SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

Chapter 3 Right Here

If Japeth remembered correctly, Rhian had left their mother's dress folded up in a bag. The dress had moved on its own which was odd because it'd been dormant ever since Japeth had gone to the Garden of Good and Evil and learned his father was Rafal. So why had the dress moved now?

Japeth eyed the dress closely, searching for any signs his mother's spirit might've left for him. But there was nothing and the dress was as still as death.

Than, Japeth peered closer at the dress and found a crumpled piece of paper lying beside the fallen log. He picked it up and spread it out to see it was a page from Sophie and Agatha's storybook.

An illustration of Rafal clutching Sophie close as Evelyn shattered into a thousand red butterflies stared back at Japeth. Japeth was confused. Why had his mother's dress wanted him to find this page?

As Japeth studied the illustration of his mother's death, the fluttering sound of wings drew his attention upwards. The white dress had transformed, shrinking smaller and smaller before a dash of color filled a pair of wings. The butterfly glided silently to the page and floated down, right on top of the image of Sophie.

Japeth saw that a single word had been smudged. Beneath the painting was a paragraph but this one word was different from the rest. Weakness, it read.

Was the dress trying to tell Japeth that Sophie would be a loose end to him and Rhian's plans? Or was the dress trying to say that Japeth needed to find Sophie's weakness?

Japeth chose the latter. But how? He'd already read every inch of Sophie and Agatha's storybook and it was obvious that Sophie weakness was being blindsided by men. But what if there was something else? Another secret weakness Sophie had that Japeth needed to know?

If Japeth was going to find any answers, he knew where he needed to go. Sophie had become the dean of evil after Rafal's death, so she'd spent much of her time at the School for Evil. More specifically, Sophie had to have a dean's office somewhere, or some place she kept busy—That was where Japeth would hopefully find Sophie's weakness.

Japeth set off without a beat, hurrying on away from camp. Part of him was filled with anticipation to search the School for Evil. Once, the School for Evil had been the School for Boys. The same School for Boys where Aric had resided in when he left Arbed. Perhaps, Japeth wouldn't just find answers regarding Sophie. He'd also get a look at the place his best friend had once been in.

Japeth didn't care if his brother came back to camp to find him gone. He cared about hurrying along, faster and faster. His thighs burned by the time he glimpsed a spiked gate beyond the trees.

Japeth was probably miles upon miles away from Sherwood Forest, and his lungs screamed for air, but he was on a mission. It was his determination that'd gotten him this far, and he wasn't going to turn back now.

So Japeth stared at the sign on the gate that read, Trespassers will be Killed. He scoffed, Unafraid, and moved to push open the gate. But it wouldn't budge.

Sudden hissing filled the night air and Japeth watched as a dozen Spiricks emerged from the darkness of the night, their fangs deadly sharp as they set their malicious gazes on Japeth standing there.

As if awoken from a slumber, Japeth's Scims arose from his body and Scims and Spiricks glared at each other in a standoff that had Japeth certain of who had the advantage.

The Spiricks suddenly looked wary at the number of Japeth's Scims and reluctantly, they drew back. Triumphant, Japeth moved to open the gates again and there was an electric buzz in the air like the gates recognized something in Japeth's blood. Slowly, without a sound, the gates before him parted and Japeth walked through them.