KOTLC Book 9 (After Unlocked)

Two - Sophie

SOPHIE DEFINITELY DIDN'T FEEL GUILTY for leaving her parents and Sandor behind.

Nope.

Not at all.

Still with a sort of numbness inside of her, like she didn't know what to think after reading the letter, Sophie observed Elwin's sprawling mansion in awe. It was her first time coming to Splendor Plains, and also the first time really acknowledging that her favorite physician had a house―she'd never given much thought to where Elwin went when he wasn't at Foxfire. 

Was coming alone a good idea? No. But Sophie was slowly realizing that she depended on Keefe more than she thought, and the sudden need to find him and make sure he was safe overwhelmed anything else at the moment. 

. . . Anything but the despair mixed with uncontrollable fury that Sophie experienced whenever she thought of how Keefe had left her―again.

Approaching Elwin's estate, Sophie surveyed the scenery. The colorful, sharp-angled house contrasted vividly with the snow-covered ground and evergreen trees in the background. The wide stone staircase leading up to the house was lined with simple landscaping to match the understated architecture, and it led up to a sliding glass front door.

Splendor Plains was beautiful, Sophie thought as she slid the door open to a huge main room. The glass spiral staircase tucked into the corner and a chair and small table in the center of the room were the only furnishings. 

She trailed up the second set of stairs to find something that matched much more closely what Sophie would've imagined Elwin's house to look like. Curtains with crystals woven through and fancy chandeliers all combined to make a stunning long hallway. The first door was open, and it showed a room overflowing with stuffed animals. 

Sophie smiled. The whole aesthetic felt fun and showy, yet warm and comforting―just like Elwin. 

And just like Keefe.

Sophie ripped her mind from that topic before it could drown her in anguish. Hearing a muffled groan from the end of the hall, she raced to the far door and fumbled it open.

"Ro? " Sophie wasn't prepared for the sight on the other side of the door. Keefe's bodyguard was struggling out of tight bonds from the sheets and blankets that had been torn off the bed. Sophie rushed to help Ro free herself, and was met with just one remark:

"Tell me you've seen Keefe." 

Sophie shook her head miserably. She hesitated before pulling out the letter, feeling for only a moment that it was somehow too personal, but shaking off that feeling once more. Ro grumbled to herself, a murderous look appearing on her face as she skimmed the piece of paper. 

"He used a sleep command on me," Ro said once she was done reading, knowing what Sophie was about to ask. "And woke me up right before he light-leaped away. I'm gonna kill that boy..." she finished, infuriated.

Suddenly, Elwin, Sandor, Grady, and Edaline burst through the doorway.

 "Miss Foster, you will not  do that again, I go where you go―" Sandor started, and then seemed to realize a fraction of what was going on. His squeaky voice did nothing to cheer Sophie up. 

Ro caught them up on what had happened, and Elwin sighed.

"I leave for fifteen minutes to go to Slurps and Burps and this is what I come back to," he mused softly, adjusting his glasses. Sophie internally cringed. A lot could happen in just fifteen minutes...

Questionable decisions aside, Sophie felt abashed for momentarily forgetting about Elwin, but she supposed she had a good reason for it.

With that, the elves, goblin, and ogre gathered around the letter to contemplate what Keefe had written.  

Elwin, being the only one in the room who hadn't already read it, dragged a hand down his face and exhaled. 

"I should've known this was coming. It seemed like something had pushed him over the edge after his hail with Dex," Elwin said. 

"What hail with Dex?" was the general answer from around the room.

"I think he wanted to chat with Keefe about some gadget stuff, maybe even thinking about an ability restrictor," Elwin replied with a worried glance at Sophie, who took a deep breath and looked at the ground. Sophie would never want Keefe to go through what she had been through with that ability restrictor―in fact, she would rather he stayed away from her forever if it meant not putting him through that pain and helplessness.

Edaline wrapped an arm around Sophie, clearly seeing her discomfort.

"Does that mean Keefe is talking now?" Grady asked.

"No, not in person," Ro butted in, rolling her eyes. "He only feels comfortable talking through an Imparter."

Sophie tugged out an itchy eyelash and thought for a second, remembering something she had seen in Keefe's letter now that her head had cleared a bit. 

"Hold on a second..." Sophie grabbed the paper from Elwin.

I'm going to be hiding the same way the Black Swan hid you.

Sophie repeated the line aloud. Her heart suddenly sped up. 

"Do you know what this means?" she asked.

Ro twirled a pigtail between her fingers. Her eyes widened. "Oh, I know what it means," she said, and locked eyes with Sophie.

"Keefe is in the Forbidden Cities."

A/N: The long-awaited second chapter!! How are you liking it so far?

Also, does anyone have any theories on what Keefe is doing in the human world? I already have it mostly planned out, but I'd like to see some other people's ideas too. 

Tysm for reading this fanfic, your support means a lot to me <3 Honestly though, I have no clue when I'll be able to get the next chapter out. Summer's been pretty busy. 

But anyways, thanks for (once again) reading all the way through this author's note - I hope you've enjoyed this story! (Omg lol, with the a/n it's exactly  1000 words)

Word Count: 889
Updated 7/23/21