Ch 19: The Connection

Calder had insisted Astasha rest and heal before anything further was discussed or done, but she was adamant that the conversations needing to be had couldn't wait. So he called for fresh clothes, and food and water to be brought for her while she was filled in on what had happened during and after the attempted Extraction Ritual.

Calder’s hand had never left hers, no doubt his way of showing he had no intention of leaving her side. However, Astasha couldn't help but notice Errant's eyes traveling to their clasped hands more than once. She thought of saying something but there were more important things to discuss than her love affair with the Prince.

Cal had become extremely protective of her and so it didn't surprise her at all when he refused to let Bryn apply an herbal paste to the wound on her chest. It simply wouldn't be as potent without his magical abilities though, and she squeezed her Prince’s hand in reassurance.

"It's ok Cal. Trust me." she said to him gently. From the look in his eyes, she couldn't imagine what hell he had been going through. More than that, there was a feeling inside her, foreign yet familiar, a feeling of fear and torment. She knew there was no energy in her to possibly be feeling it coming off of anyone else, but she sensed it wasn't coming from herself.

After Bryn finished applying the salve, she gingerly dressed in the soft white gown that was brought to her and turned her attention to Errant who was watching her skeptically.

"I need to charge my energy, to reinforce the trap inside me. I don’t think the demon can fully escape without help but I don’t want to risk it taking over my body.” She had decided it would be safer to discuss what the demon had said with just Errant and Cal, since she wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow that until we know it hasn’t done that already. It fooled us once, I will not make the same mistake again." Astasha knew Errant spoke from a place of logic, not resentment, even if she couldn't feel his energy, he wasn’t one to do things out of spite. He was being cautious, just as she was.

"How can I prove I am myself, High Sorcerer?" She would do whatever it took so long as it meant she could protect herself and the others from the entity inside her.

Errant's brow furrowed but no words came. Could it be he had no way to tell? All of this was uncharted territory, something only spoken of in wisps of knowledge. If there was no known spell to destroy the demon, there probably wouldn’t be a way to prove who was in control.

She met Errant's gaze and they both knew.

Calder was watching them and he must have seen the defeat that crossed their faces.

"Errant..." He stated hesitantly as the High Sorcerer turned a solum gaze to the Prince.

"I am sorry, your highness. Until we know what can be done, I have no choice."

Astasha knew what was coming but she had to warn them. “High Sorcerer, you need to know—“

Her warning was cut short as Errant's hands drew up and she felt the magical restraints around her, her voice dying instantly.

"No!" Calder was up, his hand finally parted from her own. She wanted to comfort him but she was just as helpless as she had been during the ritual.

Errant stood firm. “I truly am sorry your majesty, but we cannot risk it—“

Calder wasn’t having it. “Absolutely fucking not! Let her go!" It was torture not being able to do anything as Astasha watched her love thrown back into the hell he had just thought to be free of. She wished she had had time to reassure him, to explain that this was for the best, but to Errant, that time was an opportunity for the demon to make a move had it in fact been in control.

The High Sorcerer motioned to the other members of the advisory. "Please remove his highness for his own safety."

The replacement fire witch, Helia she had been called, seemed to hesitate, but Cordelia, Bryn, and Zephyr all moved toward Calder.

Astasha knew it was probably better that Cal not be there, if for no other reason than to not have to see her bound and gagged. But as the sorcerers closed in on him, Astasha felt a pull from within her, like fire bubbling up. Her chest burned and she looked down to see the scar from the blood ritual glowing.

Calder's hands were fists and Astasha's gaze fell on a glow coming from beneath his shirt on his chest. She could feel power rising in her despite being depleted of energy and her magic silenced. How was this possible? What was happening?

Bryn reached the Prince first, his hand reaching out to grasp Calder’s arm. “Come your highness…”

"No!" Cal's voice was magnified, bellowing through the ward.

The power that blasted forth from him took everyone by surprise, knocking the Royal Magic Advisory back. Astasha, however, she felt as though something had been yanked out of her, like every drop of energy she had had been sucked dry, and she slumped back onto the bed.

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Calder stood, a look of shock on his face, but it turned to worry when his gaze fell upon Astasha.

He had no idea what had just happened. They were trying to lock her away again. He knew he needed to protect her. A fire had ignited inside him and he felt he would explode. He didn't know how he had released the blast that had knocked the others back. But none of that mattered when he saw what it had done to Astasha.

He rushed to her side and scooped her into his arms. "Tasha, please, look at me." He cupped her face in his hand, willing her to open her eyes.

Long lashes fluttered, and the gold that was his sun looked up at him. "Cal."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

She was no longer restrained and her hand reached up to brush his hair away from his face.

"Calder, move away from the demon!" Errant's voice broke through their moment.

Before Calder could respond, however, Helia's hand reached out and touched Errant's arm. "High Sorcerer, wait. I do not believe the demon has control."

He looked incredulously at her. "How can you know that Helia? There are no writings of this nature, no wisdom passed down—“

"Look at the scars on their chests Errant." The older fire witch was staring at the pair. Calder looked down. The mark left from the ritual was dying like embers in a fire. He reached his hand out to the one on Tasha's chest which was glowing the same and felt a light heat coming off it.

"What the hell is happening?" Calder turned to Helia.

"I, I can't say for sure, but..." She slowly approached the two and Calder put his arm protectively around Astasha. "I promise, I just need to feel the energy coming off your scars. I won't do anything to harm her."

The Prince weighed her words and then finally nodded and loosened his hold on the woman in his arms. If she tried to hurt Tasha, he hated to think what he would do to her.

Helia reached her hands out and held one over each of their scars. She arched an eyebrow and cocked her head, but Calder had no clue why.

Finally, she stepped back and turned to Errant. The other sorcerers were on edge, he could tell, but they stood by him at the ready.

"Errant, the scars from the blood magic ritual are emanating a form of fire magic I've never felt before. They seem to be connected. I don't believe I would feel that connection if the demon was in control, I think it taking over would sever the link the Prince has with Sorceress Astasha.”

Errant shook his head. "Only a demon could perform the dark magic we just witnessed, casting through a binding spell to use the Prince's energy as a vessel--"

"Errant," Helia stepped in front of the High Sorcerer. "When he called to her, just before she awoke, when you told him to send his energy to her, I could feel something, a power, but it wasn't coming from her. It was coming from the Prince."

Calder must have heard her wrong. There was no possible way for him to have had power like that. But from the look on Errant's face, and considering what he had just done moments before, questions starting sprouting in his mind. He shook his head.

Helia turned, her gaze locked on Astasha. "Sorceress, I need to know everything. I need to read you, both of you, and not just energy. I need to see what all has taken place between the two of you, especially what happened in the woods during the ritual. That is, with your permission of course.”

"You mean an Authentication ritual." Astasha was watching her fellow fire witch. If she had been allowed to draw energy, she no doubt would have been reading her intent. But instead, Tasha was left like Calder, trying to read her the old-fashioned way. After a minute or so she seemed to decide the older witch could be trusted and nodded her head. "Only if we both agree though.”

Tasha turned her eyes to Cal. He looked into them. He would do anything for her. He knew this would mean the Advisory would know everything, their story, their past, what had happened in the woods the night before he left, and in the clearing when she had pulled the demon out of him. He needed to know that they wouldn't try to harm her again after they knew all of that.

"I need to know that the information you gain will be used to help her, not to justify another fucking Extraction ritual." His face was hard as he looked from his love to the High Sorcerer. He felt he could trust this new fire witch, she had done nothing but try to help them so far. But Errant, he was too stubborn, too stuck in the laws of old.

Sorceress Helia also turned to him. "Errant, we both know the laws, but none of this was known when they were written. Magic has always transformed, changed, we need to be fluid with it as well, otherwise, there is no growth, no progress.”

Errant considered for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I give my word, there shall be no Extraction ritual, regardless of what we witness."

Cal could feel Astasha relax in his arms, could almost sense the tension leaving her. Or was it his own? It didn't matter. He turned to look at her. She looked into his soul and a small smile touched her lips. He wanted to see her smiling all the time, not beaten down and tormented. She nodded ever so slightly and he knew she was right. If knowing everything they had been through could help them, it was worth a try.

Calder turned back to Helia. "Very well. But you will have to find a way to do it here. I will not let Tasha anywhere near that damn stone table ever again."

**Author’s Note** *I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I’ve got lots of ideas brewing and lots of story left to tell which I can’t wait to share with everyone! Love and light all!*