The Quest

Chapter Forty - Rune

Tom made it out of the dungeons with little trouble. He was now wandering the halls of this seemingly vast castle. Ducking into the shadows whenever a servant passed by, trying to be as stealthy as possible. He stopped when he heard a familiar female voice, and it wasn't Matera. Tom looked around, doing his best to stay in his hiding spot. Tess rounded a corner talking with a younger looking siren.

It took all his self-control to not jump out and bring Tess into a big bear hug. His eyes roved over her figure, looking for signs of mistreatment or bruising. He didn't see anything. Her skin looked soft and perfect, just as it always had. Her hair shimmered in the torchlight, bouncing lightly as she walked along. She wore a similar dress as the sirens from earlier. Except this one was more blue, helping her eyes stand out. He heard her laugh at something the siren said. Tom's heart twisted with yearning. He had missed the sound of her laughter. It was exactly how he remembered it.

"Are you nervous for today's test?" the siren was asking, as they made their way closer to his hiding place.

Tom held his breath, not wanting to draw attention to himself as they passed.

"I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I started not feeling well yesterday," Tess admitted. Her shoulders seemed to tense up as they passed his hiding spot. Tess stopped for a moment, looking around the hallway, with a confused look.

"Is everything okay, Priestess?" the young siren asked, concerned.

"Yes," Tess shook her head, a hand to her forehead. "Perhaps I'm just staying up too late reading. I'll make sure to have some tea once the test is done."

"I'll go let the kitchen know so they'll have a cup waiting for you," the siren volunteered, running off down the hallway.

Tess watched as the siren disappeared down one of the several hallways. She sighed, looking around once more, before continuing down the hallway. Tom let out the air he had been holding as Tess disappeared down another hallway. He knew he should have stopped her, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to the way he looked. Would she believe it was still him?

He opted to follow her to wherever her destination was. Matera had said Rune was a part of a test for who he assumed was Tess. He hoped that, whatever the test was, it would be harmless for Rune.

Tom continued to follow Tess from a distance, stopping once she went through a wooden door. He crept to the door, hoping to hear what was going on in the room, but it was too silent for his liking. He could never prepare himself for what he was about to see.

—--

Tess greeted Matera in the testing room. There was only one figure bound on the floor today. "Think of this as a run through for your new moon ritual," Matera smiled, leading Tess to a table full of knives.

"Yes, mother," Tess replied, going for her usual athame. She tried pushing her sense of unease down. There was nothing in her home that would make her feel this way. It was most likely her nerves getting the better of her. She centered herself in front of the bound figure. She nodded towards a siren, who took the sack off of the figure's head.

Once again, Tom's face greeted her. His eyes filled with terror as the sailor under the glamour took in the room. "M-Miss Tess?" a shaky youthful voice called out to her.

"Oh good," Tess smiled. "They're finally changing the voices around." She kneeled next to the shaking figure.

"Miss Tess, it's me Rune," the figure tried again. They were pulling against the rope binding their wrists together. It cut into their wrists until they bled.

"Of course it is," Tess sneered. "All you look like my friends, but you're not." Tess brought the athame to the sailor's throat, its blade barely piercing the skin.

"Please, Miss Tess," the sailor cried out, a whine following the plea. "Please don't hurt me."

Tess didn't bother with a reply, instead she sliced the sailor's throat as the door to the room burst open. A male voice shouted at her, being cut off as Matera put a silencing shield over whoever the intruder was. Tess caught the body of the young sailor, then took her hand and ripped its heart out. She pushed the body over, disinterested, as she took a bite of the heart in her hand.

—--

Tom couldn't believe the sight that reached him when he burst into the room. Tess was kneeling at Rune's side with a knife at his throat. "No! Tess, that's Rune!" he shouted, only to be cut off by a blue field surrounding him. He pounded on the shield, shouting for Tess as she caught Rune's lifeless body. "No! Tess!" Tears streamed down his face. He was too late.

She turned towards him, a bite taken out of the heart, her chin and hand drenched in blood. Rune's heart dripped its life-force onto the ground as she took a step towards him. She nodded towards Matera, who lowered the shield around Tom. He rushed forward to get to Tess.

Tess didn't seem to be okay with this. She reached a hand out and gripped the air with it. Tom felt his body snap into a straight line, floating up into the air. He felt like his lungs were being crushed. "Why do you not tremble before me, sailor?" Tess asked. Her voice had gone dark.

"Because I know who you truly are," Tom gasped out, trying to keep his focus on Tess without passing out.

Tess let out a laugh, releasing her grip on Tom a little, before becoming serious once more. "Whoever you knew before is dead," she brought Tom closer for a slight inspection. "They did a good glamour on you. You even sound like him."

Tom gasped as he felt the magic around him squeezing even harder. "Tess, it's me."

Tess smirked. "They're all you," she gestured towards Runes' body. The glamour hadn't fully faded, and he saw his face over Runes.

"Tess, they're brainwashing you," Tom tried again.

Tess shook her head in disbelief. "No," she said dangerously. "They were here for me, unlike everyone else who I thought were my friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." She threw Tom to the side of the room, then left.

Tom groaned as he rolled away from the wall. He felt like his whole body was going to be bruised. He looked up to see Matera smiling, her teeth showing. "Let's have a chat, Young Priest."

If Tom still had his tail, it would've been between his legs at how scared he was right then. He swallowed hard as Matera bound him with magic and shooed the other sirens out of the room.