Hello new author here. I didn't write this beneath me. I thought it was funny that the Original Author did this so I kept it.
So...I'm gonna do the disclaimer thing again.
Me: I don't own these guys-
Keefe: Heck yeah! I'm my own self! Only I own the great Keefester!
Sophie: We know, Keefe, we know.
Me: -Shannon Messenger does.
Keefe & Sophie: Wait, WHAT?!
Keefe
Dimitar was one of Keefe's mother's favorite allies. He was the brawn of almost every one of Gisela's important operations. He was smart, but stupid enough that he could be manipulated easily. Keefe had never liked him - though to be fair, he never liked the people his parents liked. His dad's friends were always real jerks while his mother's friends were sneaky and deceptive - and not in a good way.
"So you finally figured out the source of the plague," Dimitar drawled. He gave them a toothy smile, exposing his sharp teeth.
Keefe was puzzled for a second. They were here for the cure, not what caused the plague. It suddenly dawned at him that maybe the Neverseen didn't know the cure.
"You know there's no cure," Dimitar sneered, confirming Keefe's suspicions.
"For your mental illness?," Keefe retorted. "Yeah, I bet." He was eternally thankful for the hood and mask covering his face. If word got out that he was helping the Black Swan so...actively, his mother would be livid.
Dimitar snarled. "You think you're so smart with your comebacks. Well, have you noticed how I've been distracting you for the past minute, so that we could surround you?"
For the first time, Keefe saw the shadows creeping around them. Six people with the same tattoos as Dimitar formed a seemingly invincible circle around Keefe and Sophie.
One of them grinned, showing teeth almost as sharp to Dimitar's. "Tell Ro we say hi. If you survive."
They walked closer. Keefe was used to extremely stressful situations, but right now, there was more at stake than usual. He could tell Sophie was thinking of a plan.
"How do you know Ro?," Keefe asked testily, buying them time, though he did actually want to know.
Dimitar answered that one. "I don't look familiar to you? Why, Romhilda is my daughter. And Cadfael, here-" he pointed to the person who had spoken "-is her ex-boyfriend."
Sophie gasped. Keefe could barely contain his surprise. The person who had been training him for the past few days was related to Dimitar?! Now that he knew to look, he could see the slight similarity between them. They had the same silver eyes (Ro does, but I don't know about Dimitar. I'm making this up) and a grayish tinge to their skin. They were both muscular and dangerous-looking.
Keefe wanted to slap his forehead. He should have known.
"Why did you start the plague?," Keefe said, still stalling. He tried to glance at Sophie, but the mask made it hard to.
Dimitar flared his nostrils. "Why should you know?"
Keefe shrugged. "This is the part in the movies where the evil villain tells us their evil plan."
Dimitar snorted, an ugly sound. "It's also the part where the two weaklings escape, and although I know you won't be able to-" he drew his bottom lip back, making his top teeth even more visible "I'll take no chances."
"Hmmmm. That is a good point. I'm betting you're smarter than most villains?"
"Do not attempt to flatter me, boy," Dimitar growled. "It won't work."
Keefe lifted his hands in surrender. "Geez, you can't take a compliment, can you?"
"I do not need compliments." Dimitar signaled for the others to come even closer.
"Um, Foster," Keefe whispered near Sophie's ear, "now would be a good time for a plan."
Sophie shook her head. "I don't have one. Except the one that always works in movies-"
"Why are we always going off the movies, now?," Keefe whispered back furiously.
"Because it's where we get our inspiration. But attack when I say so."
Keefe felt his eyebrows furrowing. They were outnumbered and going against people with the biggest muscles he'd ever seen. Plus, he'd seen them fight once when his mother had insisted on him watching 'a real battle.' They fought like they were death themselves.
But then, Keefe remembered something important. He and Sophie were the Moonlark and the Lodestar. They were the best of the best, raised to go against each other. And imagine what they could do together...
Keefe smiled slowly. Alone, he would have trouble. With Sophie by his side...now that was a whole other story.
"Now!," Sophie yelled. And chaos ensued.
They leapt towards Dimitar and his henchmen as one. Keefe attacked one on his right. The man drew his arm back at lightning speed to punch Keefe, but Keefe was faster. He ducked, causing the man to punch one of his own. Keefe threw one throwing star at each of the two. The throwing stars did not miss, digging deep into their skin. The men groaned in pain. Keefe moved on to someone else. He swept his leg under one of the remaining others, who promptly fell onto the ground. His head hit the ground hard, kicking him unconscious.
Cadfael joined the fight by pulling out a long sword. He slashed at Keefe. Keefe dodged to the side, but not fast enough. The tip of the sword cut a deep gash in his left arm. Keefe hissed in pain, and threw a throwing star at Cadfael. Cadfael ducked and jabbed his sword at Keefe. Keefe delivered a swift punch to Cadfael's neck.
Meanwhile, Sophie was battling Dimitar and two other men at the same time. She ducked and rolled and jabbed at them with her dagger. Keefe couldn't help but fall in love with her technique. Unfortunately, Cadfael used Keefe's distraction to slash at his side.
Keefe hissed again. He was used to getting hurt, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Cadfael had dipped the sword in poison.
"Are you a traitor?," Cadfael taunted. "You fight like a Neverseen."
Keefe leaned backwards and kicked Cadfael in the stomach. "I guess it's a coincidence."
"Dimitar!," Cadfael shouted. "I think we've got ourselves a traitor."
Keefe threw a throwing star at Cadfael's sword arm. Cadfael let out a roar of pain, then took his sword with his other hand.
"I'm ambidextrous," he told Keefe gleefully. The arm with the throwing star now embedded in it was hanging limply at his side, bleeding heavily.
Keefe cursed violently. Of course Cadfael was ambidextrous. Just his luck. He kicked Cadfael in the shins, just as Cadfael stabbed Keefe's leg with the sword. Cadfael fell on the ground, out cold.
Pain flared through Keefe's leg. Blood poured freely from his wounds. Keefe staggered, black dots dancing in his vision. He struggled to stay conscious.
"Fos-boss," he choked out. "Go! I'll take care of this!"
Sophie was still fighting Dimitar, though she had knocked out the other two. She dodged a blow from Dimitar and looked at Keefe. Their eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them.
Sophie threw her dagger to Keefe, who caught it by the hilt. Then, she made a run for the tree.
Sophie
She desperately didn't want to leave Keefe, but she knew that he could hold them off long enough for her to get some Panakes blossoms.
"Running back home with your tail between your legs?," she heard Dimitar yell at her as she ran to the tree.
Sophie ignored him and reached the Panakes tree. She fumbled for the opening of her jar. Finally, the top came off. She reached for the blossoms on the tree. They were so beautiful and fragile, but Sophie didn't exactly have the time to sit back and admire them.
She grabbed the flowers by the handful. She started filling the jar. When she was halfway through, she heard a commotion, and saw that Dimitar was running towards her. Keefe sprinted after him, trying to slow him down. He threw throwing star after throwing star at Dimitar. Most of them came close, and a few actually hit him.
"What are you doing?," Dimitar asked Sophie. He was getting closer and closer.
Sophie kicked the air, having missed him.
"Hey, Dimitar," Keefe shouted. "Come back here and fight like a real man!" He was trying to draw Dimitar back to him, and it worked.
Sophie wanted more than anything to run to Keefe and help him, but she forced herself to continue shoving flowers into the jar. Finally, it was full. As fast as she could, she closed it, then grabbed an extra handful.
She bolted to where Keefe and Dimitar were fighting. She watched as Keefe punched Dimitar in the head three times. Then Dimitar fell to the ground.
"Kee- Agent Empath!" She was at his side in an instant.
Keefe stumbled in her direction, into the woods. "Foster? Why am I seeing two of you?" His voice was faint. "Hm. Why is the ground bouncing up and down?"
"It's not," Sophie told him, officially worried.
"Hm. That's weird." Then he collapsed.
(I was looking back, and I was thinking, maybe I should stop here. It would be the perfect cliffhanger. But then I thought, "No, I'm not that mean." XD)
Sophie let out a cry, and rushed forward. She caught him in her arms and set him down gently, his head in her lap. She took off their masks.
"Keefe!," she cried. Her eyes watered. She tried to blink back her tears, but they still fell down on Keefe's beautiful face.
She noticed that his leg and arm were covered in blood.
"Poison on his sword," Keefe rasped. His eyes closed slowly.
Sophie gasped. Her vision blurred with tears, she racked her brain for something to do. Her breathing heavy, she could feel the panic rising in her.
She was never like this during missions. She was always calm and collected. Even when Alden got hurt. That was what the Collective liked about her. But now, losing Keefe looked like the worst thing possible. It was like the world coming to an end. She was so scared. So scared to lose him.
Just when she was about to give up, she remembered something. Calla had written that the Panakes blossoms had healing properties.
Sophie pressed petals on Keefe's wounds and forced his mouth open. She pushed the petals in his mouth. He swallowed feebly.
"Please work, please work," she whispered. She prayed to every god and goddess she had every heard of that he would survive. "Please."
She stroked his hair, wishing, praying. She would do anything. Please. Please.
She sat there crying and praying for a while. Until Keefe's eyes flew open.
Sophie's breath hitched.
"Miss me, Foster?," he asked her weakly.
Words could not express how relieved she was.
She did not know what possessed her to be so bold, but she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.
LMBO ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER!!! I really am an evil author aren't I? 😈