The Necromancer Trilogy - Black Magic

Chapter Twenty-One - Loose Ends

It took Sophie four hours to reach the Society buildings but she got there. Blue was waiting outside, impatiently.

“Come on, princess,” he hopped from foot to foot. “You need to hurry!”

“Why?” Sophie asked, listlessly. “What’s to hurry for?”

“Your parents are expecting you home from school in three minutes?” Blue suggested.

Sophie jumped. “What?!”

“They remember you again!” Blue grinned. “You have to get home! Now!”

Sophie crowed with laughter. “Yes! Blue, take me home!”

Blue grabbed her arm and they vanished back to the small place where people lived small lives where Sophie had grown up.

Sophie Merith threw open her front door and dashed into the house.

“Mum! I’m home!”

She swung into the kitchen and threw her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly.

“Hello, Soph,” her mother laughed. “Long day?”

“Very long,” Sophie smiled. “Is Dad home today?”

“He’s upstairs. Do you want…?”

But Sophie was already running, throwing open the study door and hugging her dad too.

“Hey, Sophie,” he teased. “Anyone would think you hadn’t seen me in a month.”

“I haven’t!” Sophie grinned.

“Sophie, get down here!” her mum called up the stairs, but cheerfully.

“Coming!” Sophie yelled.

She dashed down the stairs, slipped on the last one and landed untidily on the hall floor.

“Sophie,” her mother said, reprovingly. “Really!”

Sophie laughed. “Sorry!”

“I was only going to offer you a biscuit when you dashed off,” the woman sighed. “What’s got into you today?”

“I can have a biscuit?” Sophie made puppy-dog eyes. “Please?”

“You can, if you come and talk sensibly about baby names.”

“Sure,” Sophie grinned. “I can do that.”

“Good. What do you think of Rebecca?”

“Oh god, no. Definitely not.”

“Josephine?”

“Poor kid.”

“Well, what do you think?”

Sophie laughed. “Tala?”

“Tala?” her mother sniffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, dear. I’m certainly not letting you name the poor thing.”

“What if it’s a boy? Can we call it Turtle?”

“Him, sweetheart, not it. This is going to be your little sibling, you know.”

Sophie smiled. “I know.”

Blue sat outside in the chill air, trying to be pleased for his friend. It was heart-warming, after all. The Night Princess, lady of darkness, hugging her parents and talking about family. It was joyful. But he couldn’t stop the creeping jealousy.

 Blue had had adventures for years. He had fought enemies and broken rules and done things normal children couldn’t dream of. But he would never get a scene like this. He would never get to see his parents again. That wasn’t something the Society would do for him.