𝓟𝐫𝗼𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝓢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐞

Chapter #25 - Keefe

Chapter #25 - Keefe

It was the only way.

He kept telling himself this as he held Alvar's crystal that must've come from a random part of a leapmaster up to the morning light that was just beginning to shine.

The irony was that he had told himself those exact same where's when he'd been running away from the Lost Cities— the day felt like ages ago. And now here he was, telling himself the same thing about going back.

But he wasn't going to stay. He couldn't stay. He just needed to come back for two reasons.

First, to get quicksnuff so he could put out any more fires Alice caused.

Second, to warn everyone.

Because he had just realized something that changed everything.

He took in a breath. He wasn't going to let this— or anything— break him. He tried to remember words that Foster had said to him, words he had to remind himself at the moment.

You're the stubborn person I know, Keefe.

And he wasn't gonna let anything change him. Not his past. Not whatever else Mommy Dearest had done. Nothing.

And with that, he glittered into a forest. Dozens of colorful trees— a mix of Pures and trees he wasn't familiar with— were scattered across the rich soil ground. It was chilly and quiet, though not as quiet as the Wanderling Woods, as there were still birds chirping and a couple animals scurrying around. Keefe's photographic memory quickly recognized the place as Prospectus, a forest in the Lost Cities that was mostly uninhabited.

It was close to Sweden (at least, where Keefe thought Sweden was), which meant Alvar probably got there was by stumbling out of Prospectus and ending up in that Forbidden City.

There was nowhere he could get quicksnuff here.

Why didn't he think this through?!

He kicked one of the tree stumps in frustration, creating a small dent in the wood. But Keefe didn't care. He was about to scream when—

"Be kind to the tree. It's alive too, after all."

He looked up to find a short gnome with a friendly appearance. He had a big, toothy grin and seemed... familiar, somehow. He extended a green-thumbed hand.

"I'm Yarrow," he said, "What's your name— and why are you here? I don't get many elves around here. Though, there was that weak looking one I saw a couple days ago. But that was the first one in centuries."

"I'm Keefe. I need to get to somewhere where I can find some quicksnuff— and, er, where I can contact someone. But wait, why are you here? Gnomes live with the elves."

"Not all of us. Most choose to live with your species, but we don't have to." Yarrow stroked the bark of the tree Keefe had kicked, like he was checking for injuries. "Anyways, I have a friend who lives in a place where there'll be quicksnuff, and an imparter you can contact someone with."

"Great." Keefe let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Can you take me where your friend is?"

"Sure, just hold on tight." All of a sudden, Keefe was being wrapped up in roots, being pulled down towards the ground.

When he popped back out, he saw a glimmering mansion with three stories, perched upon large expanses of property. Animals grazed among them.

A very familiar glimmering mansion.

"Your friend lives at Havenfield?!" Keefe exclaimed, scanning the property, scared that Grady and Edaline would see him. Or worse— Sophie. But suddenly, it hit him why it'd seemed like he'd seen Yarrow before. "You're related to Calla and Flori, aren't you?"