festival—that way everyone
got to see the truth about what Luzia Vacker has been doing. And they
got to see proof that no matter how brave and determined the
moonlark and her friends may be, they’re still no match for those with
true power.”
“Really?” Keefe asked. “Seems to me like they got to see you guys
unleash something you didn’t understand, then cower under a force
field for a bit and finally flee without even recovering the body of your
fallen friend. I’m sure everyone was super impressed.”
Lady Gisela’s eyes darkened. “I’ll admit—certain things didn’t go as
smoothly as I’d hoped. That’s the problem with letting Vespera
arrange the plan. She overcomplicates everything. Leaves room for
costly mistakes. I much prefer to keep things simple. Like what we’re
here for right now: a simple exchange. I have what you want”—she
waved the vials of antidote—“and you have what I need.”
“And what’s that?” Sophie demanded.
“Yes, I suppose we should get to that, shouldn’t we? After all,
there’s no telling what kind of damage the soporidine is doing to your
alicorns. Every minute we waste—”
“Then tell us already!” Keefe snapped.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Her eyes shifted to Tam. “I’m sure you’ve been
wondering why I brought you here. And the simple truth is, I need a