Chapter 7:

Eir stood by the ladder leading down into the ship, beckoning me. Curious, I followed her down a couple decks, stopping at a large cell that had a magister and... Bishop Alexandar. He was unconscious, but he was clearly alive- his chest moving up and down with slow, steady breaths.

"You need the pendant around his neck." She said.

"How do I get it?" I asked under my breath.

"Speak with the one guarding them." She moved way, standing against one of the support pillars.

Taking a deep breath, I moved toward the woman that stood outside the cell.

"I was wondering... May I see Alexandar?"

She looked me over, frowning. "Why? You won't get anything from him. And she won't talk, either." A motion toward the magister inside.

I might not be able to get any words from either of them, but that wasn't what I was after. "Please. I won't cause any trouble."

Her face twisted for a moment in pain, and I held out a hand. "Take my hand."

She did so, albeit warily, and I saw relief wash over her features. She let out a long breath, as if she'd been holding it a while, her shoulders sagging a bit.

"Thanks for that."

"Of course. It's what I do."

After a moment of thought, she moved around me, unlocking the cell doors. "Take your time. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you!" I bowed my head to her before rushing inside.

She shut them behind me.

I took one too many steps toward the Bishop I suppose, because the magister jumped up from her seat and shouted for me to leave him be.

I smiled softly at her, holding up my hands. "I'm a healer, not a fighter. I've never harmed anyone a day in my life, and I really don't expect to in the future. Certainly not now. He's unconscious. Not only would it go against everything I believe in, but it would be cruel to strike someone when they are defenseless." I watched the internal war going on play across her face. "I promise you. I mean him no harm."

"You're a healer?" She asked, cautiously approaching me, a spark of hope in her voice.

I nodded.

"Can you help him?"

"I've never turned away from someone in need before." I said, straightening.

If the others didn't like it... well, tough. They did things I didn't like, either.

Moving to stand with him between me and the bars, I laid a hand on his chest, closing my eyes. It was... strange. I had healed so many times since coming to Fort Joy, but I had never felt something like this before. It was... as if there was an emptiness inside of him. As if he was missing something that made him whole. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, couldn't see it through my magic even though I had spread it throughout his body.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Lohse's voice wove through my thoughts. "She's helping him?"

"The lass is too good." Beast sighed. "It's gonna get her in trouble, one of these days."

Opening my eyes, I searched for his pendant, gently unclasping it one-handed and placing it in my pocket. As I went to pull my other hand away, I felt a hunger rear up within him, latching onto me and holding me in place. Pulling the magic out of me. I didn't know what to do- this had never happened before. What was this? What was this emptiness within him?

Arms went around me, jerking me away from the Bishop, and I broke free, going to a corner of the cell and throwing up.

Several shouts broke out, and I heard the clang of the doors unlocking. I thrust out a hand to stop anyone from approaching me.

"I'm fine. I'm okay." I wiped my mouth with my other hand, before slowly straightening and looking at Alexandar. "Something's wrong with him. There's... an emptiness. It's like..."

My eyes widened, and I took a step back. No. That didn't make any- Ifan had killed him. That much was fact. Everyone had either seen it happen or had seen the aftermath. He'd been dead. Now, here he was, breathing, looking as if he was merely sleeping.

"What's wrong?" The Red Prince was on alert, they all were.

I shook my head, trying to process this.

He'd died. He was alive. He wasn't in his body. There was nothing in his body. It was... empty. Would he return? Would he come back and awaken?

"Eira." Eir's voice cut through the din and my spiraling thoughts. She motioned for me to go to her.

I stepped around everyone, following as she went back up a level.

"Here. Place the pendant in the slot on the door."

I did as she instructed, and the door asked for a password. I was at a loss.

"Fortitude." Fane said from behind me.

We watched as the door swung inward, letting us in. Though... I was confused about why we'd needed to get in here, considering I didn't know what here was.

The others spilled into the room, save Ifan who put a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with concern. "What was that, in the cell? Are you alright?"

"I..." The thought of it made me want to vomit again, and I covered my mouth as a preemptive measure. "There's something wrong with him. His soul isn't in his body. It was... It was awful."

He pulled me to him, a hand on my back, the other on the back of my head.

"Well, well." A voice said from a ways off. "Rescued at last, am I? To whom do I owe my thanks?"

We both looked in the man's direction. He was very well-dressed, his clothes hinting at him being a magic user. They usually wore flowy clothing, I'd discovered.

"The magisters are all dead." Lohse said, looking down her nose at him. "We're in control now. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a prisoner, of course. Do you think I'd be sitting here calmly if I was a magister holdout? That infernal Dallis woman left me trapped here, too weak to escape." His eyes roamed them, before finding us. "It seems I'm in your debt."

He was effectively dismissed, when she huffed and walked away, everyone spreading out around the room to search for something. I pulled free of the Wolf and made my way over to the man.

"Well, aren't you pretty?" He chuckled.

I smiled, holding out my hands. "May I heal you?"

"Oh, I don't need healing. I'm perfectly fine." He tried to wave me off.

"Oh, no. I don't mean for an injury." I moved closer. "You're fatigued. I can help with that."

He eyed me as if I was a viper that might strike him at any moment, but he did place his hands in mine, so I counted that as a win. I let the magic flow from me to him, a prayer for his fatigue to lessen playing in my head.

When I was done, he stretched his arms above his head, grinning. "Thank you..."

"Eira." I smiled again. "And you're welcome."

"The book you're looking for is on the desk." He whispered with a wink.

"Thank you." I couldn't stop my smile from spreading.

Going over to it, I spied the book he'd mentioned. It was a song for our livewood ship, a means of controlling it. My stomach plummeted. It would make it our slave. I couldn't begin to imagine how awful that must be- needing to do everyone else's bidding against your will. I clutched the book against my chest, before putting it into my pack. I wanted to speak with the ship first, before anyone else could. I wanted to put it at ease.

A hatch on the floor caught my attention, and I opened it, before climbing down.

"Ah! No!" The man called out, cursing the air blue.

I was confused at first, but then I realized that on either side of me were two huge... disfigured humanoid creatures. And they were out for blood. One of them swiped its clawed hand at me, tearing through my arm, and I whimpered, throwing myself to the other side of the small space to get away from them. Before they could advance on me, they froze solid. Beast and the Red Prince jumped down and shattered them.

"You alright, lass?" His eyes widened at the state of me.

I was holding my arm tight against my chest, tears falling from the pain, and I wondered how I looked. I must've looked a fight. Struggling to collect myself, I finally managed it after what felt like an eternity, and the wound slowly knit shut. By the end, I was panting. The pain had been terrible. I couldn't imagine the strength it took to be injured like that and still fight. It was beyond me.

"I'm okay." I fixed a smile on my face. "All better."

"Is she alright?!" Lohse called out.

"Yes, she's quite alright." The lizard said, his tone annoyed.

Turning, I looked at the desk my hip had knocked into and, to my surprise, found a blue, semi-translucent pyramid. I let out a squeal, before digging my gray one out and holding it so they were side by side. A soft hum filled the room, a visible strand of light tethering them together. It fell silent, the light disappearing.

"You've had a teleporter pyramid this whole time?" The Red Prince asked, giving me a dubious look.

I didn't know how to answer that, so I just held out the blue one. "Here."

"Well, then." He sniffed, taking it. "We should have all three link together."

"Three?"

"Yes. There was a red one on the table that man is sitting at."

I hadn't even noticed.

The two men climbed out of the space first. The others offered to help me up, but I'd smiled and said I would be okay. It was just a ladder. Once I was up, we linked my gray one to the red, and the red to the blue. The Red Prince took the red, and Fane got the blue.

Ifan walked up to me, gently lifting my arm so he could look at it.

"I'm okay." I reassured him. "Nothing left of it."

"When we get to Driftwood-"

"We're heading to Driftwood?" I gasped.

I'd be able to see the cottage. I wondered if the magisters or someone had sold it...? I hoped not.

"I want you to look for clothes." He tugged on a section that had been shredded, and it came off in his hand.

I nodded. I couldn't wait to be out of these clothes, anyway. I'd worn them every day for the last six months? Had it really been six months? Longer? It had been hard to keep track of the days, with every one being the same as the one before it.

"Good." He looked from the cloth to my face, a corner of his mouth pulling up. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you."

"I'm telling you, something happened between them." Lohse was whisper-yelling.

I felt my face heat, and I got a glimpse of the blush on his cheeks, before he ducked his head. I chuckled, I couldn't help it. He could be the definition of gruff, but he still had a shy side. It was cute.

I stepped around him, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Fane asked as I passed him by.

"I want to speak to the ship." I said, still walking.

A spirit was standing near the head and as I got closer, I realized it was Eir. She had a serene smile on her face, looking out over the water.

I stopped behind her, reaching out-

"Don't!" A woman shouted- the elf that was standing a few feet away.

Ignoring her, I placed my hand on the wood, feeling a heat rush through me. I stepped closer, resting my cheek against it, as well, and began to sing the song. A thrum came from the wood under my feet, from the air all around me, and the neck angled to have its eyes looking down at me.

"You... you are not the witch. You are not Dallis." A feminine voice spoke cautiously. "You sang the song. Now, you must decide my fate. Are you to be my new mistress?"

"No." I patted her neck gently. "And as long as I'm around, you won't be a slave again. You should have control over your own agency, no one else."

There was a stretch of silence, where I got the impression she wasn't sure what to do with that. It made me wonder how long she'd been at someone else's command.

"You are kind..." I couldn't help but wait for the "but" to follow. "but I can never be free again, not truly. I am a vessel, and must be guided. Let me take you wherever you wish." I could hear the smile in her voice, now. "We can depart as soon as you are ready."

"Thank you." I gave her one more pat, before stepping back.

The elf from the shore walked up. "The ship's awake. Good. Is she ready to sail?"

I dipped my head. "She said she would take us when we're ready." At her triumphant smile, I moved back a step, toward the head. "And she won't be used against her will again. Ask her to take us, don't demand. I refuse to let her be ordered around like a slave, for as long as I stop it."

She regarded me with interest, raising the eyebrow that wasn't behind the mask. "Very well. I can think of worse hoops to jump through. To Driftwood, then!"

The second day out at sea, someone called out that there was a ship approaching us. That it was heading straight for us. Word spread throughout the ship, reaching me on the bottom level.

I took off, running as fast as I could, climbing onto the top deck just in time to watch as a fireball went off. The flames- an inky blackness weaving through it- crept up people's legs. The screams were awful. The smell was terrible. I wasn't sure which was worse.

Another gout of fire swept across the entire surface of the ship, and I felt something building within me. Throwing my hands above my head, I prayed for a rain that would wash away the fires. A torrential downpour started, the fires quickly extinguished. But the water was different. It was visibly blessed. Holy water, in rain form. I wondered briefly if that meant the fire had been cursed.

People were speaking, but the words were lost on me- it was taking everything I had inside of me to keep the magic going. I fell to my knees when I was too exhausted to stand but still, I kept my focus. A few moments later, my vision blurred, and I collapsed fully, unconscious.