Sophie

Who could be coming all the way out here at this hour?

Slowly, I pull away from my mother’s side and head through the living area, back into the kitchen where our front door is.

It isn’t exactly unheard of for one of the townspeople to come wandering through the woods, looking for my mother’s expertise, though typically they usually do so when the sun is still high in the sky and not just about to pass under the horizon.

While the woods here aren’t exactly dangerous, they are dense and hard to navigate. Getting to our little cottage is a trek,and not for the faint of heart, at least in my opinion. What’s strange is that most people in town know of my mother’s fragile state, and have since stopped coming by looking for her.

But all those thoughts flee as upon opening the door, my heart sinks at the person—or rather the uniform—on the other side of it.

A man with his hood drawn over his head, pulled low to conceal most of his face, stands with his shoulders rolled back and a hand on the hilt of a sword that isn’t yet drawn. The fabric of the cape that’s tied around his neck has been tucked to one side, giving me a glimpse of the details of his armor and the valiant crest that’s been smithed into it.

One of the Emperor’s soldiers.

Shit.

“I’ve come in search of someone,” he says, before I can even get out a greeting. “The mad mage, Maud Helphen.”

My eye twitches at the moniker, mostly because it’s not at all accurate. Sure, sometimes my mother’s methods are rather. . . questionable. But that doesn’t make her mad, and that certainly doesn’t make her any less of an incredible witch. Least of all one to deserve such an annoying nickname while spending the better part of three decades creating an actual name for herself.

“Sorry, I’m not sure I know who you’re talking about.” I keep my tone sweet, innocent in that girlish way I’ve come to know most soldiers seem to not be able to help flounder at.

It’s a bit of a dirty trick, using my fairer assets to my advantage. However, a strange man showing up at my door at this late of an hour is both strange and unsettling. With no actual defensive magic under my belt, and my mother too sick to use hers, we’re sitting ducks if he decides to draw that sword of his.

“I know she’s here.” His voice flattens.

“Then why bother asking? Surely you brutes are used to forcing your way into places you're not welcomed.” The dig is personal, maybe a little too much so considering our lands were one of the last that have been captured under the Emperor’s ever-growing seize.

I watch as his lips press into a thin line, satisfaction settling in my gut.

He lets out a cursory sigh, reaching up to flip his hood off of his head. “Let me in.”

I’m about to say ‘or else what?’ when the words die right on my tongue. Tawny, hazel eyes are what catch my attention first—focused on me in an intense way that has a shiver rolling down my spine. His tousled hair is dark, almost a midnight black, complimenting his deep tan. He has a strong jaw and high cheekbones, that are fanned by his long, thick lashes, as sooty black as his hair.

His brows are pulled together in a harsh frown. He’s clearly annoyed that I’m still standing in the doorway, and not letting him push me aside to step into the cottage.

“The mad mage is being summoned to the palace,” he says after my continued stunned silence. “I must speak to her at once.”

His words snap me out of my trance. “She isn’t available.”

He grunts. “Where is she?”

Not only would it be dangerous to let this man in, but if he were to somehow convince my mother to come with him to the palace—to stand at the Emperor’s throne and bear the responsibility of his request—she’s as good as gone.

I’ll never see her again. Not when no witch before her has ever survived the task befallen to them. My mother’s skills are vast, as is her knowledge, but the unfortunate truth is that her illness has sapped any remaining energy she could’ve used to create such spells in the first place, let alone one capable of curing the princess of whatever mysterious illness she’s suffering from.

My mother’s well of magic back then was a deep, vast reservoir that seemed incapable of ever drying up, no matter how difficult or complicated the conjure placed before her. I used to think she could even raise the dead, if given the chance, or stopped the sun from ever setting, should the occasion arise.

Travelers from every corner of the nation used to come seeking her guidance, and beg for her tutelage. They’d come face-to-face with their own short-comings, and walk away better for it.

In those days, there had always been the faint buzz of magic lingering in the air, tickling the tip of my tongue as I tasted it.

Now I can barely sense her presence at all ringing in the back of my head.

How could she ever be able to take on the monumental task of saving the Emperor’s sister? If she even exists at all. Some say the Emperor has merely been using that as an excuse to wipe out any that he believes are capable of rising against him, that could stand even an iota of a chance in stopping him from continuing his conquest across the lands.

What’s to say that isn’t the real truth of why every powerful witch and mage is being rounded up?

“Like I said, she’s—” I’m cut off by a voice behind me.

“Oh! You’re here.”

“Maud Helphen, I presume?” the soldier asks, doing his best to push his way through beyond the threshold of the cottage. I hold steady, using my body as a practical shield.

Whipping around, I’m about to hiss at my mother through my teeth to go back into the living area and sit when she waves her hand to the man. “Yes, yes. Do come in. Sophie, would you grab him some tea? He must have had a long journey.”

I’m stunned.

She can’t be serious?

In my stupor, the soldier is able to push past me, making his way into the kitchen. His boots thump deeply against the worn floors while his body folds slightly, accounting for his tall height and our short ceilings while he navigates his way over to my mother.

“I hope you didn’t run into too much trouble on your way here.” She smiles at him. “You’ve traveled quite a bit”

The man seems taken aback, hesitant in the way he answers. “Yes. . . I have.”

“By yourself?” she prompts.

He hesitates again, eyes flitting between her and I twice before answering. “Yes.”

“My, my,” she murmurs. “Sophie, why don’t you set up a cot for him, then? There’s no sense in traveling so late at night after such a lengthy trip.”

I almost choke on my own spit. What?

“Mother, you can’t— he’s a stranger.” But it’s no use, she’s already motioning for him to join her in the living area, two candles clutched in her hands that she’ll most likely use to help light the other ones we have scattered around the room.

This is unbelievable.

“And your name?” I hear her asking.

“Dex,” he answers, after a moment’s pause.

My teeth grind together.

Maud Helphen is no fool—far from it, actually. For her to go out of her way to invite him in and show him some hospitality means she’s planning something—which has my stomach turning. If she intends to agree on answering the summons and going to the palace, how am I going to stop her?

I’d have better luck chaining the door and refusing to give her the key.

But what’s to stop the Emperor’s soldier from threatening us and whisking away my mother in the middle of the night?

My head feels like it’s spinning.

I can’t handle this. Of all times for a soldier to find us. . . how in the world did he hear of us being all the way out here, anyway? I could hardly believe someone in the town next to us telling him. Not many people, magically inclined or otherwise, have much trust in the Emperor and his imperial messengers.

Not when the risk of death is so high.

While my mother’s magic has all but vanished, her knowledge is still irreplaceable, as is mine. We can still make homeopathic items and the sort. What good would it do to rat us out to a wandering soldier on the off-chance he decides to apprehend the only healer within a three day’s walk?

Rubbing my face, I let out a long sigh.

Perhaps if he realizes we’ll be of no use to the Emperor, he’ll soon leave and move on to the next mage he’s heard of.

My mother can’t be the only one on his list.

Dragging my feet, I head upstairs to grab some bedding and an old mat for him to use for the night. Maybe a poor night’s rest on the floor will convince him to leave before the morning sun rises.