Mirai

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My anxiety was through the roof. I knew that on the other side of the door, out in the normal prison area, several witches stood waiting for us. It would be hard for me to get out on my own, but with Tamah as well...

She had looked determined when I had said we would need to run, but watching her barely able to breathe from walking up the stairs, I couldn't believe she would be able to. There was also the issue of that she might end up turning into Lamia. They would be casting spells at us, do anything to stop us. There was no way she wouldn't feel threatened.

"Tamah," I said softly and placed a hand on her cheek, looked straight into her eyes. "I think it's best if I go out on my own first and that you stay here."

So far I had no really clue how much of what I said she understood. Some things seemed to generate some level of response. But I couldn't tell what exactly it was that she responded to. If it was something I said or an action. I knew, though, that she wouldn't like this idea considering her reaction when I had wanted to let go of her to make water appear.

It looked like she had understood what I had said. Her eyes widened and she moved closer. Took hold of me, her hands fisted the fabric of my top on my back. Pressed her eyes against my shoulder again.

I gingerly placed my arms around her as well. One on her lower back, the other between her shoulder blades.

"It'll only be for a little while," I reassured her. "I will be back. I just have to make sure it's safe for you to come out."

I tried to loosen her hold on me, but her hands wouldn't budge. Her grip was surprisingly strong considering how weak she seemed.

I had to make her understand she needed to stay here and that it would be alright. But I had no idea how. Or I did have one idea of how to make her stay, but even thinking that made me feel uncomfortable and like I would rob her of her agency. I could put a spell on her to subdue her.

"Please, you have to listen to me. Nothing bad will happen. I promise. And I won't be long," I pleaded, but her grip only seemed to tighten.

I racked my brain for another solution, but I couldn't come up with any. I just hoped the spell would be strong enough to do the trick.

"Can you look into my eyes?" I asked her and she complied. She moved her head up from my shoulder to look at me. I smiled at her and placed my hands on either side of her face.

"Happiness. Calmness. Safety," I murmured and my hands heated up slightly against her skin. I saw her eyes cloud over and knew the spell had worked. She was in an illusion.

Her body went limp, and I caught her before she hit the ground. Then I placed her in a sitting position against the wall.

"I'll be back for you soon," I promised and kissed her forehead. Then I turned to where I knew the exit was.

I closed my eyes for a bit and let my inner sight take over. Through it, I knew there were about twenty witches who waited for me on the other side. They were all ready to cast spells. I wasn't strong enough to take them on. Surprise was the only way I'd manage. And with my sight to guide me.

I knew all of them were placed to stop us from leaving through the proper exit. So blasting a hole in the wall somewhere felt like a good option. The issue would be to manage to hold them off to create the hole and especially get Tamah into it.

I tried to imagine what decisions to take and noticed that my sight could give me some indications of what different decisions would result in. The issue was that it was all messy. My different decisions gave far too many potential results for me to keep track of them and see it properly.

I opened my eyes again and knew I would just have to wing it. I looked back at Tamah. She was still on the ground. Her eyes were open, but I could see the mist in them of the illusion I had created.

To the left of me was a place to press to have the door slid open. I didn't know that, but I also knew. I took a deep breath and prepared the first spell to cast as I pressed on it.

The sound of the hinges creaking echoed in the otherwise silent space. The door swung open and I sent a wave of fire to the right of it. Towards the exit. Towards the witches.

Yells and screams came first. Then the unmistakable hissing of water hitting fire. But I had already sent two blasts at the wall of the prison. It was like a ball of fire that I sent to the left. The first blast opened up the cell door that stood in the way of the actual wall. The next had hit the wall, but I saw barely any result of it.

I turned back to take in what blocked the exit. They hadn't taken any risks. All the way out the corridor was thick with witches. It looked like all the witches from the coven were there.

Except one. I knew Mom wasn't among them.

Five spells came soaring at me. I created a protective wall and then sent another burst of fire their way. That time, I only had time for one blast against the wall before the counterattacks came.

I moved the door that had led into Tamah's cell so it blocked me from the coven. That gave me a few more seconds, but all too soon it had been turned to dust.

I put up another invisible protective wall, but just like I had been forced to when fighting them in Nox's valley, I had to put all my energy and concentration into keeping it intact. There was no chance for me to find a way to escape.

The spells caused sparkling and hissing noises. Some hit the walls and stone breaking or crumbling joined in the sounds that echoed all around. Different colors of light illuminated the dark prison, but it was clouded by smoke and dust.

Then came a voice over all the other sounds.

"Just give up, Mirai. Give up now and I'll forgive you."

Like hell I will, I wanted to answer her, but I never got the words out. I heard a scream, a raw and painful scream. Only I didn't hear it, not yet at least. The scream was a few seconds away, but I knew it would come. And after the scream, more would break.

I already had my eyes on the entrance to the stairs, on where Tamah was in the dark. I had already taken a step towards it when the scream came.

It really was raw and painful and so powerful that it surprised me the prison didn't fall.

The scream made me stop in my tracks.

Then the whole place shook and the sound of stones hitting stones came. The next moment, Tamah came out into the corridor. Only she wasn't Tamah anymore.

The long tail was thick enough to reach my knees at its thickest and it was twisted around to fit into the narrow corridor. Probably it was at least ten meters long. It raised her up at first, so she had to hunch her back, but lowered her down. The rags she had worn were gone, her upper body instead had patches of green scale to cover the important parts and some more. Her legs had disappeared into the tail.

And her eyes...

They were bright yellow and the pupils were slits. Her nails had elongated to claws and her lips were pulled back into a snarl that showed sharpened teeth.

My heart beat fast and adrenaline pumped out of instinctive fear. Nothing of Tamah seemed left. All I could sense from her was hate and anger.