Page 15 of The Time Of Queens

Her eyes widened before narrowing in thought.

“But surely if this is explained to…”

My laughter cut her off, the frustration easy to hear when I told her,

“Time Traveling 101, if Draven finds out I’m his Chosen One, he doesn’t let me go. Trust me on this, Sophia, I have been a prisoner twice now by your brother’s hand, and each time I have had to escape him in order to try and get home. So, tell me, do you really think your brother in this time will be any different?”

Now this made her take pause before admitting,

“Perhaps not. Alright, so we agree to keep this from my brother…for now.”

A relieved breath left me, one echoed by Pip, despite the undercurrent of doubt in Sophia’s last few words.

“Now tell me, what is your purpose here?” she asked, making Pip say,

“Oh yes, that’s what I really wanted to know also.”

Sophia’s head snapped around as she asked,

“You mean you don’t know?!”

“Well, not really, no, but I know she needs my help getting home,” Pip offered in a helpful tone.

“Yes, we have established as much, but there must be a reason for Janus bringing her to this time… so, what is it?” she asked me, making me shrug my shoulder before admitting,

“Well, I followed our daughter back in time as it was really her prophecy to…”

The sound of Sophia’s shriek stopped me short.

“Daughter?!”

“Whoa! Did you say daughter?!” Both Sophia and Pip said, making me look to the door and hiss,

“Yes… jeez, keep it down.”

But Sophia didn’t look like she was listening, as she deflated back into a chair, a beaming smile morphing her stunning features into something breathtaking.

“A daughter, my brother will have a daughter… I will have a niece,” she sighed, making me do the same as I couldn’t help but place a hand at her shoulder and say,

“That is not all, for he will also have two sons.”

Her eyes widened even further and before I could say another word, she was up out of the chair and hugging me.

“Then it is true, my brother will finally know happiness.”

I couldn’t help but feel my chest swell as tears pricked my eyes.

“Which is why I must get back to my family.”

She pulled back, holding me by the tops of my arms long enough to say,

“And I will help you, in any way that I can.”

“Thank you, to both of you,” I replied, my heart feeling lighter with the burden of the task ahead.

Just knowing that I was not alone made it easier to breathe. But it meant even more to me when she took my hand in hers and replied,

“You are welcome…”

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