Falling For His Charms

CHAPTER 54

Sophie tripped over yet another root, and she landed painfully on her stomach. The path, from what she could feel, seemed to be made of dirt, roots, and random twigs lying around. It was as if it had been dug straight out of the ground and left alone for a few years.

She got back to her feet, shaking from the cold and sadness. She had been walking for who knows how long, and she was starting to be fed up with the never ending path.

Sighing, the blonde girl continued walking, walking with her knees high so that she would no longer trip. Tears began to fall down he face as she began to feel sorry for herself. Why did she have to be the one with all the powers that she had been tortured for? Why did she have to be the one walking in this dirty passage way all alone?

Bam!

She walked straight into something hard, and the momentum landed her straight on her butt.

"Ow!" Whoever -whatever- she bumped into said.

"Who are you?" Sophie inquired fretfully as she tried to get to her feet.

"Sophie?" Said an unbelieved voice. "Is that you?"

Then it hit her. "Keefe?"

"Yes! It's me! And you're alive!"

And he tried to hug her, but ended up just hugging her arm, since neither one of them could see each other. They tried again, and it was a very clumsy hug, but Sophie didn't mind; she had missed him too much.

"Sophie, why are you alone? Where's Fitz?" Keefe asked as he pulled away from her and led her along the path. Sophie didn't want to talk about it, but she knew she should. So she explained the whole story, him getting her, pretending to be a Neverseen member, showing her the trap door, Gethen and Gisela finding them, and her now being alone.

"Sophie, I know this may sound kind of far fetched, but I really do think that Fitz will make it out. He's a very talented fighter, and he studied what the headquarters of this place looked like for months. He'll find his way out."

"Thanks, Keefe." She really did appreciate him trying to make her feel better, but she just couldn't make herself believe him. Fitz nor Keefe hadn't been held prisoner by them, so they didn't know their potential. "Wait, weren't you supposed to get Bex and Rex? "

"I did, don't worry. They're safe, and are being brought home right now. I just wanted to make sure that you and Fitz were alright, so I came here as soon as I was done with them."

"Thank you so, so much Keefe. I really appreciate you helping them."

"Of course! They're like brother and sister to me, I'd do anything in the world for them."

Sophie gave him a side hug, which was kind of awkward because they were walking. After a few minutes, Keefe said something that nearly made her day.

"Only a few minutes left. I remember this part; the ground gets more sandy than dirt."

She sighed in relief, and picked up her pace. She was walking so fast that all of a sudden, she walked straight into a wall. Groaning, she took a step back, and rubbed her sore nose.

Keefe simply laughed at her.

Sophie gave him a glare, even though he couldn't see it.

"Alright, there's a trap door above us, I just need to find it..." Keefe said, as he reached above him to find the latch of the door. There was a sharp 'click!', and the door opened.

After being in the dark so long, the light burned Sophie's eyes. She squeezed them shut, and put her hands in front of her face. Keefe was climbing out, on a small ladder, then waited at the top for her. Slowly, she let her eyes adjust, and followed Keefe out the trap door.

It was like seeing a whole new world. After being held prisoner for so long, the scene made her so happy that she wanted to cry. Great big willow trees covered in white blossoms stood all around her, bushes of yellow lilies covered the ground, the baby-blue sky shining brightly above her, fluffy clouds... Even with the troupes of elven guards standing around, Sophie felt so happy to be out of captivity. She had missed all this.

She turned to Keefe and gave him the tightest hug ever. "Thank you so much, Keefe."

He chuckled, and hugged her back.

As he pulled away, he handed her off to a medic. Only after a few seconds, Sophie noticed that he was Elwin. A great big smile made its way on to her face, and she hugged him just as much as she had hugged Keefe.

"Sophie! It's been too long..." He pulled away but still held on to her shoulders, at arms' length. He took the moment to take in her injuries. Tears formed in his eyes, and he pursed his lips to stop himself from crying. He took a deep breath, and lead her towards a carriage.

"Where are we going?" Sophie asked.

"We're going home, of course. We need to get you fixed as soon as possible. No offense, but you look terrible."

"None taken."

But she couldn't go home yet; she wouldn't leave without Fitz. At the thought, she stood walking, and planted her feet right where she was. "I'm not going."

Elwin turned to her, a disbelieving look on his face. "Why not?"

"Fitz is still in there!" She exclaimed, pointing to the now closed trapdoor. "He stayed in that horrible place, for me, so that I could be freed. Now I'm not leaving until he gets out."

Elwin sighed, thought for a second, and waved Keefe over. The blonde boy came over, a questioning look on his face. Before he could ask why he was called over, Elwin interrupted.

"Tell her."

It was like they had planned this. Keefe nodded, and turned towards Sophie. "The troupes are here for two things. One, to save Fitz, no matter what. The other, to go into the headquarters, and finish the Neverseen. Once and for all."