Chapter Chapter Thirteen

I wake in a darkened room. The sun is shining but hand-woven quilts are placed over the window to help dim the light. The quilts show Water God’s through the ages trying to pull water from dried land, saving their charges from sure death. It’s why the Wet Lands are their home. Long ago this land used to be a desert. Every year it’s tradition for the Water Gods to use a dance and combine their power to bring more water to this drying land.

The bed I’m lying on is stuffed with feathers and is held by a frame of woven tree branches. I’m near the fire, but that is purely for my comfort. Most Water Gods shy away from fire. The fire is in a hand carved pit placed in the middle of the room. Blue and light blue tiles alternate on the floor and ceiling, while clear walls reveal water forming around the room in a protection spell. There is a random dresser made of wood at the wall, which gives me a clue to where the door would likely be summoned.

My chest is heavy, but that is due to the bear skin blanket that is covering me. A wooden desk holds a bowl of water and a cloth. Someone must have been attending to me and was called away. There is a chair next to my bed. I’m completely naked under this blanket and my hair is let down. It appears they cleaned me as well. This makes me feel very awkward, though I know it is their custom. They do this to make it easier for the healer to assess the body for damage.

I hold the blanket to my chest as I look around, looking for my bag. I groan as I flop back down. I forgot that in my rush to get Arin here, that I didn’t bring any of my stuff. Meaning I currently have no clothing. I’m off to a booming start.

The air in the room turns a deep shade of blue, causing me to sit up. The clear water is shining red, which means someone is attacking the forcefield around the room. That can’t be good. It’s a physical attack. If it were magical the water would go turn red.

As I’m about to get up I hear the sound of someone stepping in wet mud. A bright light makes me flinch, followed by something hard hitting my chest. I open my eyes and look down to see Ambra burying her face into my chest. Considering she’s a huge bird, this is no easy task.

I stroke her feathers as I try to calm her. “It’s okay Ambra.”

“So that beast has a name.” A willowed voice calls.

I look over to see a woman in a white dress that cinches at her waist and flows down to her feet. She has gray hair flowing down to her waist. She has wonderous blue eyes with a light blue ring around them. She walks over to me and sits on the bed. “That bird of yours just recently showed up. She kept flying into the protection barrier until I let her in. I was worried she’d kill herself if I didn’t.”

I stroke Ambra’s head. “She was a gift from a wonderful lady. I was placed in her charge.”

The woman laughs. “A hawkraven? They’ll only look after their own.”

“Not Ambra apparently.” I look at the woman and give her a small smile. “She’s a one of a kind bird for sure.”

The woman walks over to me. “Loyal is that bird. She flew through our gates and straight to you. She knows how to find you and will keep you safe.”

I nod. “She has so far.” I shift a little. “Now, if I may ask, may I have some clothes to wear?”

She nods. “The clothing you were wearing was ripped to shreds. From what I don’t know. You’ll have to use something here.” She walks to the dresser and pulls out some clothes. The skirt is a lovely shade of lilac, the sleeveless tunic is a nice off white. The Water Gods believe in wearing things that are not restricting, so they can feel water more freely.

Gratefully I take them and dress under the blanket. I stand, remaining barefoot. The floor outside this room will be water so shoes are pretty pointless. The woman, who is a head shorter than me, sits on the bed, patting the space next to her. I sit down next to her, keeping my legs cross. I’d kill for undergarments right now.

She smiles at me. “My name is Gertrude. May I ask what is yours? From what the elders read off your power, you are very strong.”

I toss my hair over my shoulder, letting my hair catch the light of the fire. Her eyes widening as they watch the lilac tint grow brighter. “My name is Callia.”

Gertrude stands as she looks me over. “You can’t be.”

I give a timid smile. “I am her. Now, will you please take me to my friends? I am worried about Arin. We were ambushed by Gstalt on our way here, and he’s been poisoned by dark magic. He needs treatment right away.”

Gertrude takes a step back as I stand. “You’re dead.”

I sigh, getting annoyed. “There is a reason why the sky turned lilac that day. Gstalt revived me. I escaped and am back on my mission to destroy him. Now please, this is urgent. I do not know who is alive from my time, so I have no idea who here knows how to remove the dark magic from his blood.”

“That’s impossible.” Her eyes are still wide, unable to accept that my death no longer applies.

I look at Ambra. “Ambra?” She screeches and takes flight. I follow her out into a tile hallway with four inches of water on the floor. The design here is so the Water Gods have an easier time subduing runaways with already present water. At least the water is warm.

I follow Ambra as she flies down the narrow halls. Soon I don’t need to follow her as I hear people yelling. One of them is Garth. “Stop Arin!” Garth yells as I dash into a white flashing room, signaling an emergency. Arin is standing with black eyes. He’s fighting two guards as he growls unintelligible words at Garth.

In a blink, Arin has both guards on the ground as black magic pools around his skin, a feral smile growing on his face. I picture a water wave rushing towards him, knocking him down. Quickly I have the water form a chain around his neck, wrists, and legs to hold him down. I race over to him. I put my hand on his chest to calm him as a healer runs in.

“Callia!” Garth yells as the healer pushes past him.

“What do you need?” The woman healer demands.

“Dark magic has poisoned his blood. It won’t be long until it takes his mind. We need to remove the poisoned blood and cleanse it. Can you do it?” I demand, not looking up.

After a second of silence. “Yes, but what about the mind?

“I’ll take care of that. Now, hurry.” I breathe as we shift positions. The healer puts a pale hand on Arin’s heart while I place my fingers on his temples. I close my eyes as I speak. “Garth, do not let anyone in and above all keep the room quiet.”

“Right.” He answers as he races out of the room.

I feel my way into Arin’s mind. The black magic is heavy, and it feels as if I’m trying to crawl through cold mud, trying to find something other than anguish. I push past it, memories of purgatory trying to attack me. I’ve beaten this feeling living in literal hell, I can easily do this in life. After I passed that feeling to my core I can feel Arin. He’s trembling, beyond terrified of the malicious voices his mind is creating.

The darkness is chanting around him.

Slowly I find the true mind of Arin, sensing his magic. I feel memories the darkness is trying to infect. The darkness is going for the most precious. The childhood ones. Arin is mostly alone in his memories; hunting spirits are keeping him alive. His mother sacrificed her life in order to grant the spirits privilege to protect him. He’s playing with their orbs, chasing them in fields as deer watch in the trees. He’s three in this memory. I touch it with my magic as blackness begins to spread, enveloping fear where there was once none.

As if a siren effect was given, the black magic stops speaking, silencing the voice that was chanting a moment ago. I giggle a little devilishly in Arin’s mind as I sense the black magic begin to run. I imagine a deer walking through a dying meadow, every step it takes bringing life back into the field.

I take a deep breath as I exhale, the dark magic flowing out of my lungs in a mystic powder as my magic removes it from Arin’s mind. Slowly Arin begins to calm down as he relaxes. Once my magic has purified his mind, I attack it with his fondest memories, cheering up the soul, giving no chance for the black magic to plague his mind again.

I open my eyes as I keep my protection around Arin’s mind. The healer has a pool of black magic balled in the air and is streaming Arin’s blood from it, passing through a water made shield for extra safety to filter out the dark magic. After it passes the water barrier, she spins Arin’s blood into another ball. Her technique tells me she’s done this before.

I look at the healer. Her blue hair is braided and forced onto one side. It’s soft and full, the end of the braid ending at her breast. Her cream-colored skin has freckles dusted all over it. She’s tall, about six feet and is very slenderly built. Her heart shaped face gives extra care with sharp cheek bones, which highlight her red lips. Her eyes are ocean colored with a tinted blue ring around them. I try to hold back a smile. I know this woman.

She spins the blood repeatedly, making it impossible for the black magic to attach to the blood again. Soon she directs the blood back into Arin’s body. The blood enters Arin’s chest through his heart, filling his veins, pushing the water used to simulate his blood out of him. She steps away from Arin and allows the black magic to drop, disintegrating as it falls into nothingness.

“Allie!” I nearly shout with a smile on my face right as Allie tackles me into a hug.

“You’re not allowed to die on me again. Got that?” Allie nearly growls as the hug she’s giving me is forcing the air out of my lungs. I forgot she’s got the strength of ten water snakes in her arms.

“I’ll try.” I gasp as I pat her back. Arin groaning has her off me in a flash.

We quickly lean over him. His eyes open slowly, revealing clear eyes I’ve never noticed before until now. One is emerald green, the other a sky blue. That explains his multicolored magic. He’s the son of a Hunting God, and his father a descendant of a Water Demigod. His memories confirm this theory for me. In a truly unique twist, he has the ability to use both sets of the magic. Most of the time, the child of two god races is only allowed one power, the dominate one winning out. Maybe with his mother’s sacrifice the Spirits granted a gift to preserve both parents in him.

“Callia?” Arin asks in a horsed voice as he rubs his head. “What happened?” He immediately bolts up and looks around. “Where is Gstalt?”

“Gstalt?” Allie demands as I catch Arin. He sat up too quickly and became lightheaded.

“Easy there. Allie and I just did a load of work on your body and mind.” I help him sit up, allowing his sweat soak back to slouch against me. “Gstalt is gone. We’re with the Water Gods. You suffered black magic poisoning and I was forced to transport you here with Garth.”

“Where is Alaric?” Arin demands as Garth walks in.

“He’s traveling by foot here with Mary. They’re bringing the horses. I didn’t have enough energy to transport everyone after I removed the actual black magic from your system.”

“And it nearly killed you.” Allie snapped. “You’re lucky you landed on Gertrude, or you might have gone undiscovered. We were all about to go into a meeting.”

I cock my head. “Meeting? For what?”

Allie gives me a serious look. “Gstalt has gained ground on the Lava Gods. It’s the first time in two decades. They’re losing strength. With the negative balance between our powers and theirs, we’re forced to consider pulling our clan back to help them or join them.”

“Join them obviously.” I sigh. They’ll pull back, I know they will. No one listens to me when Lava Gods are involved.

“Why should we do that?” Allie demands.

“How about we take care of the injured person first, then decide what to do?” Garth suggests as he walks towards us.

I chuckle. “I’ll agree to that.” I help Arin stand and sling his arm over my shoulder.

“Are those men okay?” Arin asks, looking at the two guards on the ground.

Allie checks as we both look at them. “Fine, just unconscious. If it weren’t for the fact these men are Water Gods, they’d be suffering black magic poisoning right now.” She has the water in the hallway flow into the room. Allie uses the water to lift the men into the air then transforms the water into a double gurney underneath the men. She has them follow her out into the hall.

I have Arin sit on the bed he was originally resting in before the dark magic took over. His room is identical to the one I woke up in, only now the water surrounding wall is clear and calm instead of the once flashing white.

“Now hold still.” I warn as purple glows on my hand. I touch his heart as I picture a magnifier. Arin squirms but forces himself still as my magic pulses through him. He starts coughing, blackness pooling from his lungs and out his throat. Gstalt is most definitely an evil man. Arin forces himself to stay upright. He begins to start dry heaving the dark magic out, turning his head to avoid accidently getting anything on me. A fact I’m appreciative of once the dry heaves turn into actual vomiting.

After about ten minutes or so Arin finally starts breathing normally once the vomiting has stopped. I do a double search of him and find no further black magic. I straighten as I toss my hair over my shoulder. Once Arin sits straight again, I lean over and touch his wound from the dark magic with my hand. As he screams in pain I close my eyes and picture a needle and thread. Once my eyes open I see his skin welding back together. Arin looks down at his purple coated new skin with wide eyes.

I grin at him. “Just stay calm, I’m almost done.” After a few moments Arin’s skin returns to normal. “There. You are now healed and have no more black magic in your system.”

“I thought you already got rid of it?” Garth asks as he comes over to turn my attention towards him. I cock my head, confused as to why.

I nod. “We did but Gstalt’s magic does a dirty trick. Due to the brute strength of his magic it also infects his targets internal organs, not just the mind and blood. I’ve dealt with it, which is why I checked. Lee had this happen twice to him.”

Garth grins. “Pop got on Gstalt’s nerves huh?”

“Like a fly on a hot day.” I laugh.

“Are you finished treating Arin?”

I nod. “I am.”

“Good, can you leave so the man can get dressed now?” Garth asks, stepping in front of an undressed Arin. We both jump slightly, Arin, blushing deeper than I thought possible, quickly throws the blanket over himself.

“Whoa,” I chuckle as I turn away. “Sure.” I chuckle as I walk out of the room, Ambra following close behind.