57. SOPHIE
Sophie rolled onto her side using the base of a tree to support her back. The air was still thick with heat, making it difficult to fall asleep. Not to mention the gaping hole in her stomach. It had been two full days without any food. They had water, thankfully, but the pain in her stomach was becoming excruciating. Distracting even. She felt weak and drained.
I’m going to kill Vestes after this bullshit.
Sophie tossed onto her other side for what felt like the tenth time tonight.
Morpheus had mentioned that other Tienthan angels were to meet up with them before the next trial started, but no one had showed. Chronos had wisely kept to herself the entire evening. No remarks or snide comments were made.
Frustrated, Sophie opened her eyes and sat up. Maybe sleeping in the clearing would be a better choice.
The rustling of leaves and the beat of several footfalls captured her attention. Morpheus and Chronos sat up straight from their slumber as well.
Sophie sat still, listening to the sounds of whatever was fast approaching them. Her Fae ears twitched with each movement.
“It’s the others,” Morpheus said as he launched himself into a run toward the footfalls.
Sophie pushed herself from the ground and ran after him. So did Chronos.
As they reached the edge of Baba’s Forest, Nemy, Achlys and Athena came crashing through the trees. They tumbled and collapsed in a heap, huffing and puffing.
“What in the Tartarus took you so long?” Morpheus admonished. He quickly checked them over for any injuries.
Achlys, God of Eternal Night, was bent over, his hands braced on his knees. “Athena got swallowed by the Charybdis, it took what felt like a lifetime to get her out.” He breathed heavily, pointing in Athena’s general direction.
Nemy lay on the grass beside Achlys, her arms covering her eyes, her chest heaving. “Yeah, it’s why she smells like absolute shit.” She laughed.
Athena, with her beautifully brown skin, dark curly hair and pure white wings was on all fours. Her breathing was laboured but she seemed okay enough to bite back. “Hey! Achlys is the one who decided to sprain his ankle the moment we stepped into Baba’s Forest.” She shot an accusatory glare toward Achlys, poking her tongue out.
Sophie stood a few steps away, watching the amusing exchanges.
Morpheus stood from where he had crouched between the three of them. “We only have an hour before we need to leave for trial three. Come on, let’s get some rest.” He beckoned them farther up the clearing.
Athena was the first to stand, dusting off her hands casually. Her voice was small and sweet. “Oh, hey Soph— WAIT A MINUTE—”
Nemy and Achlys whipped their heads toward Sophie, their eyes wide. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, SOPHIE?” all three angels exclaimed in unison.
Sophie wiggled her fingers and grimaced. “Hey . . . everyone. Good to see you too.” Sophie laughed nervously.
The Sands of Sorrow.
With its rolling, giant sand dunes, the Sands of Sorrow were impossibly hot. Where the rest of Tartarus had no sun, the Sands of Sorrow were awash with it. The sun and its heat reflected off the sand, making Sophie’s feet burn even through her boots.
They had only walked a hundred metres and Sophie had already had enough.
Why is it always some sad, ominous name and never The Sands Where We Get Food and Water and Shipped Home? What the fuck?
Fresh jerry cans of water were magically deposited by the beacon of light by the time they woke up. Six waterskins were laid out, ready to be filled and used. Still, there was no food.
The leather strap holding the waterskin dug into Sophie’s shoulder as she crested a smaller sand dune.
Just three whole days of this. Three. No sleeping. No stopping. Just walking.Sophie had felt like crying since waking up. Her body was drained and there was little physical strength left to utilise her mana. The steep sand dunes made her legs ache terribly. All she wanted to do was roll down one of the sand dunes, all the way back to the damned Godlands.
After three days of hell on hell, they would only have one more trial to go. The biggest yet; conquering Mount Gehenna.
The six of them – Morpheus, Chronos, Achlys, Athena, Nemysis and Sophie – walked in a single file. Each had a waterskin and the makeshift weapons they’d made along the way. Sophie spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon re-creating her rope dart out of sharp rocks and vines she’d found on the edge of the forest. It was possibly the most DIY job she’d ever seen, but it would be an extra resource she could use. Who knew what they would come across in the Sands of Sorrow?
“How are you holding up?” Nemy asked from behind Sophie.
“There’s sand in places where sand shouldn’t be, Nemy. That’s how I’m holding up.” Sophie sighed, keeping a steady pace of steps. As the shortest person, she was leading the charge. They would all work at her pace, so they could stick together. This part of the trial, as Morpheus had so kindly explained, was focused on teamwork as a small group.
The second day in the Sands of Sorrow brought on a new kind of hell.
Sophie’s feet were riddled with blisters. Her thighs chafed. Her cheeks were raw from the sand that pelted her face. Her lips were cracked. With minimal food and rest, her body struggled to heal itself at the rate it normally would. She’d surpassed the pangs of hunger and the group, initially chirpy – save for Chronos – was now quiet. The sounds of their footfalls were the only thing she’d heard for the last forty hours.
Ahead, the ferocity of the heat made the air ripple, and it was in these moments that the sleep and food deprivation got to Sophie. She thought she saw the very base of a giant black mountain. She blinked again and it disappeared. She turned around to see if anyone else had seen it. But no one was there.
“Guys?” she asked weakly.
Sophie felt her lips crack as she spoke. Shaking the waterskin that sat around her shoulder, she found that there was only a tiny bit of water left.
Shit. She needed to save it for their final day across the Sands of Sorrow.
Sophie crested another sand dune. Did she somehow lose the group?
Panic started to set in.
The world around her began to shake.
She lost her footing within seconds, tumbling down a sand dune. She tried to claw herself upright but her world kept tumbling.
A sharp pain lanced across her face.
Once.
Twice.
Sophie came to with a gasp.
Nemy, with her chestnut brown hair and wings, was in front of her, baring her teeth. She was screaming something, but Sophie couldn’t hear it over the ringing in her ears. She could barely muster any words, as she took in what was aiming for them. Fear shot through her heart like a hot lance.
A giant sandworm, several hundred metres in length and height, with bubbly brown-looking skin and thousands of razor-sharp teeth opened its jaw behind Nemy. Sophie could feel the weight of it rumble through the sand.
Without even thinking, Sophie pushed Nemy to the side.
“What the fuck!” Nemy went tumbling down the side of a sand dune, taking Sophie with her.
The sandworm bit down with a mighty chomp. The sound of it reverberated through the air as its foul breath assaulted Sophie’s lungs.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
Nemy and Sophie were a tangle of limbs as they slid down the sand dune, coming to a crash at the very bottom.
Sophie and Nemy, stood quickly, covered in sand. They ran. Where to? Neither of them knew but they ran as fast as their weak bodies would take them as the giant worm careened for them.
“Where are the others?” Sophie asked breathlessly.
“I don’t know. I looked back for just a second and they were gone!” Nemy grunted as she ran up a steep sand dune.
Sophie followed.
They crested a sand dune. There. In the distance. It was Morpheus and Achlys, going head on with another sandworm. Chronos and Athena were nowhere to be seen.
The foul breath of the sandworm behind them was the only warning.
Sophie and Nemy screamed as darkness consumed them. Razor-sharp teeth pierced their skin. Mouldy, rotten breath attacked their senses. Sophie cast a feeble air bubble around herself and Nemy. It wasn’t much but it would be enough.
“Grab onto the sides!” Nemy shouted, pulling Sophie toward her.
They were inside a fucking worm.
Sophie latched her fingers into the sides of the worm. Its flesh was slick with mucus but rough enough to grab hold of. The beast roared as their fingernails dug in.
“We need to get out before we suffocate!” Nemy shouted.
Sophie grabbed a knife from her thigh and started stabbing the lining of the worm. The sound of Nemy’s grunts beside her told Sophie that the goddess was doing the same thing. Sophie stabbed and stabbed, blood and gore ricocheting on her face. Her hands were slick with bodily matter, but she did not care. She needed to get out of this hellhole. Their choices were limited. It was either hurt the worm enough for it to open its mouth, or somehow get outside, from inside. Neither were looking like achievable options.
Sophie screamed like a damned madwoman as she threw her entire body weight into the dagger she held, while trying to keep herself latched onto the worm’s inner walls.
The beast rolled and rolled, jostling them, turning their worlds upside down.
Nemy let out of a scream.
“Nemy!” Sophie shouted, pulling away from her stabbing for a moment to reach out for the goddess. She managed to grab a hold of her shirt. “Hold on!”
Nemy grunted, swinging up to latch onto Sophie’s hand with her own.
The worm rolled again, sending Nemy crashing straight into Sophie. The air left her lungs entirely. The air mana bubble around them burst, sending Sophie straight into the razor-sharp teeth, the full weight of Nemy bearing down on her.
Nemy wasn’t moving.
“Nemy, wake up!” Sophie shouted. She tried to get up, but the worm rolled again. Nemy fell away. Sophie tried to reach for her but missed entirely. The strap of Sophie’s waterskin came loose and wrapped around her neck. And as she fell, the strap snapped taught, having caught on something above her. Sophie bounced from her weight, almost cracking her neck as she hung midair.
Sophie clawed at her neck as the waterskin strap grew tighter and tighter. She let out pained grunts. Her lungs were empty. The pressure on her throat insurmountable. Her knife was still looped into her finger. She blindly swiped up, catching the strap with the sharp end of her knife. She tried to saw it off, but she could feel herself becoming more and more lightheaded.
Please. Not like this. Please.
Sophie thought of Ash, her mother, her friends. Her life. This wasn’t the way she wanted to leave the land of the living. There was still so much to do.
With the last morsel of strength she had, Sophie swung her hips and swiped the knife down, cutting the waterskin strap free. That was the last of her water, but boy did the freedom around her neck feel good. Sophie came crashing down on the worm’s razor-sharp teeth. Her wounds stung as mucus mixed with her blood.
The beast roared again, letting in a moment of light.
Nemy. She had to find Nemy.
“Nemy!” Sophie shouted. More like cried. When did she start crying?
“I’m here! I’m fine!” Nemy shouted.
Sophie tumbled and climbed her way toward Nemy’s voice. When the outlines of Nemy’s wings came into view, Sophie’s heart released the tension it had been holding so closely. The angel looked worse for wear. Her hair was tangled, and her face was marred with oozing cuts that bubbled with mucus.
“Hold on to my hand and don’t let go!” Sophie shouted through her tears. She grabbed a hold of Nemy’s hand. “Do you trust me?”
“I trust you.” The goddess clasped Sophie’s hand.
“Then let go of the wall,” Sophie breathed.
They let go.
And together they fell into the abyss of the worm’s stomach.
Sophie pulled her arms around Nemy, encasing them in the final dredges of her mana. And screamed.
Sophie felt Nemy’s arms tighten around her, but she didn’t let it distract her. She screamed and screamed as every morsel of mana left her body, smashing into the darkness that surrounded them. She didn’t care if she had no mana after this. She needed there to be an “after this”. That’s all that mattered.
Bright light washed through Sophie’s eyelids as she held on to Nemy with her dear life. The Sands of Sorrow sun set her skin ablaze with hope as they crash landed onto the burning sand.
Sophie sputtered a mixture of blood, mucus and sand as she pushed herself up. Nemy was right beside her, panting.
“By the Fates, Sophie, you exploded a fucking worm,” Nemy breathed heavily.
Sophie looked up.
Clumps of rotting flesh, bones, skin and teeth lay haphazardly across the desert sands.
“Thank. Fuck.” Sophie collapsed onto her back.
They’d made it out. Her water was gone. Her skin stung. And she swore a rib or two had cracked when Nemy fell on top of her. But she’d made it to “after this”. They’d both made it, and by the gods did that feel amazing.
It had been hours since the sandworm attack. Had it been hours? Or had it been minutes? It was hard to tell when the Sands of Sorrow sun stayed in the exact same godsforsaken place in the sky at all times. It was near three full days without sleep. Sophie had reached a point where she was just breathing. No thoughts consumed her. They had all run out of water, lost to the worm attack.
“Come on, get up,” Achlys gritted. His black hair and black wings were covered in sand, an arm a wrapped around Chronos’s middle. The goddess was ducking in and out of consciousness, having lost blood during the worm attacks.
Morpheus had the most energy of them all, so was guiding them through the desert.
Nemy had begun mumbling to herself.
Athena was limping badly.
Sophie had stopped talking altogether.
It was hard to know if they were walking in circles. Sand stretched out for miles. Was Sophie even alive? Or had she slipped into the clutches of death unknowingly? Was this her Hell?
Sophie spotted it then. A change in the shape of the sand dunes. It looked like a giant wave of red rock and on top of it, grass . . . then the beginning of a forest. Behind that, a colossal dark mountain.
“Morpheus,” Sophie croaked.
He had his head down and didn’t hear her.
“Morpheus,” Sophie said, stronger this time.
His reaction was slow. He turned to look at Sophie with agitation. The heat, sleep and food deprivation had gotten to him. Sophie could tell he was putting on a brave face. The others, Sophie included, were worse off.
“Look.” Sophie pointed feebly at the wave rock.
He looked ahead, noticing it too.
His eyes widened. “We made it.” He started laughing. It was croaky at first. Soft even, but then it grew thunderous and contagious. He sounded like a madman.
Even though Sophie’s throat was as dry as the sand she’d been walking on for three days, she too started laughing.
Chronos collapsed onto her knees.
Nemy stopped her muttering.
Athena let out a sob of relief.
It was only Achlys who voiced what they were all thinking. “Thank the fucking Fates.”
They all broke into hysteria even though nothing about this entire situation was funny.
Morpheus cleared his throat. “Let’s get moving. I’ll take the rear. Athena, Achlys, help Chronos. Sophie, Nemysis, you head up first. We’ll meet you by Wave Rock.”
“I can do it myself,” Chronos whispered, though she looked impossibly pale.
“Stop being a hero, Chro. We’ll be here forever if we let you do this by yourself,” Achlys reminded her.
She said nothing in return.
Sophie took Nemy’s hand, and they walked the last stretch of sand together. Nemy squeezed Sophie’s hand, pulling her attention.
“You had the chance to jump out of the worm’s mouth, but you didn’t. You turned around to find me. Why?” Nemysis asked.
“Who’s going to strike fear of retribution in my enemies?” Sophie laughed.
“You hide behind that humour of yours too often.” Nemy shook her head slightly, then smiled. “Either way, I’m thankful.”
Sophie didn’t say anything back. She didn’t know if she had the right words to perfectly capture how she felt about the Tienthan. About Ash and his inner circle. She loved them all dearly, and the Hrabrost Trials, at least so far, had brought them all closer.
Sophie and Nemy approached the bottom of the wave rock. It stood ten metres tall, its lip hanging over them like a wave on the cusp of crashing. Sophie could just make out the tiny blades of grass that decorated the edge.
Morpheus, Athena, Achlys and Chronos approached from behind them.
“I’ll get up and pull you guys up,” Morpheus said firmly. He jumped up, gripping onto the tiny lips of rocks that jutted out and began to scale the wave-shaped rock. As he neared the top, he jumped out and hung freely. His legs dangled for a moment before he pulled himself up with impressive upper body strength.
Sophie’s mouth fell open. There’s no fucking way I can do that.
“Alright send her up!” Morpheus shouted from above. He hung over the edge, his arm stretched toward them.
As if they’d practiced it a million times, Achlys and Nemy took up positions just underneath where Morpheus hovered. They took a knee each and Chronos stepped forward.
The alabaster angel moved forward with an unsteadiness. She planted a foot on Nemy’s knee. Then climbed to Achlys’s shoulder. Her foot found purchase on Nemy’s shoulder next.
They counted to three before pushing up on to their feet in unison, launching Chronos’s a third of the way up the ten metre wall. Chronos scaled the remainder of the distance with shaking legs and by the will of the Fates, managed to jump far enough to catch Morpheus’s hand. She barked a grunt of pain and anger as she was hauled up the edge.
Nemy stumbled forward. Sweat beading on her forehead and her face, awfully pale.
Sophie rushed to her. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t think . . .” Nemy didn’t finish the sentence before she hurled up bile.
“She’ll need to go next,” Sophie said to Achlys.
He nodded.
“Nemy, we need to get you up there. We’ll push you but you’ve just got to climb a little bit. Can you do that?” Sophie rubbed her hand on Nemy’s back as the goddess hurled one more time.
Nemy nodded, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.
“I’ll climb with her in case she falls,” Athena offered. Sophie nodded, giving the goddess a thankful smile.
Moving swiftly, Sophie copied the movements she’d seen Achlys and Nemy do earlier. Her shoulder barked in pain as Nemy’s full weight pressed on top. Her lungs felt like they were about to cave in.
“When you’re ready, on three,” Achlys stated.
Sophie nodded. “One, two, three!”
Sophie pushed with all the strength she had in her legs and looked up as Nemy was launched into the air. She managed to grip a hold of a rock that jutted out. She cried out as one of her hands slipped.
Athena quickly followed suit, grunting in pain as she launched closer to Nemy.
“Come on, Nemy! Get your ass up there!” Sophie shouted from below. She hoped to the Fates that her friend did not fall.
Nemy held on tight with one hand, swung wide and brushed the edges of Morpheus’s hands. Like two ships passing in the night, their fingertips missed each other.
Sophie’s breath caught in her throat.
Nemy started to fall, almost knocking Athena off the wall as well.
And she would have hit the ground if Chronos hadn’t come in from the side, grabbing Nemy’s wrist just in time.
So the goddess of time isn’t always a douche.
Nemy climbed over the edge with a cry of relief.
Morpheus ran over to Athena, pulling her up by the scruff of her neck. The tan-skinned angel let out a sob of relief as she cleared the edge.
The sound sprung hope in Sophie’s chest. Trial three was over with. She just had to climb this freaking wall.
Achlys turned to Sophie and flashed a dark smile. “Together?”
Sophie smiled back. “Together.” She nodded.
Sophie looked up at the ten metre wall.
That’s a long way to fall.
Sophie shook out the nervousness in her hands and chest. She was so close. So close to finishing the stupid trial. She just had to climb this stupid wall to get there.
With newfound determination, Sophie jumped up on the wall. Her hands were burning immediately. The rock was hot and the surface, jagged. She hung as close to the wall as possible, using her legs to push herself up and up. Her sides barked in pain, and she was losing her grip with every climb.
They were halfway there when her foot slipped.
Her heart lodged itself in her throat.
“Sophie!” Achlys yelled from just above her.
Sophie let out a yelp.
She righted herself, clinging on the wall. She could no longer feel her hands, but she gripped with all her might. “I’m alright, I’m alright! Keep going!”
His dark eyes found hers and he nodded firmly.
She’d need to do this on her own. She needed to prove that she didn’t need anyone’s help. Anyone’s saving.
Sophie looked above, the edge so close.
She pushed and pushed.
She climbed and climbed.
A cool, fresh breeze just grazed her fingernails as she grasped the edge of Wave Rock. Morpheus was there within seconds.
“Well done, kid,” he breathed as he roughly pulled her over the edge.
Sophie looked across to see Achlys up on the edge, lying on his back and panting, his dark skin flush with sweat.
Sophie let out a laugh, then she started sobbing. The feeling of the grass underneath her was something she’d never take for granted again. She looked to her hands. They were bleeding and bloodied. Her pinky finger sat in an odd direction. But she just didn’t care. There was grass here. There was fresh air here.
Sophie curled up into a ball and let out all the emotions. Relief flooded through her. All her hard work was not for naught.
Sophie danced in and out of consciousness. Her head felt awfully light, and her body was fighting to grip onto reality.
She heard Nemy shouting through the haziness. “Ash! Wait!”
The sound of heavy footfalls approached their group. Like a tsunami, his power came crashing through the threshold of the forest just a few metres ahead of them.
“NOBODY FUCKING TOUCH HER!” Ash bellowed, lightning struck above her, and the air stirred.
It brought her comfort.
It eased her soul.
He eased her soul.
Firm hands and arms picked up her from the soft, soft grass. She loved being here. In these arms. In his arms. She wouldn’t trade it for the world.