Sophia and I waited for what felt like hours, in reality, it probably couldn’t have been anything more than thirty minutes.

In the short time that I’d known her, I’d never seen Sophia flustered or worried. She’d always been the peak of British femininity and grace, holding herself resolutely in the face of any potential problem.

The way she was pacing back and forth now, her heels clacking against the flagstone floor of the room, betrayed how nervous she was really feeling.

“It’s going to be okay, Sophia,” I said, “I’m sure you’ll be able to convince them of the worth of my creation.”

Her head snapped toward me so fast that if she had been human her neck probably would have severed and allowed the skull on top to bounce away to a corner of the room.

“It’s not just your life on the line,” She all but snarled, “If they find that I’ve broken the rules it’ll be my head on the block just as much as yours, understand?”

I was cowed into silence by the outburst by that primal connection