Once Astasha knew how the power of ‘the sacrifice’ (as the demon called it) worked, it had given her detailed instructions as to how to actually perform the ritual. After that, she left the Prince's chambers as quickly as possible, wishing nothing more than to cleanse herself of their lascivious encounter. Returning swiftly to her room, she immediately bathed, her cheeks burning red as she washed away the traces of her former arousal. She didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive herself for what she had done, what she was about to do, but she would deal with those consequences later. For now, she needed to focus on the more pressing issue at hand… preparing for the ritual without getting caught. Once washed and dressed, Astasha slipped out of the castle to the woods, taking with her all the supplies she would need. Her little clearing would be the perfect location; hidden, and known only to her. No one would accidentally stumble upon what was happening without knowing where t

The joy Astasha had felt only moments before, turned quickly to horror and dread as she looked up at the Grand Sorcerer trembling in rage before her. Grabbing her dress, she pulled it on and stood to face him.Errant looked as though he could destroy the entire clearing with the wave of his hand, and it was utterly terrifying. His eyes were dark, his hands balled into fists at his sides. She didn't know exactly how he had found them out, but the vile look on Cordelia’s face left little room for doubt that the bitch had had something to do with it. However, regardless of how he had gotten there, Errant was indeed there, and Astasha had no way of knowing how much he had actually witnessed.It didn’t take magic to sense the amount of trouble she was in, but even if she had wanted to, there was no energy left within her to try to read him.“Grand Sorcerer, I can explain.""Silence!" His voice had never had that tone before. He looked at Astasha and then the Prince, who was fastening hi

As Errant and Tasha disappeared into the woods, Calder tried to rush after them, but the young blonde witch who had stayed behind, wove her hands about and a wall of silvery water laced through the air, blocking his way. "I'm sorry your highness, but I have strict instructions to keep you here until the traitor is locked away." There was something in her voice, almost a sick satisfaction, and it made Calder's blood boil. "You would do well, sorceress, to remember your place." "As it would have done you to remember yours when you consorted with a witch. If you truly wanted to save her, you should have stayed away from her in the first place.” The bitch had some nerve speaking to him that way, even though he knew she was right. It was his fault Tasha was going to be stripped of her power and banished, or more likely killed in the process. But there had to be something he could do to stop it. "I suggest you let me pass." He said coolly. "I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave he

Excruciating pain. That was all Astasha had felt.She knew Cal had sworn to save her, knew he would do everything he could to keep his word, but as the cell door closed behind her in the Prisoner’s Tower, guarded by men and magic alike, she knew there was no escape.It was pointless to fight her fate, no matter how much her soul ached knowing what it would do to Cal. And so, when they came to collect her before the sun rose, she went willingly. Not even when they stripped her of her clothing and restrained her on the cold stone table, did she struggle. Her love was safe, free to live his life as it would have been had they never met that day in the market, and that was all that mattered at that point.She had resigned herself to simply lay there, eyes closed, until death took her. But when she heard his voice, her heart broke into a million pieces. She didn't want him to see her like this, to watch what was about to happen.But he was there, flanked by guards, no doubt too stubborn to

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, food and water, to be brought for her while they filled her in on what had happened during and after the attempted Extraction Ritual. His hand never left her own, no doubt his way of showing he had no intention of leaving her side. And while it was a comfort, she couldn't help but notice Errant's persistent glances towards the show of affection. Cal had become extremely protective of her, and so it was no surprise he refused to let Bryn apply an herbal salve to her wound, insisting he could do it himself. But it simply wouldn't be as potent without the Earth Sorcerer’s energy, and so 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