KOTLC After Stellarlune-A Sokeefe Story

Ability

Even from the distance, the terror on Will's face was obvious.

There was a crashing sound as several bottles of Youth fell to the floor--tumbling out of Keefe's arms as he raced out the door and across the grounds to reach his son.

Sophie was right behind him.

Their friends had begun to notice that something was happening—though most of them didn't immediately understand what.

Except Dex and Fitz. They—thankfully—hadn't been close enough to hear Will's command, but they had both seen firsthand (and experienced it, in Fitz's case) Keefe's ability after it was forced on him.

Keefe ran straight for Will. "He'll be okay," he called out as Tam and Rayni came running. "Kai is fine. We'll fix this."

Dimly, Sophie registered Dex and Fitz calling out for everyone to come inside—everyone but Tam and Rayni, of course—because Will didn't need an audience. She transmitted a quick thank you to each of them.

Let me know if you need anything, Fitz's voice filled her mind.

Keefe reached Will—who was trembling and wide eyed, both hands clamped over his mouth—and wrapped his arms around him.

Will may have been prepared for the possibility of a strange and powerful ability, but that didn't make it any less frightening or shocking.

Abilities were always overwhelming when a person first manifested—even when it was a known, named ability.

Something this rare and this powerful—that was another beast entirely.

Rayni picked Kai up and held him as she and Tam made their way over to where Keefe, Will and now Sophie stood.

Tam looked slightly sick, but Sophie suspected that was just as much concern for Will as it was for Kai. In any case, he and Rayni had both been in Loamnore that day—had played a part in it—and knew Keefe would have this under control.

"It's okay," Keefe told Will. "It's all going to be okay." He pulled Will's hands down away from his mouth and brought Will closer to take a look at Kai. "Look, he's fine, he's breathing and he's not hurt. What command did you give him?"

Will shook his head, scared to speak.

He looked so much like Keefe already, and this was taking Sophie back to that day in the Healing Center. She knew this must be extremely difficult for Keefe, but right now, he appeared to be in full command of the situation. Strong. Steady.

"It's okay," he told Will. "Calm down and look in my eyes." He waited for Will to obey. "Everything is okay. Tell me what command you gave him. You don't have to worry about hurting me. You can feel the difference between talking and giving a command. It's safe to talk to me, I promise."

"I—I yelled for him to stop. I was afraid he'd fall in the pond and I wasn't close enough behind him to catch him first. I didn't want him getting hurt. At first I called out for him to wait, but he kept running, and then it was like...like I just had to shout for him to stop."

Keefe nodded. "It's okay. Just close your eyes and think. You can undo this. The word should come to you if you concentrate."

"Can't you fix it?" Will looked like he might be sick at the thought of giving another command.

"I could," Keefe told him. "But I think you need to do this. This ability is part of you now, so you'll need to learn to use it."

After a moment, Will took a deep breath and looked at Kai. "CONTINUE."

Immediately, Kai stirred in his mother's arms.

Will's relief was immediate--and followed by a few tears. "I'm so, so sorry." He seemed to be speaking not only to Kai, but to Tam and Rayni as well.

Tam spoke up immediately. "You have nothing to apologize for." He stepped closer to Will. "You do not have my permission to feel bad about this." His eyes flicked to Keefe as he said it, giving him a look that plainly said he was speaking to Keefe just as much as he was to Will. "Really it's just as much our fault—"

"No, it isn't," Keefe said sharply, looking at Tam. "You had no choice that day." His voice got quieter. "None of us did."

Mercifully, Kai was struggling to get out of his mother's arms. "Will! Will! Let's play!"

Will reached out to take Kai, but only to give him a big hug before setting him down. "I think...I need to sit down."

"Let's go inside," Sophie said quietly. Then she transmitted to Fitz as they started walking toward the house. Everything is okay, but I think we need everyone to get ready to go. Will has a lot to process now...and I think we'll have to fill him in on everything Gisela did to Keefe.

I figured that would be the case. Linh and Biana are helping the kids to gather their things, and Dex and I have cleaned up the shattered bottles of Youth in the kitchen.

Oh, thank you, Sophie said gratefully.

How is Keefe?

Sophie looked at her husband. He looked pale, but his face was set, determined.

Honestly? I think he's barely keeping it together. Sophie felt tears start to form. This is the one thing he has desperately hoped would never happen. But he's trying to stay strong for Will. Somehow I have to be strong enough to help both of them.

By this point, they'd made it back into the house. Fitz strode over to Keefe and wordlessly placed a hand on his shoulder. Sophie thought he might have transmitted a quick word of encouragement, because Keefe gave him a small nod.

"I know Emma is about to leap back to the Silver Tower, but Amy is welcome to come spend the night with us," Linh told Sophie quietly. "We'll make sure she leaps to Foxfire on time tomorrow morning."

"That may be a good idea," Sophie told her. "It's going to be a long day for us here." She glanced at Will, who Keefe had guided to the couch. "We have a lot of explaining to do, and I'm worried about Keefe."

Linh pulled Sophie in for a tight hug. "It'll all be okay," she whispered. Then she looked at Fitz. "Are we ready?"

"Wait," Anna said quietly. She marched over to Will and sat down next to him on the couch, giving him a hug--and surprisingly, a quick peck on the cheek. "I hope I see you tomorrow," she told him quietly.

They were both blushing slightly, but Will looked a tiny bit more cheerful than before.

Then their friends left, leaving only the Sencens and the Tongs.

"We'll leave too," Rayni said. "But Will, I want you to take another look at Kai." He was tugging on Tam's hand, trying to get him to take him back outside to play. "He's perfectly fine."

Will simply nodded, smiling slightly as he looked at Kai.

And then they left, leaving Sophie and Keefe alone with their son.

Sophie sat down on the other side of Will, but she looked at Keefe, who raised his eyebrows. I love you, she transmitted to him right away.

I love you too.

Sophie kept their minds connected, but they focused their attention on Will.

"It's time to give you a bit more information," Keefe began.