by Sarah Noffke
Sophia was grateful she had made arrangements with Quiet when at the Gullington last. She had a ton to do, but none of it was ready for her yet. The meeting with Saint Valentine was going to fit in perfectly.
Finding it tough to walk with the tight dress and long train, she nearly toppled over when she exited the dressing room. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she almost fainted with disbelief.
She. Was. Absolutely. Breathtaking.
Sophia had never seen herself appear more like an angel than at that moment. The dress by itself was striking, fitting her perfectly, and the magical qualities were definitely at work, enhancing all of her features, making her totally flawless.
Her hair, which had been a wild mess from all of her adventures, was fashioned up high into a lovely bun, a few stray curls falling down beside her face or down her bare back. Her makeup was both striking and understated, and her skin seemed to glow like she had just been in the sun, although she could not remember the last time she had had the luxury of such things. The dress made by the exceptional seamstress was flawless.
“Oh, I do great work!” Hyacinth cheered, clapping her small hands at the sight of Sophia. “Now stand here and I’ll button you up.” She indicated the stage where she did all her measurements.
Sophia agreed with a nod, moving forward and nearly falling on her face. The tight bodice part of the dress didn’t allow for a lot of mobility. When she pulled up the long train, she realized she was wearing nude heels.
Hyacinth grinned when Sophia gave her a questioning expression. “They go with the dress. You really can’t wear combat boots with this exquisite number, now can you?”
Sophia shrugged. “I guess not, but movement is tough.”
The gnome nodded. “I can adjust that after I get you buttoned up.”
She came around behind Sophia and went to work, fastening the many buttons in the back. When she finished the last one, she waved a squatty finger in the air and brandished it at Sophia. Instantly the dress seemed to release her and give the freedom to move without restriction. It was more comfortable than her combat clothing or her pajamas, and the shoes that had been pinching her feet suddenly felt like she was wearing Ugg boots.
Sophia pulled up the dress to make sure she was still wearing the pointy heels. She was.
“Wow, this is amazing,” Sophia said with amazement.
“It’s magic,” Hyacinth explained. “I’m glad to see it works, and everything fits perfectly. You really do look flawless.”
Sophia turned around, admiring her appearance in the mirror. “Thank you. I really don’t know what to say.”
“Well, when you see that guy of yours, you should be wearing this dress and say, ‘I only got this dress so you could take it off.’”
“I’m not saying that,” Sophia disagreed, shaking her head at the gnome.
“You wanted him to fall in love with you for you,” Hyacinth argued. “Men love a good flirt.”
“Well, like you said, I wanted him to fall for me, and I’m not the kind to throw myself at guys. He either likes me for me or not at all.”
The seamstress smiled, nodding proudly. “I have no doubt he will. But right now, you have a date with a saint.”
Chapter One Hundred Twelve
Feeling overdressed for the Scarsdale Tavern, Sophia kept her head down and avoided eye contact from the patrons who gave her curious stares as she strode up to the bar.
Gregory seemed quite pleased with her when he glanced up from the bar. “Very nice, indeed. You’re ready for your appointment.”
“Yes, is the timing okay?” she asked, looking away from several individuals who regarded her like she was a looney who had escaped a mental house.
“Oh, yes,” Gregory answered. “As I’ve said many a time, it’s—”
“Better to be early than late,” Sophia said, finishing his sentence.
“Exactly,” he chirped, waving her around the bar. “Now, just follow me to the back, and I’ll take you to the next room for your appointment.
He paused outside a rickety old door in the back. Holding onto the handle, he turned to Sophia, giving her an apologetic expression. “Now, this isn’t my favorite part of the job, but necessary it is.”
She lowered her chin. “What?”
“Well, you look simply marvelous, which is key to seeing…well, you know.” He lowered his voice.
“What else must I do to see this, person?” she asked. “Is there another hoop you would like me to jump through?”
He laughed. “Oh, no. It isn’t anything like that. I’m going to lead you into the next room, and that’s a waiting area for you.”
“How long do I have to wait?” she asked, sensing a trick.
He held up a single finger. “That’s up to you. You see, to pass into the area where…you know who is located, you have to find your way out of the waiting room.”
“Oh, angels,” she muttered, really wanting to swear properly. “What is this going to involve?”
He turned the handle, opening the door. “Nothing complicated. All you have to do is find the key to where Saint Valentine is.”
Sophia peered into the waiting room, dread filling her. “Oh. Dear. God!”
Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
Thousands of shiny keys winked at Sophia when she looked into the waiting room. She glanced back at Gregory.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she said with a gasp.
He shook his head, an apologetic expression on his face. “I’m afraid I’m not.”
“But there are so many keys,” she argued, looking through the room to the other side where a large, regal door stood importantly.
“To open that door,” he pointed across the room, “you only need to find the right key.”
“Only?” Sophia questioned. “That could take forever.”
Gregory nodded. “Some have perished while attempting the task, but I hope that doesn’t happen to you. Just remember to stay organized in your approach, and hopefully you’ll shave some time off your attempt.”
“Like a few years?” she questioned, looking over the room. Tables and shelves were piled with thousands of keys. There was a huge chest sitting under a desk, and she assumed it was filled to the brim with keys. The desk too. Then she noticed cigar boxes, jewelry boxes, and other totes that had to also contain keys. “Isn’t there another way?” she asked Gregory.
He sighed. “I’m sorry, but the rules are very clear, and you agreed to them when you took this appointment. You even heard the clue for how to bypass this room quicker.”
Sophia lowered her chin, giving him a murderous expression. “I haven’t made the appointment yet according to your timey-wimey thing, remember?”
His face flushed red with embarrassment. “Right. Then you don’t know.”
“And you’re not telling me?” she questioned.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” he apologized. “I already gave you a tip on the dress code, but I’m really not allowed to tell the waiting room information except to the person who makes the appointment.”
“Which was me!” she argued.
He nodded. “I realize that. I’m certain it will not take you long…ish. Just stay organized.”
Before she could argue or object, he pulled the door shut, leaving Sophia alone in the waiting room full of keys.
Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
Glancing down at her gorgeous dress, Sophia laughed. She wasn’t dressed for this task. She wasn’t dressed for anything she had done recently. She was going to have to adapt.
Sophia felt naked without her sword, but Hyacinth had refused to allow her to wear it. She had had to send her sword and other personal effects to the Castle. Now she wished she had the sword so she could tear up the room of keys. It would make her feel marginally better, although not solve the actual problem.
Sophia tried to summon her phone or her sword with no luck. There was a magical ward in the waiting room that prevented
summoning spells, but the one thing that could help her seemed to still be working.
Hey, Lunis said in her head, taking in the view she saw through her eyes.
“Well, you wanted to help, and now you can,” she said, sounding defeated. “I need to find the right key in all this mess for that door.” She pointed her vision at the arched door in front of her.
Hm. Her dragon ruminated on everything he had been shown. I think the key is to keep an open mind.
“Now your jokes are making me want to kill myself.”
All is fair, he teased. This is quite the conundrum.
“Yeah, it could take me forever,” Sophia complained. “And I don’t have forever. I feel more like Cinderella than ever. This dress might evaporate if I don’t hurry.”
It’s a nice dress, Lunis told her, having seen her reflection through her eyes in one of the pictures on the wall.
“What am I going to do? I guess I could try every key in this room, but am I wrong to think that’s the dumbest approach ever?”
It’s what a loser would do, Lunis agreed. You’re better than that.
She slumped as she looked at the table piled high. “Am I? Gregory told me to keep things organized, so apparently he thinks I’ll use the ‘try every key approach.’”
Forget Gregory, Lunis declared. We’re going to figure this out.
Sophia smiled as she realized her dragon needed this. She was glad she invited him to the challenge.
Go take a closer look at the door lock, Lunis urged. I think the key…sorry, the solution to this lies in figuring out what we’re looking for. Then we can rule out anything that doesn’t fit.
Sophia did as she was told, and went over to the door. She peered at the lock so both her and Lunis could see it properly.
Oh, well there you go, he declared matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean, there I go?”
You’re looking for a key that fits in that hole.
“That isn’t as helpful as you think,” she related with a sigh.
If you notice, the key isn’t a modern one, he explained. It’s one of those old-timey ones.
“It’s cute when a dragon describes something as old-timey,” she said with a laugh.
Clear out all the modern keys, he told her with conviction.
She had not heard him be so bold or order her about, so Sophia paid attention. “Okay, but what do I do with those keys?”
Stay organized, like Gregory told you, he insisted. Create a bin. I’m sure the room will allow for it.
“It will not allow for summoning, but we will see.” She attempted to create a large receptacle in the corner by the door where she came through. It was the only empty area in the room, and since she figured she wasn’t going back through that door, she might as well make use of the space.
Nothing showed up when she tried to create a bin.
Just dump the huge chest, Lunis suggested.
Sophia did as she was told, turning her hand over and making all the keys in it spill magically onto the floor. Then she pushed the chest into the corner.
All right, Lunis began. Send all modern keys into that area.
Sophia thought hard about the spell for this. She began muttering and watched as keys flew like little birds trying to find their nest. The number of keys became so great that Sophia had to drop to the floor to avoid being assaulted by all the flying objects. When she lifted back up, the large chest was overflowing with shiny keys that all looked like they had been cut by a modern machine.
“Okay, well, that eliminated a lot,” she said, turning to the room and finding her heart sinking. There were still many more keys lying all over the space.
Well, I’ve got to go, Lunis said. My microwave dinner is calling my attention.
“Lunis,” she said in irritation.
Fine, I’ll let my bean burrito get cold for this, but you owe me, he said, amusement in his voice. We got rid of the modern keys. Now we just need to eliminate others. Go take another look at the lock again.
Sophia did as she was told, peering through the keyhole.
It needs a key with two prongs, like a skeleton key, Lunis crowed, sounding excited.
“Okay, so more elimination,” she stated.
Yeah, that should narrow it down some more.
“Where am I going to put them?” she asked, looking around the room and trying to figure out how to stay organized.
Just pile them in the corner with the modern keys, he suggested.
Sophia nodded and tried another spell. This time she had to drop to the floor to avoid getting pummeled by little metal objects flying at her. She worried her dress had gotten messed up, but when she rose, it seemed in fine condition. She shrugged it off and noticed the exit out of the room was now fully obstructed by keys.
“Let’s hope I don’t have to go out that door again,” she said to Lunis before turning around. Lying on the desk in front of her were only two keys. The entire room was empty, to her surprise. She could not believe it. There were only two skeleton keys left.
“This will be easy,” Sophia stated, about to reach for one of the keys.
Wait, Lunis urged.
Sophia halted. “What is it?”
Well, I don’t know this for a fact, but it seems to me that if you have two options and you choose the wrong one, there could be repercussions.
She shook her head. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Me either, he agreed. I think you have to carefully consider your options. You can’t choose blindly. You have to think this through and pick the right key the first time.
Sophia ran her eyes over the two keys. “But how do I know which one is the right one?” she asked her dragon.
That I can’t answer for you, Soph. Honestly, I’m sorry to say this, but at this stage of the game, I think you’re on your own.
“Why?” she said, feeling close to tears, which would ruin her perfect makeup.
Sophia, you’re there because you want to help a guy who is in love with you. As much as I’m a part of you, I can’t fully relate. I think you have to look at those keys and pick the one which will unlock the answer to your problems. You’re the only one who can do that.
She rubbed her lips together, considering her dragon’s words. They made sense, and yet, she didn’t even know how to go about fixing this puzzle.
I’m here, Sophia, Lunis said, offering a last bit of encouragement before going quiet in her head.
“Thanks,” Sophia said to her dragon, looking at both of the keys.
She trusted Lunis. If he was right, she had to pick the key that unlocked the solution to her problems. This made her consider what she faced—her actual problem.
Wilder had been hit with Cupid’s arrow, and now he was crazy in love with her. Hiker was pissed and there was tension in the Castle. But to Sophia, none of that was what she wanted to fix.
Sophia had to pick the key that made everything right with Wilder. Not make it so he didn’t love her, but rather so he loved her for the right reasons. She didn’t care if Hiker accepted them. She wanted to get to the point where she didn’t care what he thought. Then there was Ainsley. Sophia knew giving the housekeeper her memory and her health back would ultimately lead to her leaving the Gullington, but if it was what made Ainsley happy, that was what she wanted for her friend.
She closed her eyes, meditating on these thoughts and realizing that she was actually there to see Saint Valentine for many different reasons than what originally drew her.
When Sophia opened her eyes, to her amazement, one of the two keys was glowing on the desk. She could hardly believe it, but that was how life worked when she trusted it.
With an excited hand, she reached out and took the glowing key, almost expecting it to burn her fingers. It didn’t.
When she stuck it into the lock, she expected everything to be reset in the room and all the keys to fly back into place, creating another puzzle for her to continue to solve until she grew old try
ing.
However, the key turned in the lock with a gentle click, opening the door to Saint Valentine.
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
It wasn’t that Sophia expected to be greeted by a glowing room filled with roses and orchestral music when she pulled back the door dressed as a princess. It would have been nice. What she found was exactly the opposite of what she had expected.
When she pulled back the magical door, she was faced with a dark staircase that led down into a chasm of the unknown. Wafting up from the cold darkness were strange smells and eerie harp music.
Sophia considered shutting the door and retreating back into the pub for an ale or three. Then she resigned her frustration, hiked up her dress, and made the trek down the rickety staircase to an unknown location.
Once she was about a dozen stairs down, the light from the room above disappeared and she had to rely on magic to light the way. Immediately she wished she had stayed in the dark because climbing on the walls all around her were dozens of spiders. Their webs covered the wall so thickly it was hard to see the surface. The spiders were huge, about the size of Sophia’s palm.
She would have shrunk back, but that would only send her into another set of webs. She considered ignorance was bliss. At least when she was in the dark, she didn’t know there were creepy crawly things all around her.
Sophia didn’t know why she had had to dress up in her finest attire to descend into a dark basement with huge spiders, but she hoped Saint Valentine had some champagne and had brushed his teeth because the first thing she was going to do was take a drink and punch that guy right in the kisser.
She was about to laugh at her own joke when a low cooing sound made her catch her breath. Sophia halted. Squinting into the darkness.
Then the noise came again. It wasn’t cooing like that of a dove, she realized. It was an “oohing” sound. Like ghosts make.