Chapter 729: The Blood Remembers
Chapter 728: The Blood Remembers
Sophia hesitated for only a moment.
Then she reached out and took Josiah’s left hand in hers. His skin was rough, calloused from years of work, and warm to the touch. He did not pull away. He did not even seem to notice at first. His gaze remained fixed on some point beyond the cell wall as he muttered to himself.
Then Sophia pressed the edge of the dagger against his palm.
Josiah flinched.
His head snapped toward her, his eyes widening with sudden awareness. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice sharp. "What are you doing with that?"
"Hold still," Sophia said softly. "This will only take a moment."
"I don’t—"
"Hold still," Sophia growled.
Josiah fell silent at the command.
Sophia made a small cut across his palm. Not deep enough to cause lasting damage, but deep enough that blood welled up immediately, dark and glistening in the light. Josiah hissed through his teeth but did not move as the blood pooled in the crease of his palm.
*Now touch it,* Neoma instructed. *Use your fingers. You need to feel it, not just see it.*
Sophia released the dagger. She quickly cleaned it off on Josiah’s clothes and put it back in its place.
Then she reached out and pressed her fingertips into the blood. It was warm and slick, and for a moment, nothing happened. It was just blood. Just the same thing that flowed through every living creature.
*Now you’re going to draw a circle in his place with the blood.*
Sophia followed Neoma’s direction, and then she began to draw.
The first line curved upward, arcing toward Josiah’s wrist. The second crossed it. The third completed a shape that Sophia did not recognize. The symbol was small, no larger than her palm, drawn entirely in Josiah’s blood.
*Now place your hand over it,* Neoma said. *And close your eyes.*
Sophia did as she was told. She pressed her palm against the symbol, feeling the wetness of the blood against her skin. Then she closed her eyes and waited.
*You must be calm,* Neoma said. *Let go of all your thoughts, Sophia. Empty your mind. Let everything go. Listen only to my voice and feel our connection.*
Sophia took a deep breath and did as she was told.
It wasn’t difficult, because she had done it numerous times as a child.
*Now follow the feeling. Do not search for it. Do not try to force it. Just let it come to you. If there is something there, you will know. We will feel it.*
Minutes passed.
The dungeon was silent except for the soft crackle of the torches and Josiah’s occasional muttering. His words were fragmented now, pieces of sentences that did not quite connect. "Fiona... told me... she said... have to save them..."
Sophia kept her hand pressed against the symbol. Her breathing had slowed to something almost meditative. Her mind had quieted.
The minutes stretched. Orion did not move from where he stood, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Sophia.
Josiah kept muttering for a while, then suddenly stopped.
His mouth closed. And his eyes, which had been distant and unfocused, sharpened. He stared at Sophia’s face with an intensity that had not been there before.
Orion tensed, but Noctis spoke immediately.
*Do not move. Not yet. Do not be hasty.*
Orion forced himself to stay still.
More minutes passed.
Then Sophia’s eyes opened.
They were not their usual color. The blue had brightened, almost glowing in the dim light of the dungeon. She stared at nothing for a moment, her gaze unfocused, and then she leaned back, her hand slipping from Josiah’s palm.
Her body swayed, and then her shoulders slumped, her head dropping backward.
Orion moved immediately. He caught her just as her body went slack. For a terrible moment, he thought she had stopped breathing.
But her chest rose and fell against his. She groaned weakly, her eyelids fluttering. When they opened again, the blue had faded back to normal. She blinked up at him, confused for a moment, and then awareness returned to her eyes.
"What did you do to me?" Josiah demanded.
His voice was loud in the quiet cell, edged with something that sounded almost like fear. He was staring at Sophia, eyes wide.
"What did you do?" he asked again. "Who are you? What did you do to me?"
Sophia did not answer him. She kept her gaze fixed on Orion, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He has traces of black magic used on him," she said. "Just like me."
Then she added softly, "Madam Tyler may have more work to do after all."
Immediately after that, her eyes closed, and her body went limp in his arms.
Orion held her for a moment, adjusting his grip, lifting her carefully, and walked out of the cell.
The iron bars groaned as he stepped through. Brynhild tilted her head, listening to the sound of his footsteps.
"What happened?" Ronan asked.
Orion looked down at Sophia’s face. She slept peacefully. He suspected she had pushed herself too far, used an ability she did not fully understand, and her body had shut down to protect itself, which was why she was currently asleep.
"She pushed herself too far, I think," Orion said.
"What Sophia did... she told you it was to see if Josiah had any traces of black magic, right?" Annabeth asked him.
"Yes," Orion said. "And he does. It seems Victoria did something to him to make him reluctant to accept the truth and convince himself that whatever he said was the truth."
"But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a traitor though," Annabeth said, her voice holding a tinge of sadness.
"No, it doesn’t. And we also aren’t certain in what way the black magic was used; all we have is speculation," he said.
"We need Madam Tyler’s help, don’t we?" Brynhild asked.
"Yes," he said. Then he looked down at Sophia, safely asleep in his arms. "I’ll take her home and make sure she is comfortable, but Brynhild, make sure the guards stationed tonight are vigilant."
Brynhild nodded.
