Chapter Seven: Alliances
"Why have you been watching me?" the girl demanded angrily, her school uniform was rumpled and dirty, her hair slightly tangled and there were blue-violet smudges under her eyes, not that they showed any weariness, on the contrary they sparked with anger. "You did something when I tried to turn the stone into a good luck charm, I felt it. And you've interfered before, with other lessons, all those times, that was you!" the girl's hands were balled into angry fists at her sides, she looked as if she was barely restraining herself from hitting him. For a moment, John was speechless, utterly nonplussed. The girl knew he was a demon, capable of snapping her neck with no more difficulty than she would snap a brittle tree branch. Yet she deliberately confronted him alone, with no help close enough to interfere if he got violent. There wasn't a trace of fear on her. Her expression, her stance, her scent, they all betrayed anger, but not fear. Looking at her, John realized what a close call he had had. If she had gone to the crone first, instead of confronting him, any chance for freedom he had would've been destroyed, his face grew grave at the thought. There was no way to break a blood bond before its terms were completed, and the blood bond would taint Kagome's energy, making it and her useless to the crone. If the crone discovered that he'd cast a such a bond spell on Kagome, she would kill the girl outright, probably him as well. At the least she'd tighten the slave spell on him to the point where he couldn't so much as blink without her permission. But luckily she'd chosen to confront him instead. Yes, lucky wasn't it? He chuckled, the girl's luck spells were apparently *very* effective, he grinned down at the girl whose face was turning an interesting shade of red, maybe he'd keep her around after he offed the crone, it was an interesting thought.
"You . . . you JERK!!! Stop laughing at me!" the girl yelled, raising an already clenched fist in a wild swing at him. It went wide, and she tripped, sprawling against John, her face buried into the folds of his shirt. John raised a hand to gently clasp her neck, trapping her there. He looked in the direction of the crone's hut, she hadn't heard, but he needed to take care of this situation where there wasn't any chance of the crone happening upon them. Even controlled by magic, luck was a chancy thing, he didn't dare depend on it for something as serious as this. The girl was trying to say something, but his shirt muffled her voice to an incoherent murmur of sound. Sweeping her feet out from under her, he picked her up, careful to keep her face pressed into his shirt where any sounds she made wouldn't be audible. He loped towards the quiet shelter of the forest which surrounded the crone's hovel, leaping quickly and lightly high into the branches of an old pine. The slave spell wouldn't let him go far, but at this height there was no chance of the crone inadvertently coming upon them. He released his hold on the girl's neck. She drew in a deep breath, sucking air into her lungs. Lightning fast, John clamped his hand over her mouth, just in time to silence what would have been a piercing shriek. Then, she saw where she was. Her eyes widened becoming very large, and she froze, stiff as a statue in his arms. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth, she let out a yelp, buried her face back into his shirt, and clung frantically to him, locking her arms around his chest. John frowned, he'd forgotten that most humans didn't react well to heights. He could easily pry her off him but he'd probably break a few of her bones in the process, humans were so fragile. Making his voice gentle, he requested, "please let go, it's safe. I won't let you fall." No response. He poked her shoulder uncertainly, "Umm, let go." No response. Urrg, this would take something drastic. Steeling himself, he swept her silky hair to one side of her neck, the other hand he splayed across her back, pressing her closer to him. Lowering his head, he whispered throatily into her ear, "there are more comfortable places to do this."
Instantly, the girl let go of him and scooted as far away from him on the tree branch as she could manage. It wasn't that far, he was holding onto the back of her collar to make sure she didn't fall off the tree. She was blushing again and she eyed him as if he carried the plague. He gave her a predatory grin, she shrank even farther away from him. It was so much fun teasing her, but it was time to get serious. He needed the girl on his side, not looking as if she was contemplating jumping off of her four story high perch on the tree just to escape his company. Carefully drawing her back towards him, he said in a cajoling voice, "Kagome, I think we got started on the wrong foot.", she directed a significant look at his hand where it clasped her elbow, preventing her from moving away from him.
"Yeah" she muttered, "you could definitely say that." He released her arm, looked like he wouldn't be able to charm her into helping him. Studying her, he decided that she was probably the type that would be most convinced by the direct approach. That really wasn't a bad thing, he realized with surprise, after two centuries of playing the charming young man to lure girls into the crone's clutches he was sick of that role. It felt good to actually tell the truth (or part of it), this one time. Leaning against the center of the tree, he started his explanation.
"The hag isn't training you out of altruism. The stuff she told you about learning to control your power to make sure you didn't accidentally hurt someone was all lies. That's not the way magic works. The truth is, the crones been kidnapping girls like you for centuries, offering them false promises, power, wealth, beauty, whatever the girl has a weakness for, to persuade them to apprentice to her. Once their power reaches a certain level, once they come to a specific point in their studies, she conducts what she tells them is a ritual of ascension, after they complete it they'll be a full priestess, no longer an apprentice. Its the "last step" of their training. And it is the last step, of everything. What the ritual actually does, is drain their life and magical energy, killing them. The crone stores the energy in a magical knife she keeps hidden in her hut. I've only seen it when she performs the ceremony. The crone caught me by surprise a century ago, I was weak from a battle with another demon. I had passed out in a cave that I thought was safe while my wounds healed, when I woke up I had this around my neck" he gestured distastefully towards the necklace. "Normally, she would be no match for me." the anger and frustration in his voice were impossible to suppress. And the embarrassment! Being captured by a third-rate sorceress, and after a century he still hadn't escaped. "It prevents me from working any major or offensive spells and forces me to obey any order the crone gives me. With the right training though, you could break it."
He stole a look at the girl, she was listening raptly to his story. There was no doubt in her voice when she stood up, hand against the tree's trunk for balance, declaring "We've got to stop her!! All those girl's lives!!" her eyes were bright, glistening with tears, as if she actually cared about the lives of those girls that she'd never met. Maybe she did, humans could be so odd sometimes.
Kagome looked at John, she believed him. She couldn't explain why. She just had this feeling he was telling the truth, kind of like the way she'd known when he was messing with her spells. Sacrifice, Kagome's mind quivered in revulsion at the thought. How many innocent people had lost their lives to that woman? Which is why she stood up, declaring "We've got to stop her." and looking earnestly at John. She didn't ask why John hadn't tried to stop the crone before, she didn't think she *wanted* to know. At least he was willing to help her now. But, Kagome looked thoughtfully at John, could she free him, what's more did she even want to? In some ways he was as bad as the crone, what would he do once he was free? On the other hand, she really didn't have a choice, she couldn't defeat or even escape the crone without John's help. "OK," Kagome stuck her hand out, "I'll set you free, and you help me defeat the crone." John grinned at the girl and eagerly clasped the hand she offered. Perfect. He hadn't imagined it would be this easy, he knew that the blood bond would eventually force her to free him, but it was still in its early stages, at this point it probably had little, if any influence, on her decisions. Maybe it was the luck spells that had caused her to agree to help him, possibly it actually was the deaths of all those girls, the girl really did have a soft heart. Not that it really mattered, he thought, tightening his grip on her hand, his freedom was the only thing that really mattered. That and revenge, he could feel the crone's neck snapping between his hands, he'd be free and the crone dead, that's all that mattered. What was that whimpering sound? John was distracted from his dreams of revenge. It was the girl, she was trying to free her hand, evidently it wasn't the crone's neck he'd felt snapping John thought with amusement as he released his grip on her hand. It was mottled with bruises but it didn't look like anything was broken. He should probably apologize to the girl though, and be more careful, he didn't think she would back out now, but humans were odd, better safe than sorry. Besides, she wouldn't be able to fight if she got seriously injured.
Kagome cradled her bruised hand, were other demons like this? She studied John from out of the corner of her eyes, he hadn't even blinked when he told her about all the other girls the crone had sacrificed, didn't seem bothered at all by the role that he'd played in their deaths by kidnapping them. How could he not care? Was this the way Inuyasha felt about humans? Kagome shivered.
Kagome knocked lightly on the door to the crone's hut, it swung open under her touch, creaking loudly. The crone was kneeling by the bed, smoothing the covers, but she looked up as Kagome entered. "I feel so much better after that nap.", she declared, smiling brightly at Kagome. "I think we should try to finish the next lesson before tonight - Oh! what happened to your hand?" The crone broke off, looking in concern at Kagome's slightly swollen right hand. "You've really smashed it up, " she exclaimed, running her fingers over it lightly, checking gently to make sure there were no fractures. "How did this happen?" she frowned sternly at Kagome "your hands are essential for casting spells, you can't afford to let them get injured."
"I. . . ahh . . . dropped a rock on it." Kagome fibbed, feeling her face flame red like it always did when she made something up. "But I can still move it, it hasn't affected my dexterity at all," Kagome hastened to reassure her, tracing a rune in the air to prove her point, or trying to, she didn't seem to be able to fully extend her index finger, or to clench the other fingers closed, her bruises twinged warningly when she even tried.
"Fine, eh?" the crone smiled wryly and led Kagome to a chair. "On second thought, I think I'll postpone our lesson for tonight and have you study out of one of the old books. But first," the crone muttered something and traced a sign on Kagome's palm. The bruises abruptly stopped hurting. "There," the crone gave Kagome a motherly smile. It made her realize how much she missed her own mother. It had been a month now, she must be so worried. . . . "Your hand should be completely healed by morning. We can resume our lessons then. In the meantime, don't use your hand at all. Just study this," she said, thumping a ragged old book down on the table in front of Kagome. Kagome looked at it, curiously prodding at the pages with her good hand, was that parchment? "Well, I'll leave you to your studies now dear, I'm getting low on some herbs, I might not be back before morning, be sure to take it easy with your hand." The old lady reminded Kagome, then left, closing the door quietly behind her. Kagome stared after her, she seemed so nice, and John was so awful, maybe she'd made a mistake? Oh well, she opened the book with a sigh, she wouldn't worry about that tonight, tonight she'd study.
Toothache remedies, wart cures, blessings for new homes, more good luck charms, Kagome disinterestedly flipped though the pages. It read like a cook book! Stuff grandpa would probably love. I wonder if they think I'm back in feudal Japan with Inuyasha, Kagome thought, her mind drifting as she scanned through more pages, petty curses and a recipe for preparing demon liver. Is Inuyasha even looking for me?, she wondered morosely. After that last argument maybe he'd decided to search for the shards on his own, did he even know she was missing? Love spells. The title caught Kagome's eye, maybe. . .
THUMP
What?!? Kagome jumped guiltily and looked up. There was a second book on the table now, older than the one she was looking at, but also in better condition. The black leather cover was smooth and uncracked, and the pages were crisp, a creamy yellow in color. "Study this." John instructed her, snapping shut the book she'd been studying out of and tossing it contemptuously to the floor. There's nothing good in that book, half of it isn't even magic." Kagome looked curiously at John, he was pacing the room nervously, he appeared to be very upset. I wonder if he's read the recipe for demon liver, Kagome mused, watching John pace the perimeter of the room for the fourth time. He looked up, caught her watching him, "Stop gawking at me and study!" he exploded, pounding the black book for emphasis. Kagome eyed it distastefully. It seemed to suck in light, the area around the book was dark, and a rotting smell emanated from it although the book itself looked to be in perfect condition. "There's no time to be squeamish!" John shouted, noticing the look she directed at the tome. Opening the book, he shoved it under Kagome's nose, his hands were trembling slightly. "Do you know what she's doing?" John asked abruptly, knocking the book aside he grabbed Kagome's shoulders and shook her.
Cautiously, Kagome replied, "Yeah, she's gathering herbs." She tried to keep her expression calm, and she surreptitiously edged away from John. She didn't know him that well, but he'd always been so self-possessed and confident, even when he was acting. It was scary seeing him lose his self- control.
"Idiot!" John muttered fiercely, glaring at her and growling incomprehensibly under his breath. "She's gathering herbs all right, Blutstamm, the key ingredient for the sacrificial ceremony. It's the only fresh ingredient the ceremony requires, but it loses its potency within 48 hours of being harvested. That means you have at the most two days to learn enough offensive magic to defeat a sorceress who's been practicing it for two hundred years!" John stared at her as if he could impress the urgency of the situation into her mind.
"But, you'll be helping me right?" Kagome looked uncertainly at John, there was no way she could defeat the crone in a magical duel, she had to have John's help. "I thought you wanted to be free, I can't beat her without your help." She shook her head in confusion, "wasn't that the plan all along, for us to fight together against her?"
John looked like he was about to cry, either that or scream. He reached for a gold chain that hung around his neck, but dropped his hand before it reached the necklace. "I can't help you," he stated, his voice flat, "The crone's slave spell won't even let me within a yard of her. It not only binds me to her will, it prevents me from physically attacking her. It's loose now, but if she wanted she could freeze me with a thought. Physically, she has complete control over me. Originally, I'd hoped to have you break the slave spell, but I can't find the counter spell for it anywhere and we've run out of time." John stared dully at the desk, "an eternity of servitude." He whispered, his fingers digging gouges in the already battered table.
"Hey, don't worry," Kagome tried to reassure him "I'll defeat the crone and that'll free you. It's our deal remember?" Kagome tentatively patted his shoulder and gave him a cheerful smile. John shot her a despairing look and buried his face in his hands "sure" his voice dripped with sarcasm "a girl who's too squeamish to learn a single destructive spell is going to defeat a sorceress who has spent the last couple of centuries specializing in them, you'll forgive me if I'm not reassured.", he drawled, seeming to regain some of his composure. Kagome swallowed, she'd forgotten about the book. It was repulsive, but what alternative did she have? If she didn't learn the spells, she'd be dead within two days. And, Kagome thought, opening the book, she didn't have to learn all of them, she could avoid the really bad ones. Finally, the girl was studying. Not that it was likely to do much good, John thought bitterly as he slipped out of the hut. The girl might be stronger than the witch, but two days simply couldn't compare to two centuries of study.
Meanwhile, in a moonlit clearing several miles from the hut.
The crone smiled to herself as she filled her basket with the red-veined, fleshy leaves of the Blutstamm. She didn't know why it hadn't occurred to her earlier, she must be going senile. The girl hadn't developed enough energy yet to satisfy the requirements for the youth spell, but if she sacrificed the girl AND the demon, then there'd be enough energy, more than enough. She'd finally be able to gain immortal youth, it wouldn't be just an illusion, it would be reality. It was time to get rid of the demon anyway, slave spell or not, demons were dangerous to have around, if he found a way to escape he would kill her. It was pure luck that she'd managed to trap him in the first place, it would never happen again. Humming an old tune, she moved to another clearing that held the Blutstamm, it had taken two centuries and who knows how many sacrifices, but finally it was within her grasp, immortality.
Next chapter: Death and Betrayal
"Why have you been watching me?" the girl demanded angrily, her school uniform was rumpled and dirty, her hair slightly tangled and there were blue-violet smudges under her eyes, not that they showed any weariness, on the contrary they sparked with anger. "You did something when I tried to turn the stone into a good luck charm, I felt it. And you've interfered before, with other lessons, all those times, that was you!" the girl's hands were balled into angry fists at her sides, she looked as if she was barely restraining herself from hitting him. For a moment, John was speechless, utterly nonplussed. The girl knew he was a demon, capable of snapping her neck with no more difficulty than she would snap a brittle tree branch. Yet she deliberately confronted him alone, with no help close enough to interfere if he got violent. There wasn't a trace of fear on her. Her expression, her stance, her scent, they all betrayed anger, but not fear. Looking at her, John realized what a close call he had had. If she had gone to the crone first, instead of confronting him, any chance for freedom he had would've been destroyed, his face grew grave at the thought. There was no way to break a blood bond before its terms were completed, and the blood bond would taint Kagome's energy, making it and her useless to the crone. If the crone discovered that he'd cast a such a bond spell on Kagome, she would kill the girl outright, probably him as well. At the least she'd tighten the slave spell on him to the point where he couldn't so much as blink without her permission. But luckily she'd chosen to confront him instead. Yes, lucky wasn't it? He chuckled, the girl's luck spells were apparently *very* effective, he grinned down at the girl whose face was turning an interesting shade of red, maybe he'd keep her around after he offed the crone, it was an interesting thought.
"You . . . you JERK!!! Stop laughing at me!" the girl yelled, raising an already clenched fist in a wild swing at him. It went wide, and she tripped, sprawling against John, her face buried into the folds of his shirt. John raised a hand to gently clasp her neck, trapping her there. He looked in the direction of the crone's hut, she hadn't heard, but he needed to take care of this situation where there wasn't any chance of the crone happening upon them. Even controlled by magic, luck was a chancy thing, he didn't dare depend on it for something as serious as this. The girl was trying to say something, but his shirt muffled her voice to an incoherent murmur of sound. Sweeping her feet out from under her, he picked her up, careful to keep her face pressed into his shirt where any sounds she made wouldn't be audible. He loped towards the quiet shelter of the forest which surrounded the crone's hovel, leaping quickly and lightly high into the branches of an old pine. The slave spell wouldn't let him go far, but at this height there was no chance of the crone inadvertently coming upon them. He released his hold on the girl's neck. She drew in a deep breath, sucking air into her lungs. Lightning fast, John clamped his hand over her mouth, just in time to silence what would have been a piercing shriek. Then, she saw where she was. Her eyes widened becoming very large, and she froze, stiff as a statue in his arms. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth, she let out a yelp, buried her face back into his shirt, and clung frantically to him, locking her arms around his chest. John frowned, he'd forgotten that most humans didn't react well to heights. He could easily pry her off him but he'd probably break a few of her bones in the process, humans were so fragile. Making his voice gentle, he requested, "please let go, it's safe. I won't let you fall." No response. He poked her shoulder uncertainly, "Umm, let go." No response. Urrg, this would take something drastic. Steeling himself, he swept her silky hair to one side of her neck, the other hand he splayed across her back, pressing her closer to him. Lowering his head, he whispered throatily into her ear, "there are more comfortable places to do this."
Instantly, the girl let go of him and scooted as far away from him on the tree branch as she could manage. It wasn't that far, he was holding onto the back of her collar to make sure she didn't fall off the tree. She was blushing again and she eyed him as if he carried the plague. He gave her a predatory grin, she shrank even farther away from him. It was so much fun teasing her, but it was time to get serious. He needed the girl on his side, not looking as if she was contemplating jumping off of her four story high perch on the tree just to escape his company. Carefully drawing her back towards him, he said in a cajoling voice, "Kagome, I think we got started on the wrong foot.", she directed a significant look at his hand where it clasped her elbow, preventing her from moving away from him.
"Yeah" she muttered, "you could definitely say that." He released her arm, looked like he wouldn't be able to charm her into helping him. Studying her, he decided that she was probably the type that would be most convinced by the direct approach. That really wasn't a bad thing, he realized with surprise, after two centuries of playing the charming young man to lure girls into the crone's clutches he was sick of that role. It felt good to actually tell the truth (or part of it), this one time. Leaning against the center of the tree, he started his explanation.
"The hag isn't training you out of altruism. The stuff she told you about learning to control your power to make sure you didn't accidentally hurt someone was all lies. That's not the way magic works. The truth is, the crones been kidnapping girls like you for centuries, offering them false promises, power, wealth, beauty, whatever the girl has a weakness for, to persuade them to apprentice to her. Once their power reaches a certain level, once they come to a specific point in their studies, she conducts what she tells them is a ritual of ascension, after they complete it they'll be a full priestess, no longer an apprentice. Its the "last step" of their training. And it is the last step, of everything. What the ritual actually does, is drain their life and magical energy, killing them. The crone stores the energy in a magical knife she keeps hidden in her hut. I've only seen it when she performs the ceremony. The crone caught me by surprise a century ago, I was weak from a battle with another demon. I had passed out in a cave that I thought was safe while my wounds healed, when I woke up I had this around my neck" he gestured distastefully towards the necklace. "Normally, she would be no match for me." the anger and frustration in his voice were impossible to suppress. And the embarrassment! Being captured by a third-rate sorceress, and after a century he still hadn't escaped. "It prevents me from working any major or offensive spells and forces me to obey any order the crone gives me. With the right training though, you could break it."
He stole a look at the girl, she was listening raptly to his story. There was no doubt in her voice when she stood up, hand against the tree's trunk for balance, declaring "We've got to stop her!! All those girl's lives!!" her eyes were bright, glistening with tears, as if she actually cared about the lives of those girls that she'd never met. Maybe she did, humans could be so odd sometimes.
Kagome looked at John, she believed him. She couldn't explain why. She just had this feeling he was telling the truth, kind of like the way she'd known when he was messing with her spells. Sacrifice, Kagome's mind quivered in revulsion at the thought. How many innocent people had lost their lives to that woman? Which is why she stood up, declaring "We've got to stop her." and looking earnestly at John. She didn't ask why John hadn't tried to stop the crone before, she didn't think she *wanted* to know. At least he was willing to help her now. But, Kagome looked thoughtfully at John, could she free him, what's more did she even want to? In some ways he was as bad as the crone, what would he do once he was free? On the other hand, she really didn't have a choice, she couldn't defeat or even escape the crone without John's help. "OK," Kagome stuck her hand out, "I'll set you free, and you help me defeat the crone." John grinned at the girl and eagerly clasped the hand she offered. Perfect. He hadn't imagined it would be this easy, he knew that the blood bond would eventually force her to free him, but it was still in its early stages, at this point it probably had little, if any influence, on her decisions. Maybe it was the luck spells that had caused her to agree to help him, possibly it actually was the deaths of all those girls, the girl really did have a soft heart. Not that it really mattered, he thought, tightening his grip on her hand, his freedom was the only thing that really mattered. That and revenge, he could feel the crone's neck snapping between his hands, he'd be free and the crone dead, that's all that mattered. What was that whimpering sound? John was distracted from his dreams of revenge. It was the girl, she was trying to free her hand, evidently it wasn't the crone's neck he'd felt snapping John thought with amusement as he released his grip on her hand. It was mottled with bruises but it didn't look like anything was broken. He should probably apologize to the girl though, and be more careful, he didn't think she would back out now, but humans were odd, better safe than sorry. Besides, she wouldn't be able to fight if she got seriously injured.
Kagome cradled her bruised hand, were other demons like this? She studied John from out of the corner of her eyes, he hadn't even blinked when he told her about all the other girls the crone had sacrificed, didn't seem bothered at all by the role that he'd played in their deaths by kidnapping them. How could he not care? Was this the way Inuyasha felt about humans? Kagome shivered.
Kagome knocked lightly on the door to the crone's hut, it swung open under her touch, creaking loudly. The crone was kneeling by the bed, smoothing the covers, but she looked up as Kagome entered. "I feel so much better after that nap.", she declared, smiling brightly at Kagome. "I think we should try to finish the next lesson before tonight - Oh! what happened to your hand?" The crone broke off, looking in concern at Kagome's slightly swollen right hand. "You've really smashed it up, " she exclaimed, running her fingers over it lightly, checking gently to make sure there were no fractures. "How did this happen?" she frowned sternly at Kagome "your hands are essential for casting spells, you can't afford to let them get injured."
"I. . . ahh . . . dropped a rock on it." Kagome fibbed, feeling her face flame red like it always did when she made something up. "But I can still move it, it hasn't affected my dexterity at all," Kagome hastened to reassure her, tracing a rune in the air to prove her point, or trying to, she didn't seem to be able to fully extend her index finger, or to clench the other fingers closed, her bruises twinged warningly when she even tried.
"Fine, eh?" the crone smiled wryly and led Kagome to a chair. "On second thought, I think I'll postpone our lesson for tonight and have you study out of one of the old books. But first," the crone muttered something and traced a sign on Kagome's palm. The bruises abruptly stopped hurting. "There," the crone gave Kagome a motherly smile. It made her realize how much she missed her own mother. It had been a month now, she must be so worried. . . . "Your hand should be completely healed by morning. We can resume our lessons then. In the meantime, don't use your hand at all. Just study this," she said, thumping a ragged old book down on the table in front of Kagome. Kagome looked at it, curiously prodding at the pages with her good hand, was that parchment? "Well, I'll leave you to your studies now dear, I'm getting low on some herbs, I might not be back before morning, be sure to take it easy with your hand." The old lady reminded Kagome, then left, closing the door quietly behind her. Kagome stared after her, she seemed so nice, and John was so awful, maybe she'd made a mistake? Oh well, she opened the book with a sigh, she wouldn't worry about that tonight, tonight she'd study.
Toothache remedies, wart cures, blessings for new homes, more good luck charms, Kagome disinterestedly flipped though the pages. It read like a cook book! Stuff grandpa would probably love. I wonder if they think I'm back in feudal Japan with Inuyasha, Kagome thought, her mind drifting as she scanned through more pages, petty curses and a recipe for preparing demon liver. Is Inuyasha even looking for me?, she wondered morosely. After that last argument maybe he'd decided to search for the shards on his own, did he even know she was missing? Love spells. The title caught Kagome's eye, maybe. . .
THUMP
What?!? Kagome jumped guiltily and looked up. There was a second book on the table now, older than the one she was looking at, but also in better condition. The black leather cover was smooth and uncracked, and the pages were crisp, a creamy yellow in color. "Study this." John instructed her, snapping shut the book she'd been studying out of and tossing it contemptuously to the floor. There's nothing good in that book, half of it isn't even magic." Kagome looked curiously at John, he was pacing the room nervously, he appeared to be very upset. I wonder if he's read the recipe for demon liver, Kagome mused, watching John pace the perimeter of the room for the fourth time. He looked up, caught her watching him, "Stop gawking at me and study!" he exploded, pounding the black book for emphasis. Kagome eyed it distastefully. It seemed to suck in light, the area around the book was dark, and a rotting smell emanated from it although the book itself looked to be in perfect condition. "There's no time to be squeamish!" John shouted, noticing the look she directed at the tome. Opening the book, he shoved it under Kagome's nose, his hands were trembling slightly. "Do you know what she's doing?" John asked abruptly, knocking the book aside he grabbed Kagome's shoulders and shook her.
Cautiously, Kagome replied, "Yeah, she's gathering herbs." She tried to keep her expression calm, and she surreptitiously edged away from John. She didn't know him that well, but he'd always been so self-possessed and confident, even when he was acting. It was scary seeing him lose his self- control.
"Idiot!" John muttered fiercely, glaring at her and growling incomprehensibly under his breath. "She's gathering herbs all right, Blutstamm, the key ingredient for the sacrificial ceremony. It's the only fresh ingredient the ceremony requires, but it loses its potency within 48 hours of being harvested. That means you have at the most two days to learn enough offensive magic to defeat a sorceress who's been practicing it for two hundred years!" John stared at her as if he could impress the urgency of the situation into her mind.
"But, you'll be helping me right?" Kagome looked uncertainly at John, there was no way she could defeat the crone in a magical duel, she had to have John's help. "I thought you wanted to be free, I can't beat her without your help." She shook her head in confusion, "wasn't that the plan all along, for us to fight together against her?"
John looked like he was about to cry, either that or scream. He reached for a gold chain that hung around his neck, but dropped his hand before it reached the necklace. "I can't help you," he stated, his voice flat, "The crone's slave spell won't even let me within a yard of her. It not only binds me to her will, it prevents me from physically attacking her. It's loose now, but if she wanted she could freeze me with a thought. Physically, she has complete control over me. Originally, I'd hoped to have you break the slave spell, but I can't find the counter spell for it anywhere and we've run out of time." John stared dully at the desk, "an eternity of servitude." He whispered, his fingers digging gouges in the already battered table.
"Hey, don't worry," Kagome tried to reassure him "I'll defeat the crone and that'll free you. It's our deal remember?" Kagome tentatively patted his shoulder and gave him a cheerful smile. John shot her a despairing look and buried his face in his hands "sure" his voice dripped with sarcasm "a girl who's too squeamish to learn a single destructive spell is going to defeat a sorceress who has spent the last couple of centuries specializing in them, you'll forgive me if I'm not reassured.", he drawled, seeming to regain some of his composure. Kagome swallowed, she'd forgotten about the book. It was repulsive, but what alternative did she have? If she didn't learn the spells, she'd be dead within two days. And, Kagome thought, opening the book, she didn't have to learn all of them, she could avoid the really bad ones. Finally, the girl was studying. Not that it was likely to do much good, John thought bitterly as he slipped out of the hut. The girl might be stronger than the witch, but two days simply couldn't compare to two centuries of study.
Meanwhile, in a moonlit clearing several miles from the hut.
The crone smiled to herself as she filled her basket with the red-veined, fleshy leaves of the Blutstamm. She didn't know why it hadn't occurred to her earlier, she must be going senile. The girl hadn't developed enough energy yet to satisfy the requirements for the youth spell, but if she sacrificed the girl AND the demon, then there'd be enough energy, more than enough. She'd finally be able to gain immortal youth, it wouldn't be just an illusion, it would be reality. It was time to get rid of the demon anyway, slave spell or not, demons were dangerous to have around, if he found a way to escape he would kill her. It was pure luck that she'd managed to trap him in the first place, it would never happen again. Humming an old tune, she moved to another clearing that held the Blutstamm, it had taken two centuries and who knows how many sacrifices, but finally it was within her grasp, immortality.
Next chapter: Death and Betrayal