KEEFER Of The Lost Cities

Exile- Meeting Silveny In Keefe's POV

It had been a while since Sophie had gotten back and her tribunal. Somehow, Keefe hadn't seen her at all since then. 

"Did you hear about the alicorn Sophie found?" Biana burst into Fitz room where he and Keefe had been sitting around. 

Keefe sat up in an instant. "I'm sorry, what?"

Biana squealed and jumped up and down. "Dad's gonna go see it and he's asking if you want to come! We have to get there before the Heks try taking her away!"

Fitz grabbed his cloak. "Did you say 'her'?"

"Yes! This changes everything!" Biana grabbed both of their wrists and dragged them to where Alden was waiting at the end of the hall.

"Alden, this better be good." Keefe grinned and gestured to Biana's iron grip on his arm. "If I wake up with a bruise, it's your fault."

Alden laughed. "Biana, let go." 

Biana pouted but released Keefe's and Fitz's arms. Keefe rubbed the spot she had been holding hostage. "More like, LET'S GO!" She ran down toward the leapmaster. 

All three of them looked at each other and shrugged. Keefe smiled, and the moment just felt so real and happy, he had a flashback to the time he had been over to practice his speech for Foster's planting. Biana's crumpled body and Fitz's red rimmed eyes and shaking hands.

His smile faltered, but Fitz and Alden were already following Biana and didn't notice.

But wait. He was going to see Foster. For the first time since the tribunal. "Guys, wait! I have to do my hair! I can't be seen in public like this!"

"It's only Sophie." Biana whined.

But that was the problem. It was Sophie. 

********************

When they leaped to Havenfield, it looked like the party had already begun. 

"-empathy wasn't an ability your creators gave you." Stina's high pitched witch cackle was not the sound he wanted to hear, but instead of anger at her idiocy, Keefe felt like laughing at her.

She wasn't even worth being mad at. She just knew she could never be as good as Sophie, so her mean little comments were just her attempt at making herself feel better in comparison to Foster.

"Last I checked, you hadn't manifested any abilities at all." Sophie bit back. Keefe wanted to applaud, and one glance at Fitz, Biana, and Alden told him they would gladly join in. Alden didn't reveal himself to the Heks and Sophie yet. It looked like he was taking Keefe's advice for dramatic entrances. "And I don't have to be an Empath. I can feel her emotions with my mind."

Timkin snorted. "That's impossible."

"If it were coming from anyone else, I'd agree with you." Alden finally announced. "But you're forgetting how remarkable Sophie is."

Sophie spun to face them and her relief washed over him immediately. Fitz and Biana were ogling the alicorn with wonder, but Keefe spared her a glance before returning his gaze to Sophie. He grinned at her. "Yeah, Foster's always doing crazy things no one can understand. It's how she keeps her sense of mystery."

He noticed her gaze lingering on Fitz. Fitz barely even styled his hair!

Ignoring the unfairness of it all, Keefe saw Timkin lowering into an exaggerated bow. "Lord Alden. A pleasure, as always."

Keefe stifled his urge to make a bleurgh noise and roll his eyes. "No need for ceremony, Timkin." Alden turned to Grady. "I'm sorry to be late. I'd hoped to get here before the Hekses arrived. But Fitz, Keefe, and Biana insisted on seeing the long-lost alicorn, and someone needed time to fix their hair." He turned accusing eyes to Keefe.