Cassandra Pendragon

Being somewhat useless had its perks. While everyone was busy combing through Alassara’s vault, searching for a magically conductive gem, trying to decipher a hastily devised ritual, Amazeroth had scribbled down as a distraction, or making sure, I wasn’t going to kick it, in the next few hours, all I had to do was lean back and watch. Every time I pointed out, that I could very well help out, here and there, I was being shot down enthusiastically. Either they wanted me to save my strength, or they didn’t trust me with anything as difficult and sensitive as ritualised magic. Probably a bit of both.

In theory, being waited upon was a delightful change, but it also meant I had nothing to occupy my mind with. Which in turn meant, I was constantly puzzling over what had happened. The only reason, Amon had had a chance to curse me, was my own failure at controlling my powers. If I hadn’t lost it, I wouldn’t have almost become a monster from my past and I wouldn’t have crumbled under the ensuing onslaught. That much could be explained by Cassy being herself, yet again, but him counting on it? “That was easier than expected,” he had said. As if he had known I would succumb to my wrath, the moment I laid eyes upon him. As if he had known, how it would turn out. Clever as he undoubtedly was, I couldn’t imagine he had that kind of knowledge, which told me exactly one thing: Amazeroth wanted me exactly where I was. On my back, my soul hurt and dying. But why? He had placed Shassa in my path, he had made sure, I had all the tools necessary to come out alive. But why even bother, what was there to gain?

I would learn to listen, to see, he had told me. I would learn or I’d die. What kind of twisted lesson was that? Making sure I knew my own limits? Carpe diem and Memento mori? I didn’t need anyone to tell me how easily a life could end, even my own. What was the point? In practice, I was simply crippled for a while. While my soul was connected to my core, I was at risk of annihilating it entirely, should I use my powers. I could feel the parasitic link, the curse had formed, a link that would channel a part of my energies through my soul, should I try to use them willingly. In theory, a summoning would circumvent that particular problem, since I wasn’t going to access my reservoirs myself, but why, why bother?

Time… I’d be tied down for a while, as would Ahri. She wasn’t going to leave my side, until I was cured. But what lesson could be learned form not being able to act? Being powerless… oh. A scene, from when we had been in Shafeer’s hoard, rose to the surface. Mephisto had told me, that I couldn’t save everyone, that sometimes, I’d be forced to let go. He had even reiterated his warning, when we had first seen the slave markets. And now… now I would have to stand by idly. Whatever happened, during the next few hours, I would be exactly where I was. Shit.

A surge of adrenaline pulse through my body and I had to repress the urge to materialise my wings. Ahri, who was keeping me company, a heavy tome on summoning circles, curtesy of Alassara, on her knees, looked up, her eyes narrowing with worry.

“What happened,” she asked, putting away the book. “Are you alright?” She hurried over to my side and gently placed her hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me. I stared at her, my thoughts racing.

“Where is everyone? Have you heard from the dwarfs? Where has Erya gone to?” She frowned.

“I… I’m not sure. They should be onboard. The fey might also have taken her granddaughter to see the city. Why?”

“Can you make sure? Try to reach them, please. I… I think something’s happening, if not now, then soon. Remember Boseiju? Once, the first domino falls…” her eyes went wide.

“More will follow… do you think…”

“I don’t know,” I exclaimed. “Maybe I’m just paranoid, but…” as if on cue, my insides twisted. For the fraction of a second, I simply froze, hunched over. Was it the next stage? Was I about to find out, why he had urged me to hold on for a few days?

“Cassy!” Ahri’s voice seemed distant, as if underwater and I barely felt her touch, when she pulled me in close. Fear surged through my veins, I expected the next wave to hit me at any moment, but it never came. There was a dull pressure somewhere within, but I couldn’t quite place it. Breathing shallowly, I buried my face in her hair, and focused on the sensations, until I realised that it wasn’t my soul, nor my body, but my very core. One of the shimmering bands around it was constricting, slowly drawing tighter and tighter around the seat of my power. A promise, a promise I was about to break. But which one?

“Erya,” I panted. “She’s in danger. I promised to keep her safe and I’m failing. Where’s…”

A scream cut me short, a scream, loud enough to tear through metres of cold, hard earth.

“Help! Cassy, help me!” A moment later, I felt her thoughts, a cacophony of fear and pain. The fey was close and she was hurt, hurt and alone. Without thinking, I shot up, my eyes glowing dangerously, but before I could take a single step, a crimson curtain of flames descended around me, ushering me back.

“No,” Ahri hissed, “you won’t. You’ll stay here, I’ll go.” I lowered my head defiantly, but she didn’t give me a chance to complain. “You will stay here. We’ve not yet managed to drag your ass back from hell and you want to run, head first, into the next demon? Not on my watch. Sit. Down.” The last words were uttered with quite a bit of power behind them and even though they didn’t affect me, they conveyed perfectly just how serious she was.

“Fine,” I gave in and slumped back down. When she didn’t move, her burning gaze still bearing down on me, I added: “would you hurry? I’m not going to run off… promise.” Satisfied, she nodded and vanished through the door in a shower of sparks. Alone, frustrated and hurting, I got off the bed again, pacing, listening, cursing silently. I didn’t even dare to enhance my hearing, afraid I might damage my soul even further. I groaned and forcefully pushed the tide of emotions away. There had to be something I could do, but stuck in a fortress below ground, without my powers, limited my options considerably.

I heard faint shouts, the muffled sound of heavy boots and even the thundering roar of an enraged dragon, while the shackles around my core vibrated and hummed with energy, exacerbating the pain from my crumbling soul. Damn it all to hell and back again! If I only knew… my wandering gaze fell upon the glowing gem, Ahri had put away, before I had distracted her. Maybe the spider could… the smell of strong, arcane arts welled up, filling the small room with the scent of electricity and ozone. I made my decision and placed the gem right back where I had found it. I had promised and even though I wouldn’t leave, I was decently sure, visiting the memories of an evil sorceress counted as running off. Who said I couldn’t learn?

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Unfortunately, I was now confined to a veritable dungeon, while my friends faced off against who knew what. They were all grown girls, though, easily able to handle themselves. At least, that was, what I told myself, repeatedly, as I shuffled back to the bed and sat down, concentrating on every little sound, every minuscule change, I could pick up on. Which, of course, made everything much worse. My imagination ran wild and I could barely keep myself rooted to the spot.

Every creak, every muffled cry, even the rustling of sheets, when I twitched involuntarily, expanded in my mind, until they became the echoes of a bloody, monstrous battle, raging just above my head. Time and again, I told myself, that someone would bother reaching out to me, if anything went wrong and that the continued silence only meant, they were doing just fine. Time and again, I stopped myself from opening the door and sneaking upstairs, from doing exactly what Ahri had told me not to. Damn it all to hell, I truly sucked at being a good, obedient girl. No wonder my parents had spent so much time hammering etiquette and manners through my thick skull. My heart raced, not from fatigue or pain, but for my friends, my family. Waiting, not knowing, hoping, was maybe the hardest thing I had ever been forced to do and with my résumé, that actually meant something.

Finally, after what seemed like aeons, even though it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, the smell of magics dispersed and silence returned, broken only by the occasional thud and incomprehensible whispers, I couldn’t quite place. Agitated, I immediately pushed a part of my consciousness through my tattoo and reached for Ahri, her thoughts a welcoming, warm embrace I hadn’t even known I needed.

“What happened,” I blurted out, before she had the chance to say anything. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m unharmed. So is everybody else, except for Erya. She’s lost consciousness. We’re carrying her inside, as we speak. She… I’m not sure what happened, but she’s the one we had to fight. She was… is hallucinating. Mistook us for monsters, at least that’s what she cried out. Cassy… it’s not looking good. Her magic is strong… I had to hurt her, severely, otherwise she wouldn’t have stopped. I… I fear, she’s been cursed, as well, but with her, it’s progressing much quicker. We have to get you cured, and fast. If you…” she couldn’t finish, her thoughts and emotions turning into a maelstrom of panic, guilt and pain, raging around an image of me, striking her down. I already felt the sting of tears, but when I realised, she was mostly horrified of failing me, of being unable to protect my family if it meant hurting me, even though she knew I’d want her to, I couldn’t hold back, anymore. Crying silently, I desperately tried to regain control, to project calmness and confidence, but I failed miserably.

“That’s never going to happen,” I still pressed out, with as much conviction as I could muster. “I’m never going to turn on you, none of you. I’d rather die.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Cassy, if it ever comes to that, promise we, you will protect your own life, you will value it higher than ours. Please, promise me, you won’t give in.”

“I… Ahri, I can’t. You know I can’t.” I sniffled and pressed my palms against my eyes. “Please, don’t ask me again. I’ll live this life with you, or not at all. There is no other option. I thought you knew…” I felt her urge to shout at me, to scream and quarrel, but with a mighty effort, she pushed her boiling emotions away, accepting what she couldn’t change. Gods, I really didn’t deserve her.

“I do… and I love you for it, but sometimes, you really manage to drive me up the walls. If you weren’t so goddamned noble, we probably wouldn’t even be here.” She paused, swallowing down the swelling tirade and added amazingly calmly: “get ready. I’m not waiting any longer. We’ll get you back to normal, before the fey wakes up. I can’t… I won’t watch that thing grow in you further. Everything else can w… oh, come on!” I nearly jumped in fright.

“What happened? Talk to me! What’s going on up there?”

“It’s a runner from the ship and he doesn’t look happy.” I tried to interrupt, but she silenced me with a quick thought. “Viyara can deal with it. I’m taking Aurelia and your family with me, we’re coming down, now. Get the gem, but don’t talk to the spider. Who knows what she could do with the curse.” She was right and I decidedly glad, I hadn’t followed my impulse to talk to Shassa.

“Don’t you need more time,” I asked, perplexed.

“We would, if I wanted to keep playing by the rules. We intended to find a way to strengthen the summoning circle and allow it to take some of the strain. A safeguard. But I’m an immortal, too, darling, and you won’t hurt me. I know you won’t. Your promises are stronger than any curse, no matter, who wrought it. Before you start berating me or refuse outright, keep in mind what’s happening to Erya. Cassy… she needs you. You’ve already broken a similar spell, once, you can do it again, but only if you’re whole.”

“That’s low,” I snarled. “And I’m still not going to value her safety higher than yours.”

“She’s dying, you stubborn vixen! It doesn’t matter, anyways. Honestly, she could be healthy, for all I care, but that curse is going to break, now. The fey is a convenient excuse for me, but once you’ve thought about her, it’ll change your mind. And I’m not in any danger. I know you. Sometimes, better than you know yourself. Believe it or not, it’s going to be much easier, if you think, you’d hurt me, in case you failed.”

“How can you be so…” “Right?”

“Vexing! Every time… fine! You better be right about this, otherwise, I’ll bring you back, only to kill you myself, again!” Quietly, I added: “you believe in what you’ve said, don’t you?”

“Every word. I’m honestly convinced we can do this. I wouldn’t risk your life, nor mine, on a whim, no matter the circumstances.” Her concentration wavered, while she began talking to someone else. “I’ll be with you in a minute. If you can, move the bed. We need space. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I whispered and severed the link. I cradled my head between my hands, trying to compose myself, while I was still reeling from the last few seconds. That girl would be death of me, one day. Well, she already had been, at least once. A pinched grin formed on my face and I got to my feet, feeling better. We had already been through the worst and yet, here we were.

With a groan, I leaned against the heavy bed and pushed it against a wall. The carpet was next, followed by the desk and chairs. When I held the gem in my hand, my eyes following the intricate lines of energy in its depths, I heard rushed footsteps and a moment later, the door opened. Ahri and Aurelia waltzed in, unharmed, even though their clothes had suffered from several tears and the vampire still had a broken twig stuck in her hair. In addition to the drops of plant sap, drying on their skin, they looked like they had just barely won a fight against a hedge.

With a happy squeal, I threw myself into Ahri’s arms. Once she returned the hug, her pine tree scent mixing with the aroma of freshly cut grass, I couldn’t stop myself from blabbering, though: “one plant to rule them all. Did the evil fey try to strangle you with weeds?”

“Hilarious. You should try fighting her. Roses and their thorns aren’t half as beautiful, once they’re wrapped around your neck.” She kissed my cheek and whispered, her tone serious: “we have to hurry. I burned her, severely, and I’m not sure how deep the wounds actually are. Transcendent flames can hurt more than the body and in her weakened state… let’s not waste any time. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted, giddy, tired… I’ll manage. What do you want me to do?” Aurelia was the one to answer, while she self consciously plucked the twig from her tresses:

“I’ll draw the necessary sigils while Ahri gets a hold of the spider. Your family will join us in a moment. Alassara has a suitable gem in her collection, but we still have to recreate the enchantments. Technically, that’s the most difficult part, but I think your brother figured it out. He’s quite talented, in that regard. They should be here any minute, now. As for you…” she smiled crookedly, her nails elongating into claws. “You’ll have to bleed. We’re going to paint the symbols with your blood, which should hopefully strengthen the summoning enough to overcome any difficulties, the curse may cause. Don’t worry, I’ll be very gentle.” Somehow, I didn’t believe her.