Ch 11: The Preparations

Astasha had left the Prince's chamber as quickly as possible. She had wanted to get away from the demon and longed to cleanse herself of their previous encounter.

She returned swiftly to her room and bathed, her cheeks flushing as she washed away the traces of her former arousal. She didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive herself for what she had done, what she was going to do, but she needed to focus on the more pressing issue at hand. Now that she knew how to get the power required to perform the ritual, she needed to prepare for it.

As soon as she was clean, she dressed and slipped out of the castle to the woods, taking with her all the supplies she knew she would need. Her little clearing would be the perfect location; hidden, and known only to her. No one would accidentally stumble upon what was happening or hear them without knowing where to look.

She set about preparing the circle, burying herbs and stones at the five points, placing a protection spell around the perimeter to hide the magic that would take place. Finally, she was ready for the finishing touches.

Astasha had memorized the incantation she needed. She pulled her athame from its place on her sash, and having already cleansed the blade and imbued it, she knelt in the center of the circle and began uttering the words now burned in her memory. Her hands trembled only for a moment as she brought the ceremonial knife to her palm, cutting open the flesh. Her breath caught from the pain but she forced herself to continue the incantation.

Her blood dripped into a small bowl before her and she dipped the knife into it, scratching it into the ground in symbols and runes. There was a strange feeling flowing through her, pulsating from her core to the wound on her hand. She felt dizzy, her energy draining quickly. She knew it was the blood magic. To use a part of herself in the magic meant the power was pulling directly from her, not from the energy she gathered.

When she finished her inscription she sat back and watched as the ground and her blood glowed for a moment and then burned and faded.

In a few hours she would be back here, under the cover of darkness, attempting the most difficult thing she had ever done in her life. Her mind drifted to what she was going to have to do, what could happen if it failed.

No. She shook the thoughts from her head. Failure wasn’t an option. She had to succeed. The price she would pay would be worth it.

After binding the wound on her hand with herbs to help it heal faster, she headed back to the palace. All she had to do now was charge her energy and wait for the sun to set. She ran through the plan over and over, trying to find solutions to any potential problems that might occur. There are so many, so many ways this could all go horribly wrong. But there was no way that was going to deter her.

As she entered the Magic Wing, a voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Just taking a stroll to recharge after your shocking encounter? You can’t tell me you’re still all shacken up?” Of all the people in the castle, Cordelia was the last Astasha wanted to run into. She made sure her inner walls were up as she turned to face the blond.

"Just getting some air and a taste of nature before retiring for the evening. If you'll excuse me." She began to walk away.

“What happened to your hand?” There was something in her voice that made Astasha uncomfortable. Why hadn’t she hid it better? She’d been trying to be so careful yet made the simplest mistake already.

"It's nothing, a mild burn. I was too shaky trying to draw energy from the fire."

There was an odd look on Cordelia's face. "Ironic, a Fire Witch burned by her own flames." Astasha clenched her jaw. "Best be more careful, Tasha."

The Water Witch smirked and strode off, leaving Astasha fuming and worried.

Rushing back to her room, she locked herself in. Something didn’t feel right. All of her fears and doubts slowly crept into her mind. Would she be caught before she could even attempt to free Calder? Was Cordelia spying on her? Perhaps Errant already knew what she was planning and was simply waiting for her to make her move. Or worse, were they coming to take her away now?

What had just earlier seemed like a short amount of time before darkness came, now felt like an eternity. But as she sat in front of the fire fueling herself, preparing for the worst, no one came, no knock at the door, no yelling of soldiers, and she forced the fears to the back of her mind.

The sun was beginning to set and there was no room for worries or doubts anymore.

Astasha's pulse quickened. It was almost time.

She took extra care as she prepared to leave, double and triple checking that she had everything she needed and had done everything required. It seemed silly but she even took care in choosing the right dress, a flowing red gown that slipped easily on and off.

At last, the moon in the sky, she reached her mind out to the hall. It was quiet, empty. No one was there. Now was her moment.

Slipping quietly out of her room, she rushed down the hall and towards the Royal quarters. She was pleasantly surprised that she didn't run into anyone of consequence, only have to duck out of sight once for a pair of servants.

When she reached the Prince's hall she once again put the guards into a deep, standing slumber, cloaked herself, and slipped into the guarded room.

"I was beginning to think you were going to go back on our deal." The demon was waiting for her, sitting in a chair, its hands behind his head.

"I'm sure you would like that if I had." She retorted.

"I'd much prefer my freedom but watching you lose your dear prince would be a close second."

It was repugnant and she loathed what she was about to do. But the thought of seeing Calder's eyes looking back at her forced her to swallow her repulsion and carry on.

“Well then let’s get us both what we want and be done with it. Stand up. I need to cloak you so you can slip out through Errant's barrier."

"What? I don't get to fuck you senseless in the luxury of his highness's bed?" It sneered as it stood.

"Continue to speak to me like that and you'll be doing nothing other than dying a slow and painful death." She approached despite the look it gave her. "I have a place prepared for the ritual in the woods."

"And how do I know it's not a trap?"

"I made a demon's pact remember? Trust me or don't, I could give a damn less, but I have every intention of doing everything in my power to see this through. Now shut the hell up while I cloak you."

She raised her hands and muttered the incantation, energy flowing from her fingers to wrap around the man in front of her. Once she was done she took a deep breath. This was it, there was no going back.

“Let's get this over with."

**Author's Note:** *Hello lovely people! What do you think is going to happen? Do you think Astasha will be able to free her prince? Or do you think the demon will get the better of her? Hope you're ready for some craziness! More updates coming very soon! Thank you all for the support thus far! Love and light everyone!*