Ch 12: The Blood Magic Ritual

It took everything in Astasha to calm herself and focus while her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Not only was she about to break more magical laws than she had ever even considered, but she was also sneaking the most dangerous being in the kingdom out of the only place it was secured.

She had lowered the flame shield in front of the door but it took some serious magical manipulation to get the demon through the barrier Errant had put in place. It was designed to not only keep the thing from being able to pass through it, but to alert its creator if anyone or anything did.

Seeing as demons weren't commonplace, Astasha had figured the spell had been altered from an existing one, so by cloaking the demon and gently pushing aside a small portion of the magic, they somehow were able to slip out of the door and past the sleeping guards.

Making their way out of the castle was slow going and nerve-wracking. Since no alarms were sounded, she assumed her work with the barrier had been successful, but they still had to be careful not to run into anyone on the way.

The rumor had been put out that the Prince was undergoing an intensive magical cleansing per his request after having come across a dark witch in his travels and that the festivities should continue in his absence. So while one might assume the cleansing was finished and he was finally returning to join in the celebration of his return, they didn't want loose lips getting to Errant of his highness wondering the palace with his Fire Sorceress.

Astasha had found a path from her clearing to an entrance in the forest close to the Royal Wing, and after a handful of quick ducks into small corridors and rooms, they finally made their way out of the palace and into the woods.

"Clever putting the guards under a waking sleep spell. They'll have no clue time has passed when they come to. Although it still would have been their heads had we been discovered outside of the chambers.” The two hadn't spoken since departing the room but now the demon's words hit Astasha like a tidal wave.

She hadn't even considered the guards would all be questioned and at the best, relieved of their duties should Astasha be caught. Their oath to the King was not one that allowed for mishaps. How could she have been so thoughtless?

"It's amazing the things people will do for love that they are so quick to judge others for." She didn't have to see his face to know the demon was mocking her.

"Be quiet, we aren't far from the Royal gardens and who knows what ears could be listening."

She knew it was smirking but kept silent as they wound their way through the woods. It took a little time but they finally reached her clearing. The moon was high and although it wasn't full, it gave an eerie glow to the place.

Once inside, Astasha quickly threw up more shields around the area using spells similar to those on the doors in the castle. She also placed an illusion spell so that any untrained eyes would see only an empty clearing. It wouldn't work against anyone with magical abilities, but if they found the clearing and saw what she was about to do, nothing could shield her then. All she could do was hope the spells she had worked would keep them hidden long enough for her to complete the ritual.

She finished her work and turned. The demon was inspecting the ground. "Still don't trust that I'll keep my word? I'm not a demon like you, I don't deceive and manipulate."

"As I said before, the things people will do for love... I'd sooner trust a demon than a lovesick sorceress.”

She had been careful to set the runes to hide their true purpose, and of the buried stones and herbs, there was no way it could know. The only thing that could give her away would be herself. "If you have doubts of my intentions, I will gladly return you to your room and watch you die with the rising sun." She strode toward him removing items from the pouches on her sash. "Otherwise, let's begin."

“Let us begin then.” He sneered.

She took a deep breath and stood before the demon, the blade and bowl in her hand. Unwrapping her palm, she began the incantations. The wound was still very raw, though the herbs had helped a thin layer heal. Bracing herself, she cut through the flesh. The pain seared through her but she kept her focus. Everything had come to this and she could not fail.

The blood dripped into the bowl as she finished the first part of the ritual. "Remove your shirt." She told the demon.

"Not going to do it for me?" She glared at it and it chuckled. Slowly it reached up and pulled the loose tunic over its shoulders and head.

Gently, Astasha dipped her fingers into the bowl of blood and resumed her incantations. She swallowed and reached her hand out, drawing the runes she had studied onto the Prince's chest. Once again she could feel herself becoming dizzy, the power of the blood magic draining her.

The demon seemed to notice and its hand reached out, its fingers running up her leg. The touch sent shivers down her spine and a jolt through her core. She felt the power rise a little inside her and she continued with her work.

As she continued writing out the five points of runes in her blood, the demon's hand continued its journey up, to her waist, up to the top of her dress. She would have stopped it but she knew she needed the power that was growing inside from its touch. Now that she knew how to harness it, she focused on it being Calder's hand, that it was his touch, and the fire burned a little hotter inside her.

Finally, she finished and the runes glowed brightly under the moonlight. Now she faced the hardest part. Looking into the cold eyes in front of her she pictured the crisp blue of her love staring back. "It's time."

Astasha had spent the entire day telling herself over and over that there was no other way, but now that it came to it, she wished there was. Even though it was her prince's body, it tore her heart apart knowing that he wasn't truly the one she would be having this experience with, and that even worse, he would be aware of it with no control.

But once this was over, he would be returned to her, and nothing else mattered. Her love for him had brought him back from the dead, the demon had said, and now, it would release him from this hell. And it was with the power of that love that she forced her hands to move.

Slowly, she reached up, removing one strap of her dress, and then the other. She held it up for a moment, the eyes of the demon hungry, and then let the dress fall, leaving her naked and exposed under the moonlight.

The demon's eyes looked over her with a smile on its lips and she shuddered. It circled around her, like a predator circling its prey, stopping once it was behind her. Its fingers ran down her back, its breath on her neck. "Relax." It breathed. "Focus on what you want, on your desires." Its hands traveled her body, and she focused on letting go.

They moved to her waist, up to her breasts, circling them before brushing her nipples. Then down, over her stomach, reaching between her legs. *Think about Calder*. She told herself and her head fell back as her lips opened, the fire building within her.

She knew what she had to do. Turning, she tried not to look at the eyes before her as it would pull her from the fantasy she created in her head. Instead, she busied herself with his pants. They fell to the ground, his manhood waiting and ready. Taking his hand, she pulled him down to the ground.

Her heart was hammering in her chest but her breathing was level and focused. She was channeling everything into the ball inside her.

Once she had him seated on the ground, she placed a knee on each side of him, her hands on his shoulders. Closing her eyes she braced for what she was about to do and lowered herself slowly.

She could feel him at her entrance which was already wet from his previous foreplay. Hands moved to her waist and pulled her down onto him. She gasped as he filled her and the energy inside her ignited.

Moving slowly, she began to rock herself on top of him, her arms wrapped around his neck. His lips found her breasts and teased her nipples.

The feeling inside her grew and she concentrated with all her might on containing it. Her movements quickened with her breath and she knew it was time.

She opened her eyes and flames danced within them. Quietly she began uttering the spell she had created, her hand finding the knife at her side. She was so close, the bubble inside her threatening to burst. She had to focus. Timing was everything.

The incantation grew more intense as she brought the blade to the Prince's chest. The demon smiled. It was about to be free.

She was on the brink, the fire inside about to consume her or explode. She put the knife over Calder's heart. The feeling came and she felt herself reaching the point of no return.

A current of power rushed through her, into every fiber of her being, electric and burning. She screamed the last words of the spell and in a fluid movement, sliced open the Prince's chest and then her own over her heart and grabbed him, pulling them together into a fiery kiss, their blood meeting and the power within her sending a shockwave out around them.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, the fire gone. She was on the ground on her back. There was a pain in her chest and she looked down. The cut she had made was seared as if by fire.

And then she saw him.

The Prince was crawling toward her, his eyes like the sky on the ocean. "Tasha!" He reached her and pulled her up, taking her face in his hands. She stared at him for a moment, using the residual energy in her veins to search him.

"Cal?"

"Tasha... why did you—"

She touched his face. "It worked." Tears came to her eyes. He was back. She had done it. She had pulled the demon from him and sealed it inside herself.

She had known there was no way she was actually going to release it, so she had determined that the next best option was to trap it within herself and silence it. It would take an immeasurable about of power to build a trap that would hold it after she transfered it to herself.

The ritual was as it would have been if she was going to release it, but when she had cut herself open as well, she had used their combined blood to perform the transference. What the demon hadn't known was that the runes she had previously drawn in her blood combined with the buried herbs and crystals created the trap. She had woven the silencing spell into it as well. She had had no clue if it would work but she had to try.

Calder's eyes were traveling over her, and his hand moved down to the scar on her chest, the same as his. "Tasha..." his face saddened as he realized what she had done.

She lifted his chin with her fingers to look into his eyes. "Trust me. Now we can find a way to destroy it that doesn't involve hurting you."

A look formed on Calder’s face and suddenly, Astasha realized they were truly seeing each other for the first time in five years. Her heart raced as their eyes locked. This kiss would be the first true kiss between them since he had left. But it never came.

"What have you done!?"

Astasha's blood went cold as her head snapped behind her.

Errant was standing at the edge of the clearing, Cordelia right behind him with a smirk on her face that was colder than even the demon's.

**Author's Note:** *Whew, that ended up being a much longer chapter than expected but I didn't wanna stop right in the middle of such an important part! Poor Astasha! Finally got her prince back just to be caught by Errant! What do you think is going to happen? Let me know in the comments! Love and light!!*