The other woman couldn't have looked angrier if she'd tried, and Macey took a moment to fix her men with a knowing look. They knew if they ever tried to do this to her, then they might as well wish they were dead.
"So why did you two want to go back into the castle?" Flint interceded, earning himself an angry look from both Izban and Amber.
"I didn't want to go there," Izban protested. "I just meant that we didn't want to come with you four. This is where Amber and I go our own way."
Amber put her hands on her hips, frowning at the blue-haired man. "It is? I think I'll have something to say about that."
Izban sighed. "You don't know them. We don't owe them anything; it was me who tracked you here. Let's go back to the school and forget this all happened."
"Forget?!" Amber shrieked angrily. "I've been tortured. I've been hurt. A part of me still wants to attack Macey because of what the Voice showed me. I won't be able to forget this. Ever. So, if you want to go, fine, but rest assured you'll never see me again."
Izban stared at her, speechless. Inside, Macey applauded her. Despite her youthful looks and her current weak condition, she'd told him off in the most magnificent way. She was making notes for future uses.
"Now, I'm going to go back in there," Amber continued. "I'm no longer alone and I'm no longer bound. We can fight him together. There's no point in leaving now while we're already here."
SO CONFIDENT. IT'S GOING TO BE HEARTBREAKING ONCE YOU REALISE THAT YOU'VE NEVER LEFT.
Suddenly, the world evaporated. It was like the people around Macey suddenly dissolved into mist and drifted away, leaving her alone. Well, not quite alone.
Amber was by her side. There was nothing else. Not even colour. They were standing on a white floor, but there were no walls, no nothing. Just endless whiteness.
"Amber?" Macey asked carefully, "Are you seeing the same?"
"If you mean a lot of white, then yes. And no Izban." Her voice was quivering slightly.
THE NEXT TIME YOU'LL SEE HIM WILL BE ON THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH.
"Stop being so dramatic!" Macey shouted, trying to convince both herself and Amber that they needn't be afraid.
The Voice ignored her.
LET'S CONTINUE WHERE WE LEFT OFF EARLIER.
Mist drifted into the air around them, forming shapes and colours, until they were suddenly back in the courtyard where Macey had first laid eyes upon Amber. She still didn't know what that girl was, except that she was strong. Incredibly strong.
"I will get out of here, I will get out of here," Amber began to whisper, a desperate mantra. "I will get out of here. I will..."
YOU WON'T. NEITHER WILL YOU, LITTLE KELPIE.
Without warning, they were ripped apart, flying through the air until they landed roughly on opposite ends of the courtyard. Ignoring the pain in her limbs, Macey jumped to her feet. She could guess what the Voice was planning next.
BEITHIR. KILL HER.
A beithir! Finally, Macey knew what Amber was. And it scared her a little. She didn't know a lot about beithirs except that they could kill in a variety of ways. Their fangs were poisonous, they could control the weather, they could fly and attack you from above. When they shifted, of course. So far, Amber had stayed human, which is why Macey hadn't figured out her species before. It was hard not to recognise a shifted beithir... there weren't any other supernaturals that looked like a giant snake.
Amber was still on the ground, weakly trying to get to her feet. She'd expended too much energy; she wasn't going to be much of a threat.
But... when had reality been taken over by the Voice? Had it been after Amber attacked Macey with lightning? Or before? If it was before... then Amber would still have enough power to do another such attack. And Macey wasn't sure if she could escape her fate a second time. Had the Voice let them play out their battle in their minds so he could see what was going to happen? Did he want to see how they would escape so he could prevent it from ever happening?
Macey shivered. How was she supposed to fight someone who could play with her perception of what was real and what wasn't? She was still having trouble believing that she hadn't just spoken to her men. Were they really coming for her? Was Izban actually able to do a tracking spell, or had that bit been Amber's wishful thinking?
KILL HER, the Voice repeated and this time, Amber was magically dragged onto her feet by an unseen force. She wavered, but somehow managed to stand. Tiny sparks of lightning began to flicker around the girl's fingers and Macey prepared for the inevitable.
But wait... she was no longer wearing the copper cuffs. That had to mean that the battle had taken place and their combined power had opened them.
Was the Voice aware of that? Did he want an execution or a cat fight?
Amber opened her mouth, but Macey couldn't hear what she was saying. They were too far apart. Well, that could be rectified.
Macey carefully walked towards Amber, aware that there might be a dangerous surprise waiting at every step. Earlier, there'd been guards lying dead or unconscious all over the courtyard. This time, they were alone.
She shook her head in confusion. There was no way of telling what was real and what wasn't. Maybe she was still in her cell. Maybe she'd never even met Amber and this was all one giant illusion.
Suddenly, the air in front of her flickered and someone appeared. Someone very familiar with very blue hair.
Izban.
KILL HER OR I WILL KILL HIM.
Amber's eyes widened as she saw her friend. He didn't move; he seemed more statue than living being. Macey walked around him and took a closer look.
His eyes were moving but the rest of him wasn't. His face was an expressionless mask, but his eyes told her of his fear.
She could almost believe that he was real. That he was in danger.
A lightning bolt hit the ground next to her and she jumped back in surprise. Amber seemed to be convinced that Izban was real.
Another bolt of lightning crashed down at Macey's side, and she almost jumped back. If she was going to have Amber around, then she'd probably better get used to having this happen.
"Amber," she tried to whisper, but her voice was hoarse, as if from a lack of water. That was odd. Unless there were other side effects of the visions the Voice had given them.
There wasn't any answer.
Macey steeled herself, then waved her hand through Izban's still form, completely unsurprised when her hand passed right through him. Another visual trick then.
"Amber, please," she shouted, the wind that was beginning to rage stealing her words. Potentially the other woman's doing too. She'd heard that beithirs were storm creatures, not just lightning ones. "He's not real."
Her words weren't having any effect, and one look at the redhead revealed just how bad things were. Her eyes had taken on a crazed look, and there was no doubt about how mad the woman was.
"AMBER!" she shouted even louder, but again, no response.
Sucking in a deep breath, she did the only thing she could think of, and unleashed a ball of water at the girl.
A sharp squeal, followed by a calming in the winds, told her the trick had worked even better than she'd intended.
"What did you do that for?" Amber shouted, venom almost as poisonous as her fangs dripping from her tone.
"He's not real," Macey said softly, ignoring the glares she received in return. "Look." She passed her hand through the still form of the blue-haired man, and Amber's green eyes widened.
"How do I know he's not trapped somewhere here?" Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Macey's heart went out to her. She felt the same way when she thought of her own men in danger, so there was very little doubt in her mind how Amber felt about Izban.
Good job he seemed to feel the same.
"Because I was with him before I was taken," she replied softly, hoping the Voice wouldn't be able to hear her whispers, but knowing that hope was likely in vain.
"You were?" Amber perked up at that, and Macey smiled.
"Yes. He was trying to find you."
I SAID TO KILL HER.
Amber sighed. "He's so demanding," she tried to joke.
"And throws a lot of tantrums," Macey added.
"What do we do now?"
"I suppose you try and kill me."
Maybe not her best idea, but they at least had to pretend for the moment.
"That seems a little counterproductive."
Macey cracked a smile. She could get used to having Amber around if she was going to make comments like that.
"Just while we think of an actual plan."
This time, Amber nodded. "Okay, sounds like the best idea we have."
"Which isn't saying a lot."
The red-head laughed. "No, it really doesn't."
She took two steps back and squared off against Macey, pushing her sleeves up and readying herself.
"Prepare to die, bitch," Amber taunted.
"Bring it on," Macey replied, unable to help the amused smile tugging at her lips. When she knew the other woman wasn't actually going to be aiming for her, she kind of looked forward to facing off against her. It was just an intense kind of training really. Her men would be happy.
Amber struck first, sending twin bolts of lightning either side of Macey.
Not waiting another moment, Macey summoned mini balls of water, and began juggling them in the air to gain momentum. Then, one after the other, she began to fling them at Amber, making sure each one narrowly missed the girl's head. Though one did accidentally come too close, luckily, Amber was quick enough to avoid it.
She must be running on adrenaline though. She'd been weak to start with and could only be getting worse by the second.
Maybe that was the Voice's plan. To wear them out to the point where they were no longer able to even think of fighting back. That way, their minds would be easy to slip into, and he could take whatever control he wanted.
Wasn't that a cheery thought?
The two women danced around each other, flinging their powers back and forth with increasing ferocity. It was almost a battle of who could conjure the most elaborate piece of magic.
So far, Amber was winning. She'd conjured a massive snake, that probably looked something like her in shifted form, and made it coil around Macey. Being inside the electricity had been invigorating, and all she'd been able to see were the bright sparks coming off it.
Once the snake's coils had receded, she caught Amber's eye, trying to ensure the woman would do exactly the same again. Only this time, Macey would add to the power and do.... something. She wasn't all that sure what, but it was worth a shot.
"When you two are quite done, how about we actually consider getting you out of here?" a soft female voice sounded.
Macey whipped her head around in shock, and was surprised to see a petite woman, even smaller than she was, standing in an archway off the courtyard.
The woman's long mouse brown hair blew in the soft breeze, and her big eyes looked at the two of the scornfully.
"Who are you?" Macey asked, not letting her on guard posture go slack. For all she knew, this woman could be another trick on the part of the Voice, and she wasn't ready to relax on the off chance.
"Don't you recognise me, kelpie? I'm hurt. We had so many stellar conversations in your cell."
"Luch?" Macey's brows furrowed. She'd been under the impression that the mouse was male. In fact..."But you're a woman?"
"Well noticed. I can choose how I appear."
"What are you?" she asked in awe, slightly confused by the whole situation.
"Just Luch."
"Luch!"
Amber came running and threw herself at the women, hugging her tight. "I knew you weren't just a mouse!"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear you call me 'just a mouse'," Luch chuckled, returning Amber's hug. "But could we leave now, please? Let's keep the hugging for later."
Macey was still a little skeptical. "You didn't want to help me before. What's changed?"
The woman shrugged. "I've seen you two fight. It seems you may actually have a chance in beating Mahoun. It's worth the trouble now."
That made sense. Before, Luch had only seen her as a prisoner, taunted by the Voice.
"Okay, how do we get out?"
"We fly," Luch said and pointed at Amber. "If our beithir here can carry her boyfriend, she can carry both of us."
"Now wait a minute," Amber protested. "First, he's not my boyfriend. Second, I can carry one of you, not two. And third, I've already tried flying out of here. It's impossible." She shuddered and Macey wondered what had happened. Had she tried to escape? Had the Voice punished her for it?
"Last time you didn't have me," Luch smiled. "And I'll travel in Macey's pocket, don't worry about that."
Without warning, she shrunk into a mouse. Yes, that's exactly what it looked like. As if she suddenly deflated and became tiny within the blink of an eye.
"What are you looking at!" the tiny Luch shouted at the two women. "Never seen a mouse shift before?"
Macey closed her mouth and decided to say nothing. Luch was weird even by supernatural standard.
"Why couldn't you fly away from this place?" she asked Amber instead.
"There was a barrier high up in the air. Hard like glass but invisible. I crashed into it and almost broke my neck. Just about managed to avoid falling, but it's clear that there's something protecting this place. I tried it one other time to explore how big this barrier is and if it goes all around the castle, but they caught me before I got far. After that I decided not to try again."
Her eyes took on a defeated look for a moment, but then she squared her shoulders.
"But Luch has been with me for so long, and if she says that we can fly out of here, then I believe her. Let's do this."
STOP TALKING AND START KILLING!
All three women ignored the Voice this time. He'd not made an appearance in person yet, and so far, he was staying out of their minds, so he wasn't worth wasting time on.
Amber quickly took off her ragged clothes and shifted in one fluid motion.
By the waves! Macey had thought that the rumours about beithirs were just exaggerations, but obviously they were true. Amber had turned into a massive - giant! - snake with a head like a dragon and two long tendrils hanging from her chin. Despite this kind-of-beard, she still looked feminine somehow. Macey shook her head in amazement. How could that thin, small girl suddenly turn into this gigantic form? Of course, she was a bit larger as a kelpie than as a human herself, but the difference wasn't as mind-blowing as in Amber's case.
Strangely enough though, the beithir had no wings. How was she supposed to be able to fly?
Amber flicked her head, motioning Macey to get on her back.
She picked up little Luch and carefully sat down on where she supposed Amber's shoulders were. The beithir's scales were soft and warm, not at all what Macey had expected.
"Where do you want to sit?" she asked Luch, but the mouse was already climbing out of Macey's hand and up her shirt. Her tiny claws hurt a little, but Macey knew better than to complain. When the mouse reached the shirt's neckline, she climbed inside, making herself comfortable between Macey's breasts.
"Seriously?"
Luch snickered. "It's not my fault you don't have any pockets. Now fly, Amber, or we'll never make it out of here."
Amber nodded her massive head and tensed her muscles. Then they were up in the air, hovering above the ground. It looked effortless, as if gravity had decided to no longer work on the beithir. Amber wasn't even moving but still, she was flying. How very strange. Macey made a mental note to ask the girl later on how she did it.
They gently rose higher, increasing in speed. The courtyard below became smaller and smaller and Macey got a better view of the castle she'd been held prisoner in. It was a massive, expansive structure with dozens of towers and turrets. It had seen better times and on one side, the main wall was crumbling and some of the buildings had lost their roofs. It
fit the image in her head that not many people actually lived here. It was just the Voice, the prisoners and some guards. There was smoke coming from a chimney on the main building in the centre of the castle, but that was the only sign of life.
Macey wondered where this castle was. Somewhere in Scotland? Elsewhere in Britain? Or maybe in a strange inbetween place like her men's house? There was a lot of mist all around them, covering the land surrounding the castle, but that could have been just the weather rather than the mists of the Staran. She supposed she was going to find out soon.
"Don't go too high, aim for that reddish tower over there!" Luch shouted and Amber nodded slightly to signal that she'd heard.
While most of the castle was built from dark grey stone, there was one sandstone tower that they were now flying towards. It looked almost too pretty to be in a place like this.
"There's a hole in the barrier just above the merlons that you should be able to squeeze through."
"Should?" Macey shouted against the wind. "Are you sure we're going to fit?"
"I didn't think she'd be this big!" Luch shouted back. "We'll see!"
Macey's hair whipped around her face. She really should have learned from last time to carry hair ties with her. Advice for another time. It wasn't like she could do anything about it right this second.
She couldn't do much about anything.
Luch squeaked from between her breasts, clearly enjoying the experience. Why wasn't Macey surprised? The mouse was an odd creature indeed.
She wasn't sure what made her do it, but Macey ducked down and pressed her body flush against Amber's smooth scales. A static charge started to build around her body, and she tried to brush it off. An undercurrent of concern remained. She didn't want this to end badly, otherwise the three of them could end up trapped with only the Voice as company again.
Or at least, Macey and Amber would. Luch could probably come and go as she pleased. Then again, there must be a way that the mouse was shielding her mind. Otherwise the Voice would have already known about the creature, and done something about it. Macey didn't think it'd be likely for him to leave anyone alone who was already within his clutches.
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