Blood Magic's Bond

Ch 7: The Devil Inside

What was he thinking!?

Astasha couldn't believe the Prince was actually requesting her presence in his private chambers. Of course, this wasn't entirely unusual. Members of the Magic Advisory had been known to attend to the royals in their rooms from time to time, but mainly when they were ill or needed something cleansed. This particular request was quite unorthodox, and with the possibility of an Authentication Ritual, not to mention whatever suspicions Cordelia harbored, it could be disastrous. No one refused a regal request, however, and luckily the servants were sworn to tight lips regarding private matters of the kingdom’s rulers.

Astasha quickly changed into a slightly less revealing gown of black and gold, and followed the young servant through the palace to the royal quarters, her runes clicking against her thigh as they walked, although she would be thoroughly surprised if they were actually needed.

They reached a set of vast doors with guards stationed on either side.

“The Sorceress Astasha at the Prince’s request.” Presented the attendant, and the soldiers bowed their heads and knocked.

A moment later, the doors opened, and there stood Calder, his formal attire gone, replaced with a pair of breeches and a simple shirt, the laces loose at the top. His eyes immediately found the Fire Witch, who bowed ever so slightly to him.

"Your highness, you called for me?"

"Yes, thank you for coming so quickly." He turned to the servant. "That will be all." Looking to his guards, he moved out of the way for Astasha to enter. "Please see that we are not disturbed."

Astasha took a deep breath.

Was he out of his mind? Perhaps he actually was. She tried to read his energy as she entered his chambers but he was shockingly calm. The large doors closed behind them, sealing them in.

The Prince's quarters were massive, with a large seating area, a study, an entirely separate area for bathing and dressing, and a large bed set in the back. She had only ever been in there to perform a cleanse once a month, but never with him there, and never with him standing so close to her.

He had come up behind her as she looked over the room, and his hand slid around her waist. She closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her ear.

"I'm sorry for earlier." Was all he said. Gently, he kissed her neck and her focus began to waiver.

"Cal..." she whispered back.

"I missed you. I need you, Tasha." His fingers brushed her hair away from her back, tracing down it to the laces that held her gown. She could feel him pressed against her, his other hand still around her waist, holding her to him, as his mouth moved up to her ear. "I want you." He whispered into it.

Despite her soft moan and her body's quick response to his actions, something didn't feel right. "Wait." The word was barely a breath leaving her lips as his hands moved up her body, gently pulling at the straps of her dress.

A quiet growl escaped the Prince's throat, dark and sinister, sending chills down her spine.

"Wait!" She forced herself away from him, spinning around, her guard up, all her energy pulled into a defensive shield. Whatever that was, it hadn't come from Calder, from her Prince. It was something else.

She immediately looked to his eyes, and once again, that cold, dead stare was looking back.

"You are not the Prince. What the hell are you? What happened to Calder?"

A sneer crept over the young man's face, his eyes like ice. "Very perceptive my little witch. You are indeed more powerful than you appear." It was Cal's voice, only distorted, twisted in some menacing way. He took a step towards her, but she pushed back with her magic and he stopped. "Don't worry, he's still in here, just, not in control at the moment."

The blood left Astasha's face. She knew what this was. She had heard about it, but had never witnessed it. The presence she had felt inside him, the dark and evil energy. "Demon." She spat.

The sneer widened. "Very good indeed."

Astasha's mind went haywire. This couldn’t be happening.

From what she had read, a person who died, and was somehow brought back, could carry with them an entity from the other side, a creature of corruption who could share their body, or if strong enough, take it over completely. Of all the spells and scrolls she had studied though, nothing had prepared her to come face to face with one. "What did you do to Calder?"

The demon leisurely paced around her. "I told you, he's here, just not allowed to come out and play. Although, I must admit, he's become quite feisty ever since laying eyes on you. His memories of you are quite... tantalizing." It looked up at her and licked its lips.

Astasha shivered. "Is that why you followed me? Into the hallway? And the forest?”

The demon opened its arms in a shrug. “Guilty. I needed to taste your power for myself. You see, your precious prince died facing his last trial.”

Heart pounding, Astasha felt sick, like the world had suddenly closed in around her. He couldn’t have. She would have seen it, felt it. But as she thought about it... “The disturbance I felt... during the ritual..."

"Yes, I'll admit, I might have gotten a little sloppy in my manipulation of events. Can’t be perfect every day.” It chuckled once, a sound the Fire Witch wished she had never heard coming from her Prince’s mouth.

“So you brought him back just to use him as a puppet.” There was venom behind her words but the demon only rolled its eyes.

“No, my dear, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I simply hopped on board. It was you, and undoubtedly in part, his love for you, that brought him back from the dead without even knowing it. You see, some… residuals... of your more intimate exchanges, I might guess, lingered with him for years. Energy cannot be destroyed, it only transfers, and yours was such that it defied even death. That kind of power…” It closed its eyes with a moan as if savoring a delicacy. “I may have gotten a little overzealous in the woods. I just couldn't help it, it was… intoxicating, tasting it flowing through your veins. But you easily saw my true form. No normal human could have done that, and very few sorcerers at that."

It had to be bullshit, all of it. There was nothing in Astasha's life to make her think her powers were anything special. The demon had to be toying with her. "Let me speak with Calder."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my sweet."

She gritted her teeth. "Please, I need to know he's alright."

"So long as you don't do anything f*****g stupid, he remains intact. Remember love, anything you do to hurt me, hurts him as well. So forgive me if I don't comply."

It was right. Astasha was helpless at the moment. She needed to get to Errant, he would know what to do. The chances of the demon letting her just walk out of there, however, were slim to none. "What do you want from me?"

The demon stopped sauntering and stood before her, as close as her shield would allow. "Ah, the question you should be asking my precious, is what do you want for yourself? Obviously, no one has told you of the power you so clearly possess. They fear it, wish to suppress it. But with it, you could have anything you desire. Imagine, you could rule this kingdom. f**k, you could rule all of them. I can show you how to unleash it, how to pull power from parts of yourself you've never dreamed." The demon took a step towards her and she realized… her barrier hadn't actually been stopping it at all.

She took a step back. "I don’t want any of that."

It kept moving towards her. "To be with your precious love then? Unhindered? No one able to stop you."

Her back hit something hard. She was trapped against a wall. All of her training, all of her focus, and this demon had cornered her nonetheless.

It reached her, its hand caressing her face, as it leaned in towards her, whispering in her ear. "I can show you how to release your dear Cal, and when you’ve set me free, you can have whatever the f**k your heart desires."

Images danced in Astasha's mind, of her and Calder, happy, together, a family, a life without responsibility or fear. For a moment, her heart longed for what she saw. But she knew better. There was no happily ever after for them, the demon was simply screwing with her.

She had to act fast, to escape.

Looking up through her lashes, she put on a face she hoped was convincing. "You can give me that?"

The demon smiled, its fingers tipping her chin up towards it. "All of it and more."

For a moment, its lips came closer to hers, seducing her, luring her into that sweet surrender. But she gathered all the strength she could and prepared herself. Power crackled in her fingertips as she looked deeply into those cold dead eyes. "Never."

The blast she emitted threw the unprepared demon and her Prince across the room. She ran to the doors and out them without a single glance back. Slamming them closed with her magic, she performed a quick spell, and flames of gold ignited in front of them, a barrier, hot, but un-burning, though she didn’t know if it would even work.

Startled, the guards hollered and jumped back.

"Whatever happens, do not let the Prince pass these flames! He is not himself!" She commanded them before rushing away down the hall.

It took great concentration and power to reach out mentally to a fellow sorcerer, but she didn’t know where Errant was, and time was of the essence. Using the last of her energy, she attempted to do so, hoping the message was strong enough to reach him. Two words were all she could muster, however, before her body gave out, and she stumbled and fell to the ground unconscious…

‘Prince’ and ‘Demon’.