Chapter 25: Dangerous Premonitions
He'd kissed her.
Her eyes shot open and she instinctually pushed him away. She stood there, staring at him. They were both breathing heavily. Sofia started to shake her head and back away. James saw her movements and the small hopeful grin he wore quickly disappeared.
"WHAT THE-" He flung his hands up as if to somehow stop her reaction. It obviously wasn't the one he was hoping for. Sofia's head was spinning, this was NOT the kiss she was hoping for in the tower. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING JAMES?"
His head started shaking. "I... Uh... I thought I should kiss you Sof."
"What in the world has possessed you? What were you thinking?!"
Fear and pain washed over his face. "What do you think I was thinking! I can't take this anymore, you running around with all these sorcerers. I'M the one who's always there for you, I'M the one who listens, I'M the one who let's you do the things you want, NOT THEM."
Sofia couldn't process what he was trying to convey. "I know, you're the best brother ever, so why did you DO that?!"
"Because I'M what's best for you and YOU'RE what's best for me. You make me feel like a better, stronger person and I can give you everything Sofia. When I'm king I would let you do any magic you wanted. I don't care what Dad thinks is proper, I'd let you Sof because you're so, so Brilliant."
She couldn't believe these words were coming out of him. "What are you saying James, that you want me?"
He nodded timidly but she just couldn't accept it. "Are you serious? I don't believe you, every pretty thing that walks by sparks your interest, you can't possibly be serious."
His arms shot up, "It's so hard Sofia, I've been fighting this so hard and I've tried to distract myself I really did, you know I've tried, but I just can't find anyone who's as amazing as you are." Oh Merlin. That was as close to a love declaration as it gets. She started hyperventilating and his face washed with fear, "Please Sof! Just calm down and think about it, it makes perfect sense and you're so beautiful and we have so much fun together. You can stay royalty this way and we can be together always..."
"It doesn't make perfect sense! Nothing makes sense, I can't even..." She stopped. No running this time. She needed to keep it together, but what could she say? "James, I need time to process this. Can we please talk later? I need some time to think about all this."
He looked heartbroken, dropped his head low and relaxed his arms. "Yeah Sofia, we can talk later but I know what that means." He slowly walked towards the door, pausing to give her a sideways glance as he passed by, and then down the tower steps he slowly descended. Sofia let out the largest sigh and after she was sure he'd gone went back to her room.
It took several minutes for the initial shock to wear off, and then the internal dialog began. James liked her, but for how long? Was he really just chasing after other girls because he was conflicted? What did that mean for Lily? She had looked genuinely hurt earlier... A sudden jolt of realization came to Sofia. She had thought Lily was using James, but maybe they both had ulterior motives. And what had he said to Cedric?
"I told you before wizard, you keep your hands off Sofia or ELSE."
He had threatened Cedric before. But when? Sofia's mind wandered back to that horrible afternoon in the tower. Cedric's words had been so muddled and confused.
"I could never reciprocate…could…. I…James… Roland… Sofia I—"
James had threatened Cedric before Sofia's confession. All the pieces were finally starting to come together in Sofia's mind. The awkward way in which he'd rejected her. He must have known James liked her, and feared retribution if something happened between them. A specific retribution. One that struck fear into him like no other. Cedric also knew how Roland felt about royals and sorcerers mixing. A tiny flicker of hope rose up in Sofia. Maybe Cedric did 'like' her after all. She thought back to Greylocks' comments earlier today.
"She's a fireball Cedric, better watch out or you'll get burned again"
What had Greylock meant by 'burned again'? Had it been a reference to his failed relationship with Lily? Or something more. She thought farther back, to when she had visited Greylock in Rudistan, trying to recall what he'd said...
"He's been busy. With his new apprentice. She loves him you know."
"You've got to be kidding me Sofia. He's only got eyes for—"
and then there was this moment too;
"You're beautiful, kind and impressive. Cedric knows all this Sofia, and Cedric is easily intimidated."
AND when he gave her the spell books and she hugged him...
"I can see why Cedric likes this so much."
Greylock was the closest thing Cedric had to a friend, besides Sofia. Was he trying to tell her something, all those weeks ago? Had she just been too depressed and heart broken to hear it? She needed to confront Cedric about it again, but on her terms. She bolted to her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment.
Dearest Cedric,
I'm so sorry tea didn't
work out this afternoon,
but I really need to tell you the truth.
The whole truth.
Everything.
I'll be waiting for you in the
secret garden at midnight
when everyone is asleep.
Please come, I'll be waiting.
-Sofia
Sofia snuck back up to Cedric's tower. The tower was still open and Cedric was no where to be found. He was obviously still busy with King Roland. She left the note on Cedric's potion table. Wormwood flew down cawing loudly. "Well, I hope you're not hear to break more beakers, because Cedric may never brew another potion at this rate."
"Sorry about earlier Wormwood. Say, can you make sure he gets this note? It's important."
Wormwood flapped a bit as if to reject her request, but then calmed down. "Well I suppose you brought me plenty of treats last night, so I'll make sure he sees it. But I won't be answering any more questions without further bribery, so off you go, it's almost dinner time."
Sofia nodded and turned to leave, noticing the book she'd dropped earlier when she was yelling at Cedric. She picked it up on her way out and headed back to her room. Everyone should be sound asleep by midnight, and she could sneak out to meet Cedric uninterrupted. Now to wait until the witching hour.
Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Sofia barely said anything, and James was pretending to be invisible. Noticeably absent was Lily. She seemed to have been assigned social pariah status, even discussion of her whereabouts was an unwelcome topic. Sofia spent most of the meal staring at Amber, wondering if her sister had confronted Vivian and knew about the whole 'situation'. Roland was eager to discuss the book he'd given Sofia, but she hadn't had the time to read it yet. Silence reigned. Dinner was finally over and Sofia went back to her room. She walked over to the large book her father was so enamored with and decided it was worth a read, if only to prove him wrong somehow. Opening the book Sofia ran her fingers along the exquisite inlays. The book was relatively devoid of text, but the illustrations were extraordinary.
…... …... ...…... …... ... …... …... ... …... …... ...
Long ago the world was overrun with mages of the blackest kind. They practiced in blood magics and preyed upon the desperate souls of the world, scouring the lands, conquering men, and dominating the natural wilds.
Well that explains why Cedric was so reluctant to perform blood-magic on Vivian... not exactly the best of company to associate with...
There came to this world a dark mage who unlocked the secrets of form. Drago, master of dragons, declared himself king of all lands. He intended to rule all men, and coerced his younger brother Mabrook to aide in conquering this world. Blood reigned down upon the fields, and all were paralyzed by fear.
THAT would be why Roland is so afraid of sorcerer's with power... Oh Merlin... Sofia noticed the painting of Drago. He was shown as a massive dragon, almost identical to Eret but smokey grey in color. She ran her fingers over the image and reminisced on dancing with the sorcerer in Avalor.. NO. Can't think about that... Back to the book...
Drago sought to possess the central portal, for with it's power he could move throughout the world in but an instant and maintain his dominion.
Wait, wasn't there a portal in Avalor that connected all of Elena's mirrors...
The aged sorcerer Pedro of the Mountains challenged these brothers. Their armies of men fought for an age and a day. The lands were covered by war, but they were both deceived. For in secret Ava, the daughter of Mabrook, had fallen in love with the son of Pedro.
Wait.. That name was familiar somehow... wasn't Elena's ancestor named Ava...
Their forbidden love grew stronger but was discovered by Drago, who summoned all the dark mages across the lands and transformed them into a demonic army to cleanse the world of Pedro and his followers.
So Drago could enchant his soldiers to turn them into beasts.. that was different... The forms on the page were black as night.. almost like... hinderbeasts...
Ava cried up to the heavens to spare the life of her love. Down from the celestial plane descended a Blessed Enchantress to answer the princess's prayer. She summoned the great magic of the universe and with her life force split the lands in two, creating a vast impassible ocean between the waring armies.
What the?... The enchantress had Sofia's brown hair, blue eyes and slightly sun-kissed skin, and wore a dress identical to the one Sofia had altered for the summer solstice. She even had a necklace... NO WAY... was this HER?
As her last act the Enchantress gifted the princess Ava her magical talisman, that Ava alone would could traverse the world and be forever with her lover. The Enchantress then evaporated into sparkling dust, spilling across the heavens.
WAIT... The Enchantress... dies...
Pedro, grateful for the wars end named his kingdom Avalor, to honor the love his son shared with the princess.
Mushrooms. It WAS Avalor...The Enchantress dies...
Fury consumed the dragon king, and he set his mage armies about the destruction of the world.
You've got to be kidding?... the Dragon-man went nuts at the defeat and had dark wizards killing every one... This was an awful story... why would you read it to children?... The Enchantress DIES!...
Gabriel, a man of the people, then rose up to challenge Drago. Mabrook could not bear the destruction and valuing his daughters love over Drago's quest for power sided with the people and summoned an ancient magic that flung the wicked mage army across the seas, banishing them forever to the Dark Continent. Mabrook then confined the dragon king under penalty of banishment to the northern wilds that he and his own would never again threaten the free peoples of the lands.
Duvall... it bordered the Northern Wilds and Eret the Dragon King now ruled there... Drago must have been the ' great ancestor' Eret was always referring too...
Gabriel was anointed as the leader of men, that never again would the world fall into the ruin of dark magic's rule, and together with Mabrook ushered in an era of peace. Thus the lands were made safe and the kingdom of Enchancia was founded, named for the Blessed Enchantress who had brought salvation.
…... …... ...…... …... ... …... …... ... …... …... ...
Sofia felt her heart sink. The Enchantress had initiated the end of the war, but she had died in the process.
Could Sofia really be the Enchantress the book spoke of? Blessed to save the world but doomed to die? Judging by the illustrations, the maiden in the story was the same age as Sofia. This sorceress even possessed a magical object, just as Sofia did. Considering that Avalor was mentioned by name in the story, it wasn't a far stretch to assume that her Amulet of Avalor was the magical item mentioned. Ava was a Princess in distress, although they were evil kings, and the amulet could move her through time...
Sofia went numb. How is one supposed to feel when they find out the exact method of their death, and judging by the age and skin tone of the maiden in the drawings she didn't have long.
Was there any way to know for certain if Sofia was actually the one this book mentioned? Were there any clues? Sofia read and re-read the book, scanning for the slightest hints. In the story the Enchantress had given Ava the talisman so it could move her across the world. As far as Sofia knew only Elena's mirrors could do that... Sofia walked over to her dresser and picked up the mirror. She examined it, but it looked nothing like her amulet... However she could always test the theory... She stared at the amulet and felt the magic within swell up. Sofia looked deep within herself and chanted the spell to activate the mirror as she had done for the healing spells before. She channeled the energy through her arm and touched the mirror as she gazed into it.
"Returnio"
BOOM. She was standing on top of the central portal in the dark room in Avalor again. It was true. All of it was true. Sofia used the spell Elena had shown her when they'd collected Mira in Katal to bring herself home and collapsed on her bedroom floor.
It felt like hours. She sat there, taking it all in. The clock struck eleven. She wasn't supposed to meet Cedric for an hour still, but she couldn't wait any longer. She pulled a cloak over her dress and snuck out of her room and down the hallway. Slowly Sofia crept down the stairs and out the side door to the gardens. Her mind was racing. What would she tell him about the book? She couldn't be sure that she was in fact the Blessed Enchantress mentioned in the story, but it seemed more likely every time she thought about it. Sofia finally reached the secret garden, shut the door behind her and came to rest near the tiny pond where she and Cedric had taken tea hundreds of times. It all seemed so peaceful. She sat there, reminiscing on beautiful days past and trying not to think about the story. Unnoticed, a thin creature slinked into the garden, observing her every move.
"Nihmzahe."
Sofia jerked back to reality. Eret was kneeling beside her in human form, his chest hovering above her seated frame.
"I told you to leave Eret." He laughed softly. Why was his laugh always so pleasant... Sofia glanced over at the door to her garden. It was still shut. "How did you find me in here?"
He looked down at her, "I flew." Sofia looked up, even though she knew nothing but open sky lay above her, somewhat embarrassed she hadn't thought of it.
She turned toward Eret, "What do you want."
Eret smiled down at her nervous face. "My love, you never listen. I've come for you. I'm tired of waiting."
He moved closer to her, causing her to retreat by bending her back lower toward the ground. "I'm not going anywhere right now."
There was a stillness in his expression and he paused. He shifted his head slightly but kept his gaze firmly on Sofia's face with that intense stare of his. "Were you not happy with me today Sofia? I ended my mother's advances. I sided with you against her, and it cost me dearly. Did you not see my pain? Did it not please you that you were chosen above her? Is that not what you desired?"
Sofia felt pangs of sympathy and words fell out of her mouth, "You're right, I'm sorry." Immediately she regretted it, she needed to stay resolved against him. He grinned wildly and began advancing closer. Sofia muttered, "Wait!" but it was too late, she was already pressed against the ground, her skirt was knocked upward and her hair tossed haphazardly in the grass. It reminded her of the mud monster incident in Boreul. She glanced back up at Eret, frantic, "I told you I'd never accept it this way. I'd never accept you like this! Please!"
His grin grew wider. "I will not trap you… no… it is time I set your form free."
He placed a hand on Sofia's chest and energy swirled from his body. He started hovering his lips over her neck, her cheek, so many places, finally over her mouth. She felt her limbs go numb and the magic deep within her swell up. She turned inwards and tried to fight the magic as best she could. He felt her resisting, and dropped his body down onto hers. They were a tangle of legs and arms in the moonlight. He positioned his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Let the magic take you Nihmzahe and we shall dance in the sky. Together." She turned her head to face him and was met with that deep, penetrating stare. She was overwhelmed by memories of dancing together with him in Avalor. He smiled widely as if somehow he knew what she was thinking and went in for a kiss. Fully distracted she was unable to stop the magic within from coming forth, and Sofia let out small gasps as Eret pulled away and the energy burst forth, wrapping her in its warm embrace. She felt her limbs grow light. Before her eyes Eret transformed into the dragon. Sofia felt lightheaded and turned toward the pool next to her, but didn't see herself in the reflection. Instead, she saw two dragons, the silver scales of Eret's dragon form and the other was pale as snow. It took a few instants for Sofia to realize that the snow colored dragon was in fact her, with her Amulet still dangling around her neck.
She let out a scream, but in dragon form it sounded like a roar. Suddenly she realized everyone in the castle was sleeping and if they awoke to find her like this they would try to kill her. She glared at Eret with fury in her eyes. "Change me back, NOW." When she spoke it had the echoes of hissing, but Eret clearly understood.
He twisted his long neck and unfurled his wings, "First you must dance with me in the sky Nihmzahe, only then I shall grant your request." He twisted his tail seductively along her side and up her neck.
"I can't."
"You can and you will. Dance with me Nihmzahe."
Sofia closed her eyes; she didn't notice her amulet twinkling again. He wrapped his body underneath her and lifted her off the ground, tossing her playfully up into the air. She extended her wings and began to flap to keep herself from falling and found with some effort she was able to fly above the hedges surrounding the garden. He wrapped his long slender body around her, gently coaxing her up higher into the sky. The initial shock began to ware off and she found they were indeed dancing through the sky, and it was... exhilarating. The wind, the night, the moonlight. They were swirling around each other through the air. WAIT- He'd FORCED her to do this, this is NOT respecting her boundaries. Sofia decided she'd had enough. No more manipulations. She angled back toward the ground and landed in the garden. Eret landed next to her and drew his head back closer to his body, flapping his wings menacingly. Sofia needed him gone, she was supposed to meet Cedric soon and if Eret was still here? that wasn't going to go well. "Why do you keep manipulating me? I didn't ask for any of this."
A bit of fire shot from Eret's clenched jaw. His eyes were barely visible through the tiny slits that remained open. "Why do YOU use your words as weapons against me? Why is it you don't accept my many blessings Nihmzahe? I see the joy at my touch in your soul, at my gifts. You deserve them all, for we are bonded. I know you value titles, and you are my Queen." Eret turned his head towards the castle, specifically Cedric's tower in the distance. "Is it the worthless man? Has he stolen your love from me?"
Sofia shot dragon hisses back, "Cedric is NOT worthless. He's worth everything! I loved him before I ever met you. He has his faults like we all do, but he's not culpable for murder." Eret's eyes flashed red, and she could see death in them. She had to act fast or he would rip Cedric from his tower and throw the lifeless corpse into the moat. "But it's not just Cedric, it's everything. I have a family here that I love too, all of my friends, and my entire kingdom. I can't be the Queen of Duvall Eret, I don't have a choice."
She saw Eret freeze. He stopped staring at Cedric's tower and instead looked back at her while twirling his tail in a semicircle, the red glow in his eyes subsiding. "Your family, friends and kingdom are dear to you?"
Sofia furrowed her brows, resolute. "Yes. I would do anything for them."
Eret stood there in dragon form for a few seconds, as if sizing her up. He finally spoke. "You are resolute in this Nihmzahe. You would have me break the Sacred Vow?"
He must be talking about the vision he'd had, and their blood bond. What other sacred vow was there? "Yes Eret. I am."
His eyes shone the color of blood.
"So be it."