Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian

Chapter 31

Sophie hadn't realized that time was passing until Ro said, "Wow... Blondie..."

Silence hung in the air as Sophie realized that everyone could move again. It felt free and strange to be in control of her limbs and legs. 

She needed something to say, but she didn't know what to do.

Her thoughts and emotions were swirling around in a mess.

"What's the matter, Blondie?" Ro asked. "We finally defeated Lady Creeptastic."

As Sophie turned toward Ro, the ogre princess looked... uncertain. As if she was trying to make herself feel better as much as she was trying to comfort Sophie.

"Keefe," Sophie whispered. The name made tears spring to her eyes, and Sophie could see them in Ro's as well, no matter how much they both wanted to hide them.

"I- I know." Ro swallowed and threw her arms around Sophie, who was surprised and grateful.

But the embrace didn't remove the ice in her heart that made it difficult to remember that she was still present. And she still had a lot to do.

Ro stepped away abruptly from the embrace and launched a volley of daggers at the ground.

Sophie realized what Ro was aiming for and averted her eyes.

"My revenge," Ro said darkly. With a lunge, she snatched back all her daggers from Lady Gisela's corpse. And viciously launched them down again.

Everyone winced and turned away with a shudder.

"Ro," Elysian said, stepping closer and placing a hand tenderly on Ro's arm to stop her from throwing again. "I understand your frustration."

"Well, you don't," Ro snapped. Her voice was thick with rage and anguish. "This woman ruined my life. And is the reason Hun- Keefe is gone."

Lord Hunkyhair. 

How long ago had that been? 

When Ro and Keefe were messing around. With all the jokes and bets.

"I know. And I share your grief and anger," Elysian said. "But doing this-" she gestured down vaguely. "It's not going to help anything."

Sophie didn't want to look where Elysian was pointing.

"In a way, it's my fault," Elysian murmured with her hands pressed against her face. "I tried to talk him out of it. But he was driven... driven by desperation, anger, fear... it was just too much... too much for even a person like Keefe Sencen to handle."

"It was my fault, too," Sophie said. "I chose-"

"Either way, he would have died," Elysian said. "Even if you hadn't chosen what you did, he would have died. Just in a different way."

So there wasn't anything she could have changed...

But she should have been smarter, right?

"He chose... death?" Tam asked. "He chose the darkness?"

Elysian wiped a tear away. "Yes. You saw how the energy and power I sent to him just started crumbling away. Crumbling into shadows."

Sophie shuddered as she tried to visualize it. 

"Are you okay now?" Linh asked. "Giving away the power source didn't do anything to you, did it?"

Elysian suddenly clutched her head in pain. 

As Linh and Tam quickly rushed to support her, she said through clenched teeth, "It's the circlet."

"I can help with that," Dex said timidly. "And I'm still very sorry about all this."