Keefe
"That was not necessary."
"Oh, it so was."
"Keefe, knocking him out and tying him up and dragging him to the back of the stables was not necessary."
"It still worked."
"I'm pretty sure it's illegal."
"So is stealing a horse."
"Unlike you, I did feel guilty about breaking the law."
"No, you didn't. I can tell what you're feeling."
"Yes, I'm feeling pretty annoyed at you, right now."
"I would say understandably so, but I don't want to lie."
Sophie was still mad about the fact that Keefe had knocked Jurek unconscious in order for them to get away. In Keefe's defense, it was the fastest way. And it wasn't like he'd hurt him. When Jurek woke up, he would be in no pain, whatsoever. He would be perfectly fine, just a bit confused. And dizzy.
"Sophie," Marella said, finally joining in on the conversation, "I'm with Keefe. That was awesome. Seeing his eyes roll to the back of his head was creepy, but weirdly satisfying."
"You would say that because you've been hiding from him for the past few weeks," Sophie argued. Her grip on Silveny's reins tightened.
Marella was riding on Greyfell alone because according to Sophie, she wasn't ready to trust the two spies. On the other hand, this meant Sophie and Keefe had to ride together on Silveny, and Keefe was quickly losing self control with her close proximity. He tried his best to keep his distance, but it was so hard.
Marella glanced at them. "Question, Sophie: Do you even know where the heck we're going?" Her jaw clenched slightly.
"I do," Sophie assured her. "Photographic memory." She pointed to her head.
"Trust Foster," Keefe said. "I always do."
Marella rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of 'lovebirds.' Keefe could tell she wanted to trust them, but knew better than to trust people she had just met. He could see it in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Sophie leaned forward and whispered something in Silveny's ear. The mare whinnied, then broke into a full gallop. Greyfell started going faster too, following her lead. Keefe got the sense that the two horses were close. They were probably some sort of team.
Keefe's arms around Sophie tensed as it became harder to stay on. He squeezed the jar with the Panakes petals in it even harder. It was one thing he couldn't afford losing.
These petals were the ultimate cure for the Gnomish Plague. And the Neverseen had been the ones to unleash it on the Black Swan and their protégés. While Keefe was not guilty of that, he still felt like he was responsible for them. If he had just tried to learn more about the Neverseen's plans, instead of opting for ignorance, he could be much more helpful, right now. Heck, he probably would've been able to prevent all this.
He really didn't deserve Sophie, did he?
"Hey, Beef guy," Marella shouted over the roar of the wind, "you look like you're thinking. You don't strike me as the type to do that."
"It's Keefe, and yeah, that's Sophie's job." He tried to smirk to cover up the falter in his expression, but Sophie twisted around in his arms to look at him. She was not fooled.
"It's not your fault, Keefe," she whispered, as if she knew just what he had been thinking about. "Look, we'll be there in a couple hours, and then we'll be able to give everyone the cure. It's not your fault."
"But if I'd just-"
"There was nothing more you could do." She put a hand on his shoulder, leaving only one hand to steer Silveny. "And what you're doing, now...I couldn't have done this without you, Keefe."
He shook his head. "You're only saying this to make me feel better."
"Ok, well, who fended off Dimitar and his men?"
"That was me, but I even got hurt doing that. Sophie, I'm a mess."
"Who is the reason we're not dead because we didn't notice the bomb?"
"Me, but I should have seen it-"
"I didn't either." She gave him a stern look with her beautiful brown eyes. "And let's face it, I'm a better spy than you," she teased him.
"That's true! You didn't need me-"
"Okay, Keefe, now you're just exaggerating. You did as much as me, if not more. It is not up to you to monitor every single thing your mom does. It is not up to you to clean up after her. Keefe, for someone with horrible parents...you turned out pretty amazing."
Keefe closed his eyes. He wanted to believe her...but he couldn't.
"But-" He was cut off by a pair of lips against his. He smiled against Sophie's lips and kissed her back.
"Oi! Romeo! Juliet!" Marella yelled at them. "Keep the smooching to a minimum! I don't know about you, but I don't want to get lost because the only person who actually knows the way is distracted."
They broke apart, Sophie's cheeks a bright red. Sophie turned back around. Keefe combed his hands through her soft hair, happy when she didn't pull away.
"Aw, did I make Foster blush?"
"Shut up."
Agent Forkle
Agent Forkle stared down the Collective. "She's been gone for a while. And we've put this off long enough."
"Are you sure?" Agent Squall had her hood up, even though the room was locked down tighter than the President's house. Agent Forkle could hear the concern in her voice.
"Is this even going to work?" Agent Granite sounded uncertain. His grip on the table did not loosen.
"Of course it will," Physic scolded him. She slapped him. Agent Forkle hid his smile. Even he shipped it.
Agent Granite's cheeks turned pink. He nodded and passed the case to Agent Forkle. Agent Forkle gave him a nod in return and opened it. A dazzling pink stone twinkled back at him. It was so peaceful, yet its aura radiated power.
"The Lumenaria Gem," Agent Blur breathed.
Agent Forkle carefully took it out of its place. "I will go see Tinker, now." He flipped his hood up and put on his mask, a precaution he took every so often. He opened the door of the room, and with one last glance backwards, he stepped out. He made sure the gem was obscured in the thick folds of his cloak.
Agent Tinker's lab was at the end of the hall. It was messy and filled to the brim with her inventions, but Agent Forkle didn't mind. To him, it was fascinating.
"Forkle," Agent Tinker greeted him. "What do you need?"
Agent Forkle looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was here and closed the door behind him. He discreetly passed her the gem.
Agent Tinker gasped. "Is this what I think this is?"
"It is."
"My gods. Do you know what things I can hack with this?"
"Preferably the Neverseen."
"On it."
Agent Tinker put the gem in a hole in one of her machines. The gem rose then sunk into the machine. A projection came to life, and strings of advanced coding appeared. Agent Tinker started typing furiously. She looked at the screen with utmost concentration. Clearly, she was engrossed in her work.
Agent Forkle smiled, his eyes crinkling. Why hadn't they done this before?
"I'm in!" Tinker exclaimed. She jumped up in celebration, then sat back down and went back to work.
"What do you want to know, first, Forkle? Their identities? Where they live?"
Agent Forkle swallowed. "I want to know the cure for the sickness."
Agent Tinker typed something in. A red symbol came up, and she groaned. She bit her lip, then typed in something else. A green symbol came up this time, and her eyes lit up like fireworks. She scrolled through the information. Her face fell.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but it says there is no cure."
A/N: I'm not ignoring you guys! I'm sorry!!!!! My teachers pile on more and more schoolwork! Also sports practice is a nightmare! I'll probably post more chapters next week! Btw If the authors note is underlined its the repost author. If it's not underlined it's the original author.