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“Antonio doesn’t deserve a mate.” Cold as ice and laced with venom, Sophia meant every word she spat their way, because how could someone who could so easily rip away everything that mattered to someone they cared about deserve anything less?
And yet, the venom in her words pierced her as well. Because despite it all, it still stung to hurt Antonio.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Before anyone could utter another word, blackness enveloped the world around Sophia, and she knew Drusilla wastaking her far away from the place she once called home and the people she once called friends.
Chapter Sixty-One
Sophia Brenning
Sophia felt the stagnant air around her, both damp and cool, first. It took several moments longer for her fey sight to adjust to her dark surroundings, which eventually revealed a ring-shaped room held together by stone slabbed walls. Nothing but burning candles scattered around a central altar gave off any light.
It was as if Drusilla had taken Sophia through not only space but time as well.
“This place looks… ancient.” Sophia could think of no better way to describe their bleak, windowless surroundings.
“Circe isn’t a fan of anything modern,” Drusilla shrugged, flipping off her hood in such a casual manner Sophia almost forgot about the foreboding sensation tapping at every fiber of her being.
“Circe?”
“My mentor.” Drusilla walked forward, the sound of her footsteps echoing down the five separate halls that led out of this room.
“Where is she now?”
“Not here,” was all Drusilla said as she began thumbing through a bookshelf that curved with the wall it stood against.
Sophia nodded to herself as she examined her surroundings, intrigued by all of it. “Do you work here?” Considering witcheswere one of the oldest species in the unnatural world, Sophia found this all so fascinating.
“Circe does, mostly. I only use it to learn more about my craft.”
“Will anything here help you learn about where my parents may be?”
Drusilla shrugged, pulling a dusty book from its shelf as she said, “I know enough about them already.”
That piqued Sophia’s interest. Yet, Sophia remained doubtful, that dreadful feeling that something was amiss becoming more prevalent than ever. It took far too much effort to ignore the nagging thoughts in the back of her mind that told her she never should’ve trusted Drusilla and never should’ve come here.
Too late now,she thought, sighing. All she could do now was learn more, she supposed. “What do you know about them?”
“For starters, I know they’re fey.”
Sophia didn’t know if Drusilla was jesting her or was actually serious. Judging by the frustrated tone in the witch’s voice, Sophia decided she’d hold back on that question for a bit and press her for more information later.
Her eyes wandered to shelves imprinted in the wall, encased by glass. Curious, she walked over to it, awed by the translucent jars that filled the shelves. Upon closer inspection, she realized little balls of light danced within each glass jar, illuminating the shelves with a faint, serene glow. The sight was so peaceful Sophia began to forget all her troubles.
“They’re souls.” Drusilla was suddenly standing beside Sophia, inspecting the enclosed shelves along with her.
“Souls?” Sophia blinked, the peaceful feeling that had washed over her dissipating. “You’ve trapped souls in here?” She tried to hide the terror in her voice but failed disastrously.
“These souls are Circe’s. Not mine.” Drusilla then murmured something unintelligible under her breath. “Don’t worry, souls can’t be taken unless freely given by their owner.”
“Why would anyone give up their soul?” These souls looked… trapped. Sophia couldn’t fathom anyone choosing this fate for themselves.
“You’d be surprised.” Drusilla began walking down one of the five halls, urging Sophia to follow her. Giving those souls one last glance with sorrow in her heart, she followed. “I’ve seen enough immortals willingly give their souls to Circe that I’m no longer surprised. Honestly, with all I’ve seen throughout my life, not much surprises me anymore.”
“But they’re trapped.” Sophia’s words echoed down the dark hall.
“They chose to be. It’s no one’s fault but their own.”
