“Now a future king kneels to you. What a goddess you will make!” Zrud chuckled, “The beautiful display of raw power you made – muah! I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I give you this pebble of a dwarf for your next mate. Use him as you please.”
With his hand on the crown, they both her what he said. Krission sucked in a deep breath of air as the stony man laughed at his reaction. Mira leaned towards the prince and studied him. He froze as she moved closer to his face.
“Goddess above…” He cleared his throat, “Is that what you meant when you said my crown?”
“No.”
“That is a relief – I mean, not that –” The dwarf cleared his throat, “I would be –”
“Krission,” Her cold voice cut the air between them, “Stop talking.”
“Yes, Lady Mira,” He bowed his head, “Thank you. My apologies.”
She wrapped her fingers around Zrud’s stone. Her fingernails grew into small talons and peeled the stone from its setting. She looked over to Em and motioned them towards her.
“What are you doing?” Krission asked.
“It is mine now,” She said as Em approached, “Do you have the replacement?”
Em pulled the stone from their pocket and handed it to her. She slotted it back into the empty spot of the crown. She pushed the setting back down to firmly lock the fake into place.
“I did not know you had that,” The prince said.
“In case you didn’t comply, I would need to steal it quickly without it being noticed,” She handed it back to him and rubbed Zrud in her hand.
The layers of gray, green, and brown warmed under her touch. She felt the guardian under the surface that wanted to reach out to her. She felt the old stone’s eagerness to connect.
“It should be much easier than last time. I already know the path to your mind,” Zrud chuckled, “Your body is still buzzing with energy from the goddess-shard. I’ll siphon from there.”
She looked to Em, “I am ready to start the process.”
“You expended much energy today. Will you be safe?”
“Are you worried about another outburst?”
“Yes, actually. In this small of a space, you could kill everyone else,” They sat next to her.
“I absorbed enough from the killer and Talia to fuel this exchange,” Her flat tone cut off any other objections, “If I needed more time, I wouldn’t have asked for it now.”
Em couldn’t argue. The once minimal magical aura she controlled lashed out violently at them. If it came from an over abundance of power, she would have to purge it somehow.
“You will have to clear your mind,” They hesitated to offer, “Do you want me to perform the same spell from last night?”
She frowned, “Is there not a simpler way to get the same effect?”
“I have used a considerable amount of my strength today. It may not work if I do not,” They examined her, “Can I lay you on the bed first? I do not want you to fall and hurt yourself.”
“Aren’t you adorably sweet?” She rolled her eyes.
Jonen and Krission watched them awkwardly as Mira laid back and Em climbed over her. The elf pursed their lips as they looked down at her. The moment felt far too intimate for the two men to watch. Em pulled a blanket over her to apply some semblance of decency between them.
“You are too tense,” They sat on top of her, “Would it be… easier for you if I took his face?”
“If you dare offer to wear another man’s face to me again,” Her eyes flashed white in anger and she grabbed their collar, “I will kill you.”
“I might not be able to control myself as well because I am injured,” They shook their hood, “I will try. My magic will hurt you more if—”
“Do the damn spell or get off me.”
“It will be easier if you—” They paused, “—participate, then.”
“Fine,” She spat out, “Get on with it.”
Em brushed her hair behind her ear and pulled her closer. A hand caressed the back of her head as their lips met. When they tried to gently kiss her, her hand wrapped around their shirt and pulled them closer. She imagined someone else on top of her and gave into the thought.
Em did not expect the sudden waterfall of emotion she felt. It flooded their body so intensely and quickly that they nearly forgot what they were doing. They had to brace themselves against the torrential energy to regain control. Their magic fed on the feelings over others and Mira was a never-ending fountain of fire in her grief. Fighting against the raw emotion from her exhausted Em and they needed to concentrate.
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The elf grunted and pushed harder it to finish weaving the spell into her mind. They had not expected her to fight for dominance. They needed to get her to submit to the spell or boost their own power. They slid a hand along her and dug their fingernails into her skin. Em bit her lip between their teeth hard enough to draw blood. The explosion of energy shot through Em’s body as the spell took away her senses. She gasped and, in the surprise moment, her mind submitted to their will, all the turmoil inside of her was sucked into Em.
Instead of blinking out of existence, she felt like she was ripped out of her own body. After everything Mira did, she thought she deserved it. All the hate, all the fear, all the regret, and all the sorrow she felt tear from her body as the nothingness swallowed her.
“What the f—”
Mira fell limp in the Em’s arms. They laid her back on the bed and stifled the sob in their chest. Their body shook as they looked down at her and panted. Her energy and emotions rippled through them. Nothing with that amount of bloody magic blessed them in their four hundred years. They searched their memories for any time the process reacted that vividly and found only a fraction of that intensity from Mira’s blood in her mother when they were learning of the old magic ways. The androgynous elf brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.
“I have not seen your magic be that… intimate before,” Krission cleared his throat, “Are you alright, old friend?”
Em dismounted from the unconscious woman and stumbled to floor. The prince caught them before their head collided against the wall. Em heaved in and emptied their stomach in a nearby waste bucket. They put their hands over their face and wiped the bile away. Jonen watched as the elf collapsed into the prince’s arms and started crying.
“It’s okay,” Krission patted the Em on the shoulder and pulled them into a hug, “Calm yourself.”
“I just need a moment. I am not used to that much power,” They gripped their chest, “I did not expect that. Her pain is a lot to handle.”
“What did you do to her?” Jonen yelled, “Why did you kiss her?”
After a few heaving sobs to rid themselves of her lingering emotions, Em took a deep breath to regain their composure. Krission patted and rubbed their back to calm them down.
“My illusion blood magic plays off the emotions of others. The stronger the connection to my target’s emotions, the more I can manipulate them,” Em shivered as they leaned against the dwarf, “A simple touch could—"”
“That was not a simple touch!”
“I could not do that here! Not someone so out of touch with her emotions,” They grabbed the bottle of wine and took large swig, “Not someone in that much pain while I am this weak.”
“You seemed to enjoy it,” Jonen scoffed, “Your tongue was down her throat!”
Em heaved a few more times and grabbed the food from the discarded platter. They needed more blood to restore their energy. They looked back to Mira on the bed and wondered if it would be worth it to nick her for a small boost from her blood.
Amethyst warned them of her power, but they hadn’t taken her seriously. After Em tasted it, they believed it. They didn’t think their body could handle her for the amount they needed to heal.
“I’m glad she was willing to do it, today,” Em shook their head, “Last time, I –”
“What do you mean last time?” Jonen grabbed the bars and growled, “What did you do to her? If you touched her –”
“Do you love her, Sir Jonen?” They laughed, “Could you not look into her eyes and see how much pain she is in? Or did you not care?”
“I don’t know what you are –”
“I have only ever seen deep pain or bursts of happiness from her,” They ran a hand through their choppy white hair, “So, I’m going to tell you this now… If you aren’t going to stand by her after seeing her at her worst, then get away from her.”
Jonen frowned, “What? Who are you to –”
“Bobabano just died in her arms,” They walked towards him, “She is grieving. Instead of trying to comfort her, you are being cold and distant.”
“She’s a murderer! She’s the bloody demon that’s been terrorizing Zrud! How in Goddess’s name can I look at her the same?” He stood in front of the bars.
Krission uncharacteristically laughed, “Did you not think she hadn’t killed anyone before?! That her master had not ordered her to commit heinous crimes? Even I knew she was probably closely related with the wraith.”
“How much do you know about Isaan Naybellos and what he’s done, really?”
Jonen closed his mouth and frowned, “I know enough!”
“Lady Mira murdered Bobabano’s parents in front of him. He tried to kill her when they met again. After he learned what she was – who exactly she is meant to be, he fought tooth and nail to be by her side –to gain her trust,” They jabbed a finger into his chest, “She called him her friend. You of all people should know what that means to her.”
“Then he got played too!” He scoffed, “He just died before it became his problem.”
“I’d dare call him more considering all the torture he put himself through,” Krission grunted, “She never looked like she enjoyed the affection as much as he liked giving it.”
Jonen groaned and looked between the pair. He didn’t understand why they took her side. She just slaughtered thousands of innocent people on the ground above them.
Em looked over to the unconscious woman, “For a man that claimed to love her so adamantly he would stand by her side no matter what. For the man that begged to know what she hid from everyone –you gave up on her so quickly. I understand why the orcs had no faith in you.”
“You act as if you would do something different,” Jonen furrowed his brow, “What do you expect me to think? I don’t even know how she feels!”
“I just got a full dose of what’s inside her. If I could turn into a raging beast,” Em sat and gripped their hair in their hands as they took shaky breaths, “Goddess knows I would do it too.”
The elf took another swig of wine and rested against the wall. They looked over at the prince and coughed weakly as their energy waned. Krission noticed the color drain from their already pale face.
“I overdid it. I will be fine. I just need to rest. The bloody meat and wine will –” Em paused then let out a hollow laugh, “Of course, she already thought of that.”
Everyone looked up as the woman lurched up and sucked in as much air as she could. Her eyes flashed a mossy green and gray. She scratched out at the air as if someone tried to attack her. Once she saw no one above her, she grabbed her throat and winced as the new voice settled in. Her vision blurred as all three of them fought to look out of her eyes and examine the world around them.
She slammed a hand against her head, “Enough! Settle down.”
Vines sprouted in her short hair and grew into unimaginably exquisite flowers. The crown flowers wove into itself and leaves of green trickled down her back. She pursed her lips and took the foliage in her hands. Small emeralds and opals grew into her palms.
“Are you alright, Lady Mira?” Krission stood.
Her face twitched with displeasure, “I just have a lot of pressure in my head. Give me a moment to adjust.”
Mira blinked as the voices settled and she examined the room. Her eyes twitched between colors rapidly until they settled on her natural amber. She rubbed her head as her body adjusted to the new source of power. Energy buzzed on her skin like never before. She felt stronger and faster – enough to rip a mountain apart and wreak havoc in the skies.
“That was so much quicker than I imagined it would be,” Krission stood and walked to her, “Is it done?”
“Two down,” Mira crushed the stone in her grip, “Four to go.”