Dex

Fog clouds Dex's thoughts, making it impossible to think. His head was raised only slightly higher than the rest of his limp body, his neck tickled by a warm, tender surface. A nook cradled his head perfectly, and Dex knew he could easily drift back to sleep if he simply wished it. But he couldn't. Not yet. Though his brain was foggy, he knew he was supposed to be doing something. But what? 

As he took a shaky breath, still halfway unconscious, the cold air stung his lungs. He coughed, the force scratching his throat and making it harder to breathe. 

"Dex?" asked a voice. His hands flinched as something warm and gentle reached for his hand. "Dex, are you okay?" It was a hand, he realized, that was giving Dex's own hand a tight, reassuring squeeze. 

A groan escaped Dex, though it sounded crackly and broken. He heard a sigh of what sounded to be relief, come from whoever was hovering over him. He forced himself to open his eyes. Thankfully, his eyes adjusted without problem. It was very dark wherever he was. Still, he could just make out the silhouette of a girl. A faint light outlined her fair features and illuminated her hair, which Dex could now tell was blonde. She wore her hair in braids, scattered around her head, and her ice blue eyes twinkled with worry. 

"Dex," the girl breathed, a tear slipping from her grasp and falling onto Dex's own cheek. A smile twitched in the corners of his mouth as a name finally came to mind. 

"Marella," Dex choked out, bursting into a series of scratchy coughs at the sudden use of his voice. The girl held him harder, and Dex realized at that moment that he wasn't simply lying on the rocky cave ground, but someone's lap. Marella's lap. Startled, he jerked away and scrambled to sit up. Marella's lips curled into a warm smile, her eyes lingering on his a second more than they should've been. Dex eyed her up and down, relieved to see she wasn't too badly injured. Just a couple bruises and scrapes here and there. Nothing too bad. But despite her fairly well condition, he still saw the way her cheeks were stained from tears. Her eyes were bloodshot and hinted of exhaustion. 

"Are you alright, Dex?" Marella's eyes flickered with concern, and Dex sighed. He needed to ease her mind. He couldn't see his own self, but he knew he must've looked a lot worse than Marella. He had been the first to rush into the cave, leaving him farther and making the escape longer. But despite all those odds, Dex had still managed to survive with no fatal blows. 

"I'm fine," he assured, returning her smile in hopes it would prove some truth. In all honesty, however, now that he was fully conscious he could tell his arm wasn't in good shape. Broken, probably. Another deep breath and Dex confirmed that he might've broken a couple ribs, as well. 

"You're not," Marella said, pointing to his arm. Dex didn't dare look, his mind already concocting multiple images as to what might've happened. He imagined deep gashes, bones sticking out, and blood waterfalling from the wound. Each image perfectly matched the amount of pain he felt when he moved his arm only slightly. 

"Then why'd you ask?" Dex smiled at the question, but Marella didn't fall for it. Her expression seemed to only darken when he didn't argue with her. But, she was right. He wasn't fine, and he couldn't lie. Not when he knew how it felt to be lied to in that way. He remembered escaping death with Sophie so many times in the past, and each time someone would ask her that same question, "I'm fine" was her go-to phrase. It didn't do any reassuring or calming, no matter how much she insisted.

 A groan rang in Dex's ear, and he forced himself to break away from his thoughts, only to find Linh and Stina stirring.

 "Linh?" croaked a voice, and Marella rushed to Tam's side-- which reminded Dex, why had he been in Marella's lap? Why not Linh-- who was in the worst condition? Or Stina-- actually, never mind. But out of the twins, Marella had chosen him. What was the reason? 

"Tam!" Marella cried, her laugh being one of relief and fear. Dex could hear the crack in her voice, though. 

"Wha- wait. Where's the Neverseen?" The question had come from Stina, and to Dex's relief, Marella saved him from having to explain as she recapped the entire situation so far. 

"So... we're safe?" Stina asked. 

 "For now," Dex said, eyeing them both for injuries. Tam had sustained minimal damage, having only been burned a little and from the looks of it, was really dizzy. Knowing he was behind Linh, she must've covered him to most-- not including Dex, who had been holding the bomb. 

Stina, on the other hand, though not fatal, seemed to have broken an arm from the impact of the blast, and her left eye had a scratch piercing her past her eyebrow and down to the bags of her eye. 

All of them were covered in dust an dirt, and no one felt cold anymore. Though, from the heat Dex was now sweating from, he would've taken the cold any day.  

Everyone's gazes turned to Linh, who was charred black from the explosion and her hair had been cut short, maybe just past her shoulders. But how, Dex could only guess. 

Linh lay motionless on the floor, but when Dex went to check her pulse, everyone was relieved to know she was still breathing. Though, he could tell her heartbeat was slowing by the second.

"We need to get her to Elwin. Or Livvy, but soon," Dex warned. "She's alive, but dying."

"How long do you think she has?" Stina asked, rushing to Linh's side, while remaining a safe distance away, as to not accidently cause any more harm to the fragile twin. 

"We need to find an exit before the Neverseen find us," Marella said, her voice rising with panic. Tam nodded, Linh suddenly rising into the air by only a couple inches.

"I'm too dizzy to do this alone," he said with a strained tone. Both Dex and Stina extended their hands and pictured multiple invisible hands reaching to lift their unconscious friend. With the three working together, Linh hovered a decent four feet from the ground, while Marella did her best to guide them down the safest paths. 

Dex was glad to see they hadn't run into any enemies yet, but that concerned him just as much as it relieved him. But he pushed the feelings away, knowing their only concern was to save Linh. She was dying, and they didn't have much time before... She couldn't die. Not yet. She had too  much to live for. 

"Guys," Marella said, and without question, everyone froze. It had now been ten minutes of no Neverseen sightings, and the desperation in Marella's voice concerned everyone. Had the Neverseen been expecting them? Had they known, grouping together for one big battle? 

"Footsteps," Marella whispered, and everyone ducked behind a couple stalagmites nearby. Dex bit his lip, straining to hear what Marella had. And after a few moments of complete, utter silence, he did. 

Sure enough, footsteps thundered down the hall and towards them. From the sound of it, it was a group of people.

"How many?" Tam asked, but Marella shook her head. 

"I can't tell."

The footsteps grew louder and louder as they neared, and at the same time, Dex grew more and more anxious. Would they be found? Their hiding place wasn't exactly the best, but if the Neverseen weren't paying attention, they'd have a chance. A shot. They could survive.

"What do we do if--" Dex caught Stina off with a finger to the mouth, silently begging her to shut up. The Neverseen group was right there, just standing. 

"I thought I'd heard voices," one of them said, and two more voices agree.

"I was sure we'd seen them, too," added another, this voice male, and with a firm tone. Dex's breath caught. Was it really him? Sure, Dex knew the voice by heart. But at the same time, Lady Gisela was a Polyglot.

"The emotions," Stina whispered. "They're strong, for some reason. I can feel them without having to."

"So?" Tam asked, his whisper harsh-toned and annoyed. But Dex could hear the fear inside his voice. 

"So," Stina repeated with a scowl towards the silver-haired twin, "I can tell they're worried. Scared. Why would the Neverseen be scared? Especially in a group this big!"

"I heard it again," said one of the voices-- female, and soft. This time, there wasn't a doubt. Dex knew these people, and they weren't the villains he'd originally thought they were.

"Councillor Oralie?" he squeaked, and Stina slapped his mouth shut. Dex shrugged away, standing up to face the group. 

The entire hooded group turned to him, each wearing a Neverseen cloak. But instead of the familiar faces of Sophie's kidnappers, were the faces of the council. 

"Dex?" Oralie asked, turning to him with wide eyes and a teary smile.

"Where's everyone else?" demanded a voice, this time Dex recognized it as Councillor Emery's.

"Did you bring the entire council in here?" Marella asked, popping up from her squat, followed by Tam and Stina. Oralie's eyes widened. 

"Where's Linh?" 

Tam grew gloomier at the reminder as he, Dex, Marella, and Stina all strained to lift her with Telekinesis. Gasps chorused throughout the council.

"Is she--"

"She's not dead," Marella promised before Bronte could finish. He scowled at her rude interruption, but said nothing.

"But she will be if we don't hurry," Dex finished. "Can you help? Do you know where the exit to this place is?" 

"We do," Councillor Zarina informed. "You go down that hall and to the right. Three more lefts and you're out." 

"Wait- you're not coming with us?" Tam asked. Oralie shook her head. 

"We need to find Biana-- and if we stumble across them, the others. Have you seen anyone?" 

"The Black Swan. They were kept in a large door past our cells," Stina answered, faltering as the weight of Linh began to pull. 

"Thank you," Emery said, gesturing for the council to follow him. But Marella stopped them.

"You're taking the entire council? Can we get an escort? I can barely remember the instructions as it is, and we're too weak to continue carrying Linh."

"I can--"

"Shut it, Tam," Stina hissed. "You can barely manage with our help, and I'm certainly done carrying Linh." Dex nodded his agreement with an apologetic smile. 

"Besides," Stina continued, "you're trembling." Everyone looked to see Tam, who could barely stand as he stumbled in place. 

"This is the Neverseen's most important hideout," Zarina informed. "It's got to be swarming with Neverseen members deeper in and we'll need all the council in case we are forced to engage." 

"We were at the heart of the caves," Marella said. "And we haven't seen a single Neverseen member." 

"That's troublesome," Bronte grumbled, and the council all nodded. 

"Concerning, is what it is," Councillor Alina corrected with a sharp, fear-inflicting edge to her tone. 

"It's fine. I was going to go after Biana, anyway. Help Linh." Dex was surprised the words had come from him, but now that he'd started, he knew he was right. 

"Dex!" Marella scolded, turning to glare at him. 

"I've thought about this," he told her, though he hadn't. "I need to make sure Biana's okay. If the Neverseen get the council, it's all over. And we haven't seen any Neverseen members, remember? I'll be fine." 

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard," Stina said, and Dex shrugged. 

"Sure, but I'm not wavering."

"Dex," Councillor Emery warned, "we'll divide our group, but let the adults handle the rescuing." 

"I am an adult. We're not twelve, anymore! And I'm sick of sitting in the background. You can try to stop me, but I suggest you help Linh first. Otherwise, you'll have blood on your pretty, gloved hands." 

The council stood speechless as Dex turned on his heel and ran the other way. Even if the entrance was blocked, he had to find another way. 

"Wait!" Oralie called. "Take this!" 

Dex obeyed, turning to see what Oralie had to offer. If it was a bribe, he'd punch Bronte. He smiled at the thought, earning a round of confused glances-- from both his friends and the council. 

"Take this," Oralie repeated, making her way towards him. She took his hand, placing them in hers and setting a small object inside. 

"We were going to use it if things went wrong and needed a quick escape, but you'll need it more, I'm sure." Dex nodded, squeezing the object tight in his palm. 

"Be careful," Marella called to him, and with a promising smile, flashing his dimples for reassurance, he ran. 

He had been to slow to save Biana, earlier. This time would be different. It had to be. If Biana died, it would be on his hands now. And Dex couldn't live with that. And after he saved Biana, he'd head for Sophie-- wherever she was. Even if she were the reason the Neverseen weren't around, he had to save her. Who knows when he'd get another chance? 

Dex opened his mouth to call her name, but closed it when he remembered the Neverseen would probably hear. For now, he had to rely on luck and his own ears, while praying Biana was screaming curses or something. 

His legs shook and his grip loosened on the small object, but he stayed upright. He couldn't rest. Not until both Sophie and Biana were safe once again. Actually, that was impossible. As long as the Neverseen reigned, they'd never be safe. Which meant one thing: The only way to truly win, was to kill them all. How the Black Swan would manage that without ruining everything they stood for, Dex didn't know. 

What worried him further was Sophie's position as the Moonlark. The Black Swan expected her to be the one to bring peace to the Lost Cities, so if killing was the only answer, how would the Black Swan ever win?

If Sophie ever killed, what would that do to her? Would it come with trauma? A heavy, irreversible weight on her shoulders? Would anyone be able to help her? 

Dex slid to a stop, making a sharp turn down another hall. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew the more ground he covered, the better chance he'd have at finding Biana. 

"Screw this," Dex muttered to himself. Silence would protect him, but it would also mean saving Biana would take longer. And what if they were torturing her? Hurting her? Dex couldn't risk that.

"BIANA!" Dex called, and surprisingly, a voice answered.