It was deeper than she anticipated, the cool air rushing past her face as she descended through roughly-hewn dirt walls marred with countless scratches. As she neared the bottom, she realized she could still see, a side effect of a fluorescent moss growing in patches along the walls. The floor was fast approaching, and she made herself an air cushion to slow her descent at the last second, landing with bent knees to absorb the rest of the impact as she took in the scene around her.
The floor beneath her was caked the deep brown of dried blood, and little rusted flecks flew into the air in response to her wind. Several human figures huddled in the corner, but in front of them were three mesmer. And in front of them...they held the necks of Tisha, Hayden, and Hunter. The teenagers were dirty, obvious claw marks disfiguring their bodies in the form of clotted blood streaks.
The middle mesmer, who held Tisha, grinned evilly at her as it spoke in a sinister tone, “No magic, or they die…” Jade stared at him. Despite the altered appearance of the mesmer, he still bore the strong resemblance of the royal family. His blonde hair might be matted and twined with leaves, but he could easily pass as a monster version of King Derrick.
Standing there in a deadlock, she whispered, “So you’re Tevon…” The man/monster seemed almost surprised to hear his old name coming from her lips.
“Yessssss. Now come to me. No magic.” He looked ready to crow with exaltation as her eyes went unfocused and she took a step forward.
Tisha sniffed, tears streaming down her face as she cried out, “No! Jade! Don’t!”
“Sssssssssssilence!” The mesmer tossed her behind him at the other humans like a rag doll, focusing his full attention on her as she took halting steps forward. “You will be a worthy ssssacrifice for the Dark One…”
The other two mesmer tossed aside their own burdens to flank their leader, moving towards her sinuously, eagerness on their twisted faces. Tevon reached forward, claw aiming for her unfocused eyes as she let out a low chuckle, her eyes suddenly snapping into focus as her hand clenched into a fist. Choking sounds came from their throats as they felt the wind walls bind their airways and lift them into the air to dangle helplessly.
“Sorry Tevon, you jumped the gun on that one. I will never follow your orders.” The three mesmer were trying to break free from her bonds, flailing in the air. Still, she didn’t want to waste time, so she lifted a piece of rock from the cavern wall, sending it flying through the air to bash into their heads in succession, not killing them, but knocking them out. Their bodies went limp and she finally released the walls holding their airways. She tossed them to the ground, casting a wind cage over them as she turned to the prisoners.
Holding her hand out to Tisha, she smiled gently to the younger girl. “I’ve come to take you home.”
Hesitating for the merest second, Tisha jumped at her, ignoring her hand in favor of trying to hug her. Jade released her wind walls so that she could actually reach her, stretching her arms out to embrace the girl.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She felt Tisha’s body practically tackle her as her sobbing voice reached Jade’s ears, her danger sense kicking in a second too late. She felt the dagger pierce her stomach as she stared blankly at the tiny, disheveled angel of a girl who was sobbing as she pushed it deeper.
Tisha’s eyes were filled with despair, and her lips kept begging even as she yanked the dagger out, ripping through Jade’s skin as she wept, “Forgive me, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I can’t…”
The dagger was now going straight for her heart.
Chapter Ten – Taint
“STOP!” Tisha’s muscles trembled beneath the force of Jade’s mental command. The dagger was less than an inch from her skin as she stumbled a step back, fingers clutching her side. Tisha was still crying, her fingers fighting to follow through on her mission. It was a trap. The mesmer had laid a perfect trap for her, compelling the very people she’d come to save to make them try to kill her. Both of the twins were slinking towards her, daggers in hand.
In a panic, she could feel the blood seeping through her fingers. Her throat felt like it was full of sawdust, so she did the only thing she could think of: she sent out a desperate bid to break the attack. “Break free!” It might not be the most descriptive of sentences, but it was filled with her intent. She wanted them to be free from the compulsions or hypnotisms that had been laid upon them. She felt her magic spring from her like mental arrows at each of the people she was here to save. She couldn’t let a single one of them remain beneath the compulsion.
She fell to the ground hard, unable to catch herself due to the fact that she was trying to keep her organs inside her stomach. She could tell the dagger had torn open her small intestines, and the smell was horrendous, but she didn’t care. Her full attention was on the others. The pain was barely keeping her conscious, but she could feel the blackness of oblivion pulling at her mind.
There were conflicting emotions playing across each of the prisoner’s faces, but Tisha was the first to recover, her face clearing up, though panic was still evident as she looked down in horror. “Jade! No, what have I done?” The dagger clattered to the floor as she dropped to her knees next to Jade, staring in horror at the wound she’d inflicted. When Jade started to sink further to the ground, Tisha caught her, holding her up as she cried. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do it! I couldn’t stop myself…” She was blubbering as she clutched Jade’s shoulders.
Can’t give up now. The thought crossed Jade’s mind as she took in a shuddering breath, trying to concentrate. The others were still frozen in their own internal battles, so she turned her attention inwards. Using her healing magic, she pulled her small intestine back to where it should be, knitting it together once more. Once that was done, she expelled any excess blood that’d been dirtied before closing the wound. It wasn’t perfect, and she could still feel pain and tenderness from the area, but it was the best she could do for herself at the moment.
Tisha was sobbing over her still, stroking her hair back away from her sweaty forehead as she mumbled her apologies over and over. The others seemed to be finally breaking free as well, looking around in shock before they saw her, bloody and collapsed on the floor in Tisha’s arms. “Jade?” Hayden’s voice was quiet, full of confusion.
She managed a weak smile for him, patting Tisha’s arm, who finally seemed to realize that she wasn’t passed out. “You’re...awake?” Her voice was so timid, so scared.
“I’ll be okay, Tisha. It’s okay now. Just help me sit up a bit more.” Tisha sniffled, supporting her as she sat up. She quickly took out some meat from her ring, while the others seemed to focus on the meat instantly. She realized they probably hadn’t eaten much since they’d gotten here. Speaking in hushed tones, she brought more food out of her ring. “Come on, eat quickly. We need to leave here as soon as possible.”
The prisoners wasted no time grabbing at the food and starting to stuff it down their throats, though she noticed there was still one figure lying still in the corner. “How did you get here? Where did this food come from? How can we get out?” Hunter’s voice was questioning even as he grabbed some of the food.