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Song Family This article is part of a series about the Song family

Basic Information
Song

Members
Quan SongMai SongLinh Hai SongTam Dai Song

Residence(s)
Choralmere

Tam Dai Song is one of the main characters in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. He is a Shade and a member of the Black Swan as well as a former temporarily forced member of the Neverseen.

When he was eleven, he left the Lost Cities because his twin sister Linh, whom he was very close with, was banished for flooding Atlantis. Tam went to Exillium with her so she wouldn’t be alone. As a result, he was also banished and lived in the Neutral Territories for more than three years. Tam and Linh met Sophie Foster and her friends in Neverseen.

The name "Tam" appears to be either Vietnamese,[9] Scots,[10] or Hebrew.[11] It primarily means "twin," "heart," or "excellence." In the past, his family's last name was Tong, but his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother changed it to Song because she was a musician. Both Song and Tong are Chinese in origin but are used in other countries as well. Along with the first name and origin of the last name. His middle name, "Dai," is a Welsh and Japanese name,[12] with different meanings reported by different sources. Some say that it means "to shine" in Welsh[13], and others report that it means "beloved" in Welsh and "great" in Japanese.[14] But "Dai" also means "black“ in Ancient Chinese, and that might be the most relevant origin since Tam is a Shade. In Ancient Chinese history, Duke Dai of Song, (宋戴公) was an Ancient Chinese Emperor of the Song dynasty.

Appearance[]

Tam has black hair with silver-tipped bangs, which tend to fall into his eyes. The silver tips are from his melted Registry Pendant. He has a creamy skin tone, pink lips, and pale blue eyes, which are flecked with silver. He is described as very handsome, and Sophie Foster equates his appearance to that of a K-Pop idol. It is also stated that he has the same "dramatic features" as his sister. Many also state that he and his family look Asian as humans.

Gallery

Personality and Behavior[]


“Dude! This guy uses more hair products than I do!”

—Tam to Sophie, Linh, and Grizel about Keefe Sencen, in Lodestar
  • Rebellious/Bitter

The silver tips of his bangs first came around when Tam had melted the chains of his registry pendant and dipped the tips of his bangs into the silver liquid, throwing the crystal into his father's face as an act of defiance.[15]

When it comes to his parents, Tam is very rebellious and bitter, and he always speaks badly of them. He loathes and despises them after what they have done to him and Linh. He seems to want to be completely disconnected from them. An example of that is his not liking to be called by his last name, Song, saying that he did not want to be called by his parent's last name. Tam does not trust people easily and is overprotective of Linh.

However, while he is very bitter towards his parents, a small part of him seems to want them back, as he keeps repeating that his parents need to "earn their respect."

Tam also taunts Lady Gisela in the Book 8: Legacy on his first day with the Neverseen, which shows his rebellious side.

  • Wary

Tam is wary of anyone that he has not gotten to know yet and says that he does not trust people until he has read their shadowvapor. He has strong trust issues, as is seen when he took a long time getting to trust Sophie, her friends, and the Black Swan.[16] Tam even admits at the end of Flashback he was never really trusting of the Black Swan for a while. He takes careful steps in trusting people or telling them about something, and he always thinks there might be a 'catch' to a bargain that sounds too good to be true, as shown when Mr. Forkle offers the twins a home to stay in for nothing in return.[17] This wariness or suspicion could be because of his rocky past with his parents, discrimination against twins and/or being banished for more than 3 years.

In his short story in Legacy, it is revealed that he set certain rules for himself to follow once he was moved to Exillium with his sister. He attempts to follow these rules again as he lives with the Neverseen.

  • Insecure

Tam also tends to be a bit insecure. At one point he asks Sophie, "You already have the four friends you came with. Do you really have room for more?" This shows that Tam does not think very highly of himself as he questions if someone who already has so many friends would want him as a friend as well. This insecurity may be why he tends to remark sarcastically and hide his feelings, perhaps as a result of his parents' harshness.

Tammm
  • Compassionate/Loyal

Despite Tam's bitterness, which is often mistaken for a lack of trustworthiness, he can be very compassionate and chooses to help Sophie and her friends when he could have just pushed her away, as he had a sense of what the right thing to do was. Tam cares a lot about his twin sister, Linh, and follows her wherever she goes, to keep a careful eye on her and keep her safe. He is willing to do anything for her. After Linh was sent to Exillium, he chose to go with her, even though he did nothing wrong. Tam also chose to sacrifice his freedom to keep Linh, Silveny, Greyfell, Wynn and Luna from the Neverseen.

  • Perceptive

Tam also seems to be very observant and asks questions the others haven't thought of. In Nightfall, he brings up the fact that Prentice could have told Alden about the symbol instead of keeping it a secret if his sentence was inevitable. He also points out that a raid on Ravagog during the day would be better since the Neverseen would be expecting a night attack, and because he can hide them with shadows anytime. Tam has also hinted at his understanding of Keefe and Fitz's feelings for Sophie and vice versa, as he offers to explain the concept of Fitz and Sophie to a confused Tiergan, and warns Keefe that if he leaves them stranded, he'll lose Sophie.

  • Selfless

Tam doesn’t trust many people. He has shown a great deal of protectiveness towards Linh, and more recently the others as well, and a desire to keep them safe no matter what, sometimes at the expense of himself. The major examples of this are in Flashback when Tam gives himself up and "joins" the Neverseen to save Silveny, Greyfell, and the two newborn alicorns, Wynn and Luna, as well as his sister, despite Lady Gisela's clear message of how dangerous it would be for him. Before going, he tells Sophie: "And I don't really care about me. I care about Linh..." and goes on to say that it'll protect the alicorns as well. He says something similar to Sophie in Neverseen. On page 589 of Neverseen, while crossing the river in Ravagog, Tam decided to wait for Calla, someone he barely knew, to go before him. In addition to this, when his sister is threatened by the Neverseen, he admits to not really caring about himself. In the eighth book, he does his best to act like he enjoys being with the Neverseen, yelling at his sister to stay away, to make sure she doesn’t attempt a rescue and put herself in danger. In the short story of Tam's point of view, it was revealed that Glimmer heard him crying after that exchange, which shows how much it hurt him to make his sister believe he’d betrayed her.

Ability[]

Shade[]

This ability lets Tam control shadows and darkness. He can hide people completely with shadows, put his consciousness into shadows (helpful for eavesdropping), create realistic illusions if helped by a Flasher, break through forcefields, and "read" a person by seeing how much shadowvapor they have. The more shadowvapor a person has, the more secrets/darkness they have to hide. If a person has too much shadowvapor or won't let him take the reading, he becomes suspicious, as in the case of Keefe and Alvar. Tam can also sense and modify shadowprints, which are shadows inside crystal facets that are made when light hits a crystal in the same place enough times. Without tampering they simply look like dark smudges, but when shadows are pulled over the print, the shape of the print becomes clearer.

Since Flashback, he can control the unpredictable sixth element, shadowflux (although this may have been controlled by shadowflux in the Lodestar while Sophie was enhancing him.)

So far, shadowflux allows him to give people echoes, stop other Shades' shadows, and either pass shadowflux straight through force fields without breaking them (like Umber when she attacked Sophie and Fitz), or completely shatter them far more quickly and efficiently than he could with his normal shadows. Besides Umber, he is the only elf known to be able to control shadowflux.

Because Tam is able to control and command shadowflux, (which does not like to listen and is hard to control), and even experienced Shades such as Lady Zillah are not able to control it, there are some theories that Tam and Umber might have an unknown ability.

Skills[]

From his years in Exillium and from being an elf, Tam has learned/can do:

History[]

“I didn't want her to face this alone, and I wouldn't stay with my family anyway. They'd always wished they didn't have the shame of twins. I wasn't going to let them pass me off as an only child.”

—Tam Song, in Neverseen
FoxfireSymbol This article is part of a series about Foxfire

Basic Information
FoxfireFoxfire Entrance Exam

Courses
Ability DetectingAgricultureAlchemyElementalismElvin HistoryLinguisticsMetaphysicsMultispeciesial StudiesPhysical EducationSpecial Ability Focus SessionThe Universe
Level Mascots
Basic Levels
GremlinsHalcyonsMastodonsDragonsSaber-Toothed TigersYetis
Elite Levels
FlareadonUnicorns
Traditions
Opening CeremoniesMidtermsThe Ultimate Splotching ChampionshipFinalsThe Ethics Lecture
Mentors
Mentor
Lady AlexineLady AnwenSir AstinSir BubuSir CatonSir ConleyLady DaraLady DelmiraSir DonwellSir FaxonLady GalvinSir JarvinLady NissaSir TierganBarth the ReaperSir BeckettCouncillor BronteMaster CadenceLady EveraSir HardingLady IskraSir LeanderSir RosingsLady VedaLady BelvaLady ZillahLady Sanja
Known Principals
Foxfire Principal
Dame (now Councillor) AlinaMagnate Leto Kerlof
Current Prodigies
Prodigies
Sophie FosterBiana VackerFitz VackerKeefe SencenDex DizzneeJensi BabblosMarella RedekStina HeksMarucaTam SongLinh SongValinLex DizzneeBex DizzneeRex DizzneeTrellaDempseyShayda AdelDedraHuxleyAudric

Pre-Keeper[]

Many residents of the Lost Cities harshly judge multiple births, and Tam's parents are no exception. Thus, when Linh, a fledgling Hydrokinetic, lost control of her powers and flooded Atlantis, she was banished to Exillium. Tam, not wanting her to face banishment on her own, decided to follow her to Exillium even though he had done nothing wrong. He also did this because of the rocky relationship with his parents.

Tam and his sister lived nomadically for over three years in the Neutral Territories while attending Exillium. When Sophie met them, they were living in Wildwood Colony, a gnomish territory affected by the ogre-released plague in Neverseen. He and Linh later resided with Ermete (a dwarf who died in the battle at Mount Everest) before moving to Alluveterre under the care of the Black Swan. After the events in Lodestar, they were supposed to move in with Black Swan Collective member Blur, but there was a difficulty with Blur’s living conditions, so they were placed with Tiergan and Wylie at Solreef. Tam now attends Foxfire Academy with Linh.

Book 4: Neverseen[]

At the beginning of this book, Tam and his twin sister Linh are banished and living in Wildwood Colony. When they see the Council and the Neverseen investigating, Tam uses his shadow to eavesdrop on the two Councilors and hears them talk about how 'they' should have told 'them' that [the plague] could have happened, and that nobody can find out.

Later at Exillium, Tam and Sophie start to communicate after Sophie nearly burns down the Arch of Dividing and helps Linh with breath control. To return the favor, Tam and Linh invite Sophie to Wildwood Colony where they introduce themselves and tell her what they know about the plague. Later, Sophie brings her other friends to see them, and Mr. Forkle sets them up to stay with the dwarves.

Tam and Linh then go with Calla, Alvar, Sophie, and friends to sneak into the ogre kingdom Ravagog, fight the Neverseen, and save the gnomes, (after Linh convinces him.) Their banishment is later lifted by the Council, and he becomes a member of the Black Swan.

Book 5: Lodestar[]

At the start of the book, Tam uses his powers to lift 'veils' of darkness from Prentice's broken mind, causing Prentice to become responsive. He later travels with Mr. Forkle, Sophie, Fitz, Grizel, and Linh to the Neverseen hideout where Dex and Sophie were taken in the first book. He uses his shadows to uncover a Lodestar Symbol gadget but is unaware of what it does. Later, Tam and Biana find a secret room in one of the Silver Tower's mirrors. Inside they find another Lodestar Symbol gadget, which is later discovered to transport users to any connected Neverseen hideout if a Shade activates it. Tam accidentally transports Sophie, Fitz, and himself into one of said hideouts, and they are met with Ruy, Brant, and Alvar. He then discovers that he can break through force fields with his ability (not using shadowflux). He helps Sophie and Fitz capture two important Neverseen members (Brant and Ruy), and also at some point when they went to the Everblaze flower sites he had a busload of human teen girls swooning over him.

Book 6: Nightfall[]

In this book, Tam, Sophie, Biana, and Marella go to the newer Nightfall facility to try and find Sophie's human parents. They find a bunch of empty storage rooms, gorgodon bones (a species created by Lady Gisela), and the Neverseen member Alvar Vacker, who was unconscious and wounded. When Alvar needed to be taken to a place the Neverseen wouldn't think of, Tam volunteers his childhood home, Choralmere. He said that the Neverseen would never expect it and that it would also freak his parents out. He later joins the group going to Vespera's Nightfall facility.

Book 7: Flashback[]

Tam first appears in the Healing Center after Fitz and Sophie are attacked by Umber, Gethen, and Ruy and shot with shadowflux. He was called right after they were attacked and managed to use his shadows to get the shadowflux out of them. When Lady Zillah, his Shade mentor, comes and figures out that he could possibly control shadowflux, he is asked if he would learn how to. At first, he didn't want to, seeing what it had done to Fitz and Sophie, but was then convinced by Linh and Lady Zillah.

While Sophie and Fitz are still in the Healing Center, Tam is one of the elves training with weapons. He also is being taught how to control shadowflux in Foxfire at night by Lady Zillah, sometimes joined by Linh when it wasn't 'too dangerous'. He has put shadowflux under his skin and has an ‘echo’ (which is non-violent, unlike Sophie's and Fitz's echoes).

After the baby alicorns are born, he and Wylie work together to make an illusion that would hide the troll hive. Later at Prism Peaks before the Celestial Festival, Tam, Wyile, and Luzia Vacker work on illusions of the Councillors, their guards, Orem Vacker, Sophie and Sophie's friends, bodyguards and family so that everyone could look for or stay away from the Neverseen without alarming elvin citizens.

When the group gets to the festival, Tam goes in the group with Sophie and Keefe, or joins 'Team Foster-Keefe", as Keefe puts it, explaining that Sophie is always the Neverseen's biggest target, he is the only one who can break forcefields, and that he can use what Lady Zillah taught him about shadowflux if Umber goes after Sophie again.

After the whole group teleports to Everglen and gets stuck in Ruy's force field, Tam '[shoots] bolts of whirling shadows' at it and Wylie shoots his light at it. This didn't work because Umber kept undoing the progress they made and unraveling Tam's shadows.

Later, Umber asks Tam why he looks so afraid of the shadowflux and hurls an arrow of shadowflux at Biana, '[b]ut Tam snarled something before the darkness hit, and the arrow vaporized into a thick black mist.'

Tam, Wylie, and Dex keep slowly breaking the forcefield after Ruy traps them again at the Everglen Gate. Tam manages to manipulate Shadowflux to prevent Ruy from using his Psionipathy after newborn trolls escape from the hive.

The Neverseen fled after a newborn troll started charging at them. Sophie threw a throwing star into its eye after it began pursuing Tam, causing the Troll to chase Sophie. Tam is later seen over at the hive's door, figuring out how to close it.

After the fight, Silveny transmits to Sophie, repeating only "SOPHIE! KEEFE! TAM! HELP! HURRY!" Sophie, Keefe, Tam, and Ro teleport to the troll hive and find the alicorns with Lady Gisela.

Lady Gisela gives shots to both of the alicorns with an altered version of soporidine and threatens to not give the antidotes and to hurt Linh if Tam doesn't come with her and see the Neverseen's way. After he takes the antidotes and gives them to Sophie, Lady Gisela knocks him out and leaps them away.

Book 8: Legacy[]

In Legacy, Tam is forced to live with the Neverseen. He was made into Lady Gisela’s “Shade Pet” by Glimmer (AKA Rayni Aria) , who put ethertine bonds on his wrists. Tam sent a message to Sophie that Lady Gisela ordered him to kill Keefe, and was punished by Gethen. He also told Linh to “stay away from the water” and to go back to Choralmere. At the end of the book, Tam is forced by Lady Gisela to do “The Thing” to Keefe in order to save his sister.

Tam's Short Story[]

Tam's short story at the end of Legacy takes place at the time Tam was staying with the Neverseen. Tam has a conversation with Lady Gisela, and then she takes him to Gethen so he can search Tam's brain. He meets Rayni Aria (then known as Glimmer) and she attempts to befriend him, but he pushes her away because he doesn't want to make friends in the Neverseen.

Book 8.5: Unlocked[]

Glimmer shares with the group that she knows that there is a secret Neverseen storehouse she knows about, and they go there and finally find the caches. They manage to take a pile of things before Sophie burns down the storehouse.

Book 9: Stellarlune[]

In Stellarlune, Tam fought with Linh over whether or not they should trust Rayni. He was there for the meeting with Trix and later got rid of the shadowflux tracker in Keefe's heart.

Relationships[]

Official Match Status: Unregistered

Linh Song[]

  • (Twin sister)
SOng Twins

Linh is Tam's twin sister whom he cares very deeply for. When Linh is banished to Exillium from the Lost Cities, Tam chooses to be banished as well, even though he could have left her alone and choose a normal life without the discrimination of having a twin.

“There are very few things Mr. Tam wouldn't do to protect his sister.”

—Mr. Forkle, in Legacy

The twins have lived together for more than fifteen years,[18] and they have attended Exillium for twelve hundred fourteen days. Tam would always make it clear that he would not be kept away from Linh,[19] and even "joins" the Neverseen to make sure they wouldn't hurt her. He is very protective of Linh and would do anything to keep her safe and sound. They also have a way of discretely communicating using a secret code they invented while they were fleeing. They replaced the meaning of a few words and chose two "I‘m in trouble" phrases. One for Linh, one for Tam.

In Lodestar, the two siblings are seen laughing and teasing each other in front of Sophie, Fitz, Biana, Dex, and Keefe. This shows a more light-hearted side of Tam, as he has begun to let his guard down and trust Sophie and the others.[20] He and his sister have a very intimate relationship and it is clear that they love each other very much.

In Legacy, Tam resists the ethertine bonds when Lady Gisela tells him to hurt Linh, even though it seems to cause him pain. At the end of Legacy, Linh says that Tam is "different" when he gets back from the Neverseen. In Unlocked, Tam says that Linh has gone back to Choralmere because she doesn't like or trust Glimmer, while Tam does. This implies a rift between the twins, though they are still incredibly close.

In Stellarlune, when Linh was talking to Tam about trusting Rayni, Sophie said she had never seen Linh look so fierce. Her soft pink cheeks had sharpened with her scowl, and the hair around her face seemed to have extra silver highlights, which shimmered as the wind tossed the silky strands around. “I’m tired of hiding at Choralmere, waiting for you to come to your senses,” Linh told him. “I know you’ve been through a lot- and I can see how the situation might make it easy to form strange bonds with someone and mistake it for friendship. But Glimmer is not your friend.” Everything darkened. Sophie thought it must have been Tam’s shadows, but then she noticed the gray storm clouds gathering over their heads, which was, obviously, Linh’s doing.

Sophie Foster[]

Tam met Sophie during her first day at Exillium, and both of them had taken an interest in each other. Sophie was interested in Tam as "The Boobrie Dude" had warned her about him, saying that he was the worst Wayward in Exillium, while Tam was interested in Sophie as when she had almost burnt down Exillium on her first day. This was because his sister Linh was the one to save her as a Hydrokinetic, and he found it fascinating that she had four abilities.

The two of them, while staring at each other, first communicate with each other through shadow-whispering, and transmitting. They formed a connection with each other through a series of shadow-whispering sessions during lessons in Exillium.

When Sophie stood up against the Coaches for the right choice and rescued the plague-infested gnome, also helping Linh hold her breath underwater by calming her down, Tam decided to tell her what he and Linh knew about the plague, and he and Linh leaped Sophie to Wildwood to tell her about them.

Tam eventually trusts Sophie, and the fact that Linh totally trusts her helps him believe that making friends with Sophie was the right decision.

Although Sophie thinks that Tam is good-looking,[21] It is implied that neither Sophie nor Tam currently has any romantic interest in each other.

Keefe Sencen[]

Tam and Keefe get off on the wrong foot and both dislike each other. Although it is unclear why they dislike each other, Keefe is judgmental towards Tam as Tam's ability is a Shade and there is this evident stereotype or a misconception that all Shades are 'shady', evil, and not to be trusted. Another possible reason for their disliking each other is that Keefe and Tam are "the same person" as quoted by Linh in Lodestar due to their knack for making trouble. Keefe also calls Tam, "Bangs Boy",[22] a "Shady McSilver Bangs". After learning about Tam's past and his hatred towards his father, Keefe still chose to dislike him despite their common points pertaining to family background and personality, saying that 'someone needs to tell Shade Boy the role of Troublemaker with Daddy Issues is already filled'.[23] Also, Keefe refuses to let Tam take a reading of his shadow vapor, heightening conflict between them.

Keefe also tells Tam that he will always be the president of "Foster Fan Club" and that they are closed to new members, as he doesn't like the way Sophie and Tam secretly communicate via a combination of shadow-whispering and telepathic transmission and is thus envious or even jealous of their connection.

Tam had not trusted Keefe right from the start when Keefe had refused to let him take a Shade reading of him, as shown when he says, "the only people who refuse readings are those with darkness to hide," which implies that he was suspicious that Keefe had something bad to hide.

In Lodestar, Linh remarks that the two boys' personalities are very similar and that was probably why they did not get along with each other. Despite Sophie's numerous attempts to try to get Tam and Keefe to like each other, the two boys still hold an immense dislike for each other, and their distrust of each other is greater displayed.

In Nightfall, it's mentioned many times that Keefe and Tam would be friends due to their many similarities, but only if they got over their differences. Tam also said that if Keefe didn't mess up again, he would be more willing to be friends with him.

In Flashback, it is implied that Keefe and Tam’s relationship is growing closer to friendship since Keefe seems to be upset about Tam being taken by the Neverseen.

In Legacy, Tam warns Sophie about Lady Gisela’s plans to kill Keefe, but Keefe doesn’t believe him. Keefe calls Tam “Tammy”, which could be a sign of their growing friendship, but also refers to Tam as a traitor, and gets upset when Tam takes Lady Gisela back to the Neverseen. Later however, when Tam is forced to complete Keefe’s “transformation”, Keefe jokingly assures him that he will always dislike Tam and his bangs and that he doesn’t blame him for any of this, showing that Keefe may have started trusting Tam. Tam is horrified and very upset by what he is forced to do to Keefe.

Biana Vacker[]

There is a possibility that Tam has a crush on Biana, and it is implied he thinks she is pretty. When Keefe gets jealous of Tam and tells him that he is the 'president of the Foster Fan Club' and they are 'closed to new members', Tam instantly 'flushes' and assures Sophie that he had no romantic interest towards her, instead 'stealing a quick glance at Biana after he said it', possibly implying that he was not romantically interested in Sophie, but Biana.

After seeing him 'wave his hand', making the 'shadows around a clump of trees shift to reveal Linh', Biana was in awe and remarked how much that was like an anti-vanish, and asked him how he had done that. They are good friends, and care about each other, as seen in Lodestar. Linh said he likes brunettes, and Biana is the only brunette in their friend group, other than Fitz.

In Flashback, Tam tells Sophie that he’s sure Biana will let him help search Everglen, suggesting that they’ve grown closer. When the entire group was trapped at Everglen behind Ruy’s forcefield, Umber directed her Shadowflux at Biana instead of Linh, whom Umber knew Tam was highly protective of.

In Unlocked, when Fitz says "No, I just knew you'd sneak along anyway since you're nosy like that-and dying to see Tam." then adds to Sophie "My sister's a fan of silver bangs" Biana's cheeks flush, and Sophie thinks it either because of confirmation or irritation. Or both.

However, the romance between Biana and Tam remains unknown.

Fitz Vacker[]

Tam and Fitz met in Neverseen while they were both attending Exillium. At first, they were wary of each other, but have gradually become friends in the latter part of the series.

Dex Dizznee[]

Dex and Tam have a mutual friendship and consider each other friends. While staying at Alluveterre in Neverseen, Tam shares a room with Dex before they head to Ravagog. In later books, there is slight teasing between the two, and they are both pulled into a hug by Alden in Flashback after saving Fitz and Sophie.

Marella Redek[]

In Lodestar, Marella is caught staring at Tam smiling in a flirty way to him and blushes, but Tam claims he's not into her, and Linh claims he's into brunettes.

In Nightfall, they seem to be teasing each other. Later on, Biana said that she dislikes being used to get to her brother and added that Linh probably felt like that too. Tam says she doesn't, to which Marella says, "Are you kidding, have you seen you?"

Wylie Endal[]

  • (Friend)

Tam and Wylie were hesitant friends at first, mainly because Linh and Wylie spend so much time together. They have lived with each other for some time in Tiergan's house, Solreef. In Flashback, Wylie and Tam had to combine their Shade and Flasher powers to create an illusion to hide the troll hive.

Quan Song[]

  • (Father)

Tam dislikes his father and refers to Choralmere as a 'glittering prison.' This is most likely because Quan cares about his reputation more than his own kids, going so far as trying to convince everyone Linh and Tam were not the same age, telling the twins a wrong inception date, and letting both be banished.

In Lodestar, Quan appears to try and reconcile with his children but is still harsh and worried about what people think.

In Nightfall, Quan acts rude towards Tam, Sophie, and Biana and complains about them ruining his home as they try to find a place to hide Alvar. It's also revealed in Nightfall that Quan locked Tam in his room for two days as punishment for spilling ink on his mother's sleeve.

Mai Song[]

  • (Mother)

In Nightfall, she painted a portrait of both Tam and Linh, one on each side of the canvas. She wants to reconcile with her children but accepts that they need more time. She refused to leave Choralmere at the Council's suggestion, saying that she couldn't live without the sound of the waves, despite the fact that it would help Linh learn to control her ability. Ultimately, however, it seems that between his parents, Mai seems to be the one Tam is more ready to reconcile with.

Glimmer/Rayni Aria[]

  • (Former fellow Neverseen member/Acquaintance/Friend)

Tam met Glimmer during his time with the Neverseen. Although he hadn't seen her face and didn't know her real name at the time, he admits to trusting her in Legacy, when she realizes that the Neverseen's way is not what she wants or believes in and starts helping Tam and his friends to fight the defected Dwarves. It is also said that at one point she reminds him of Linh. He breaks one of his rules and she becomes his friend, though he denies this to her face.

In Unlocked, Tam trusts Glimmer, even though she won't lower her hood. Fitz says Tam has been "protective" of Glimmer. Tam tells Bo that she won't threaten his friends and tells Sandor that Glimmer wouldn't set a trap when they go to the Neverseen's storehouse. He also says Glimmer is "way too smart" to not know how to get to the storehouse.

In Stellarlune, Linh warns him and says that Glimmer is not his friend. However, he still thinks that she can be trusted until Linh reveals that Glimmer was the one who set Lady Gisela free. He then confronts Glimmer about it, and she just shrugged and said, “You can’t blame me for that. I owed her.” Soon after that, Glimmer finally agrees to reveal her identity and they find out she is called Rayni.

Lady Song[]

  • Family member

Lady Song is Tam and Linh’s great (X9) grandmother. She was the family member that changed their surname from Tong to Song.

Character Bio by Shannon Messenger[]

We don’t meet Tam until partway through the series, because he lives in a different part of the Lost Cities—a colder, harsher place where those who’ve been banished struggle to survive. And he endures all of it to protect his twin sister, Linh. He may like hiding behind his jagged bangs—which he dipped in silver to protest his parents’ cruel choice—but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to speak his mind. And with his darkly mysterious power, he’s a valuable ally for Sophie and her friends, once he decides he’s willing to trust them.[24]

Quotes[]

“Answers can be lies.”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Neverseen

“You're different. I can't decide if that's a good thing.”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Neverseen

“I can tell. Thanks for the cat statue!”

—Tam Song to Lady Gisela, in Tam Short Story

“You already have the four friends you came with. Are you sure you have room for more?”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Neverseen

“The only people who refuse readings are those with darkness to hide.”

—Tam Song to Keefe Sencen, in Neverseen

“If you're thinking it'll get easier, it won't.”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Neverseen

“And now you can fight like the rest of us! We'll see how long you last!”

—Tam Song to Ruy Ignis, in Flashback

“I'm trusting you. I don't care about me, but if something happens to Linh...”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Legacy

“Are you afraid of the dark?”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Neverseen

“Make him stay away from me!”

—Tam Song to Sophie Foster, in Legacy

“Don't talk to anybody. Don't listen to anybody. Don't make friends. Don't let them break you.”

—Tam Song to himself, in Tam Short Story

“You can't change who you are, or who your family is. All you can do is make sure you're living by what you believe in.”

—Tam Song to Keefe Sencen, in {{{book name}}}

“My registry pendant, actually. I melted down the chain after I ripped off the crystal and threw it in my father's face. Now if I ever face him again, he'll see exactly how little I miss living in his glittering prison.”

—Tam Song to Keefe Sencen and the Keeper group, in Neverseen

“If you don't trust them- trust me.”

—Tam Song to Glimmer, in Unlocked

“Dude- This guy uses more hair products than I do!”

—Tam Song about Keefe Sencen, in Lodestar

“Yes, because we're not responsible for what they do. Only what we do.”

—Tam Song to Keefe Sencen, in {{{book name}}}


Trivia[]

  • His original last name was Tong before it was changed to Song by his X9 grandmother (Lady Song) on his mother's side.
  • He has a habit of tugging on his bangs.
  • The name Tam means innocent, honest, or naive and is of Hebrew origin.
  • Tam and Linh were not named after the Scottish ballad "Tam Lyn," as confirmed by Shannon Messenger.
  • He does not use a nexus.
  • His bodyguards are Elidyr and Opher, as mentioned in Unlocked.


Characters
Main Characters

Teenagers
Sophie Elizabeth FosterFitzroy Avery VackerBiana Amberly VackerDexter Alvin DizzneeMarella Adene RedekKeefe SencenTam Dai SongLinh Hai SongWylie Zoran Endal

Adults
Known Black Swan Members
Mr. ForkleBlurCoiffeDella Adara VackerGraniteJuline Kalea DizzneeLivvyLurMagnate Leto KerlofMityaPrentice EndalSiorSir Tiergan Andrin AlenefarSir AstinSquallTimkin HeksTinkerWraithJolie Lucine Ruewen

Known Neverseen Members
Alvar Soren Vacker/The Boy Who DisappearedBrantFintan PyrenGethenLady Gisela Minette SencenRuy Tonio IgnisTrixUmberVespera Neci Folend

Important Bodyguards
SandorGrizelFloriRomhildaBotrosNubitiTarina

Other
Alden Dedrick VackerElwin HeslegeLady Cadence TalleLord Cassius SencenEdaline Kelia RuewenGrady Howell Ruewen

Secondary Characters

Elves (Category)
Councillors (current and former)
Councillor AlinaCouncillor BronteCouncillor ClaretteCouncillor DarekCouncillor EmeryCouncillor LioraCouncillor NolandCouncillor OralieCouncillor RamiraCouncillor TerikCouncillor VeliaCouncillor ZarinaCouncillor Kenric Elgar FathdonFintan PyrenFallon Vacker

Teenagers
Stina Destry HeksJensi BabblosMaruca ChebotaDempseyValinLexRexBexDamel KafutaShayda AdelTrellaAudricHuxley

Mentors
Sir AstinLady GalvinLady IskraLady BelvaSir ConleyLady AlexineSir DonwellSir RosingsSir HardingLady VedaLady AnwenSir BeckettSir CatonLady DaraLady EveraSir FaxonLady NissaLady ZillahLady SanjaCoach RohanaCoach BoraCoach Wilda

Other
Benesh VackerKesler DizzneeBrisaCaprise RedekCeriCyrah EndalHarlin VackerJujiJurekMarella's DadLuzia VackerMai SongNorene VackerOllie HeksOrem VackerQuan SongQuinlin SondenSilla HeksLady Pemberley

Humans (Category)
Foster (Freeman) Family
Amy Rose FosterEmma Iris FosterWilliam David FosterConnor, Kate, and Natalie Freeman
Other
Mr. SweeneyBethany LopezEleanor WrightEthan Benedict Wright IIGarwin Chang

Goblins (Category)
Queen HyldaBrielleBunheadCadocCouncillors' BodyguardsLefty and RightyLoviseWoltzer

Ogres (Category)
King DimitarQueen GundulaCadfael

Gnomes (Category)
CallaBarth the ReaperBrierLurMityaSiorGoraGerdaYuriAmisi

Dwarves (Category)
King EnkiErmeteIrjaKrikorKunYegor

Trolls (Category)
Empress Pernille

Animal Characters

BullhornIggyMartySprocketWatsonThe VerminionVerdiSilvenyGreyfellLunaWynnGildieLinh's Murcat

Stuffed Animals
Bun-BunElla the ElephantHarry the JackalopeLady SassyfurMr. SnugglesMrs. StinkbottomStinky the Stegosaurus

References[]

  1. Keefe Sencen occasionally calls him this, due to his ability as a shade.
  2. This is what Keefe Sencen calls him to tease him about his long bangs.
  3. This is what Keefe Sencen began calling him in Legacy.
  4. This is what Keefe Sencen and Ro began to call him during Legacy.
  5. Gisela calls him this in Legacy.
  6. Keefe Sencen calls him this in narration, page 545, Unlocked.
  7. Keefe Sencen in Legacy when discussing with Sophie about Lady Gisela's plan for Tam to kill Keefe
  8. Keefe Sencen multiple times in Legacy, especially after London.
  9. https://babynames.net/names/tam
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_(name)
  11. https://www.babynames.com/name/tam
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_(given_name)
  13. https://www.behindthename.com/name/dai
  14. https://www.babynames.com/name/dai
  15. page 470 of Neverseen: "'What’d you do, melt down the buckles on your Exillium uniform and dip your head in?' // 'My registry pendant, actually. I melted down the chain after I ripped off the crystal and threw it in my father’s face.'"
  16. page 157 of Lodestar: "'Tam tugged on his bangs. 'I'm sure I'll take the oath soon. I just have...' // 'Trust issues,' Mr. Forkle finished for him. 'Not something I blame you for. But keep in mind that there may also be times when something needs to be restricted to those who are officially in our order.'"
  17. page 472 of Neverseen: "Mr. Forkle turned to Sophie, and she explained about the arrangements the Black Swan had made with the dwarves. // 'What’s the catch?' was Tam’s first question. // Mr. Forkle’s lips curled with half a smile. 'There is none. King Enki and I have everything arranged. All he asks is that you respect his laws while you live there—which are really no different than Elvin laws, except perhaps slightly less restrictive.'"
  18. page 452 of Neverseen: “I’ve lived with you for almost fifteen years."
  19. page 449 of Neverseen: “'How long ago was that?”' she asked. // Linh’s hand moved to her Exillium necklace. 'Twelve hundred and fourteen days.' // A little more than three years, Sophie realized."
  20. page 404 of Lodestar: "'I was sick of Linh nagging me,' Tam said, earning an eye roll from his sister, and a sudden splash of water to the face. 'Oh, it is so on later.' // 'Ready any time you are,' Linh told him, tossing another sphere of water back and forth from palm to palm."
  21. page 74 of Lodestar: "Tam was just as handsome, but with more edge to his style, thanks to his jagged bangs and ultra-intense stare."
  22. page 432 of Neverseen: “But Shades will always be shady. It’s in the name! And they control shadowvapor, and call it ‘the darkness within us all."
  23. page 478 of Neverseen: “'Someone needs to tell Shade Boy the role of Troublemaker with Daddy Issues is already filled.'"
  24. Shannon Messenger's Character Bio's
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