after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 75-Sophie

His face lit up in a slow smile. "Well done indeed, young Foster."

To her surprise, he turned on his heel, and called, "Come."

Sophie exchanged uneasy glances with her friends. Marella shrugged faintly and followed her former mentor and the man she had just tried to kill (though Sophie now didn't blame her). Maruca pressed a hand on Sophie's back, nudging her forward, and they were followed closely by a jittery Biana.

They trudged silently through the jungle-like woods. Despite their own silence, the air was filled with its own noise, both eerie and peaceful. Buzzing insects, squawks from unsuspecting birds when they accidentally disturbed their nests, and the far off gurgling of water. The air was humid and sweat dripped down her back. Sophie could barely hear the ocean now, though, even when they'd stood right next to it the waves hadn't crashed as they did back at the Havenfield cliffs.

They all, minus Fintan, seemed reluctant to leave any disturbance in this jumbled forest. Each held the branches for each other when they stood in their paths, and gently eased it back in place. They stepped as gently and quietly as possible, though Sophie hadn't found any other elves, gnomes, or other life forms besides animals up ahead.

Despite her reluctance to make any unnecessary noise, Sophie also didn't want to enter Fintan's mind. Every time she did, she left feeling unpleasantly warm and groggy, and she always felt as if she needed a long, cold shower.

"Where are you taking us?" She asked, still loathe to speak loudly. Fintan craned his neck up, watching a bright colored bird the size of Silveny fly through the canopy of tree branches above them.

He wiped his forehead, hand coming away dripping with sweat, to Sophie's satisfaction. His hair also hung in stringy, sweaty clumps around his neck, dirty and greasy.

"Just a bit further," he puffed, blowing out a loud, long breath.

They all shushed him.

He frowned. "If you're worried about the oversized parrots, if they try to attack I can easily fend them off. I have before. They're quite delicious. Roasted that is. Once I charred it, and the feathers were quite difficult to pluck when the skin wasn't—"

"Okay," Sophie said, cutting him off.

The other girls gagged. It didn't gross out Sophie, since she had grown up eating meat, but she didn't want to hear about his cooking endeavors, especially when it came to eating large parrots.

Alicorn sized parrots.

"We aren't here to disturb anything," Sophie said, voice low. "If we can avoid disturbing them, they won't attack us." Her tone of voice brooked no argument.

Shrugging, he lowered his voice as he spoke. "Pity. I was looking forward to dinner."

"I thought elves were vegetarian," Sophie said.

"And some choose not to conform to social norms."

Sophie arched an eyebrow at him. "So you ate meat because it disgusted other people?"

"Precisely. And then I discovered it was delicious. You really should try it."

"I grew up in the Forbidden Cities, idiot," she muttered. "I ate meat for twelve years."

Fintan smiled. "Ah, girl of good taste."

Sophie threw him an unimpressed look.

"Woman?" He tried. "Renowned leader?"

"Sucking up to her won't work," Biana called. "She hates you too much to be prone to flattery."

Sophie gave him a cold smile at Biana's words. "Lead on, noble guide."