Page 4 The Council had vowed to punish anyone associated with the Black Swan—the mysterious organization responsible for Sophie's existence. But Sophie and her friends knew the real villains were a group called the Neverseen.
Page 4 The Black Swan had tweaked her genes to enhance her abilities as part of their Project Moonlark—but they'd never given her any clue as to why. They'd also never told her who her genetic parents were, and Sophie had no idea if she'd finally have to meet them.
Page 16 "Do you think the Council will order memory breaks?" Sophie whispered. "No, the Council will not sink to that level. Plus, they know we are too prominent and powerful."
Page 19 "It's okay," a fragile voice promised as the figure threw back her shimmering hood. Blond ringlets cascaded around the beautiful, familiar face of a weary-looking Councillor Oralie.
Page 21 Sophie hadn't realized Oralie was a Conjurer.
Page 22 "Kenric made me promise to give this to you if anything happened to him," she whispered, "to make sure you'd be protected."
Page 23 "He believed in you," Oralie said, tracing a soft finger down Sophie's cheek. "He told me you were the spark of change our world needed."
Page 23 "Sometimes rebellion is the only course of wisdom. As all of you well know."
Page 49 "But you lived with humans for twelve years," Sophie reminded him. "Yes, and someday I'll tell you how I managed to escape anyone's notice."
Page 49 "A clever Technopath rigged this to communicate where I want the Council to think I am. But it only covers blocks of time."
Page 51 "She deserves many things," Mr. Forkle said. "But most important, she deserves a choice. And in order to give her that choice, she must discover her purpose on her own."
Page 57 He tapped his right temple, and Della's arm dropped to her side. "Are you a Mesmer?" Sophie asked, remembering Grady's similar feats. "My tricks are more limited," Mr. Forkle admitted. "But the mind is more powerful than the body—never forget that."
Page 58 "Collective?" Sophie asked. "Our ruling order," Mr. Forkle clarified. "Five overseers, each with equally weighted votes."
Page 74 "This crystal leads to my safe house, where I go to change identities. Anyone who does not know the secret for leaving is instantly trapped."
Page 78 "In the meantime, please try to remember that there's a difference between hiding by choice and hiding from fear."
Page 88 "I made your Telepathy unstoppable," Mr. Forkle said, "but that doesn't mean it can't be deceived. Once you figure out what that means, you'll earn the right to hear what I'm thinking."
Page 89 "The footprints Oralie mentioned—and by the way, you should use that Imparter she gave you very sparingly—belonged to two teenagers living nearby."
Page 99 That's me, she realized as the scene slowed to a normal pace and she watched her five-year-old self reading on the steps in front of her small square house.
Page 102 "I called 9-1-1 and triggered your telepathy, knowing the head injury would be an excuse to help your mind accept the new ability. I also altered your memory to be sure you'd forget the boy. And then I never let you out of my sight again."
Page 102 "That night I washed the moment completely and tore the page out of her journal."
Page 103 "So every night I searched your memories and helped your mind set aside anything too upsetting. I also tried to help with your headaches—don't you remember how I was always asking about them?"
Page 107 "We've also long suspected that Prentice's mind is hiding something crucial. It would explain why he called 'swan song' before he was captured."
Page 107 "Prentice used the code the day before his capture," Mr. Forkle said. "I've always wondered how he knew they were coming for him." "As have I," Granite agreed. "I'd been monitoring Alden's investigations most carefully, and he'd had no suspicion toward Prentice whatsoever. Then Prentice called swan song and suddenly he was arrested." Della looked away, twisting and retwisting her graceful fingers.
Page 119 "That's one of the Black Swan's mysteries. But you are their heir. Your spot is reserved. All you have to do is accept it."
Page 146 Until they did the memory break on Prentice. Quinlin told my dad afterward that he hadn't wanted to do it, and it turned into this big fight.
Page 201 "Well," Mr. Forkle said, shattering the silence that followed. "These are all certainly things we must investigate. But first, we have bigger issues." He rose from his beanbag—which required quite a lot of thrashing and flailing—and moved to stand over Calla. "You acted without orders."
Page 216 "Of course not!" Mr. Forkle turned to Sophie. "Any tweaks I made to your DNA were done before your inception. I implanted your embryo immediately." "Okay," Sophie said, not sure why he seemed so upset by the idea. Humans froze embryos all the time. And either way, she was still an experiment.
Page 221 "I can divide my consciousness," Mr. Forkle said with a smile. "One part of my mind was being rather obvious while the other slipped past and dug out what I needed."
Page 221 "Because I can't imagine any of the perfect Vackers being longtime traitors."
Page 227 "So… you're saying the ogres have a way to control the Councillors?" Sophie asked.
Page 235 Dad's missing blue pathfinder——was it her? Where did she go?
Page 240 "It seems likely. No one keeps up a pretense perfectly. In fact, I've made several slips I'm stunned you didn't catch."
Page 241 "Our fatal flaw is guilt."
Page 258 "And make the Council's mistake?" Mr. Forkle asked. "No, I think not. The centuries they've spent delegating responsibilities to their Emissaries have made them lose touch with the realities of our world."
Page 272 "I feel you trying to invade my mind, Emery," Mr. Forkle said. "Having any luck?"
Page 290 The sound of Fitz's violent vomiting felt oddly appropriate as Sophie and Mr. Forkle paced in front of the common room campfire. "You've been lying to me," he said. "You should've told me about Kenric's cache. And you definitely should've consulted with me before you volunteered for Exillium."
Page 291 "Have you considered that it's easier for her because she's just met you?" Mr. Forkle asked. "She's never had to lie straight to your face."
Page 291 "You also know me as Sir Astin."
Page 292 "How else do you think you got assigned the list of stars to find Elementine?" he asked. The room tilted sideways—or maybe that was Sophie.
Page 292 "Wait—Sir Astin testified at the Tribunal that the lists for that assignment were given at random," she argued. "Of course I did! I couldn't exactly say, 'I'm with the Black Swan and this was part of our plan!' "
Page 293 "But... Sir Astin was surprised when I showed him the bottle of Quintessence." "Well, yes, because I never thought you'd bring it to Foxfire! Or carry it around in your satchel, letting it get shaken and jostled all day! It's amazing you didn't blow the school to pieces. That was when I learned to never make assumptions about what you'll do. I'd foolishly figured you'd run straight to Alden."
Page 295 "Is that your only identity?" she asked. "Or are there others?" "Sir Astin is the only one I'm willing to share." "How many are there?" He sighed. "One for my actual life. Another for a role I've taken on. Another for the fertility doctor I played to your human parents. I couldn't be their doctor and their next-door neighbor, after all—but I'm assuming you already guessed that."
Page 296 "No, you have to at least tell me if I've met the other yous." "I most certainly do not. We've talked enough about me. It's time for you to share. Can I see Kenric's cache?"
Page 296 "Oralie is far cleverer than you know. It's easy to underestimate the quiet beauties."
Page 298 He stared longingly at the cache. "Never let me have this. The temptation is too great."
Page 300 "He knows the Collective never rejects his ideas. Why else do you think we have these stupid code names?"
Page 353 "It's weird," Biana admitted. "Are you part of the Black Swan?" "That would be rather impossible." Magnate Leto smoothed his black hair, even though it was coated with so much gel it couldn't possibly move.
Page 368 "Because I am family. My name is the one on her Inception Certificate. Someone had to vouch for her existence. And since her genetic parents couldn't reveal themselves, I took the responsibility. Though of course I had to use an assumed identity. But Mr. Forkle is still me."
Page 368 "Someday you may understand," Mr. Forkle told Sophie. "But for now I can at least assure you—as I did with your concerns about Jolie—that I am not your genetic father."
Page 368 I'm aware of the offenses you hold against me, he transmitted. And I won't claim I don't deserve them. But I need you to know that I do care about you, Sophie—as much as I can allow myself to. And you may not want to believe this, but your genetic parents care too. They have incredibly important reasons for remaining anonymous—but that does not mean they don't wish they could be a part of your life.
Page 369 Have I ever met them? Sophie transmitted back. I can't tell you that—and I'm begging you to stop guessing. Should you finally settle on the correct answer, you will trigger a chain reaction that could topple our world.
Page 369 How would me knowing who they are "topple" anything? Unless…
Page 369 Mr. Forkle sighed. I can tell you're still pondering possibilities. So I will add that your genetic parents had no connection to each other. There was no unrequited love. They weren't even friends. I did that purposely, because I couldn't allow them to know who each other were.
Page 369 Her father still could be... She couldn't bear to think the name. But he was a Telepath. And he'd always been incredibly kind to her. And it would explain why he'd given her his cache…
Page 370 "What does the L stand for?" Dex asked. Mr. Forkle looked slightly flushed as he mumbled, "Loki."
Page 372 "Her belly button even turned pink and popped out like it would've if she were an elf—I still can't understand why it did."
Page 434 "Then make them care. That's one of your greatest gifts, Miss Foster—one we had nothing to do with. You're a natural force for change."
Page 434 "As you know, Councillor Oralie has been working with Lord Cassius, searching for clues to his wife's Neverseen activities. And word has reached me that a few days ago they discovered a trunk hidden in Candleshade."
Page 453 "I couldn't tell which Councillors it was—only that it was a male and a female. And the female Councillor said, 'We should've warned them this could happen.' Then the guy said, 'No one can know.' "
Page 464 "The Council is getting better at protecting their information," Mr. Forkle said. "I only learned of it yesterday—"
Page 467 "Couldn't we just hail Alden later and ask him who visited him?" Sophie asked. "Do you think I'm brand new at having an alternate identity?" Granite leaped away before Sophie could answer.
Page 471 "I've also met your father several times. Can't say I was impressed." Tam's jaw fell and he lowered his arms, all trace of his shadows vanishing. "I've never heard anyone speak ill of my father." "Then you haven't been talking to the right people," Mr. Forkle said.
Page 474 "But I don't remember seeing you," Tam said. "That's because I didn't want to be seen. One cannot live the lives I lead without mastering the art of hiding." Tam glanced at Sophie. "You're right. This guy's going to take some getting used to."
Page 481 "I'm just worried about the gnomes," she said. "I don't understand how this happened." "Neither do we," Terik murmured—and there. Right there. Sophie saw the fear, mixed with a tiny bit of shame. It only lasted a fraction of a second. But it had definitely been there.
Page 482 Oralie nodded. "Thank you for opening my eyes. Kenric would be so proud of you." The name felt warm, and it relaxed Sophie's nerves, untangling some of her knots.
Page 483 Kenric would've known about the plague, too. But he'd also been a good person—she was absolutely certain of that. So maybe finding the truth would show her how he was able to be both.
Page 506 "It's not about who we want to work with," Mr. Forkle told them. "It's about putting aside differences for the greater good."
Page 506 "That includes relying on those we do not like, if they can help with something we need."
Page 512 "Perhaps they didn't want the gnomes to live their lives under constant fear," Mr. Forkle suggested. "Or perhaps they worried what would happen if other species discovered the ogres held this powerful weapon?"
Page 527 "We kept the secret because your ancient leaders begged us not to tell you. In fact, it was their dying wish." He paused to let the news rustle through the crowd. Even Sir Astin seemed surprised to hear it, and no one seemed to know how to react.
Page 539 "No." He cut her off before she could fully form the question. "Kenric is gone." "So was Fintan!" "Yes. But do you think Kenric would let us mourn his loss?"
Page 540 But Sir Astin was right. Kenric would never let Oralie suffer. Just watching her thrash and flail and sob broke Sophie's heart.
Page 631 "We've seen the damage," Councillor Emery agreed. He didn't sound furious. He sounded impressed.
Page 670 "You?" she whispered, not sure which of them stunned her more. Mr. Forkle had turned into the tall, black-haired Magnate Leto, her Principal at Foxfire. And Granite's rocky features had dissolved into the olive-toned complexion and blond hair of Sir Tiergan, her telepathy Mentor. "Yes," they said, looking both proud and shy. "The surest way to protect you was to be in your life," Tiergan told her, "even if it meant resorting to deception." "So that means..." She couldn't finish the sentence, her mind splitting in too many different directions. All the times Tiergan had helped her or guided her, all of Magnate Leto's strange looks and probing questions. It seemed so obvious now—but also so impossible to wrap her head around.
Next, I give my thoughts about what some of this might mean. Stop reading NOW if you have not read through all of the books.
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On page 19, Oralie speaks with a "fragile voice." Her voice is usually described as "fragile," and I suspect her speaking manner is an act. I don't think Oralie is fragile at all.
On page 23, Oralie says that Kenric told her that Sophie was "the spark of change our world needed." On page 454, Forkle tells Sophie, "You're a natural force for change." It's interesting that both Kenric and Forkle make similar statements. Also, in book 1 both Kenric and Astin use the word "natural" to describe Sophie. Now, Forkle has used the same word.
On page 102, Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that he washed her memory. Kenric was also a Washer, which is revealed in a later book.
On page 353, "Magnate Leto smoothed his black hair, even though it was coated with so much gel it couldn't possibly move." This is the second time it's been mentioned that Leto checks on his hair. He seems worried about it for some reason...
On page 107, Della seems nervous as Tiergen and Mr. Forkle wonder why Prentice called swan song. Perhaps Della has a guilty conscience.
These two quotes show that we cannot believe everything that Forkle says is true.
Page 291 "Have you considered that it's easier for her because she's just met you?" Mr. Forkle asked. "She's never had to lie straight to your face."
Page 295 "You can stop guessing. Even if you get it right, I'm not going to tell you."
On page 292, Forkle admits that he as Sir Astin gave Sophie the list of unmapped stars. The location of the unmapped stars is only known by the Council. Forkle must be someone who was a Councillor, such as Kenric.
On page 369, Sophie still thinks that Kenric is her father. I think she's right, even though Forkle continues to mislead her.
On page 539, Astin insists that Kenric is dead because he wouldn't let Oralie suffer. This fooled me the first time I read the book, but I've now seen too many other clues. The problem is that Forkle is hardcore Black Swan/Project Moonlark without a care as to how his actions impact others. I believe he would hurt Oralie in order to keep his secret, and of course he's going to tell Sophie that Kenric wouldn't hurt Oralie by faking his death. Oh, he definitely would hurt Oralie if it meant protecting the Black Swan's interests.
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