Chapter 34 – A mile in my shoes

Isabela let out a low whistle as Makatza finished her story. 'Damn girl,' she said as she sunk deeper into the bubbles. 'Y'know I don't think I've ever heard him call you, Katza before,' she said after a moment of pondering. Makatza; who was attempting to rinse her hair free of soap looked up at her awkwardly. 'Seriously, it's always, Makatza or woman, though the latter is becoming less and less,' she adds as she tips her head back into the water to give it a run through.

'I think you're right... I honestly don't think he has,' Makatza agrees. 'I like how that's the part of the story you pick up on,' she laughs as she flicks her hair over her shoulders with quite a spray. 'He's scared of me... are you scared of me?' She asks as she tries to remove the stubborn bubbles that just didn't seem to want to leave her curls.

Isabela laughs as she sits up, water cascading from her hair down her shoulders and chest. 'You scare the giblets outta me, your mana thing is utterly-' she shudders. 'Not to hurt your feelings but it gives me the willies. It's just that you're so powerful and if you wanted to you could literally suck the life outta people,' Isabela smiles. 'It's a good thing you're so nice,' she adds.

'I'm not feeling particularly nice at this moment,' Makatza mutters under her breath as she squeezes her hair and pins it up on her head out the water. 'Do you really think that's what he's talking about? The fact that I'm a mage?'

'Y'know I never really liked that you're lumped in with mages, 'cause it doesn't really feel like you are one. You're different to that... you're like a...a siphon!' She says clicking her fingers as she finds the word she was looking for. 'That's it. A siphon.' Makatza raised a brow and looked at her friend as she pursed her lips. 'Okay, okay, I know that wasn't what you asked,' Isabela said poking the sponge across the water. She sighed heavily, 'no, I don't think he was talking about the whole mage, power thing. I think he was talking about, y'know... how you make him... feel,' she said awkwardly. 'Ugh, Katza you know I'm no good at discussing that side of a relationship. If you want tips on how to get an elf going though, I know some great ones, like when you nibble their ears I swear down they'll pound you harder th-'

'And like that, I think I now know all I need,' Makatza said loudly as she got up and out onto the bath mat grabbing a towel to wrap around herself. She wound her hair into a towel as well and as Isabela got out she threw one at her.

'Have you ever had your ears touched?' Isabela asked curiously as she dried. Makatza turned away very quickly as she knew a blush was coming. 'Great glapdranks you totally have! Who was it? Hawke? Sebastian?... Merrill?' She guessed.

'...is,' Makatza mumbled as she concentrated on drying her hair.

'Come again? Said the Chantry boy to the lady,' Isabela teases.

'It was Fenris,' Makatza snapped. 'We were playing the piano and he was curious-'

'And do they turn you on like a normal elf's? Because it can really get them going,' Izzy smirks. Makatza's face said it all. 'Ooooh Katza, you kinky little bitch you,' she laughs as she teases. 'Playing the piano together, touching ears, riding horses, you're practically screwing each other already without the pleasure,' Isabela laughs. 'Yeah it won't be long till you two are getting dirty, I wonder if he glows...'

Makatza pulled open her wardrobe and tried not to think about it, 'so what was the plan for today? I assume you came over for more than just gossip about the hunt,' she said as she picked out a blouse and some of her plain dark green yoga leggings from the other world, she had had enough of leather. She got dressed and then sat at her vanity and ran a comb through her hair, swearing at the odd tangles.

'Merrill has a thing she wants to do, she wants to take that mirror into the woods and do some sort of ritual,' she says shrugging a shoulder, 'it's during the day so there shouldn't be any trouble and besides we're only going about ten minutes out the city. You, me, and Merrill,' she grins. 'Apparently she's made a picnic.'

'Oh sure, some egg sandwiches, orange juice, apple slices and a side of demonic blood sacrifice, sounds wonderful!' Makatza said in a fake tone of voice. 'She doesn't need me specifically does she?' Makatza asked suspiciously.

'No, nothing like that. She already has the spell prepared but she says the aura in Kirkwall is too tainted,' Isabela says getting dressed and pulling on a boot. 'So you coming?' She asks. Makatza is reluctant but nods, it would do her good to hang out with her girlfriends. The pair got ready and made their way to the stables where Merrill already had a cart with the mirror loaded and covered with a large canvas sheet. Makatza grudgingly got into the cart with the mirror promising to keep it steady and flat while Isabela steered the horses, the mirror projected some god awful feeling that Makatza could pick up on but she kept quiet. It was only going to be part of her day, she was sure that Isabela and herself could wander off and do something else while Merrill fiddled.

Makatza felt a little more relaxed when they reached the clearing in the woods that they were to spend some time in. She always felt better in nature and happily jumped down off the cart as it came to a stop, with a stretch she yawned with a smile. 'Oh this is going to be a goooood day,' she says laughing as Merrill interrupts her with a flying hug.

'Oh lethallan! I'm so glad we get ta spen' the day together,' Merrill said in a babble as Makatza adjusted her cloak, it was getting colder everyday. 'I made some of my favourite foods, I cannae wait for you ta try them,' she said excitedly. 'Let's eat first,' Merrill bounced as she grabbed the basket from the front of the cart. They spent a couple hours eating and drinking the food that Merrill had made them, Makatza tried several new foods and a couple that she swore to never put in her mouth again.

'That was foul! What the living land of fuck was that?' Makatza asked with a shudder as she washed the taste out her mouth with a swish of wine.

'Twas just rabbit an' bean,' she giggles, 'but it's been marinated for a month or so.'

'That's not marinated! That's pickled!' Makatza said in disgust as she stuck out her tongue, the aftertaste making her wince. 'Never again, never give me that again,' she shook her head. Merrill laughed and Isabela snorted on her wine as they watched their friend try to remove the taste. 'Okay, Merrill, I want to go look for flowers for Orana, so Isabela is going to help me while you do your thing,' she said waving at the mirror that they had gotten off the cart earlier.

Merrill sucked a finger and nodded, 'sounds good Lethallan,' she says as she licks another finger, the almond pastry she had eaten was sticking around. 'I'm goin' to try an' do what your mana does and give it a boost inta workin',' Merrill explained.

'That sounds a little dangerous,' Isabela says warily. 'Sure it's not gonna do anything more than that? I don't want to turn into dust,' she says as she gets up and dusts her dress down. Merrill shook her head and reassured them that it wasn't going to have any serious repercussions. Makatza didn't like the idea but it wasn't like she could leave, making her peace with what was happening she just shrugged a shoulder and took the basket that they had used for food to be used for flowers. Isabela followed her into the tree line while Merrill performed her magic. 'I don't want to go too far Katza, I don't like leaving Merrill to muck about with that cursed thing,' the Pirate said.

'I agree, I don't want to be near it though it gives me the proper creepies, I can feel it searching for me every time I'm near it. Like it knows what I am and where I am,' she says peeking around a tree to look at their elven friend. She watched as Merrill slit her arm and blood began to pool on the ground by her feet, with a wave of her hand a stream wove into the air and created a glittering, ruby arc across the mirror. Makatza felt the bile rise in her throat.

'Oh I don't feel well,' Isabela said as she leaned against a tree. Makatza understood what she meant as there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. Merrill began to chant and there was a throb under Katza's feet.

'Did you feel that?' Makatza asked. Isabela shook her head.

'Sorry, sweetness, I didn't feel anything,' she said quietly. 'Are you okay? You look pale,' Isabela said touching her arm. 'You're burning up, was it that rabbit? I've always told Merrill that's she's going to kill someone with that rotten bunny.' Makatza couldn't answer, the throbbing from the ground travelled up her entire person and her mind was full of whispers, like that of the fade. She looked over at the mirror and she could see shadows moving across the glass, seeping into the ground until they connected with her own shadow. A stifling pressure wrapped itself around her throat and then she felt a sharp stab of pain in her chest and a draining weakness as her mana was sapped from her body. 'Katza!' She heard Isabela shout as she began to rise in the air as if suspended underwater. 'Merrill! Stop!' Isabela ran over to the blood mage and attempted to break the ritual but it was too late to stop.

Makatza coughed feeling blood trickle down the corner of her lips as her eyes rolled back in her head. She could feel herself growing weaker at every heartbeat, there had to be something she could do. The only thing she could think of was to overwhelm this force, drown it out. She needed mana, lots of it. Isabela and Merrill were knocked from their feet as a wave washes over them, I need mana...she took life from trees and plants, felt the pulse from the ground beneath her and summoned it. The wave paused over around her friends ...no...not alive... not the breathing...dying...only take the dying...she thought through a haze as she commanded her mana to look elsewhere. Merrill gasped as the foliage began to shrivel around them, the leaves on the trees turning red, gold and then brown falling to the ground.

'What is she doin?' Merrill said as she looked at the mirror, the glass was vibrating heavily. She looked over to where Katza was still suspended but had begun to glow. 'It's draining her!' Merrill realised as she picked up the dagger she had used to cut herself. 'We... need... to … stop it!' The elf tried to move closer to the mirror but wasn't able. Isabela shook her head as more and more things started to die around them, the sky had gone grey and clouds had begun to crowd together with a rumble. Makatza let out a scream as she began to absorb the energy that she had gathered and a bright light burst across the clearing, at the same time the glass in the mirror fractured and the audible humming that had been echoing around the area had stopped.

'Katza?' Isabela said as she ran over to where her friend lay, pulling her cloak aside and gasping loudly. 'What the fuck?' She said in panic. 'Merrill! Merrill! Get your Dalish ass over here right now!'

Merrill had been examining the mirror's damage but ran over to the Pirate without a thought and copied Isabela as she saw Makatza, gasping as she covered her mouth with her hands. 'What happened?'

'Your bloody mirror happened! What are we supposed to do now? What the fuck are we going to tell Hawke? And her Aunt? Leandra is going to kill me!' Isabela swore. 'We're gonna have Anders, Sebastian and Fenris on our backs for this! Fucking hell!' She sighed as she got up to grab the blanket that they had been sitting on. 'You're lucky that I don't shove that thing off a cliff,' she threatens. Merrill got up to follow her and grabbed the other corner.

'I dinnae know that was going to happen! I would nae wanna hurt Lethallan,' Merrill protested. 'I can reverse this,' she said quickly. 'Should be easy, it's just a transformation spell,' she babbled.

'Oh fuck what about Silvanus? Oh Merrill he's going to eat you alive! Fuuuuuck!' She moans with a little bob up and down as she turns to face Makatza and drape the blanket over her till she woke up. 'Wait, wait, where is she? Merrill? Where did she go? Where did she go?!' Isabela shouted slapping her head in frustration. 'Fuck my life!'


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