Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)(120)

“Can we go?” Sophie asked Mr. Forkle.

“Need I remind you that you have been banished?” he asked.

“So?” Dex said. “Give me five minutes in Slurps and Burps and I’ll have us all unrecognizable.”

“What are the odds of you actually staying here and obeying me?” Mr. Forkle asked.

“Soooo not gonna happen,” Keefe said.

The rest of them nodded—even Della.

Mr. Forkle muttered a string of things that started with “you kids.” But in the end, he pulled out a pathfinder with a dark crystal, adjusted it to a facet, and handed it to Fitz.

“Give me fifteen minutes to help Kesler prepare. Then use that to come find me.”





FIFTY-NINE


THE STREETS OF Mysterium—one of the elvin working class cities—were eerily quiet when Sophie and her friends arrived.

The small, plain, identical buildings were closed up and dark, and the food stalls and vendor carts were all empty. Still, Della and Biana vanished, and Sophie, Keefe, and Fitz kept the hoods of their cloaks pulled tight around their faces as Dex led them to the only unique building in the whole city.

With its curved walls and twenty different colors of paint, the Dizznee’s store looked like it had popped out of a nursery rhyme. A glowing sign read: SLURPS AND BURPS: YOUR MERRY APOTHECARY.

The door belched as they entered, and Sophie’s stomach did a few quick flips.

Waiting for them at the entrance were Dex’s dad and . . .

“Grady?”

Grady scooped her into his arms and she buried her face in his shoulder, giving herself ten seconds to soak up the hug before leaning back to study him. His blond hair was longer than she remembered, and his chiseled features looked a tiny bit sharper. But his eyes were bright and glassy with so much emotion it hurt her heart.

“I love you, Dad,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he whispered back. “I’ve missed you like crazy.”

From the corner of her eye she could see Dex giving his dad the biggest bear hug he could.

Keefe cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” Sophie told him, wishing Keefe had someone to hug.

Dex let go of his dad too, and both father and son wiped their periwinkle eyes. Sophie had forgotten how much the two of them resembled each other.

“Well,” Kesler said, straightening his white lab coat. “This is an amazing surprise.”

“How did you know we’d be here?” Sophie asked Grady.

“Kesler hailed me after Mr. Forkle contacted him.”

“I hailed your mom, too,” Kesler told Dex, “but she wasn’t sure she could slip away. Plus, we didn’t want to bring the triplets, since we know you can’t stay. She said to give you this.”

He pulled Dex in for another big hug, and Sophie noticed Keefe cross his arms and shift away.

Kesler tousled Dex’s hair, then frowned and stepped back, “You’re taller!”

“I am?”

Sophie tilted her head. “Whoa—he’s right.”

Dex had always been shorter than her, but now they were the same height. He must’ve gone through a growth spurt over the last few weeks.

“Don’t go changing too much while you’re gone, okay?” Kesler made Dex promise. “And I know time is of the essence, so I already gathered the elixirs I thought would work best.”

He handed them each a small silver pouch filled with glass vials.

“In case you’re worried,” he told Sophie, “yours are all limbium-free.”

Technically, Kesler was Sophie’s uncle—though she never thought of him that way. Just like she never thought of Dex as her cousin. It was only by marriage—and adoption—so it wasn’t like they were actually related. Still, Kesler always treated her like family.

“I didn’t gather any for you,” he told Della, “but I can if you’d like.”

“No, I prefer invisibility,” Della said, vanishing.

“Wish I could hold my vanish for long enough,” Biana mumbled. “These elixirs taste like feet.”

“You’re lucky,” Keefe said, choking down one of his vials. “Mine tastes like armpit.”

“The bad taste is intentional,” Kesler told them. “To deter anyone from growing addicted to altering their appearance.”

Sophie plugged her nose and downed her elixirs. He’d given her Sea See, Absolutely Auburn, Freckle Juice, and Tanny Fanny. She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of the last one—and she definitely didn’t like the taste. It was like drinking trash that had rotted in the sun for a couple of weeks.

“Should we be seeing a change yet?” Biana asked, pulling a mirror from her pocket.

“Usually takes about three minutes,” Dex said, darting into the maze of shelves.

“What are you looking for?” Kesler called after him.

“You gave me boring ones!” Dex returned with seven vials and chugged them all.

Kesler shook his head. “You’re going to regret that.”

“Why?” Sophie asked.

“Let’s just say too many appearance elixirs at once can be unpleasant when it’s time to pass them. Another way we make sure no one takes them too often.”