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Maya made sure to shove into Antonio as she walked past him, her bulky attire like a pillow against his skin. “Remember, weather like this could kill an immortal like me.” What Maya said was true. Though sorceresses wielded incredible powers, their bodies were weak and almost as susceptible to death as a human’s. “If I hadn’t bought these clothes I’d die before we reached our destination. Then what would you have done?”
Antonio debated quipping at her in retaliation but decided against it. For now, it was best that they didn’t waste their energy on anything but the upcoming trek.
“This’ll be a doozy,” Conall commented as he and Cauladra walked passed, following behind Maya.
Giving Antonio a firm pat on the back, Lance asked, “You ready?”
“To save Sophia? I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask me that.”
And then they were on their way, walking straight for the endless sea of mountains that awaited them.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Sophia Brenning
“Are you sure no one is here?” Sophia asked Casper in a hushed whisper as she walked past the door he unlocked for her with the keys he easily secured.
Shooting her one of his notoriously contagious smiles, he tossed those keys into her cell, slamming its door shut after he did. “Sure enough that I don’t have to whisper.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“For starters, Circe went off on one of her notorious treasure hunts yesterday. I don’t know what she’s looking for, I only know she made it clear that whatever it is, isunimaginablyimportant to her. She won’t be back for weeks. Trust me.”
“And Giselle?”
His following laughter was loud enough to reverberate down the halls, sending Sophia into a panic. “Relax, Soph.You’re fine. I’ve lived in this place long enough that I can tell you with absolute confidence that we are completely alone.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “Okay?”
She wasn’t entirely convinced, but knew spending her time worrying wouldn’t do any good. “How long have you lived here?” She should’ve asked,How long have you beenforcedto live here?
He shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him, and they began making their way down the hall. “A while.”
“What do you consider to be a while?”
“About seventy years. Give or take.”
It took everything to keep her jaw from dropping. “I’m sor…”
He held up a hand, stopping her from saying anything more. “Don’t be sorry. I choose to be here. It is what it is.”
But he didn’t choose to be here. Not really. Circe and Drusilla, in their sick and demented ways, left him with no other choice. “You didn’t choose this.”
He frowned as they walked into the same ring-shaped room she had been in with Drusilla earlier.
Casper slowed his stride, coming to a stop in front of the luminescent jars that haunted Sophia so much. The light from the orbs illuminated his face, their bouncing bodies dancing in his eyes. She could feel the sadness that emanated from those souls, a sadness that matched his own.
She noticed he had focused on one jar in particular, his expression deeply pained. Witnessing that sight had her understanding everything. If he had to pick out which jar washers -the woman he spoke of-he’d point out that jar every time. The woman he cared about, the one Circe held over his head, had to be one among those trapped souls, and Sophia believed she could point out exactly which soul was hers.
“Who is she?” Sophia softly asked, her gaze roaming over the many jars.Toomany jars, far too many.
Without looking away from the orb he had zoned in on, he explained, “My best friend. My mate, in a sense. I know elves don’t get mates, but her kind does. Fate picked me for her. I picked her back. And I will continue to do so every day for the rest of my life.”
Sophia wanted to tell him she was sorry, but she knew those words would do no good. If he didn’t want to hear her pity before, he wouldn’t want to hear it now. Instead, she brought up his undeniable strength. “I couldn’t do it. I honestly don’tknow how you can. If Antonio was in there…” She cringed at the thought, the simple thought of Antonio being eternally trapped giving her physical pain. “I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“But you can. Youdid. You did it with your parents, didn’t you? You believed they were suffering. For all we knew, they were worse off than any of these souls are.” He pressed his palm to the glass with a look of longing that was heartbreaking. “Our souls have the ability to adapt to so much more than we realize.” Though he seemed to struggle to do so, he finally looked away from that orb, directing his attention to Sophia. “But I wonder, now that you’re finally free of that burden, how willyoursoul adapt?”
“Oh!”Sophia softly gasped as she acknowledged his words. Words that brought a new sense of clarity into her life.
Shewasfree, wasn’t she?
