Kalinsk's breath left him as the woman stepped forwards into the stone circle, the pounds of the drummers echoing from the cold cave walls.
"Would you dance with me, Kalinsk?" She extended her hand, a warm smile on her face as the slow beat of the drum beckoned him.
Kalinsk hesitated. "I don't know this dance."
The woman's smile grew. "It's easy if I show you how."
Her hand reached out further, and in the dark, mystical cave, her face was a beacon of safety. Slowly, Kalinsk reached back, and the moment their hands connected, she pulled him close and took his head in her palm. She stepped back, and warily, Kalinsk stepped with her as she brought him to the centre of the ring, and all of a sudden, they stopped. The drums stopped with her, and for a moment, they stood silent in the darkness until the light tap of a xylophone could be heard. It tapped out a short but catchy rhythm - a tap-tap-tap followed by a short pause, two more taps, a shorter pause and then a drum beat - and the woman began to step with the rhythm. Carefully, Kalinsk followed, extremely mindful of his feet, and the two began to twirl in each other's arms.
"You're a natural," she chuckled, and a grin forced its way onto Kalinsk's lips. "Are you sure you don't know this dance?"
"Believe me," Kalinsk chuckled back. "If I knew this dance, I'd be sure of it."
"You know a lot of dances?" She asked.
"A few," He cocked his head aside. "Dancing's never really been my forte though."
"Well I'm impressed," the woman smiled, and he smiled with her as the rhythm slowly began to speed up. They both sped up to match, and Kalinsk grew especially cautious of his footwork, and in a panicked moment, he almost tripped over her feet.
"You keeping up?" She teased.
"It's a little tricky," he said, his eyes fixed on his feet.
"Just relax and follow the music," she said, and with a deep breath and a glance up at her face, his caution began to settle. Quickly, he found his rhythm again, and again the song sped up, but this time, he kept his footing through the steadily speeding melody.
And then, to his surprise, it was her turn to trip over his foot.
The sharp pain quickly settled, but a brick-red blush spread on her face at the flub.
"Are you keeping up?" he smirked, and the woman only blushed more.
"You want me to trip again?" She glanced up briefly before her eyes returned to the floor.
"You're doing a hell of a lot better than I am," Kalinsk smiled, and a smile crept onto her face as well.
"I'll take your word for it," she chuckled.
The two of them then glanced up as a sudden thud echoed from the drums.
"That's our cue," the woman took a breath. "You ready for the finale?"
"Sure thing..." Kalinsk took a breath too. "Is it easy?"
"For me," she smirked, and at the start of the next loop of the melody, she broke from his arms and danced over to one end of the circle. She turned back to face Kalinsk and nodded, and he too made his way to the edge opposite to her. A moment passed as the melody repeated again, and when it finished, the xylophone stopped and a fast, constant drum beat began to play. The moment the music changed, the woman waved her hands before her face, her fingers curling into various hand symbols, before taking a knee and throwing her arms aside. Looking up, she smiled again, a deeper, more confident smile than she had done before, and nodded down to Kalinsk's feet. Picking up on her sign, Kalinsk knelt and posed his arms the same as she did, and as suddenly as they started, the drums stopped.
Then she ran towards him, and in a flash of panic, Kalinsk threw his arms out in front of him, but as he tried to stand, the woman ran into his hands and pushed herself up, and as quickly as it happened, he found himself holding her aloft in the air.
He held his breath. His arms trembled at the unexpected weight of the woman above, and as he struggled to keep her in the air, she looked down, smiled, and touched her thumb to his forehead.
"Spirits take him."
Kalinsk gasped as pain flared through his skull, and a barrage of images flew through his mind. He saw the forest that he was travelling through on his next quest and heard the scream that led him off the road. He saw the desecrated camp where he'd found her scared and alone, felt the bounce of the horse beneath him as he ferried her across the verdant valleys towards the shore, and heard the cries of seagulls as the woman's schooner sailed away from shore.
And felt the surge of panic in his heart as she wiped his mind before the ritual.
Kalinsk's eyes widened at the face of the witch who had ensorcelled him, and she grinned back at him as she tipped back and landed on her feet. He dropped to his knees and gazed as his life drained from his body through her thumb, and when the spell was done, he went limp. His eyes glazed over as the world faded away, and the last thing he heard came as a whisper in his ear.
"Thank you, Kalinsk." The witch chuckled.
"You fed me well."
