“But you're a mage?” I reply back to her, feeling completely and utterly baffled.

She’s a hydromancer and I clearly remember her casting magic, well, not personally, the memories I have of her magic usage are from her.

Rapidly confusion slides off of me like water sliding off a surfacing turtles shell, what replaces it is pure dread.

Almost all of my escape plans involved her being able to survive off of the water she could create.

Granted I haven’t done too much planning but still being able to create water is crucial in surviving alone in the desert.

I can run down any normal animal for food but there's no way I can help her regarding this issue.

“I was a mage, or maybe I still am? I don’t know, perhaps in the future I’ll regain my magical abilities but presently I risk dying every time I create even a droplet of water.”

“How?” I ask her. I just don’t get it.

She’s brilliant in every way so how is it possible that she can’t do magic?

“Like I said before, ever since we went through the ritual I’ve been incapable of using magic, I just can’t. There’s no mana for me to use so I end up burning my life force every time I try and cast a spell, even the simplest of spells is excruciatingly painful to do. I’m able to summon you somehow but it’s still exhausting and painful, though to a lesser extent.”

After spending a few seconds making sure I understand exactly what it is she’s saying, I gently say “How many times have you summoned me lately?”

Just how badly am I hurting her?

She might not be getting driven insane but if she’s dying because of me then that’s arguably an even greater crisis.

I can at least try to protect her if she’s insane but if my mere presence can cause her to die then what is the point of my existence?

“About four times in the past two days, it’s probably why I’m feeling so awful right now. It’s probably fine, I think I’ll be able to recover once this is all over?” This time I allow myself to focus less on her words and more on her emotions and immediately I began to feel tired.

I’ve been pushing aside her feelings in order to more clearly understand what it is that she’s saying but now that I focus on the emotions and barely formed thoughts being transmitted to me I realise just how truly damaging I am.

She’s so exhausted that somehow it’s affecting me as well and making me grow sleepy, I can’t rest in the way mortals can but thanks to her I’m starting to want to, just how is she still standing when she’s this fatigued?

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If I’m feeling this tired just because of our link then she must be on the verge of collapse.

It’s not just the link I focus on, I also look at her, and perhaps for the first time, I properly look upon my creator.

She looks so frail, weak, small, puny.

I’ve never been so keenly aware of how vulnerable my creator truly is.

It sickens me, not that she’s weak but that I am the cause of her weakness.

Because of me, she has no hope of escaping this abominable war, she can’t create water to drink and she can’t summon me to hunt either.

Maybe if we had a trusted group of friends to aid us but I don’t think that’s a possibility, the Empire soldiers are just too fanatical for that.

I can respect their loyalty, it’s an admirable trait to have but I just wish that they could be less devoted, it would make any possible escape so much easier.

But I don’t recall ever seeing an Arthian soldier retreat from battle or disobey orders.

Actually, I don’t recall them ever suffering from morale issues, I can think of quite a few times that a band of Rovers have retreated from me but nothing comes to mind when I think of Arthian troops retreating.

If we flee we’ll surely be pursued and Coralet will be forced to summon me to fend off our aggressors, which just isn’t a good strategy.

It’s like drinking poison to save yourself, sure she’ll probably get away but she might die later on because of the effects of summoning me.

She could definitely survive, she’s incredibly resilient after all, despite how fragile she looks and the sheer amount of pain she’s in, she’s still forcing herself to stand tall and firm.

But I can’t just risk an escape attempt on a maybe, I need to wait until we have the perfect opportunity, like right now perhaps?

There’s no one else in this room, that’s why we’ve been able to have an actual conversion for once.

Still, I can’t be wasting time coming up with plans that won’t ever work, so I question her first “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, right sorry, sorry. I’ve summoned you here and I haven’t even told you what for. The outer walls have been breached completely and utterly, there weren’t enough hydromancers to form a moat since they had to focus most of their efforts on supplying everyone with water so the siege towers were largely uncontested. The artillery crews did manage to take out a fair few but it just wasn’t enough. We’re defending the keep now and it’s rough, so you’ll going to go out there and defend the top of the keep from any Rover summons that can climb.”

“Do we have the time to come up with a plan?” I ask carefully, if so then this whole siege battle can wait.

I feel a momentary surge of confusion from her but she quickly realises what exactly it is I’m referencing to when I asked her if we have enough time to come up with a plan.

“Unfortunately not, we were able to talk a little but we don’t have the time needed to come up with a plan, I’m sure something will change soon, this war can’t go on forever.” Despite what she states her true feelings say otherwise.

She’s unoptimistic about this war, I can’t blame her I am as well, just how long has it gone on for now?

While I want to talk more I’ve been given my orders and she has a point, we’ve already conversed for far longer than we should have.

So despite how much I enjoy talking with her and ignoring how much self loathing I feel for leaving her unguarded and weakened, I take my leave, I have a rival summon to kill.