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Authors: Lauren McMinn
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me.”
In a skewed version of her healer's trance, Dymphna could see around her. It looked like she was in a warped bank vault, drawers all over of different sizes. She imagined that Gage's spirit must be in one of those drawers. So she started pulling them out, starting with the largest and going to the smallest. Nothing happened. They were all empty. Then Dymphna thought of Fiona's words about forcing change through her magic.
She stepped back and treated the wall of empty open drawers as if it were a door. Then she used her magic to blast it open. As much as that didn't seem to make sense on the surface of it, it worked. She moved into the next room, revealed when she blasted away the wall.
This room was like a cave, complete with slimy dripping walls. In the center, resting on a bed of algae, was a chest that looked like it could have come off a pirate boat. It seemed to sing in a low melodious voice. Somehow, and again she couldn't explain really how, she knew that was where Gage's memories were locked. Dymphna had given up trying to explain how magic worked long ago, and this spell was far away from her normal range of understanding as it was . She tried forcing the lock to make it open.
It didn't work.
If this was where Gage's memories were, it must be tied to him. So she conjured up all the feelings she had about him, all the memories she could muster from their short time together, and blasted the lock again. It gave.
The chest hissed as she opened it, and inside was a bright technicolor light. She couldn't even really look at it, but she knew his memories were free. Now if only she could find him.
Dymphna looked around. On one corner, the ceiling was cracked enough to let some light in. That's where she concentrated her force spell. The wall took on a spiderweb crack, and piece by piece, it fell into rubble. She stepped through.
The next room resembled a place Dymphna had only seen pictures of. It looked precisely like the spaces the Dark Order used to conduct their sacrifices. An image of Gage sat on each spoke of the pentagram where a victim would have gone. The last spoke was empty.
She moved to talk to the first one. Before she could say anything, he spoke.
“ I am a fire witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he just repeated himself.
“ I am a fire witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
Dymphna moved to the next one.
“ I am a water witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
Then the next.
“ I am an air witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
And the last.
“ I am an earth witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
She stood in the middle and considered all of them. Gage had all four types of magic. So none of these images were him. But they were all him at the same time. Inspired, she stepped to the middle of the pentagram, where the Master of Ceremonies would stand in a sacrifice.
“ I am Dymphna. I call upon you to release your differences and become one. You must each sacrifice yourself to be complete. I ask this of you as your bond-mate.” She wasn't sure where the words came from, but there was the strongest feeling to speak them aloud as they materialized into her mind.
As one, they nodded. Then each of them crumpled into a heap and disappeared in turn . On the last empty spoke of the pentagram, another Gage appeared. She spoke to it.
“ Who are you?”
“ I am Gage Redman. I am of all four elements, and they are me. I am your bond-mate, and I have responded to your call.”
Grateful, she closed her eyes. “Then are you ready to go home?”
“ I am.”
Dymphna reached out to Fiona with her mind. “We're ready to come back.”
Fiona's approval rang like a hum in her head, and then they were both ripped from the room and propelled back into their bodies.
Gage opened his eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning.
“ Did it work?” He heard Dymphna asking.
In a skewed version of her healer's trance, Dymphna could see around her. It looked like she was in a warped bank vault, drawers all over of different sizes. She imagined that Gage's spirit must be in one of those drawers. So she started pulling them out, starting with the largest and going to the smallest. Nothing happened. They were all empty. Then Dymphna thought of Fiona's words about forcing change through her magic.
She stepped back and treated the wall of empty open drawers as if it were a door. Then she used her magic to blast it open. As much as that didn't seem to make sense on the surface of it, it worked. She moved into the next room, revealed when she blasted away the wall.
This room was like a cave, complete with slimy dripping walls. In the center, resting on a bed of algae, was a chest that looked like it could have come off a pirate boat. It seemed to sing in a low melodious voice. Somehow, and again she couldn't explain really how, she knew that was where Gage's memories were locked. Dymphna had given up trying to explain how magic worked long ago, and this spell was far away from her normal range of understanding as it was . She tried forcing the lock to make it open.
It didn't work.
If this was where Gage's memories were, it must be tied to him. So she conjured up all the feelings she had about him, all the memories she could muster from their short time together, and blasted the lock again. It gave.
The chest hissed as she opened it, and inside was a bright technicolor light. She couldn't even really look at it, but she knew his memories were free. Now if only she could find him.
Dymphna looked around. On one corner, the ceiling was cracked enough to let some light in. That's where she concentrated her force spell. The wall took on a spiderweb crack, and piece by piece, it fell into rubble. She stepped through.
The next room resembled a place Dymphna had only seen pictures of. It looked precisely like the spaces the Dark Order used to conduct their sacrifices. An image of Gage sat on each spoke of the pentagram where a victim would have gone. The last spoke was empty.
She moved to talk to the first one. Before she could say anything, he spoke.
“ I am a fire witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he just repeated himself.
“ I am a fire witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
Dymphna moved to the next one.
“ I am a water witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
Then the next.
“ I am an air witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
And the last.
“ I am an earth witch. I have come to this place to be sacrificed.”
She stood in the middle and considered all of them. Gage had all four types of magic. So none of these images were him. But they were all him at the same time. Inspired, she stepped to the middle of the pentagram, where the Master of Ceremonies would stand in a sacrifice.
“ I am Dymphna. I call upon you to release your differences and become one. You must each sacrifice yourself to be complete. I ask this of you as your bond-mate.” She wasn't sure where the words came from, but there was the strongest feeling to speak them aloud as they materialized into her mind.
As one, they nodded. Then each of them crumpled into a heap and disappeared in turn . On the last empty spoke of the pentagram, another Gage appeared. She spoke to it.
“ Who are you?”
“ I am Gage Redman. I am of all four elements, and they are me. I am your bond-mate, and I have responded to your call.”
Grateful, she closed her eyes. “Then are you ready to go home?”
“ I am.”
Dymphna reached out to Fiona with her mind. “We're ready to come back.”
Fiona's approval rang like a hum in her head, and then they were both ripped from the room and propelled back into their bodies.
Gage opened his eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning.
“ Did it work?” He heard Dymphna asking.
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