a dangerous combination [discontinued]

~ S I X T Y - T W O ~

It was clear that while Keefe may have earned back her trust, many of the members of the Black Swan were reluctant to put their faith in him once more.

And Sophie thought they were being incredibly stupid.

Sure, maybe their reasons were valid, but to still be suspicious even after every Telepath in their order-including herself-had read his mind and searched his memories to reveal nothing, well that seemed very foolish.

Keefe didn't look to bothered by this, however, stating that if the one person he cared about believed him, everyone else's hatred didn't matter.

But while his words were very touching and made Sophie's stomach fill with fluttery things, she really did wish her family and friends would treat him better.

Not only to make him feel included, but also because he knew valuable bits of information that could help the Black Swan with their next ploy.

Which brought her to her next problem.

Havenfield's massive living room was completely filled with members of the order, everyone from elves to goblins to dwarves. Sophie even counted out a couple of ogres.

And all of them had been arguing with each other.

At the top of their lungs.

For six days.

Sophie had given up on sleep a long time ago, instead spending the nights pounding on the bottom of the staircase or on one of the chairs in the corners, listening to the shouts and protests. She was occasionally accompanied by Keefe when he was able to sneak over. His presence and snarky comments made the time almost bearable.

This was one of those nights, however even Keefe had gone silent as they watched an ogre with short pink pigtails speak loudly to a mostly attentive room.

"HOW long are we gonna keep doing this," she was saying in her gravelly voice, glaring defiantly at everyone's faces. "It's been practically a week and NOBODY has a clue where or when we're doing this. All you guys every say-"

"It's weird, isn't it?" Keefe's quiet whisper made Sophie's ears immediately tune out everyone else in the room.

"Huh?"

"You think they would've figured it out by now," he continued, his eyes on the ogre still shouting at the room. "I mean, my mom left plenty of accidental clues."

"About..?"

Keefe gave her a look that made her feel incredibly stupid. "The Sanctuary. My mom might've excluded me from all of the Neverseen's meetings, but she forgot to account for all the people who couldn't keep their mouths shut."

Sophie felt her jaw drop. "When?"

"Definitely soon. Everyone was so excited and jumpy for the past couple days."

Sophie felt annoyance replace her shock, which meant that he could feel it too. "And you thought to let me know now?"

Her glower must have been scarier than she'd thought because he shifted away from her, fear prominent in his features. "...You didn't ask?"

Sophie growled-no, snarled was a better word-at him, feeling a twinge of satisfaction when he took two steps back, but forced herself not to get mad. They had wasted enough time already.

She stood up on her chair. "HEY! Everyone."

All of the room's occupants quoted down, turning to face her. Sophie felt her face burn as all eyes stared at her, but forced herself to speak, despite the self-consciousness.

"I know where we're going," she gazed around the room until her eyes met that of the female ogre with the pink hair. "And I know when, too."

~~~

trying to finish the story by the end of the year so I can move on to new things

i'd say 13ish chapters left if i can stick to my current plan :)

- riya
12/1/20