The Quest

Chapter Forty Three - Tom

Tom nursed his wounds over the next few days until they pulled him from his cell. His hands forced behind him and bound. He nearly collapsed when he stepped on his foot wrong. Matera pointed her hand at him and a soft blue light surrounded him. He felt his bruises and scrapes healing. "Why?" Tom asked, catching his breath. He hadn't expected the sensation to be so overwhelming.

"You need to be presentable for the priestess on her birthday," Matera explained before walking away. The troll that was guarding him pushed Tom forward.

"I'm going, I'm going," Tom muttered as he stumbled. He followed Matera into a room with a high vaulted ceiling. A large circle was made of flooring tiles in the middle of the room. Torches lined the walls, reflecting the glass from the nearby windows. There appeared to be a snowstorm outside.

Tom was marched directly into this large circle, then forced to the floor. His ankles were bound and then his wrists attached to his ankles. His back felt like it was forcefully arched forward. Matera moved some stray hairs out of his face as she opened his shirt a little more to reveal his chest. Easier access to his heart, he figured.

"Don't go anywhere," Matera smiled, as she left him there to wait.

"Don't worry, I won't," Tom seethed, the ropes already biting into his skin.

—----

Tess walked down the hallway unhurriedly. She hadn't been feeling the best lately, and she was pretty sure it was because of Tom's presence. Her dark blue dress swished on the stone floor as she made her way to the ritual room. Today was the day she would get her full powers and become a siren.

She stopped by a window as she walked by, breathing in the fresh night air. The full moon was bright tonight. It looked beautiful in the falling snow that framed it in the sky. Sighing, she turned back to her destination. Stalling would not get her out of doing the ritual. She smiled upon seeing Matera outside the room she'd be performing the ritual in. "My priestess," Matera brought Tess into a gentle hug.

"Blessed night," Tess answered, returning the hug.

"Are you ready for tonight?" Matera asked, straightening her gown.

"As I'll ever be," Tess gave a small grimace as her head began pounding more. Why had her previous feeling of unease grown? What was different about this room tonight?

"Do you remember the steps for tonight?"

Tess nodded, her stomach doing flip-flops at the thought. How could she forget? Tonight was going to be her first kiss!

"You're going to do great," Matera gave Tess a big smile, while clasping her shoulder.

"I appreciate your faith in me, mother," Tess responded, taking a deep breath to settle her nerves.

"Remember, the ritual needs to be started by midnight at the latest." Matera turned the knob to the door, opening it. "Happy birthday," she added, as the door swung open.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Tess gave a lopsided grin, turning to see her sacrifice.

Tess' face fell, her heart clenching at the sight of Tom kneeling in the middle of the room. His feet and hands lashed together so he couldn't defend himself. She instantly knew that he was the presence that was making her feel ill. "Mother," Tess whispered, before Matera walked off. "I don't think I can do this."

Matera looked at Tess, surprised. "If you want your powers to come in, you must." Tess looked at Tom with a concerned face, then back to Matera. "The ritual specifically states it must be a loved one."

Tess glanced around the room to see the other sirens looking towards her. They were waiting for the ritual to begin. "But it's Tom." Tess wanted to let her tears loose. This wasn't fair!

"He's the one you love, isn't he?" Matera asked, giving her a sickly sweet smile. "Or were we wrong?"

Tess wanted to scream about how they were completely wrong about their assumption, but she remained silent. They weren't wrong. She took a calming breath, then turned towards Tom. He was watching her, waiting to see what she did.

"Has my blade been cleaned?" Tess asked, not looking at Matera. She wasn't going to get sympathy from her.

Matera gestured to one siren on the side. They brought forth a thin jeweled dagger, offering it to Tess. A priestess' athame. Her athame.

Tess never looked down at the siren. It was one of her younger sisters, just starting to learn magic. She took the athame and began her walk to Tom.

The closer she got, the more he looked familiar and yet different. She looked at her reflection in the dagger she held. She had changed, too. Her skin had begun to shimmer like the other sirens, her teeth were coming in too. It wasn't until she was closer; she saw what was different about Tom.

"Where are your ears?" Tess whispered, kneeling down next to her friend.

Tom looked her up and down slowly, not wanting to miss a single feature of her. Oh, how he had missed her. "You've changed too," Tom finally croaked out, giving her a small smile. His throat felt like sandpaper.

"Tom," Tess took his chin in her hand, turning his face towards her. "What happened? Where were you?" Tears began falling down her face. "I waited for you."

"Tess," Tom wished his hands were free. He'd scoop her up and never let her go. It was tearing his heart to pieces to see her like this. "I thought of you every day and night. I heard your howls... why'd you stop?"

"You did?" Tess asked, thinking of all the times she had howled for him. Then she had stopped. She had lost hope of ever seeing him again.

"I howled back every night, even when I had things thrown at me," Tom offered a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Tess let out a small laugh through her tears. "You were never very good at carrying a tune."

Tom scoffed, acting offended. "Destru's worse. Have you heard him sing? It's like claws on stone."

"He helped you find the Hero's Dias," Tess whispered. She felt her lips grow wet. Her poison was activating, being so close to a loved one.

"He did," Tom smiled, doing his best to not show any of the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. He might be able to distract Tess for a bit, but the sirens wanted their priestess at full power. His back was aching. He had been in this position for too long. He had lost feeling in his hands several hours ago. "Tess, you were right," Tom continued, keeping her attention on him. "The government knew where it was the whole time."

"I knew it," Tess whispered to herself before looking back at him. "Is that... is that where you-"

"Lost my ears?" Tom asked. His face looked incredibly human without his wolf's ears. "Lost my tail too." He attempted to show Tess, but wasn't able to move much because of the stiffness setting into his joints.

"You traded your wolf?" Tess looked at him sadly.

"I would do anything for you," Tom whispered, meeting her gaze.

"Oh, Tom!" Tess wrapped her arms around his neck. He breathed in her scent. It was still her, even if she had begun to turn into a siren.