“Esther… Esther, you must wake up now and drink,” the Lamakai Prophet hissed softly in her ear.

Esther shook herself, spluttered, and was suddenly struck by overwhelming fatigue. “Where am I?” she groaned, reaching up to rub her eyes against the green glow all around her.

And then she remembered what had happened.

I stumbled back to the shrine last night, didn’t I? She wondered how long she had slept. Esther had a hazy memory of being brought down there and cold, scaled hands holding her as they brought her into the lurid green glow… I’m back in the circle again, aren’t I?

She saw Sesuuk flicking his hands through the air, casting the unlocking cantrips that brought the green glow down to a low ebb before finally disappearing. In its place, he was eagerly leaning forward with more of that strange, frothing potion. With the state Esther was in, she downed it in just a few gulps.

“Yes! Good! I will make you another. It is clear that your activities last night drained you considerably. But that will change. Your capacity will only grow…” Sesuuk was saying as Esther shook her head once more. Then, she actually remembered just what the events of last night actually were.

Oh my god!

She remembered the blackened, twisted bodies burning with a poison fire that somehow shed no heat at all. She remembered their stern, courageous faces as the Blackwood guards ran to her aid, and then their gasps as terror replaced nobility.

“What did I do?! I didn’t mean to! How could I?!” she whispered in horror.

“Shush. That was unfortunate, and serious, yes, but it is not the end of the world, Esther Callahan. You are unable to control your powers as yet because you haven’t trained with them. You know nothing about them! But my potions will help you find balance. They will help you be master of your own self…” Sesuuk said as Esther shook in horror. “Unfortunately, however, not everyone shares the same opinion as I.”

Esther shot him a frightened look. “My brother? Is he back yet?!”

“No, no, your brother has not returned. I fear that the answers he seeks are buried deep, or might be more complicated than the way that I have proposed,” Sesuuk said.

Esther was beside herself. Did the rest of Blackwood know that it was her who had killed those two guards? Were they going to arrest her, or worse, drive her from the realm?!

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“Our esteemed Guard Captain Goreth and Mayor Laurie Marr have put the entire realm on high alert,” Sesuuk continued in a measured tone. “They have asked for anyone with knowledge of your whereabouts to come forward and, for the moment, they say that they just wish to talk with you about last night’s incident…”

“So they know…” Esther collapsed against the wooden bench. This was it, wasn’t it? Her living safely here in Blackwood was over…

“They haven’t announced that you are responsible, but Blackwood is a small place. Rumors are spreading that you were involved…” Sesuuk hissed softly.

Esther shot to her feet. “I have to go. It’s the only answer. I have to leave this place. I’ll travel to Malvas. I’ll find Finn—”

“And take our Realm Founder from us?” Sesuuk pointed out.

Esther stammered at the sudden implications. How long would Blackwood stand without its founder? Would someone else step in, like Laurie Marr or Sesuuk? Or was that not how it worked?

“I’ll… I’ll…” Esther stammered, searching for an answer. All she knew was that she had to leave, for the good of her brother and the safety of everyone around her.

Sesuuk pressed another of the bubbling draughts into her hands and urged her to drink. She was slower this time, but every sip made her feel clearer, more capable, more like herself again.

“I have a way to help you. One that the others rejected when you were unconscious, because perhaps they were… more scared of your powers than I am,” Sesuuk said.

“Tell me more. I will do anything,” Esther said quickly.

The Lamakai hissed and drew himself up to his full height. “Back in my realm, there is a shrine. A very holy place. It is holy because the Asai of Fire themselves left a piece of their essence there for safekeeping, called the Prism of Fire.”

Esther wasn’t sure what this had to do with her, but right then, she was willing to listen to anything that might help her control her powers.

“One of the many miraculous abilities of the prism is that it is so powerful it can purify anything. I believe that if you were to direct your powers at it, it will take them away from you. For good,” Sesuuk said.

Esther was already interested, but she wasn’t stupid.

“What’s the catch? Why didn’t the others agree to taking me there?”

The prophet’s forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. “Because it is dangerous. The Prism of Fire is protected by liches and the undead. They were afraid that you too weak to face them, but I have faith in you and in your abilities.”

Too weak? Esther scowled. It was just the sort of thing that her dumb-ass brother would say about her, too, trying to be all ‘protective.’

“And this Prism of Fire will cure me? Purify me?” she asked hopefully, even though she hated the thought of leaving Blackwood without getting the chance to speak to Finn herself.

But if I have a way to cure myself, then no one can complain, can they?

“I assure you. You will be cleansed of the Qlippothi entirely.” Sesuuk’s eyes glittered.

Esther wavered for a moment. She didn’t want to leave Blackwood, but what other choice did she have? She also didn’t want to leave Finn, but he wasn’t there anyway.

“I’ll do it. Take me to your realm, Sesuuk,” Esther said grimly.