Blood Magic's Bond

Ch 19: The Connection

Calder had insisted Astasha rest and heal before anything further was discussed or done, but she was adamant that the conversations needing to be had couldn't wait. So he called for fresh clothes, food and water, to be brought for her while they filled her in on what had happened during and after the attempted Extraction Ritual.

His hand never left her own, no doubt his way of showing he had no intention of leaving her side. And while it was a comfort, she couldn't help but notice Errant's persistent glances towards the show of affection.

Cal had become extremely protective of her, and so it was no surprise he refused to let Bryn apply an herbal salve to her wound, insisting he could do it himself. But it simply wouldn't be as potent without the Earth Sorcerer’s energy, and so she squeezed her Prince’s hand in reassurance.

"It's ok Cal. Trust me." she said to him gently. From the look in his eyes, she couldn't imagine what hell he had been going through. More than that, there was a feeling inside her, foreign yet familiar, a sense of fear and torment. She knew there was no way she could be reading it from anyone else in the room, and yet, she was certain the feeling was not her own.

Once the salve was applied, she gingerly dressed in the soft white gown that was brought to her, and turned her attention to Errant, who had been watching her skeptically.

"Grand Sorcerer, if I may, I would like to speak with you and the King and Calder alone.” She had been going over what the demon had said to her, the different pieces of its twisted puzzle, and while they still made no more sense than they had before, there was an unease that had settled in her soul.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow that. The demon fooled us once. I will not make the same mistake again."

It took Astasha a moment to understand the look on Errant’s face, but as soon as she did, it was clear to her what was about to happen.

His silent apology did not go unnoticed by Calder either, who immediately tensed.

"Errant..." He said hesitantly, but the Grand Sorcerer never took his eyes off the Fire Sorceress.

"I am sorry, Your Highness. Until we know who we are truly speaking to, I have no choice."

Errant's hands drew up as Calder realized what was happening. “No!” But it was too late. Astasha felt the magical restraints around her, her voice silenced, body bound.

Calder was up, his hand finally parted from her own. “Damnit Errant, release her! That is an order!”

But Errant stood firm. “I truly am sorry Your Majesty, but we cannot risk it—“

“For f**k’s sake, let her go! She’s been through enough!" It was torture not being able to do or say anything as Astasha watched her love thrown back into the hell he had just thought to be free of. But Errant’s concerns were valid. Had the demon been in control, there was no knowing what could have happened, and as far as she knew, there was no way for them to determine it was truly her.

The Grand Sorcerer motioned to the other members of the Advisory. "Please remove the Prince for his own safety."

The replacement Fire Witch, Helia, she had been called, seemed to hesitate, but Cordelia, Bryn, and Zephyr all moved toward Calder.

Astasha knew it was better that Cal not be there, if for no other reason than to not have to see her bound and gagged. But as the sorcerers closed in on him, she felt a pull from within her, like fire bubbling up. Her chest burned and she looked down to see the scar from the blood ritual glowing.

Calder's hands were fists, and Astasha's gaze fell on a similar glow coming from his chest beneath his shirt. She could feel power rising in her, despite being depleted of energy and her magic silenced, which by all accounts should have been impossible.

Bryn reached the Prince first, his hand reaching out to grasp Calder’s arm. “Please, Your Highness…”

"No!" Cal's voice bellowed through the ward, magnified and full of power, power that blasted forth from him, knocking the other sorcerers back.

Astasha suddenly felt as though something had been yanked out of her, like the very energy of her being had been sucked dry, and she slumped back onto the bed, clinging to consciousness.

*****

Calder stood, a look of shock on his face, but it turned to worry when his gaze fell upon Astasha.

He rushed to her side, scooping her into his arms. "Tasha, please, look at me." He cupped her face in his hand, willing her to open her eyes.

Long lashes fluttered, and the gold that was his sun looked up at him. "Cal."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

She was no longer restrained, and her hand reached up to brush his hair away from his face.

"Calder, move away from the demon!" Errant's voice cut through the air, his hands raised, ready to cast the moment the Prince moved.

Before Calder could respond, however, Helia's hand reached out and touched the Grand Sorcerer’s arm. "Wait. I don’t believe the demon has control."

He looked incredulously at her. "Only a demon could perform the dark magic we just witnessed, casting through a binding spell to use the Prince's energy as a vessel--"

"Look at the scars on their chests, Errant." The older Fire Witch was staring at the pair. Calder looked down. The mark left from the ritual was dying like embers in a fire. He reached his hand out to the one on Tasha's chest which was glowing the same, and felt a light heat coming off it.

"What the hell is happening?" Calder turned to Helia.

"I, I can't say for sure, but..." She slowly approached the two and Calder put his arm protectively around Astasha. "I promise, I just need to feel the energy coming off your scars. I won't do anything to harm her."

The Prince weighed her words, but finally nodded and loosened his hold on the woman in his arms.

“Helia…” Errant began to protest, but she was already reaching out, her hands hovering over each of their chests.

Finally, she stepped back, shaking her head.

"Errant, the scars from the blood magic ritual are emanating a form of fire magic I've never felt before. They seem to be connected. I don't believe I would feel that connection if the demon was in control.”

Errant shook his head. “A bound sorceress could not have done what we just witnessed, Helia.”

"Errant," She stepped in front of the Grand Sorcerer, her eyes begging him to listen. "When he called to her, just before she awoke, when you told him to send his energy to her, I could feel something, a power, but it wasn't coming from her. It was coming from the Prince. If I’m correct, that blast came from him, not her."

Calder must have heard her wrong. It was impossible. But the look on Errant’s face said otherwise.

“You can’t mean…?” He looked from the Prince to Astasha, shaking his head. “But how would we determine–”

Helia turned, her gaze locking onto Astasha. "Sorceress, with your permission, I need to know everything about the ritual you performed. In fact, it would be best if I knew everything that’s taken place between the two of you even before that. It could be the only way to understand what exactly is happening here.”

Tasha watched the woman for a moment, no doubt trying to determine her intent. "You mean an Authentication Ritual."

Her fellow Fire Witch nodded. “Yes, that would be the best option.”

She studied her a minute longer, as if trying to decide whether she could trust her or not. “You’ll need his permission as well then. If you want our history, it’s not just my memories you’ll be delving into.”

Tasha turned her eyes to Cal, who looked into them. He would do anything for her, but this… This would mean the Advisory would know everything, their story, their past, what had happened in the woods the night before he left, and in the clearing when she had pulled the demon out of him. He needed to know it would be worth it, and that the knowledge wouldn’t be used against her.

"I want your word that the information you gain will be used to help her, not to justify another f*****g Extraction Ritual. She is not to be bound again either, not unless she feels it is necessary." His face was hard as he looked from his love to the Grand Sorcerer.

He could see the crease on Errant’s brow, knew he was battling internally.

But Sorceress Helia also turned to him. "Errant, we both know the laws, but none of this was known when they were written. Magic has always transformed, changed, we need to be fluid with it as well, otherwise, there is no growth, no progress. And I believe Sorceress Astasha would know should the demon begin to break free of its cage. There is nothing but benefits to this.”

Errant considered for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I give my word, there shall be no Extraction Ritual, regardless of what we witness. But I am sorry, if I feel it is necessary to protect those I was sworn to, I will not hesitate to do what I must."

The Prince and Grand Sorcerer exchanged a long hard look at each other before Calder turned to Astasha. A small, reassuring smile touched her lips. He wanted to see her smiling all the time, not beaten down and tormented. But she nodded ever so slightly and he knew she was right. If knowing everything they had been through could help them, it was worth a try.

Finally, he looked back to Helia. "Very well. But you will have to find a way to do the ritual here. I will not let Tasha anywhere near that damn stone table ever again."