Swan Song

Chapter Thirty Two

Okay! You all want to kill me now! As you should! I know that a lot of the time I'll apologize for a cliffhanger and then say "but not really," but that's not true this time- I am genuinely so mad at myself for killing Sandor! I had also considered Grady, Edaline, and Mr. Forkle before deciding on Sandor, so... at least the three of them are surviving this fanfiction? I'm so sorry!

Crowd- Finally! They all hate you!

Me- As they should.

Crowd- Wait... I still hate you the most, right?

Me- Of course! No one can ever hate me more than you do! Wylie from my react fic over on Fanfiction.net does come close, though.

Okay, enjoy! No one dies in this chapter, which is an improvement!

Edaline squeezed Sophie's shoulders as the ground rumbled. "Remember Twinkle?" she asked softly.

Sophie nodded, unable to reply verbally. She definitely remembered the titanoboa, otherwise known as the Snake Carriage Of Doom ™, from Brielle's aurification. It didn't feel real that they were now going through the same process, but for Sandor. Every second, it felt like he was about to explain goblin culture or lecture her about safety or tease her about boys... and then she remembered... and then it hurt all over again.

She couldn't even bring herself to be scared of the titanoboa with the highly misleading name as she stepped into the carriage. Counting the seconds as they traveled as supersonic speeds- 542- was her only distraction from the feeling that Sandor should be there protecting her and the knowledge that he couldn't be. With shaking legs, she stepped out of the Snake Carriage Of Doom ™. Gildingham probably would have been beautiful- the perfect architecture, the rolling hills and the lake, the gold everywhere- but honestly, she didn't care. The only time she had ever been there before, Sandor had been there too, acting like a giant gobliny tour guide. Her photographic memory remembered everything he had told her- but even so, it didn't feel right.

Nothing felt right anymore. Keefe was gone, Sandor was gone, and their latest encounter had proved that they were never really safe from the Neverseen.

It had only been a few hours since the fight with the Neverseen. True to their word, for once, Lady Gisela and her allies left once Keefe agreed to come with them. All of the arrangements had been made quickly, and it was only just past noon when Sophie and her parents arrived at Gildingham.

Her reunion with Grady and Edaline had been bittersweet. One of Sophie's friends- she wasn't quite sure who- had managed to hail all of the parents and tell them what happened, along with the fact that they were safe now. Her parents quickly arrived at Candleshade, and all Sophie could do was cry as they hugged her and whispered how thankful they were that she had survived. Soon, though, she had to ruin the moment by telling them about Sandor.

Sophie wasn't sure what was to blame for her inability to walk properly- her general clumsiness, or her shaking legs. Grady wrapped an arm around her, keeping her steady. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

Tears rose to Sophie's eyes and she blinked them back. "I miss him," she choked.

"I know," Grady said quietly. "He was a really amazing bodyguard. And a really amazing goblin in general." Sophie nodded. "If I could make this easier for you, Sophie, I would."

"I know, Dad," Sophie whispered.

Grady gave her a sort of awkward, one armed hug, which was difficult to do while walking. "And I'm really sorry about That B- about Keefe. He may be- there aren't really words in the enlightened language that can properly describe that boy, but no matter how aggravating or reckless or irresponsible or- I'll stop- he can be, he definitely doesn't deserve to be kidnapped by the Neverseen again. And I know that, despite his flaws, you really care about him a lot. And maybe- maybe- I tolerate him a little bit."