Enchant Me (A Sofia and Hugo Love Story/Sofia the First Spinoff)

Chapter Twenty: Frozen

~Sofia~

       I sit on my knees, cupping Amber and James' heads in my lap. The sobs coming from me are echoing loudly through the empty forest because at the moment, my heart feels as though it's been shattered into a million tiny fragments. Clio killed so many people close to us, I still don't know where my daughter is, and all I feel is helplessness. 

       I'm sick of it.

       Hugo holds Clio's hands behind her back as he presses her torso against a tree, trying to detain her. I can't help but draw my attention back to my hands, which are soaked in the blood of my siblings. My dead siblings. My murdered siblings. The memories we've shared play on a loop, flashing past one another in my mind.

       All of a sudden, I hear laughter erupting from Clio's mouth. Her jovial attitude makes my blood boil.

       "You've always been so foolish, Sofia," Clio utters. I can't stop the scowl on my face from forming. Hugo pushes her even harder against the tree, causing her to let out a slight gasp of air. "But don't you worry. This part of the ritual was a blood sacrifice meant to bring back my coven into existence. James and Amber better come back, or else the shadow witches won't exist any further," she divulges, grinning. The red pigment in her eyes swirls like a vortex, frightening me. I take a step back, but I also feel myself releasing a breath of relief. They're not actually dead. This time, I cry happy tears.

       The moment is brief.

       All of a sudden Clio mutters something that sends Hugo flying in my direction. I dodge him, and watch as he lands in some bushes, letting out an angered grunt.

       I stand in shock. That's. It.

       Grasping onto my amulet, I will nature to work with my magic. The vines I envision eventually come to life, wrapping around Clio's ankles and sending her plummeting into the ground. They start to encompass her body, but she breaks through with a burst of black energy.

       Flames emerge from Clio's hands as she stands tall and extends her arms out to face me. I try to remember Solana's lessons. Fortunately for me, it was raining only moments ago. I draw moisture from the clouds above us as Clio sends her blasts of fire flying towards me. In an instant, I raise a wall of water in front of me, in order to protect myself from Clio's magic. Her fire comes into contact with my water, letting out a hiss as steam forms.

       I know I can only use elemental magic for so long before Clio catches on to my strategy. My only concern is how she can perform this many spells without being drained of energy. I already start to feel my eyelids get heavy. Maybe if I use spirit magic, she can be delayed. I just don't want to overdo it because then she'll die. That will make me a murderer, and I don't want that.

      Clio prepares her next attack, summoning wind into a vortex. I inhale a deep breath and focus on draining her energy. I siphon some life out of body, watching as her hair turn from a shade of brown to grey. But once again, Clio does not fall to the ground. No. She gets up and grins.

      "It didn't take you that long to decide my fate, did it? Fortunately for me, I'm just as powerful. You may use spirit, but I use shadow magic. It's more potent, and much more fun to play with..." she trails on maliciously. I watch as shadows engulf Clio, circling around her body. She starts levitating, allowing the shadow magic to completely reign over her body.

      In a split second, everything goes wrong. Clio lets the black magic emerge from her body and burst out in a beam heading straight towards me. But I feel my body get shoved, and as I am lying on the ground I look at Hugo, whose green eyes stare at mine in calmness. He gets blasted by Clio's spell, making time stop. That spell was meant to harm me. Kill me.

      My heart hangs heavy as I watch Hugo suffer from Clio's black magic. It's overbearing, and dominates him to a point in which he can no longer bear it, letting out sceams of agony. I close my eyes and try to drown out his voice. I must stay focused. The way he looked at me. He knew he was going to die but chose to sacrifice himself... for me.

       Sometimes what we have to do isn't the easiest thing possible. I'm tired both physically and mentally, which is why, I cannot stay focused.

       My body collapses onto the ground, and my knees come into contact with the rough forest terrain. I can't help the tears that stream down my face. I let out quiet sobs and clutch my arms, rubbing up and down from warmth. I feel so cold. So frozen in time. My daughter is missing, my siblings might not come back... and the father of my child, who also happens to be the man I love, is possibly dead.

~

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A/N: I'm too lazy to write an author's note. If you wanna msg me or something, feel free to do so. It's not exactly like I'm busy during quarantine lol...

Chapter 21 will be uploaded next week!

- Lina ;)