It took Sophia two months to recover fully. The scars on her jaw, neck, torso and leg were almost completely healed. Although, her walk was with a slight limp, as the stab to the thigh was quite deep. Looking out she longed to go outside again. The sunset outside was gorgeous, its light fluttering into the window. She did her best to occupy her time, but the compelling feeling did not go away.
It wouldn't hurt to go outside. She hadn't seen the courtyard yet.
She made herself intensely silent. Padding her way through the corridors of the house. Also having taken care of covering herself. And exiting the back door and into the walled off garden.
Looking up at the sky was absolutely marvelous. The sun had created a lavender blue color that deepened into the dark blue of the sky. She sat down in the grass, smiling as the wind blew through her hair, looking up at the heavens, up at the stars and at the halo of gold that surrounded the setting sun. The same hue and color as Erik's eyes.
Shock sliced through Sophia as she realized who she just thought about. The mysterious man who was intent on gaining her trust, was also the monster who killed her brother. He didn't even seem to recognize her from all of those years ago, in the dungeons.
She let out a shaky sigh. She wasn't going to lie to herself. She wanted a friend, someone that she could trust and talk to. She pulled her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees.
She had never been introduced to her fathers police captain. Neither Erik nor Nadir knew who she was. Yet it felt so wrong to tell them what happened. Erik tried to get her to speak about how she ended up being assaulted and half dead in a river, but when she would try she found her voice had disappeared, and tears would ensue. It felt like she was cursed to never admit what happened.
She had simply appeared injured out of a river. She honestly didn't know if her father or the rest of her family knew that she was alive, she missed her sister terribly.
She felt something in the air change. Sophia gingerly stood up and looked around.
"Sophia of Mykonos." A female voice addressed her. At first she thought she was hallucinating. She had never been addressed like that before. It seemed way too professional to address her of her social standing. Her eyes adjusted to the garden gate to spot a tall regal woman in green. Silver steel gray eyes caught dark earthy brown ones in a stare.
A bony hand went to Sophia's shoulder. Pulling her into an embrace.
"Leave." Erik's voice was made to be as threatening as possible. The woman relented and disappeared. Leaving the both of them in confusion of what happened.
—
Erik groaned at the second slow cut to his chest. His mouth pulled taut into a grimace. The knife was extremely dull, so it tore the skin apart. If it was to slice it, Andrei stood over him. His cold blue eyes bore into Erik's deep pools of yellow.
Andrei knew it would be so easy to kill him here and now. Drive the blade into his neck. Brutally tear into his flesh. Watch him cough and sputter in his own blood, see his eyes lose the life it once possessed.
But that was not how he wanted Erik to die.
He wanted it to be drawn out. To cause so much pain as possible to drive him truly mad over a few months.
Only to have him in the end take his own life. Hopefully in the most brutal fashion, but that was a wish that never would come to fruition.
Erik had said nothing as he was slipping in and out of consciousness. His eyes shuttering closed, unable to stay awake.
No this would not do, anger flared up in Andrei, if his son was not allowed to rest in his final moments. Then he would not either. Andrei readied himself to make another slash at Erik's chest. When just then a loud crash and male screaming came from outside in his courtyard. Andrei slammed down the knife and rushed out the door. His fiery anger left fear in his lower comrades as he passed them.
What he saw was an average built man or person taking out his men with relative ease. One particularly larger man stood over them. The intruder stood waiting for him to make the first move and when he did lunge, the person made a quick doge and an armored hand came in contact with the man's stomach. Then cutting him down to the floor. A knife came in contact with the person's arm. Blood leaked down their bicep. The intruder sight landed on andrei
Gray eyes bore into his own blue ones. He knew those eyes deep down. And he shutters to think of the owner's eyes. A dark cloth-like material covered their mouth. An armored hand brought the material down off of their face. The intruder brought an arrow out of its quiver and quickly placed it in its bow, but did not draw quite yet. They waited for Andrei.
It couldn't be, Andrei thought and stared at the ghost of his daughter. He quickly thought of what to do. He needed to get close to her to take her out. To finish the job he failed to do. Twice.
"Sophia? Dear is that you?" He expertly made his voice softer, more innocent and loving. "Please my baby come here, I've missed you." The girl in black seemed to be taken aback by his sudden lack of malice.
A bow and arrow was drawn at the ready, aiming for his face. Her eyes were stone cold.
"No." The arrow slipped from her hand.
Andrei fell back from the world. He could hear his wife's scream as the arrow tore through the flesh of his face. He slipped away from the world before he even hit the ground.
Isa falters at the sound of gunshots. Falling back out into the night. Leaving Erik behind. Knowing that she has failed. That they needed a different plan.
Isa arrived back, out of breath and hobbling. Nadir came to their side immediately.
"Isa, where's Erik?" Nadir's tone was urgent.
"I couldn't get to him." She gasped in the middle of tears., collapsing onto the ground "I killed Andrei." She sobbed. Putting a hand over her mouth. Then tearing off her gear, it felt too hot, too suffocating.
"Please, Isa breathe" Nadir made his voice softer as she sobbed. Wrapping an arm around her bringing her into an embrace, Isa followed his demands, taking deep measured breaths.
"I need you to get to him. They are going to need a doctor, get your equipment and go. Please, I can't let him die. Please, please try. "
Isa stood up and nodded. Her mind was a mess of emotions. But she would have to deal with them later.