Familiar clumsy footsteps stomped up to my home and made me go quiet. The canvas sheet was thrust aside as Soph walked in carrying two steaming bowls.
“Hey, Sam, I brought you dinner…” Sophia’s eyes lit up when she saw me.
Wearing a thin, holey yellow t-shirt depicting a band I’d never heard of and torn jeans, she barged in without a care in the world. Her face was thin from the years of rationing, but she had a hyper energy about her, that even the apocalypse couldn’t get rid of. Her deep sun-kissed skin only accented her sparkling hazel eyes.
Her grin faded slightly as she noticed I wasn’t alone. She gave the doctor a once over. “Who’s your friend, Sam?” she asked, brushing her walnut locks out of her face to smirk at me.
“Heya, Soph, this is—“
“Dr. Jessica Bell,” she said, holding out her hand. “And you are?”
“Sophia,” she said brusquely, kneeling to set the two bowls on the floor.
Jessica paused, flicked through a page or so from her clipboard, and looked back up to Soph. “Sophia Hale?”
Soph nodded.
“Ah, well, that makes my job a little easier. I needed to speak with you.”
“You offering her the same thing?” I interrupted.
“I am,” she said to me before turning back to Soph. “Now, Ms. Hale, I–“
“Don’t care, I’m in.”
I looked up, shocked. “Just like that?”
She shrugged. “Yep.”
“Well, that makes my job a lot easier,” Jessica said, tucking her clipboard under her arm. “Be at the front gate first thing in the morning.”
With that, she departed, and as soon as the flap closed back, Soph hopped down next to me. She handed me a bowl and scooted close to me on the bed before stealing half my blanket from me.
“Hey,” I protested.
Soph pressed herself against me. Her chest squished against my arm as she arranged herself comfortably next to me. “Shut up and eat,” she told me with a laugh.
My screaming belly delighted in the salty broth that did little for my hunger but warmed me up nicely. The bowl was empty too soon, leaving me sleepy. I sat the bowl inside Soph’s empty one and leaned back.
Soph took the opportunity to cuddle next to me. “Now that we’ve got food, what the hell did I just agree to?”
I shrugged. “No idea. She wouldn’t tell me anything. All I know is that we’re leaving this damned camp. Speaking of, why did you agree so fast?”
“Because. You’re not getting away from me that easy,” Soph said, leaning over to kiss me.
Her lips were full and soft on mine, and I responded to the kiss before I could tell myself not to. Her kisses tasted of chicken broth and desire, and Soph pulled me into her, wrapping her hand around my neck. She slid her tongue into my mouth as her kisses grew hungrier, and it was at that point that I pulled away. I can’t.
“Soph…”
She sighed and eased up but didn’t let go of me. Instead, she pressed her forehead to mine and nuzzled against my nose. “I know, Sam. I know,” she said, curling up into my shoulder.
Her rhythmic breathing brushed hot across my neck, and her body heat took the chill from the air. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close. “I’m sorry, Soph.”
“I know. I don’t fault you for it. I’m just hoping you’ll let me in one of these days.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
Sophia’s breathing deepened as she drifted off to sleep in my arms, curling toward me automatically.
A rough shove snapped me out of my dream and brought me back to reality. Alistair stood over me, shaking me with one hand while working a spell with the other. “C’mon sleeping beauty, get the fuck up already,” he said with one final jerk.
The problem with nightmares is that they linger; when you jolt out of slumber, they leave you stunned and confused until reality sets in, and you can calm your racing heart. I stood and ran my fingers over my scalp, the inflamed, broken skin oozed, and a knot the size of an egg was already forming.
The pain from my forehead, along with trying to shake off my old memories, put me in a dire position in the middle of a fight. I stumbled to my feet, my health bar flashing red, warning me that I was close to death. Yeah, like I don’t know that. Need a health potion. I was a second away from pulling one out of my inventory when I realized how bad an idea that would be. I’ll be too sluggish after. Can’t risk it in the middle of battle. Though I also didn’t want to waste Divine Heal.
Gil and Levi were holding the dragon at bay. It had stopped throwing lightning and was trying to slice them in half with its claws. Levi’s greatshield was thick enough to withstand even the dragon’s onslaught, but they could only hold out for so much longer.
I hobbled over to Alistair, who’d cast his spell and was working on another. His hands held in front of him, fingers splayed as he recited a guttural chant. Two intricate halves of a pentagram formed in his hands. As Alistair wove the spell, the diagram grew more detailed and glowed with intense light before settling on burnt orange and melding into one whole Script Circle.
With a thump of pressure, hundreds of small burning dots appeared through the storm clouds. Tiny, razor-sharp shards of molten metal descended on the dragon and scored numerous lacerations across its tough hide. The effects of Meteor Rain were severe, and it bled from dozens of cuts and puncture wounds, Alistair’s spell distracted the dragon enough to let me run over
