Unlocked

Twenty One - Keefe

After passing the parrot and bald eagle enclosures, Keefe rounded a corner. People were frantically running in the other direction, panic etched onto every face he passed.

He turned the corner to find a wide bridge perched above a river. He could see more cages stretching in the distance, behind a forest of trees and ferns.

The bridge was made of ivory wood, carved to perfection and lined with railings. The river below raged with intensity, the clear blue water rushing quickly and furiously through the stream bed.

It might've been a beautiful sight, had not a looming figure been standing in the middle of the bridge. Clad with a dark cape of onyx, Lady Gisela looked like Keefe had always remembered—sharp, precise, and dangerous.

Her hood was pulled up over her head, concealing her hair. The force of the river flowing beneath her sent her cape flying in the wind, but she held her ground. A small grin twisted her features and Keefe grimaced. He still stood a good twenty feet away from her, but he could all but feel her vile heart.

When she spotted Keefe, her face flashed confusion for half a second before she asked, "Where's Sophie?"

Keefe took a few steps closer as he smoothly lied, "She isn't here."

Lady Gisela clicked her tongue and pulled back her hood, revealing her intricate updo. She had a thin metal circlet on her head, barely visible. Keefe guessed it was to block Sophie's inflicting.

"The crystal was in her room," she retorted.

"What do you want?" Keefe yelled over the thrum of the river, changing the subject. He could tell she didn't buy it.

"I want to see your new ability, of course."

"How do you know I even have a new ability?" He spat. "How do you know your plan didn't fail?"

"Because," she said with an evil grin plastered on her face, "my plans never fail."

Keefe wanted nothing more than to throw her over the edge of the bridge and let her be pulled away by the strong current.

Suddenly a flicker of movement caught Keefe's eye. He glimpsed Sophie darting between trees on the other side of the bridge. How she'd gotten over there, he had no idea. He could've sworn she was limping.

He kept his attention trained on his mother, never adverting his eyes from her. She was still talking.

" . . . I once planned to make you a Mesmer, or maybe even a pyrokinetic. But I needed something that sparked my interest."

Keefe rolled his eyes.

"Why would you even give me an ability?" He asked, trying to contain the anger in his voice—that was what his mother wanted; to make him angry. "Why would you give me something so dangerous if you knew I could use it against you?"

She laughed slyly and readjusted the circlet atop her head. "Have you not figured it out yet?"

"Figured out what?" He yelled.

"You can't hurt me," she retorted.

"Of course I can."

He stalked closer and let electricity spike between his hands. His mother grinned at the sight. She watched transfixed as the sparks arched across his palms.

Keefe could barely see Sophie moving closer through the brush. Closer, closer, closer.

He let a spark shoot across the distance between him and his mother. But when the arch of lightning was centimeters from piercing her heart, it shot up to her circlet, somehow absorbed by the metal. Keefe gaped. Not only could she block Sophie's inflicting, but she could block his lightning as well.

His gut clenched in fury, but he held his ground. If he could only get her circlet off . . .

He heard a crunch. In his daze, Keefe hadn't noticed Sophie creeping up behind Lady Gisela. He could clearly see she was limping now. She must've done something to her left ankle. Her features were tight with tension.

In a desperate lunge, Sophie tried to grab the circlet from his mother's forehead. But when she put weight on her left ankle, it threw off her balance and she toppled into the railing, gripping it tightly to keep from crying out in pain.

Lady Gisela spun, not looking at all surprised by Sophie's arrival. "There she is!"

With that she spun on her heel and grabbed Sophie by the elbow. Sophie's face was twisted in pain and she looked like she was about to pass out. Keefe's hands curled into fists.

"Let go of her!" He yelled, running onto the bridge in a panic.

His mom let Sophie go, but didn't turn away from her. She was looking at Sophie with distain, probably trying to figure out what she'd done to her ankle.

While her attention was turned away, Keefe grabbed for her circlet, trying madly to take it off. Lady Gisela shoved him away seconds before he would've had it, snarling at him.

Keefe heard Sophie scream. She was crumpled in a heap on the bridge. One hand was weakly holding the railing, struggling to keep herself on the bridge. She tried to shift herself into a better position, but her attempt clearly didn't work. Her ankle must've been sprained, even broken, and she couldn't move it.

She screamed once more as her grip dropped from the railing and she fell off the bridge, tumbling into the depths of the river below.