Sticks and Stones

Chapter Thirty-Seven

After weeks of thought, it occurred to Sofia where Caspian would've made home.

Outside of Lady Sara's chateau in Veneficus, he'd told her that he'd someday like to retire to a woodsy area with a river or something of the sort nearby. As luck would have it, King Claudio's castle was surrounded by miles of forest with a river running right through it. Realising this, it was just a case of following the dirt track to the first house she saw. One look at the outside and she knew she was in the right place. It had Caspian written all over it.

The house was mostly glass, big and open, with a jeep-like vehicle parked out front. Perfect for offroad travel. The river ran directly behind the house, passing through the garden with a shield of trees creating a sense of privacy.

What was more telling was the woman currently letting herself out of the house.

Of course, Sofia had to face up to the possibility that Caspian had possibly been with other women in the three or four years they'd been apart. Especially if he could no longer feel anything for her under this spell he had put on him. Still, there was no stopping the prickle of jealousy that ran across her skin.

This woman was decidedly beautiful with long chestnut hair and warpaint splattered across her face that highlighted her otherworldly features. As for the rest of her, she was a total knockout. Sofia wouldn't have pulled off the tiny metal skirt and breastplate. And those gladiator sandals would give her blisters in no time.

She suddenly felt self-conscious in her army cargos and plain black shirt.

"Am I in the right place to find Captain Caspian?"

The woman looked Sofia up and down, assessing her. Eyeing her up for threats? She was just a little bit insulted that the woman didn't seem to find one.

"You are," The knockout woman answered. "Though why anyone would consciously go out of their way to find him beats me."

So they weren't lovers. That made her feel marginally better.

"I need to talk to him. Is he in?"

"He is. But there's no saying for how much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"He's preparing for war."

He'd probably been in no end of dangerous situations since she saw him last. Still, knowing about it made her uneasy.

"I... I see."

"Who are you? I know all of Caspian's friends. I've never seen you before."

The clothes were a giveaway. The power this woman radiated was a giveaway. With some logic, Sofia figured out who this woman was. "You're Fallon?"

"That's right."

The moral Amazon was standing right in front of her.

"I'm Sofia." The name clearly didn't ring any bells. Though why would it? Caspian would sooner die than talk about her. "You might have heard of my brother- Emilio?"

"Nazreen's new flame?"

Tough pill to swallow. My brother's such a fucking hypocrite.

"Seemingly so."

"If you've come here to mess with him, now's not a good time. I know he's your brother's sworn enemy and—"

"I'm not here to mess with him." Emilio would just have to deal with this one. "I just want to talk."

"You'd best make it quick. He could get the call any minute now."

The call for war.

Don't think about it.