Blood Magic's Bond

Ch 25: The Other Fire Witch

It took all of the strength in her for Astasha not to collapse in tears. So to keep herself from breaking, she reached inside and pulled the fire within, wrapping it around her heart, shielding it, cutting off her heartache.

Her focus turned to the older Fire Witch who stood before her, watching her, reading her. "Please, come in."

Astasha stepped out of the way for Helia to enter her room and followed behind, closing the door.

She couldn't bear to look at her bed, so she led the way to her workshop. "I take it you have some ideas about how to do this?"

"I do, but first, I just wanted to see how you were doing. The past couple of days can’t have been anything but horrific for you, and it seems everyone’s concerns have fallen far outside the understanding of basic human emotions and needs."

"I am fine, Sorceress—"

"Please, call me Helia."

“Thank you Helia. But really, I’m fine.” She was far from it, but pity would do nothing for her now.

Helia nodded once, watching Astasha. “I am sorry."

Tasha could feel the genuine energy coming from the other Fire Witch. "What do you have to be sorry for? You've done nothing but try to help me."

“You shouldn’t be punished for following your heart. It isn't fair, the laws of this land. We should be free to love whoever we desire."

Something about the way she said that caught Astasha’s attention.

“You sound as though you speak from your own experiences.”

Helia smiled a knowing smile. "I once loved someone who was made to choose between his heart and his duty. Though considering he is now your Grand Sorcerer, you no doubt know which one he chose."

Astasha had to stop her jaw from dropping open. "You and Errant?!"

She hadn't meant to sound so shocked, but she had never actually thought of the Grand Sorcerer as anything other than just that. The idea of him, young and in love, was beyond her comprehension. But everything about their relationship made sense now, the way she spoke to him, how he responded to her.

"We were just young mages when we met. I, a free spirit in awe of all the world could offer, he, a serious student of the learnings of magic. We loved each other, perhaps because we fit the piece the other was missing, but while I loved him with all of my soul, his love was split between me and his greatest goal, to become Grand Sorcerer to the King."

Astasha's face softened as she began to understand. To become Grand Sorcerer, you had to devote yourself entirely to the craft. There could be no distractions, not a partner or a lover. He had chosen his position over the woman who loved him.

She looked at the sorceress before her as if she was truly seeing her for the first time. She had tight curls of orange-red hair speckled with gray, like ash amid flame, and her eyes were the color of rich amber. But there was an exhaustion behind them. Her small form and soul were worn from years of harboring a shattered heart.

"I'm so sorry."

Helia shook her head. "Don't be. I knew even then, if he had chosen me, his heart would never fully be mine, that he would eventually grow to resent me. So when the King offered him a position in his advisory, I told him to accept. He begged me to join as Fire Witch when it became available, but I couldn’t. I didn't know that my heart could handle being around him without being with him. Alas, I fear he closed his heart off for good that day.” Helia seemed lost in thought for a second before taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “Anyway, perhaps now you will understand more of why he has treated this whole situation as he has; it is easier for him to ignore the idea of love than to feel its sting again.”

It indeed explained so much of Errant’s attitude, but more than that, it made Astasha realize just how weak she had been when it came to Cal. She should have walked away that first day they had met, ignored the feeling inside her that knew he was the only one for her… but she hadn’t, and now they were both paying the price. "I wish I had had the courage you did to let him go."

"My dear girl, it took a very different kind of courage not to, and even more to do what you have done for him since. You sacrificed yourself for the one you loved, not just at the risk of your heart, but your life. You fought for what you knew to be right, and overcame obstacles most others wouldn’t have even attempted to face. That makes you strong, not weak. You have a power within you greater than any I have ever felt and you cannot let that be snuffed out."

Astasha sighed deeply. “And yet I’ve never felt so powerless in my life. I’ve made a mess of things and I don’t even know the first place to start fixing them.”

"Well, most people say it's best to start from the beginning, but I disagree… you can't get to the center of something without unraveling it from the end first. If we want to figure out how to deal with this demon once and for all, we need to start with the last thing we knew about it, which is that it wants to be released. And with that in mind, we should focus on the one thing we know we can… making sure it doesn’t escape.”

Astasha nodded in agreement and the two Fire Witches began work on reinforcing the trap inside her.

As they did so, her mind unwillingly wandered to the terrifying experience of being trapped inside her own mind, the demon taunting her inside her head. Everything had been so chaotic, she had all but forgotten the conversation she had had with the demon while unconscious. Something about it was bothering her though, and as she went through all that had been said, a specific part seemed to stand out.

‘We aren’t done with you yet. It’s a pity she needs you in one piece though.’

A chill ran up her spine as her head exploded with a million questions and thoughts. Was the demon working with someone? And if so, how? What purpose could they possibly have for her that required the demon to leave her alive and intact?

“Astasha?” She pulled herself from her thoughts to see Helia’s face covered in concern. “Are you alright? There’s fear and confusion pouring off you. Is something wrong with the trap?”

She… the demon had said she. If it was indeed working with someone, it was a woman. And now, a woman had appeared just as all of this was happening, a woman who adamantly insisted on aiding her with the demon’s trap. An eerie sense settled in Astasha’s stomach, but she forced herself to calm her emotions and shook her head.

“No. No, I just got lost in bad memories.” She lied.

Helia looked at her with compassion. “I couldn’t imagine.”

Astasha was now completely on edge. She was alone, in a room, magically sealed off from the outside world, with someone she knew nothing about, who could, for all she knew, indeed be in league with the demon. A part of her refused to believe the witch who had, so far, been her champion, could only be manipulating her in order to see the demon’s desires fulfilled, but she also knew it was never a bad thing to be overly cautious. If nothing else, she needed to speak with Errant, immediately. Whether Helia, or someone else, he should know the demon potentially had an accomplice.

“I believe that should do it for now.” Continued Helia. “I know there has to be a way to get that thing out of you without causing you harm, we just have to find it.”

Astasha nodded slowly as she tried to read the sorceress’s energy. But it was calm, unnervingly so, and for some reason it made her uneasy. “Thank you for your help, Helia.”

The older Fire Witch smiled. “Of course. You should rest more, dear, you’ve been through so much in so little time. There are a few theories I have I would like to look into more, but I’ll come back to check on you later if that’s alright, make sure the work we did on the trap is holding.”

Astasha nodded. “Of course.”

A loud thudding on the door made her jump and Helia quickly looked to the entrance.

"Sorceress Astasha, I've come with fresh herbs for you."

Tasha had never been so relieved to hear her fellow Earth Sorcerer's voice.

“Bryn. I completely forgot he was bringing me more salve this morning.” She said to Helia as she headed towards the door. “I appreciate all your help and support. It’s nice to know there’s someone who doesn’t look at me like a villain and a traitor.” If, by some horrible curse of the Gods, Helia was indeed working with the demon, there was no reason to raise suspicion.

She smiled warmly. "You are no villain, nor traitor. There are far worse crimes than love.”

Nothing about this woman gave reason to believe she was anything but a friend, yet Astasha couldn’t help the feeling in her stomach as she opened the door.

Her fellow mage was standing outside with a small bowl of salve.

"Thank you." She said as she took it from him.

Helia exited the room. "I'll be back later.” She said before smiling at Bryn as she passed. “Sorcerer.”

"Thank you, Helia." Tasha called after her before turning to the Earth Sorcerer. "You wouldn't be able to bring me more of this tonight, would you?"

"Of course. The Grand Sorcerer has requested the guard of your room continue as before, so I shall be on watch then anyway. Zephyr will be here shortly to commence the first shift."

Astasha smiled at him. "Thank you. Speaking of the Grand Sorcerer, would you possibly ask him to come see me please? There’s something I need to discuss with him."

“I will let him know of your request.” He said as he nodded and left.

She closed the door, leaning against it.

Her thoughts were running wild and she needed to collect them. This was a delicate situation, accusing anyone of something as ghastly as plotting with a demon. It was highly possible the demon was simply f*****g with her. That's what it did after all. But still, she couldn't help the odd feeling she had as she replayed the conversation with it. There was something going on, some piece of the puzzle she wasn’t seeing, and as much as she knew she was not in his favor at the moment, Errant needed to know.

She realized now that not having disclosed the conversation with the demon to him immediately, would look extremely suspicious, especially if she was going to follow it up by accusing his ex-lover of potentially being in league with it. But he already thought so little of her, how much more could she possibly fall from his graces?

There was only one way to find out, and she prayed to the Goddess he would at least hear what she had to say.