The Blood Witch

7: To Help Save Friends

~ Rhaenys Vissera, blood witch ~

Haakon and I hurry down through the tunnels, both of us on alert for any signs of danger. My blood magick can only pick up Haakon and the other two people I had sensed earlier. We finally reach the small chamber before the one where those cel kids are.

"You ready?" I ask Haakon.

Even in the very dim light of this tunnel, I can see his glowing eyes and the slash of white that must be his smile. "Of course, my lady. I am so ready."

"Alright, let's do this."

We step into the next tunnel, and I see the two girls in their cages, both of them staring at us, shocked. The girl on the left speaks first.

"Who are you?"

"If you're against those who put us here, then we are your allies," I say. I nod to Haakon. "Get them out?"

"Of course, my lady."

He sweeps into a deep bow. Then he approaches the cage wall of the girl who spoke. I turn to the other girl.

"Hi, I'm Rhaenys, what's your name?"

"Callidora."

"Alright, Callidora. I am going to help you get out of there, okay?" I say. She nods, and I reach forward. I close my eyes and then touch the barrier on my side. To my utter shock, it doesn't zap me. But it kinda.... melts under my power.

She gasps and grins at me when I open my eyes. "You ... you did it! How!"

"We are just that special," says Haakon as he helps Callidora out of her cage. "I am Haakon."

"Hi," says the other girl, as she taps my shoulder. I turn to her. She's a light elf, pale skin, with long very pale hair and golden eyes. A necklace with a strange vial is around her neck, and she seems to be very protective of it. "Um, I'm Mithra Solheart, a light elf. And Callidora here is my friend, a manticore."

"Can you maybe help us with these?" Callidora asks, raising her arms, which have those stone, Gorgian shackles on each wrist, like a morbid pair of bracelets.

"I can't,' says Haakon. He turns to me. "But Rhaen here ...."

"Wait, what?"

He steps up in front of me. "Rhaen. You can do this. The same way you broke the shields. You can do this, just touch them and use your blood magick."

"Okay," I say.  Turning to Mithra, I ask, "Do you trust me enough to try and destroy the shackles?"

She hesitates before nodding. "Yeah, do it. If you can... I mean. Don't strain yourself if you don't need to. Maybe we can find another way."

"Well, let me try first," I say, holding out my hands. Reluctantly, Mithra holds her arms out. I touch the strangely cold and hard stone shackles. I feel them trying to leach my powers. But I resist, and just like that, they crumble into nothing but dust.

"Holy shit!" Haakon cries.  "Rhaen, you did it!"

I turn to Callidora and do the same. She rubs her wrists and grins at me. "Oh, thank you! Rhaen, thank you!"

"Yeah," murmurs Mithra. "Thanks."

Callidora looks at Mithra and her gaze softens. "Mithra, I... maybe you could tell them what happened while we walk. We need to try and get out of here."

Mithra nods.  "Okay. Okay. Um, yeah."

Haakon nods to me. "Which way to safety?"

"Actually, I know," says Callidora. "Follow me."

We follow her down the tunnel, going in the way we'd been heading before, when we were searching for them. But then, Callidora guides us down a side tunnel. As we walk in the dark, Haakon creates a small spark of light that helps us see.

It's then that Mithra speaks.  "I .... I found my soul mate."

"Oh, yeah?" Haakon asks, sounding very interested.  "Congratulations, Mithra."

She sighs heavily, her breath shaking. I realize now that she, too, is trembling. "He's trapped in this vial around my neck. His soul is, I mean."

"Wait, what?" Haakon asks. "You mean someone used soul magick to do that?"

"Yeah," she says dryly.  "It was Rhialdir, god of Beasts."

"Oh," Haakon murmurs. "Figures that bastard would be here, doing shit like that."

Mithra wraps her arms around herself. "I need to free him. He can't... he can't be gone."

I look at her, wondering what exactly she's been through here. How it came to be that her soul mate was trapped by a god, trapped in the prison of a vial around her neck. And how to help her free him.