HOSTAGE:

Lady Gisela lured Tam, Sophie, and Keefe to the hive where the alicorn babies were finishing the final stages of their development and threatened to harm the babies—and Tam’s sister—if Tam didn’t agree to leave with her and serve the Neverseen. Sophie and Keefe begged Tam not to agree, but Tam apparently didn’t see any alternative. He left with Lady Gisela and found himself bound to obey her commands by strange bonds made of light, which had been sealed around his wrists by the Neverseen’s Flasher (who calls herself Glimmer). And he soon discovered that Lady Gisela went to all that effort because she needed him to play a key role in what she was planning for her son’s legacy. Tam tried to warn Keefe away, but Keefe still showed up in Loamnore exactly the way his mother had arranged, and Tam was forced to dissolve the dwarven King’s magsidian throne and send the shadowflux into Keefe’s system. It seems Lady Gisela was hoping the sixth element would trigger some sort of transformation in her son, but it’s too early to tell if that’s what will happen. As of this writing, Keefe remains unconscious from the incident. And Lady Gisela escaped without explaining further.

FINAL NOTE:

The investigation into the events in Loamnore is still ongoing, but for now, it appears the Council won’t be holding a Tribunal for Tam or issuing any punishment. Whether that will change once they learn more about what Tam did during his time with the Neverseen—or what may happen to Keefe—remains unclear.

REGISTRY FILE FOR Linh Hai Song

KNOWN ABILITIES: Hydrokinetic

RESIDENCE: Unclear. Possibly Solreef. Family home is Choralmere.

IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Quan Song (father), Mai Song (mother), Tam Song (twin brother)

MATCH STATUS: Unregistered

EDUCATION: Current Foxfire prodigy

NEXUS: No longer required

PATHFINDER: Not assigned. Restricted to Leapmasters and home crystals.

SPYBALL APPROVAL: None

MEMBER OF THE NOBILITY: No

TITLE: None

NOBLE ASSIGNMENT: None

SIGNIFICANT CONNECTIONS: Fealty-sworn member of the Black Swan; former Exillium Wayward

ASSIGNED BODYGUARD(S): Urre (dwarf) and Timur (dwarf)

THE GIRL OF MANY FLOODS:

Elemental abilities are known for being overwhelming—and for Linh, the combination of manifesting so young, becoming a Hydrokinetic, and living in a house near the ocean proved to be an impossible combination. The water constantly called to her, and its draw became so strong that Linh was unable to resist, often with destructive consequences. Her first few floods were smaller, like [LOCATION REDACTED FOR PRIVACY] and [LOCATION REDACTED FOR PRIVACY]. But the problem escalated in [LOCATION REDACTED FOR SECURITY]. Then her parents made the unfortunate mistake of bringing her to Atlantis. Linh’s flood nearly destroyed the underwater city, and the Councillors felt they had to intervene. After a rushed Tribunal, a unanimous Council voted to banish Linh in order to “preserve the safety of the Lost Cities.” And despite Linh’s young age, Linh’s parents (Quan and Mai Song) chose not to fight the decision—much to the fury of Linh’s twin brother (Tam), who was convinced the Council would’ve given a different ruling if his parents had sworn to make changes (like moving Linh somewhere with less water exposure and hiring her a full-time ability tutor) to keep Linh’s hydrokinesis under better control.

A BOND UNLIKE ANY OTHER:

Linh was banished alone, and given her age and skill set at the time, it seems unlikely that she would’ve been able to survive for long. Fortunately for Linh, her twin brother (Tam) chose to go with her—despite her adamant protests that he shouldn’t give up his life. Reports indicate that Tam insisted they would be better off together—and that he would rather be with her than without her. Which is a true testimony to the connection between these two siblings. For all the judgment that gets cast on twins, it’s strange that no one seems to value the bond that children from multiple births have with each other. Tam and Linh are not the only example, but they are an excellent testimony of love, respect, and compassion that truly cannot be compared.

A SILVER REMINDER:

In a similar vein to her brother, Linh’s long jet-black hair is tipped with silver—and it seems safe to assume that the metal was applied the same way (by melting down the chain of her registry pendant and dipping the ends of her hair into the molten silver). But in Linh’s case, the style was not meant to be a protest. Instead, Linh has explained that her “look” was intended as a reminder to herself of what can happen when she loses control of her hydrokinesis, and likely motivates her to hone her power.

NEW FRIENDS:

After Linh’s banishment, it appears that Tam had no intention of trusting anyone ever again. But Linh refused to let her time in Exillium cause her to give up on the idea of friends. And when a new group of Waywards arrived rather suddenly—and one of them accidentally set their rope on fire during the dividing—Linh bravely used her ability to help douse the flames, even though it meant defying the coaches’ orders. She stepped back after that, observing as much as she could about these newcomers—and trying to convince her brother that making contact would be worth the risk—before finally reaching out to the one she’d helped that first day. The girl turned out to be Sophie Foster, who agreed to sneak away with Tam and Linh to learn more about them. And whether it was the fact that Sophie clearly didn’t judge Tam and Linh for being twins, or the strange color of her eyes (which surely proved that Sophie understood how it felt to be different), or the stories she told about trying to stop both the plague and an ongoing rebellion—or the fact that Tam’s reading of her shadowvapor showed no immediate warning of danger—whatever it was, Tam and Linh opted to trust her. Soon after, Sophie introduced them to the rest of her group—which turned out to be a monumentally important shift for all of them. Tam and Linh found a new sort of family, as well as the means to return to the Lost Cities. The Black Swan acquired two vital allies. And all of them became true friends.

A MASTER OF HER ABILITY:

Watching Linh’s hydrokinesis now makes it hard to believe that she ever struggled with control. Her aptitude with the ability is nothing short of amazing—particularly since she’s mostly self-trained. She’s learned to resist the water’s call unless it’s truly necessary for her to answer it. And she’s able to perform all manner of impressive feats—everything from entertaining tricks (like gathering small amounts of water into creative shapes) to lifting flowing rivers and bending them into an arch to allow someone to cross safely under. Technically, Linh has caused one additional flood since her banishment—but it most definitely was not a case of her losing control. She flooded Ravagog because it was the only way to get herself and her friends safely out of the ogre capital. Even the Council recognized the distinction, and instead of facing another Tribunal, both Tam and Linh were welcomed home to the Lost Cities—and granted admission to Foxfire. Linh now trains with a Hydrokinetic Mentor, and has even returned to Atlantis and managed to resist the pull of all that water. Control will never be easy for her—such is the challenge with elemental power. But Linh has reached a level of mastery that allows her to make it look easy.