KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Mount Everest (Keefe POV)

A/N: Pretty sure @pipereyelash requested this one! This is toward the end of Everblaze.

Foster had given them all a surprise when she'd showed up at Mount Everest—without her ability restrictor—and warned them all that the Neverseen knew what they were doing and were planning to ambush them.

How could they possibly know? Keefe had been so careful not to talk about it at home, not wanting his dad to catch wind of it.

Then Mr. Forkle's decision to show Fitz how to get past Foster's mental blocking drove the Neverseen from his mind.

He didn't love how readily she agreed to that.

Didn't love how close she and Fitz were getting.

If it was strictly platonic, he wouldn't care. But as much as they both refused to acknowledge it, they obviously had feelings for each other.

Mostly, Keefe was trying not to think about it. Especially right now—he had too much major life stuff going on to let himself worry over his crush.

Especially when an ogre suddenly punched through the ceiling of the cave, grabbed Foster, and disappeared.

Panic lapped at Keefe's mind, threatening to paralyze him as Sandor took off after them.

He wasn't going to let panic keep him from fighting his way to her.

Wasn't going to let his dad hurt her.

Never again.

His determination drove him forward as several renegade dwarves popped up out of the ground. These dwarves were clearly not with the Black Swan, and they had to fight their way through them to get out of the cave.

Keefe fought harder than anyone. By the time he made it out and caught up to Foster, she was lying in the snow before three black cloaked figures—one of whom was holding a melder.

A wave of nausea hit as he looked at her, wondering if his dad had been the one to attack her.

But as he drew closer, he heard voices—and his dad's voice was not coming from the figure pointing the melder at her.

That wasn't much of a comfort, though.

"...the boy who led us here,"  he was saying. "He can't be allowed to go home."

"Why?" Keefe shouted, stepping close enough that they could see him through the wall of snow the wind was creating. "Afraid I'll tell Mom?"

His dad laughed.

Laughed.

"Trust me, your mother is not my concern."

"Is this really what you do?" Keefe asked, pointing to Foster, lying paralyzed in the snow and balking at the sight. "Is that the Sencen legacy?"

"No, it's a necessary sacrifice for a larger plan."

Keefe felt a powerful surge of fury at those words. Torturing an innocent child should never be considered a necessary sacrifice. Especially Foster.

"I hate you!" Keefe screamed, grabbing a chunk of ice and throwing it at his dad's head.

But his dad managed to dodge it.

"You hate only because you do not understand. I'm building you a better world. Someday you'll thank me."

"I will never thank you," Keefe replied, backing up a step. "I will never speak to you again."

His dad didn't seem to care too much about that.

He simply said that they would have to take him, Fitz and Sophie captive.