“I won’t. I promise.” He must’ve known that Keefe was still worried because he added, “It’s better for my brother that way.”

“It’s better for everyone,” Keefe told him.

Every. Single. Person would be happier and safer if no one ever found out what he could do.

“Where are you going?” Dex asked as Keefe reached to click off the Imparter.

“I don’t know. I just… need to think. This is so huge, you know? I need some time to process it all.”

Dex nodded slowly. “But… you’re okay?”

“No,” Keefe admitted. “Are you?”

Dex sighed. “No, not really.”

And it was those three words that sealed it.

Dex wasn’t okay.

And it was his fault.

He had to make sure he never did that to anyone else.

No matter what that meant.

“Okay,” Keefe said, dragging a hand down his face. “I have to go, but… thanks. For all the help with this voice thing. And… for everything else.”

“Sure.” Dex frowned and tilted his head. “You know we’re not done, right? We can figure all of this out—I’m not giving up.”

“Neither am I,” Keefe said, his eyes burning as he turned away.

He wasn’t giving up.

But he couldn’t keep pretending everything would be okay, either.

“Thanks again,” he told Dex. “And… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Keefe bit his lip to stop himself from agreeing. “Bye, Dex.”

He clicked the Imparter off before he could say anything else, staring at the silent silver screen.

He knew what he needed to do.

He just needed to make himself do it.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he whipped around, cringing when he found Ro standing there studying him.

“I feel like this is a good time to remind you that I didn’t put any earplugs in like Elwin did,” she told him. “So yeah, I heard that whole conversation. Elwin didn’t, in case you’re worrying. I even talked him into going downstairs because I know you well enough to know you’re probably planning something super melodramatic and reckless right now. So make sure you’re keeping in mind that I go where you go.”

Keefe shook his head.

She sighed. “Riiiiiiight, we’re back to the whole ‘not talking’ thing now that your little gadget is switched off. Fine—I’ll do the talking for both of us. I know what you’re thinking right now. You want to stop your creepy mom—make sure she doesn’t use you to make a giant mess out of Elf-y Land so it all comes crumbling down and she can swoop in, take over, and rebuild it the way she wants. And I gotta admit, I’m not happy about that plan either. So I repeat—I go where you go. It’s my job to keep you alive and out of trouble, but if you want to hunt down Mommy Dearest together, I’m game. It’s not ideal—and your pretty little Blondie is going to be so mad at us. But if you want to try to end this now, we can.”

Keefe shook his head again, and Ro blocked him when he stood.

“I don’t think you’re hearing what I’m saying, Hunkyhair. So let’s try this again. You’re not going anywhere without me. Seriously,” she said when he tried to shove past her. “Fight me all you want. I’m stronger than you and smarter than you. And you need me. You’re not a killer. I am.”

She let the words hang there for a beat, probably waiting to see if he’d flinch.

He didn’t.

“Interesting,” she said. “I think you’re finally ready. But you’re still getting my help—whether you want it or not. I’m in control here.”

She usually was.

Usually, he needed tricks or schemes to get the upper hand with Ro.

But there was nothing usual about him anymore.

So he closed his eyes and let the fear and worry and desperation build and build, until a command burned his tongue—and he didn’t try to hold it back.

“Sleep.”

Instantly, Ro collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs.

Keefe watched her snore for a second, taking in the full gravity of his power—reminding himself that this is why he had no other choice.

Then he tore the sheets and blankets off his bed and used them to restrain her before he gathered up his meager possessions.

His dad hadn’t sent much—just some clothes and notebooks and Mrs. Stinkbottom.

But that was all he needed.

Probably more than he deserved.

Still, he slung the bag over his shoulder and checked Ro’s bedsheet bonds one more time.

They wouldn’t hold her for long.

But he only needed a few seconds.

Just enough time to step into the light.

He took one last look around the room, wondering if he should leave Elwin a note to thank him for trying so hard. But he didn’t have time.

Plus, his brain was too busy composing the harder letter he needed to write.

“Sorry, Elwin,” he whispered, focusing on Ro as he breathed another “sorry.”

Then he closed his eyes and gathered the energy to tell her, “Wake.”

She tried to jolt upright, but the bonds held her in place—and in the split second it took Keefe to raise his crystal, he watched her realize what was happening.

“You’re going to regret this,” she warned.

He nodded.

He had zero doubt about that.

But he still stepped into the path, letting the warmth carry him away.

- FIFTEEN - Sophie

Why do you smell like smoke?” Grady demanded when Sophie’s group reappeared at Solreef—thankfully at the top of the stairs, instead of the bottom. “What happened?”

Sophie knew she should be the one to answer.

But her brain got a little stuck on the fact that Grady was still there.

So was Tiergan.

And Fitz.

And Biana.

And Grizel and Woltzer.

No one had gone after them yet—which should’ve been obvious, since no one had shown up at the storehouse.

But Sophie hadn’t really thought about what that meant.

They… hadn’t even been gone the full fifteen minutes.

She’d destroyed the Neverseen’s storehouse—and hopefully most of their plans—in less than a quarter of an hour.

If only she could wipe out the rest of their organization as quickly.

Grady took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. “Are you okay? Were you attacked?”

“No,” she told him—then realized how that sounded. “I mean, yes, I’m okay—no, we weren’t attacked. But before we left, I… It’s hard to explain.”

It was probably going to take her longer to tell him what she’d done than it had for her to decide to do it.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“You should go inside for this conversation,” Sandor told her before turning to the other bodyguards and adding, “Grizel? I need you and Flori to do a security sweep with me. And Woltzer? I need you to cover the interior. Be extra vigilant.”

“Sounds like the mission was eventful,” Tiergan noted, gesturing to the scrolls cradled in Sophie’s and Tam’s arms.