Grim-faced guards escorted Sophie to the cells.
“I can walk on my own, you know,” she said, trying to pull her elbows out of their iron grip.
The guards ignored her, marching along on either side as if she was a criminal. The corridors grew narrower, blue paint fading to bare concrete. Sophie shuddered.
One guard rapped on a narrow steel door.
“Merith,” he announced. “Orders of Rutha Peer, Elder of Elementals.”
The door opened and a grey-haired man looked Sophie up and down.
“She’s a bloody child,” he announced. “What the hell has she done?”
Sophie looked at him thoughtfully, not sure whether to hate him for calling her a child or approve of him for questioning Peer.
“Orders of Rutha Peer, Elder of Elementals,” the guard repeated.
“Alright, alright,” the man grumbled. “I’ll take the stupid kid in. Get on with you.”
He yanked her by her sleeve through the door and slammed it in the faces of the guards. Sophie bit her lip, fighting back a laugh at their outraged expressions.
“Right,” the man said, rounding on her. “What’ve you done?”
Sophie blinked. “Um…”
“I mean, I get some pretty evil people in here. But the thing about black magic is, it shows on your face. If you do bad things by magic, it changes you. How you look, how you talk, how you move. And you look like anyone else.”
Sophie stared. “I’m…well…”
“So tell me, little girl,” the man continued, “are you going to blast my head off or can we have a chat and a cup of tea before I put you in a cell?”
“My name is Sophie,” Sophie hesitated. “I’m…part of some Necromancer prophecy. Peer thinks I’m dangerous so he’s locking me up before he can kill me.”
The man’s eyes widened. “You are….her.”
“Yes,” Sophie gestured helplessly. “Sorry.”
“No, no!” the man cried, “This is wonderful! To think my day was looking boring! I’m Oliver. Oliver Perry.”
“A normal name,” Sophie sighed. “At last.”
Perry laughed. “Come and have a cup of tea. You can go to your cell later. Peer is an idiot, don’t you think?”
Slightly overwhelmed, Sophie murmured, “Yes…”
YOU ARE READING
The Necromancer Trilogy: Prophecy
FantasySince the Dark Ages, the world of magic has been carefully concealed from mortal eyes. Yet that careful world is about to be overturned. The Necromancers, a dangerous cult exiled from the magical community, have a prophecy. It tells of the Night Pr...
