Baz
Our head throbbed with an excruciating pain as if innumerable sharp needles were piercing through it. Memories of Luka flashed in our mind, hazy like a distant recollection, trying to resurface from the depths of time. Then his voice echoed in our ears like a low murmur, barely audible to anyone but us.
“Baz. Bastian.” It said. We glanced around the rocky, barren landscape of the Ashrai’s territory, observing Drea and Koataa who were both engaged in an intense conversation. Even from a distance, it was evident that tensions were high between them.
“Baz,” Luka’s voice said again. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I needed to tell you that I’m okay. I was rescued, and I’m safe. I wanted to tell you that I know you’re still in there somewhere, and I’m not giving up. If you get this message, please.” His voice took on a pleading tone as he reached out to us, desperate for understanding. The desperation was so tangible that we could practically see the tears welling up in his eyes. “Please let me help you. We can—”
But his voice fizzled out like he’d lost the connection. Our body stiffened, and a wave of emotion tingled through it. All at once, I took back the reins of control that I’d handed over to Mammon. He groaned in protest, but Drea didn’t seem to notice.
Stupid feyrie. Mammon’s claws scratched at the soft membranes of my mind. It is a trick. We murdered that boy. His blood was all over our hands.
The sudden sensation of my own hand inside of Luka’s gut sent a shiver through me. I could still recall the texture of his warm, sticky blood cascading down my arm like a slow-moving river. The way I kept throwing myself against the brick wall in my mind, trying to stop myself from hurting my best friend. And the emptiness I felt when I’d thought he’d been consumed. Not a single trace of his flesh left behind in the swamp.
I don’t care if it is a trick. I spat back at the carnal creature. If there is even a slight chance that he’s okay, then I have something to fight for.
For the moment, this seemed to satiate the beast. I felt him slump down on the edge of our entangled mind as if he, too, were tired of fighting for control. Of course, I didn’t expect him to sit there forever. Sooner or later, he would break free again.
Taking the limited time I had in control of my body and powers, I quickly evaded sight and manifested a flame in my hand. An intense amount of heat radiated from the flames, yet its incandescence served to ground me. The searing pain coursing through my veins brought a sense of clarity, one that only came when I could channel this power into something meaningful. As much as it hurt, I welcomed it with fierce comfort: like this was an old friend that I’d thought I’d lost forever.
Into it, I whispered, “I am here, vinir. I don’t know how long I have before I am forced into submission again, but for now, I am here and I want to see you. Do not give away your location. It isn’t safe. I’m not safe. Xandrea has Daphne’s heart. She’s here in Silvas discussing the next big move.”
The flame danced and nearly extinguished with a small gust of south wind. I looked toward the skies, noting the dark clouds that crept ever so slowly toward us.
“You have to hurry. Tell Rhen I am sorry. Tell her that the cauldron is in—”
Another whip of wind caught the magick flame, this time whisking it away into oblivion. The palm of my hand stung where it was freshly pink and exposed. I squeezed it into a tight fist, digging my nails into the already injured flesh until tiny streams of blood trickled down my arm.
I smiled to myself at the thought.
Because feeling pain meant that I was feeling again. Anything, hurt, love, sadness was better than the void I’d been living in for so long.
Drea called to me, invoking the name of my beast. I could feel the familiar stirrings of energy as his name was spoken, but he didn’t attempt to break through the imaginary wall and take control like he usually did. Gritting my teeth, I allowed my body to slowly shift and melt into the form of a daemonic figure; horns curled at the back of my head, and a massive set of claws spread out from where my fingers had been moments before.