Keeper of the Lost Cities: Discovery

Prologue

2 Weeks Ago

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, General. Satellite scans indicate new life forms inhabiting communities all over the world. From the looks of it, they've been here as long as humans."

"How have they remained undiscovered for so long?"

"It appears they have technology superior to ours. They can blend in easily in cities- they look very similar to humans. The only features that set them apart is that they all have blue eyes and their bones are less dense."

"Are they a threat?"

"They may have been responsible for the fires in San Diego and other cities."

"How did they make those fires?"
"They… they have powers…"

"Powers? What do you mean?"

"Some can turn invisible, others can walk through walls, and a few can control water. There are more powers that we don't know about."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Very dangerous. Every one of them has telekinesis. They get around by holding up crystals to the light, then they disappear and reappear somewhere else across the globe."

"We need to find information about them. We need someone to get on the inside. Alert the military and get me some agents. We're preparing for war."

Chapter One

Sophie looked at the horror before her. She wanted to scream but she couldn't move. She was paralyzed by fear.

"We are not doing alchemy," she said to Dex, who was pouring a potion into a cauldron. "Remember what happened last time I tried? The entire room caught fire and we needed Linh to put it out."

"But you've done nothing for the past week. You've just been sitting by Keefe's bed and hoping he'll wake up. You need to relax."

"You call exploding my bedroom relaxing?" Sophie asked. She walked over to sit next to Dex. "Face it Dex, I'll never learn alchemy. I'll probably end up making Quintessence and destroying a hundred square miles."

"You're not that bad at this." Dex sighed. "At least it's something to do. I hate just waiting for Keefe to wake up, or for the Neverseen to attack. We need something different, and this is the easiest thing to do."

"Why don't we just go attack the Neverseen?" asked Sophie sarcastically. "It'll be the same result in the end-a fiery explosion."

Dex looked up at her suddenly. "Why don't we attack the Neverseen? Why don't we put them on the run for once?"

"No, no, no, nooooo, we are not doing that," Sophie said sternly. "First of all we have no idea how to find them. Second of all, they are murderers. They left Fitz and me in a hospital for weeks, then kidnapped Tam and forced him to work with them. They killed Cyrah, and they tortured Wylie."

"And this is our chance to stop all that," Dex persisted. "We can attack them where they are strong, and damage them forever. We could save lives."

"Even if you're right, how would we possibly locate them?" Sophie asked.

Dex looked stumped for a moment, then jumped to his feet excitedly. "The girl who defected; Glimmer! She must know where some of their hideouts are. She could take us to them!"

"We don't know if we can trust Glimmer. She did enslave Tam with her powers, and she has been working with the Neverseen for some time."

"Remember Mr. Forkle?" Dex said fiercely. "Remember how his twin was killed by the Neverseen? Remember Jolie? Remember how they left burns all over our body? We need to stop them once and for all."

Sophie closed her eyes for a few moments and thought. Finally, she opened them and nodded. "Let's do it."

Just then they heard a loud humming noise from above. It was coming from outside. The sound seemed familiar, and yet… and yet foreign. Sophie and Dex raced to the window and looked out. Sophie didn't see anything at first, but when she turned her gaze upward she found the source of the noise: a plane.

The plane seemed to be circling around Havenfield.

"Do the elves have planes?" Sophie asked with a sinking feeling.

Dex shook his head. "No."

That could mean only one thing. The humans… had found them.