ᴅᴇx ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴꜱ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ 「 ˢᵒʳᵘʸ 」

20 || the prisoner

Surprising himself, and Kesler most likely, he didn't run out of the apothecary after his long lost friend.

Keefe stayed rooted in place and just stared at Kesler—the older elf was ushering his children into one of the many extra rooms in the back of the shop. Shoving something into Rex's hands, he couldn't see what it was, but he would confiscate it when he brought in Kesler and the kids.

"How long have you known?" He deadpanned when Kesler came back into the front.

Dex's father shot him a sympathetic and apologetic look, "I am afraid that is not something that I can tell you."

"Kesler," Keefe said, his voice dropping an octave, "I hope that you don't take this lightly, because I certainly do not. You must tell me, or you and your family will face the charges. There is nothing Dex or I can do to help you get out of this."

"Oh I know," The older elf said sadly.

He looked down at his friend's father, "Then I am sorry," He said, his voice airy. Keefe really didn't want to do this to Kesler, but law was law. "As heir apparent to Councillor Clarette, I charge you with withholding information and aiding a known felon. Your shop is to be shut down immediately and your family is required to come in for questioning."

Keefe turned away so that he wouldn't see Kesler's unconscious body hit the ground. Shut his eyes hard so that the memories of doing that in the past didn't resurface.

He knew the speech that he gave Kesler very well, he'd used it on so many people before. Watching as their eyes went glassy and they fell to the ground when the final words he whispered were said.

When someone is charged they go into a coma like sleep until they were woken by a Councillor or heir apparent.

Without looking at Kesler, Keefe levitated his body off the floor and took out his leaping crystal and his imparter. Telling his peers to meet him at the dungeons in which they would meet in a few minutes.

He was about to leap when he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye. The triplets. He'd forgotten about the triplets and the thing Kesler had given them. It must have been a leaping crystal.

Keefe couldn't tell whether he was pleased or disappointed. Pleased that Dex's siblings were free, gone somewhere where no one would find them. Disappointed that he'd forgotten they were in the shop and that he should have gotten them and brought them in for questioning as well.

"Oh wells," He muttered and light leaped to the dungeons.

Not a second after he materialized he hear Biana's voice, "What was the summons fo—" She paused mid sentence, seeing the levitated paralyzed body. "What the actual fuck?"

Everyone in the room echoed her thoughts and gave him scandalous looks.

"Yeah," Dex said, his temper rising. Keefe didn't even have to be an Empath to sense his anger, "What the fuck? Why do you have my father?"

Keefe couldn't find his voice, he didn't have the courage to tell his friend the truth about his traitorous father.

"I—He—" He was cut off by a new voice. A husky voice, most likely from disuse, he'd never heard this voice before, but it was familiar. And he didn't need to turn around and see the black cape with the Black Swan insignia to know who was behind them.

"It's because Blondie over there is an idiot."

Everyone was taken aback, he saw everyone take a step back and draw weapons.

"Put those away," The husked voice commanded. And everyone did as they were told, their hands releasing whatever it was they were trying to grab from their pockets. "There is no reason to be scared of little old me. I'm very much harmless."