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Chapter 11 - Sophie

Lord Cassius was not happy.

Sophie teleported their group of six to the beaches at the Shores of Solace a few minutes later: herself, Biana, Linh, Ro, Sandor and Woltzer. Bo had gone with the boys, so hopefully the Song twin's dwarves were following them underground.

The black sand felt warm under Sophie's feet as they made their way towards the seaside mansion glittering in the mid-morning sunshine. She saw someone moving around inside, then Lord Cassius rushed out onto the patio, ran down the stairs, and stormed towards them. Immaculate as ever, Keefe's father didn't seem pleased to have to venture out onto the beaches and get sand on his clothes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lord Cassius shouted, cutting them off from getting any closer to his house.

"Welcome to the Waves of Wimpiness," Ro grumbled.

Sophie looked behind her shoulder at her friends who were clearly just as annoyed as she was to see Keefe's father.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, out of breath from sprinting over to them so quickly.

"Special assignment from the Black Swan," Sophie stated, then pushed past him and marched along the beach.

But Lord Cassius stopped her again. "You have no right to enter my home without permission!"

"Can we have permission then?" Biana asked.

He gave an evil grin. "No."

Ro threw a handful of sand in his face.

Lord Cassius let out a high-pitched shriek and Sophie couldn't hold back her laugh. He stumbled backward, blinded from the black sand, then nearly fell over into the upcoming tide.

Sophie grinned at Ro. "Thanks."

The ogre winked. "Anytime, Blondie."

They walked up towards the palace made of pearl, Lord Cassius's shouts of protest overlapping the sounds of the ocean. It wasn't until they were halfway across the patio when Keefe's father shouted, "Alright fine! You can go in. But no goblins allowed!" He spat sand out of his mouth. "I mean it!"

Sandor and Woltzer begrudgingly positioned themselves outside, guarding the entrance. The rest of them went in.

The Shores of Solace was as beautiful as ever. Huge windows looking out over the vast sea took up most of the walls, while vine-draped airy hallways connected the different rooms. There were so many sunrooms and patios scattered throughout the house, most of the time it was hard to tell if you were outside or inside.

Ro led them through a particularly darker hallway where family portraits lined the walls. Sophie realized that they must be photos of former Sencens. Everyone in their family line looked exactly like Lord Cassius: slicked-back blond hair, spotless suits, and handsome features, but it was ruined by their stone-cold expressions. At the very end of the hallway was a portrait of Keefe.

Sophie stopped in front of it and stared at the boy. His hair was carelessly mussed, his shirt untucked with a stain right down the middle. His clothes had wrinkles in them, and Keefe's face was painted with a smirk. It was as if he was trying as hard as possible to make the photo look bad for the sake of his father. A huge crack split down the middle of the glass protecting the photo, and it was placed crooked on the wall, like someone took it off, smashed it, then put it back up lopsided. His portrait was so different from the rest of his family's. So Keefe-like. Sophie wondered how he could possibly be related to those monsters who treated him so horribly. He deserved so much better.

"Hellllooooo, earth to Blondie?"

"Sophie, you okay?" Linh asked.

Sophie turned to see her friends staring at her with worried expressions. Ro just looked amused.