Chapter 14:

We were searching for Almira, one of the other Masters of Source, walking along the eastern-most part of the island that we could reach.

Yesterday, I had spent a lot of time thinking. I'd been alone for hours. Even when Ifan had come up to sit with me, I'd spent that time thinking, as well. We hadn't spoken, just sat together. It was comforting, but he couldn't help me with this. With the one question that kept swirling around in my thoughts.

Was my love for my friends and Ifan enough to keep me with them? It felt like we couldn't go a single day without someone attacking us. Without someone dying. Were my feelings, my relationships, enough to push aside my beliefs? Were my beliefs enough to push aside my relationships, my feelings?

I'd thought the answer had been so simple, so clear- I'd stayed thus far, hadn't I? But... It was getting harder and harder to live with the amount of death I was seeing. Even if they were bad people... Did that justify it? What justified killing someone else? Self-defense, depending on the circumstances. But there had been plenty of times my friends had been the attackers.

Something touched my nose, and I blinked, looking into Lohse's concerned face.

"You good there, chief?"

I smiled at her. "Just thinking, is all."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wanna talk about it?"

My eyes sought the others, finding them a ways ahead. I must've stopped walking at some point.

"Not right now." I watched her eyes dim. "But maybe another time? I've just got a lot on my mind right now- I wouldn't even know where to start." I chuckled.

After pursing her lips for a moment, she nodded. "Alright. Another time, then. Come on, the others are waiting for you."

"Us." I corrected. "They're waiting for us."

She rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Yeah, yeah."

Hooking her arm in mine, she walked with me. I smiled at them, noting their varying levels of concerned expressions. Englo raced over the hill, running full speed at us, stopping just shy of bowling me over.

"I found her." She looked so pleased with herself.

"Oh? Where?" I chuckled at her peacocking.

Turning, she trotted away, with me following close behind. I heard the others talking, but couldn't make out what they were saying. I just knew that, after a few minutes, they'd caught up with us.

The walk was fairly short, considering how long it had taken us to get as far as we had. The little broken down shack didn't seem like a place someone would live, but I wasn't going to judge. If you're running from something, which she may well be, then you take any form of shelter you can find. I moved to the doorway, wondering if she was inside.

Suddenly, something grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, the cool metal of a blade against my throat. I froze.

"A guest... how brazen of you to enter without knocking."

"Let her go." Ifan growled, though no one took a step closer.

She backed up, taking me with her. When we were fully across the room from the doorway, she released me. Rubbing my arm, I turned to look at her. She was beautiful, reminding me of Dorotya. Though, her beauty was marred by the inky black tendrils that surrounded her, as if they were chains connecting her to something, as well as a grayish second skin cloud that clung to her.

"Perhaps I'll give you a chance to explain yourself."

The others rushed in, weapons at the ready.

"You-"

I held up a hand, my eyes never leaving her. The darkness around her. "I'm okay. She didn't hurt me. I can imagine that you wouldn't want visitors, if you're hiding."

Interest sparked in her eyes. "Why won't you look at me, little bird?"

I focused back on her face.

"Can you, perhaps... see my bindings?" She took a step closer, grasping my chin and staring deep into my eyes.

"Yes." I whispered.

"Why are you here?"

"You're a Master of Source." I explained. "We want your help, to expand our use of Source."

Her eyes flicked to my friends. "How about a little deal? You help us, and I'll show you how to make true use of Source." She glanced over her shoulder at a young man who looked badly injured. And also had the gray cloud covering him.

Without thinking, I pulled from her grasp and knelt by his side, healing him.

She came up beside me, watching intently. No doubt ready to jump in should I harm him. It was clear by how she looked at him that she loved him.

Her voice was soft when she spoke again. "This is Mihaly. We absconded together... I from the Black Ring, and he from the magisters. We fell for each other while I was his prisoner." She brushed the hair from his forehead. "Love will set you free." A sigh. "Mihaly put himself at great risk to free me from magister captivity. We made it clear, but he picked up quite a nasty wound. We found refuge in this charming hamlet. But then... well I'm sure you saw for yourself- the landscape tore itself open, voidwoken appeared, and a shroud of decay fell over us." A look to me, now. "It was preventing Mihaly's wounds from healing."

That was what I was seeing. A little voice in my head told me what I needed to do for them. Digging in my pack, I found my herbs and made a mixture, pouring it into two vials.

"Drink this." I ordered, before opening Mihaly's mouth and making him drink the other.

She threw it back, once it was clear that there had been nothing harmful in it. They both shuddered, the cloud lifting from them.

"How did you..." She asked, staring at him in wonder. "How did you cure us?"

"I'm an herbalist. A healer. If I can help, I will." I smiled up at her. "Now. What was the deal you were talking about?"

"We need to flee, but there are voidwoken everywhere."

"If you do manage to leave, where will you go?"

I heard someone mutter something, but couldn't pick up what it was.

"I'm not sure." Her expression tightened. "But anywhere is better than here."

"If you have nowhere to go..." I heard someone shift behind me. "we have a ship. The Lady Vengeance. She's moored just off the coast, to the south. We can go with you there, if you'd like."

She considered it for a while. Her man had woken up while I was talking, and he quietly spoke her name. Her whole face lit up, and I moved away, leaving them to discuss.

Eventually, she looked to me and nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Good." I smiled brightly.

I stayed with her, while the others went and fought a path clear for us all. The more time I spent with her, the more questions I had about what she was. She wasn't merely a witch or a mage. She had a hunter-like quality to her, but she wasn't an archer or a rogue- or an assassin, either, I would say. I had read about all sorts of myths, when I'd first arrived in Driftwood, and... she was checking a lot of the boxes for a specific kind of... "creature" seemed demeaning- she was clearly a person.

Finally, the others came back, and the three of us left with them. We ran into a snag when a group of voidwoken suddenly appeared, but they were quickly taken care of, with the two extra fighters.

And with that- watching her fight- I couldn't deny it. She was a succubus.

When the ship was within view, she went around to each of the others, kissing their foreheads. Expanding their Source.

When she got to me, she smiled, reminding me of a cat with how she was holding herself. "I owe you a debt, but I already know what you desire... and I intend to pay in full, right now. Tell me, do you know exactly what I am?"

I nodded. "You're a succubus."

"Exxxcellent eye, my dear. You are correct- I am indeed a succubus. Love is my power; it enthralls those who lie with me and feeds me yet more power."

A soft light entered her eyes, as her hand grasped mine, intertwining our fingers.

"You have my word though- I will not use my powers to make you my thrall. Just as I hope you won't use what I show you to become some sort of tyrant..."

I opened my mouth to ask what exactly she was talking about, because a simple kiss on the forehead wouldn't warrant this, but she cut me off by pressing her lips to mine. Her other hand tangled in my hair, holding me in place, tilting my head so she could deepen the kiss. I was frozen, my brain fried. I didn't know what to do in this situation.

A bright green-blue light filled my vision, blocking everything else out, and I felt my Source expand. That light gave way to the image of her, looming above me as I lay on a bed, her body bare. Mine, as well. She moved over me, touching, stroking. As the building pressure burst, the scene cleared, and I was standing in front of her, the others watching on.

My face was boiling hot. I didn't know what to do with that.

"A lesson worth leaning, was it not?" A sly smile. "Once you've caught your breath, I actually have another little request for you..."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, motioning for her to continue.

"You have helped me to escape immediate danger, but I remain a fugitive from my old life, and... the promises I made to it... The Black Ring swear allegiance to a powerful being, the God King. This is not a mere oath of duty- this is the Covenant, and those who accept it are bound to the God King. They are Sworn. I am Sworn." Her gaze fell for a moment, quickly making its way back to mine. "You can see it around me. That is the Covenant." Hesitation, searching my face, as if I was supposed to be reacting in some way. "You have to understand; Lucian's Deathfog broke us- we were left defeated, leaderless... and then the God King started to speak to us. He offered victory, immortality... anything we desired, in exchange for loyalty. How could we refuse?"

It was like Harry Potter- the Slytherins. They were always treated so badly, just as a principle. "There's not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin," after all. If you were treated like that, like your very existence meant you were evil, then... if someone came along and offered you a family- a place to belong- you would be tempted, too, wouldn't you?

I reached out with my free hand, taking her other one, smiling softly at her. "I understand. You didn't what you had to. At the time, it served you well. Now, though, it's time to leave it behind. What can I do?"

I wasn't expecting the others to jump to help her. They'd done their part and gotten what they'd wanted from her- this was extra work.

"Once you are Sworn, there is no escape- your life is the God King's Fail or betray him, and you are doomed... unless you find a way to break the Covenant." She squeezed my hands. "That is where you come in, my dear. I discovered the existence of ancient implements called Swornbreakers. They are rumored to be able to break any magical pact, including the Covenant. While enslaved by the magisters, I noticed a tablet in their excavation site in the Blackpits. It bore markings that looked very similar to how these Swornbreakers were described to me..." Hope bloomed in her gaze. "Will you retrieve it for me?"

My smile widened. "I will. Now," I gave her a stern look. "you two go to the ship and rest."

"Yes, dear." She chuckled, releasing me.

I moved away from the two of them, giving a little wave, and started walking back the way we'd come.

"She positively ravaged you, chief." Lohse had clearly thoroughly enjoyed that little display.

I blushed, looking away from her. "I... I didn't know what to do. It happened so quickly."

My eyes met the Red Prince's, and he gave me a knowing look. He'd dealt with succubi before- he'd regaled me with tales of his time spent with them. Not all of them sexual experiences.

I looked away from him, too, my gaze landing on Ifan's back, ahead of me. He was holding himself very rigidly, and I bit my lip.

"Ifan?" I called out softly.

He stiffened further, which I hadn't thought possible, but turned and glanced at me.

"Are you angry with me?"

Surprise flitted across his face, and he shook his head. "No."

I frowned. "Then... why are you..." Trailing off, I just motioned to him.

He visibly forced himself to relax a little. "It's nothing."

I grabbed his sleeve when he turned away from me. "Ifan. Please."

"I'm not angry."

I opened my mouth, but Beast chuckling distracted me.

"He's not mad. Just jealous, lass." He gave me a little wink.

Looking at the Wolf with a different view, I could see it. Taking a deep breath, I jerked on his sleeve to make him stop, and he looked at me incredulously.

"I've already told you I'm not-"

Before he could finish, I fisted his collar in my hands and pulled him down to my level. Kissing him deeply. If he was jealous, this should chase that feeling away. After a moment, his arms wrapped around me, holding me against him.

When we parted, I smiled, breathless. "All better?"

He chuckled, nodding. "All better."

"Good." I glanced around at the others, who were studiously looking away from us. "Where to now?"

"Saheila told us that when you were feeling better, she wanted to see you." Lohse said.

I blinked at her. We have had a lot on our plates, so it was understandable that she and the others had forgotten about it.

"We can go there now, then." I offered, when no one spoke up.

Saheila had greeted me warmly, before pulling me into the center of the camp and getting down on her knees. Mirroring her, I sat across, curious about what she was going to do.

Her hands on the ground, she looked to me. "Can you hear them? Their roots stretch beneath us, even now..."

I closed my eyes, feeling the breeze brush against my skin. The earth below me hard, yet yielding enough that the dirt stirred when I moved. I could hear the water rushing in the stream behind the camp. A soft whisper reached my ears, quickly becoming dozens of voices.

"What are they?" I asked quietly.

"They are the living trees. Our ancestor trees. They are cut down. Destroyed and defiled. But our roots run deeper than any know. Our roots cross the world many times over. I will link you. They will feed you. Increase the Source in you. Increase the power. You room for more... everything. You have room for the whispers of the trees." A pause. "Hold your hand to the ground."

I laid my hand on the ground in front of me, my eyes still closed.

"I hold my hand over yours. We breathe together. We call the spirit of the trees to us." Her hand settled on mine. "Inhale... and exhale."

She repeated herself several times, until we were breathing in tandem. The voices grew louder and louder, until it felt as if I were in a crowded room, everyone talking over each other. A wave of what felt like ice water washed through me, making me shiver. Following quickly after, there was a flash of heat, chasing the chill away. Deep in my chest, the cold- then the heat- settled, taking up space. Creating space. I felt stronger in my Source abilities, like with The Advocate and Almira.

All the voices left me, save for one. It was quiet, soft. When Saheila removed her hand, I opened my eyes, curious.

Before I could ask, she smiled. "It is the voice of the trees. Of the mother. It will remain with you, now. I hear it, too- beautiful and strong. Yours will grow, if you let it. It will shrink, if you do not. We are connected now. You and I. You and all our kind."

I looked down at my hands, staring at them for a long while. Eventually, I realized she had moved away, talking with the other elves, and I got to my feet, the voice of the mother fading to the back of my mind.

With our- my- business done, we returned to the tavern. I sat with the others, smiling and eating a salad, drinking my water. My mind was wandering, the whisper of the tree distracting me.

She was asking me the same questions I'd been asking yesterday. And I didn't have any answers for either of us.