.Elementals.

-92-

I had indeed convinced the halfmen king but at what price? Tho nothing bad came of it new things to add to my arsenal did.

It was out of pure instinct I whipped my blood around instead of making water, my inferno was already blazing so water would have evaporated while my blood still ran down from my worst wounds.

Purple fire was also new, I did think I could make it since I was a dragon partially but it was still surprising thinking back to it.

The lightning redirecting if really dangerous and a move not taught unless true masters of our crafts if I remember right tho we learnt about it.

And to end it all there was the sight without my eyes, I can sense wild magic since I can control it like I do elemental even if I am way behind on it, a simple ripple of magic through my surroundings let me see, maybe if I train that I will be able to clearly see with my eyes closed, who knows really?

I checked myself over, as good as new in all aspects.

As I walked to where I was asked to meet the others my hand was around my necklace, siphoning magic into it.

I let my hand drop when I came upon Ethan, the halfmen king and Audrey.

I stopped and let her run over and do her frantic checking me over to see if the healers did a good job.

"You have some explaining to do." She whispered in my face.

"I would if I knew how I did most of what you never seen me do before."

"Mage Mystery.... Or as I have been informed head mage Mystery." I looked over her shoulder and at the king who approached with Ethan seconding him.

"My king." I bowed my head slightly, enough of a respectful bow to pass. Audrey scooted to stand by my side with a grip on my hand.

"You have beyond surpassed my expectation, the halfmen will walk with you." I smiled gratefully.

"We will head out as soon as all is ready, we have a long way to the capitol even thought the straightest of tunnels." Ethan announced. "But before that I want you to meet someone."

"Show the way general." I said, giving him a title despite what his punishment entailed.

"Follow me we don't have much time." He didn't acknowledge my words with a physical reaction but the aura of his being shifted, from the doom and gloom to a more neutral one, the small invisible reaction I only picked up this easily as when I became one with my dragon self I gained to my senses.

We followed him to a domed black stone building, the only entrance guarded by four halfmen in heavy chain-mail and plated armor.

"You might not like what you see." Ethan warned, pulling the tarp used as door away, a light blue-green glow escaping from the building. "You first."

The whole room was covered in old glyphs, markings and sigils having nothing in common with each other, one in elvish, the other in human tongue, the third in Draklian and so on, well.... They did seem to have one in common, all glowed that blue-green color and those I could read were each a healing, nurturing, preserving or long lasting incantations, all used to keep a fatally wounded lasting as the healers did their best.

The glow formed into streams that each stayed separated and converged in the middle and dove into a circular pond that radiated with the colors, pulsing brighter to the rhythm of a slow but steady heartbeat.

I brushed a finger through a glowing stream and it reacted like it was smoke, the part I touched fading away.

I walked deeper in as I saw Ethan stand by the entrance and stop Audrey from following.

I walked over and peered into the pond, it was hard to see through it so I kneeled down and leaned closer.

I choked on my breath when, almost sensing my trouble, the pond reacted by the glow fading from it to let me see.

"I wouldn't touch the water." Ethan stopped me. "it would break the enchantment and no one is strong enough to save her."

I motionlessly stared into the seemingly endless pond where a body floated, almost too peacefully with the wound it sustained.

I ground my teeth together as unwanted tears gathered in my eyes.

"We found her in a forest, alive wouldn't be a good term for how she was, gone from the land of the living but somehow her magic ran free and we know as long as a mage lives, be it wild or elemental, their magic does too, so we brought her back here and she rests in an eternal stasis since that day, neither dead nor alive."

I bit back a sound as I grabbed my chest over my painful heart, eyes dragging over the familiar blue hair floating weightlessly in the water.

A hole in her chest, the bones lacking flesh and missing, the lungs motionless but unfortunately this time my keen vision let me see the beating heart.

"We'll leave you alone." Ethan said.

I sat there in horror as the damage and another storm of emotions conjured forth by the sight, the pain, the anger, the hate, the relief, the fear, all because of her.

"Belladonna." I whispered as a tears raced from my eye to my chin and dropped in the water, sending a soft ripple through the surface of it.

She was here, laying undead in front of me, she was here.

"You won this round old lady." I said while closing my eyes with a pained smile. "You did it, I am the head mage, like you've always wanted it.... I wish I could have told you this face to face."

I didn't try to hold my tears anymore but kept my soft sobbing quiet by biting my tongue, hearing the drops hit the water below.

"I wish you were here, not like this.... But alive, well, smiling and.... Alive."

I opened my eyes, sadly staring into the pool.

"I know I shouldn't try.... That was a one time thing but...."

I shifted around so I sat criss-crossed, straightened my back, fists closed and knuckles resting against each other, eyes falling close and with a deep breath reached deep inside.

I yelped as the ground vanished underneath me and I fell into darkness.