7. SOPHIE
There were days where Sophie couldn’t get up from her bed. The claws of pain and sadness pulled her back down whenever she tried to get up. She often found herself in an inescapable circle. A place where there were no corners to hide from the pain. A place where every line that she followed somehow led her back inside.
Snacks, hot meals and fruits continued to appear by her bedside table despite her non-existent appetite. She’d have to thank the servants when she saw them next.
Sophie shifted in her bed. Cal stretched out over her legs. She reached down to scratch his head. Last night was the first night in a while where she did not dream. She felt lighter than she’d ever felt since arriving here.
The birds in the courtyard chirped cheerfully and the trickles of water in the distance called to her. She longed to feel the sun on her skin and breathe fresh, cool air.
Today felt . . . different.
Trying her best not to wake Cal from his peaceful slumber, she slipped out from the bed and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. She brushed her now mid-length, purple-silver hair, pulling it into a neat braid. She walked over to the wardrobe, wondering if anything had been left for her.
She scoffed.
In the wardrobe were various garments from loose blouses and loose shirts to sundresses all in black, trimmed with tiny regal jewels. She pulled on one of the sundresses, over her ribs that showed and her arms that no longer felt strong. She stepped into golden slippers and for the first time, she made her way to the door where Cal was patiently waiting. The hellhound had a silly grin plastered across his face and his feet tip-tapped in utter excitement.
“I thought you were asleep, cheeky boy!” Sophie said as if she were talking to a baby. “How about we go out on an adventure today?” she asked, scratching just underneath his chin.
Cal wagged his tail furiously and let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils in agreeance. Sophie laughed at the show he put on.
Before she reached for her bedroom door, she took a deep breath. Was she ready to face the outside world? To finally get up and do something about the way she felt?
Through her nightmare-filled sleep and hours of reflection, she knew she needed to find her way back to her mother and somehow find a way back to Elowan and Zala too. She needed to get down to the bottom of who she was. She still needed to help Faery, but right now . . . all she wanted to do was put herself first. She wanted to explore the Godlands while she had the chance, and when she was ready, she would return to Faery and finish what she started. One step at a time. She’d take this one step at a time and nothing more.
Sophie pulled the bedroom door back to let Calypso bolt out. The poor pup had been cooped up with her, keeping her company for days. He ran all around in the living room area, barking, howling and spinning in excitement. Various white velvet chaises were strewn across the centre of the room and to the right was a kitchen of sorts. Like her room, there were no windows, just open air. Beyond the living room was an extension of her courtyard with a small circular pool.
While shutting the bedroom door behind her, ensnared by the Grecian architecture and decadent furnishings, Sophie’s foot nudged something small and soft. A little crocheted sun with a smiling face, the size of a small mandarin, had been left in front of her bedroom door. There was a small note attached to it. It read, For when the sun does not shine.If the mission was to make her smile, the servants were successful.
A small warm feeling started in her chest as she held the tiny sun in her hands. Cal tippy-tapped eagerly in front her, eyes hyperfocused on the small crocheted sun.
“Not a toy, silly. A gift,” Sophie smiled as she pocketed it.
Cal whimpered in protest, his flaming tail burning brighter.
She padded over to the main entrance of her accommodation. By the white, gold-trimmed door, a folded letter with her name scrawled across it lay neatly on a silver platter. She unfolded it.
If you’ve made it this far, I trust that you are ready to explore. As the humans say, what’s mine is yours. You are free to roam the Isle of Deos, the city where the gods live and Tienthan train. I’ll most likely be on a mission and will come back as soon as I can to see how you are faring.
In the meantime, Cal will be your guide. You’ll find that he has a strange way of understanding what you’re saying. I sometimes think he can speak though he has not revealed anything to me yet . . . I am rambling. Apologies.
If you want to see or buy anything, feel free to let the people of the Isle know that you are under my guard. They will see to it that you have everything you want and need, at no cost to you.
PS, I would highly recommend not punching people you’ve just met – commonplace for you as it may be.
Acheron.
The first part of the note made her laugh. She couldn’t imagine a giant guardian angel sitting down to write this for her. The thought was absurd. She’d seen draekins, Dakin spiders and magic, but this was downright absurd. The second part of the note made her want to reach into the past and throttle his thick angel neck until the cows came home.
Sophie placed the letter back on the platter that she grabbed it from and looked to Cal who stared patiently up at her with his big loving eyes. “How can a sweet furbaby like you have such a cruel, annoying master?” She sighed. “You ready?”
Cal huffed with a puff of smoke and rapidly wagged his tail. Of course he was ready.
Together they stepped out the front door, ready to take on the Godlands.
One step at a time.