I do not know how long I was out for. There was no light down here, other than the braziers along the wall. I could hear the dripping of water in the distance. The smell of wet earth filled my nose. And then, like a bad headache, I realized where I was. I was in the dungeon of the prince after trying to rescue Amethyst. Then I remembered that I heard her just before that woman forced me into this cell.
“Amethyst, are you there?” I asked, hoping that she hadn’t been moved. I could hear some shuffling and I saw her. Right in front of me. The love of my life, so close, yet so far.
“Coralin, why did you us? Who is watching Kiena?” Amethyst asked frantically. I could see the pain and anger still burning in her eyes. I couldn’t blame her after what she saw me do to her mom. I could only imagine what she thought of me.
“I came to rescue you, silly. It is my job to protect you,” I said, yearning for her touch. I hoped she still felt the same way about me. The last thing I wanted was to lose her.
“We have our ring, love. Do you not remember what they do?” Amethyst asked, sounding just a little annoyed. I had completely forgotten about the rings in my haste to rescue Amethyst. I wished it would work in her, but from what the witch said, no magic, which would include the rings, right? But no, as I thought about the ring, I could feel Amethysts feelings. The concern, happiness, and irritation. So, at the very least, I knew she still loved me.
“But going off on your own doesn’t solve the problem. Look where it got you,” I said, a hint of annoyance in my voice. She sighed and sat down, brushing her tail for a moment, then looked at me.
“And look where you are now. This was something that we needed to do. Our sister was killed by the very man who is living in this place,” Amethyst said, still brushing her tail. I could feel the pain in her heart. I couldn’t begin to image what she was feeling right now. I mean I knew I could feel it, but it was different. I never really had to go through that. Instead, I did everything to get away from my family. But those were different circumstances, and in a different era. Despite my ample knowledge in fighting, it was different being in it.
“I came to rescue you. Don’t you see, you are my life, as well as Kiena’s. What is going to happen to Kiena if you aren’t around. You are the only mother she knows,” I said, trying to make a point. Then she looked at me, and I could her annoyance again as she huffed.
“Two. Kiena has two moms,” Amethyst said before turning and looking at the wall behind her. Just that gesture was enough of a slap in the face. I was about to say something else when I heard the sound of footsteps beating against stone. I could only guess who it was, and sure enough, the witch came walking around the corner.
“So, did you sleep well, beast?” the witch said as she came to my cell. I wanted to reach through the bars and wring her neck, but I knew it would be pointless, she had magic and I didn’t. She wouldn’t need to even touch me.
“No thanks to you,” was all I could think of to say. If it weren’t for her, I could have had Amethyst home where she belonged. I could feel my anger welling up inside, but as it did, I became sick. I had to keep myself calm, or risk passing out again.
“Aww, and I thought we were becoming fast friends. And just when I was about to let you out of your cage too, little doggie,” the witch said, goading me. Growling, I looked down at the floor. There wasn’t anything I could do. Fighting with her would just give her what she wanted. With a crooked smile, the witch pulled the cell keys from her waist. Then she did something with her hand and I could see a flick in her eye. I knew that she did magic, without any incantation, or a way to see the magic, I had no way of knowing what she did. Then she unlocked the cell and held out a collar.
“Put this on, if you do not want any harm to come to your wife. Though I cannot kill her, losing an ear or part of her tail isn’t out of the question,” the witch said grinning from ear to ear. Her words sent a chill down my spine. Hands shaking, I reached out and grabbed the collar. The idea of being treated like an animal left a bad taste in my mouth. So much supposed power, and a human witch had the upper hand. Reluctantly, I fastened the collar around my neck. The witch didn’t take long before yanking me down the hall, away from Amethyst. I could feel her fear. It was like falling into a pit that has no bottom. I used that to distract me from what was happening to me right now.
We had been walking for a few minutes, when we happened upon a singular door at the end of the hallway. The witched opened the door to a stairway leading further down. My guess was that the basement of this castle was connected to a cave system. If that were the case, it had to have an exit. The witch yanked me forward, and I followed her down the stairs. It was quite dark on the way down. I could see a light at the end of the stairway though. I made a mental not to come this way, if by chance there was a way out.
As we got to the end of the stairway, I could not believe my eyes at what I was seeing. Suspended in crystal, like a flawless statue, stood what I guessed was the original champion, but something was missing. Her tails. Someone had removed her tails. Why would someone be so cruel. Then I had to remember who I was in the presence of. We stopped right in front of the crystal before the witch stopped and snapped her fingers. In an instance, the collar around my neck fell to the ground. All I could do was look down at it.
“What the hell are you thinking, coming her,” the witch said, but there was something different in her tone than before. It was almost tender, even worried. It had to be a trick. Maybe a mental tactic. I couldn’t be sure, but I knew there was no way I was going to fall for it. It was the same thing that my dad used to do about the fact that I was transgender. It was a game that I knew all too well.
“I only came here for one thing. To save my wife,” I said doing my best to sound as intimidating as possible. The witch looked at me. This had been the first time that I had actually studied her face. Unlike I had expected, her face was actually quite beautiful. At once, I shook that thought out of my mind. The last thing I needed was Amethyst getting the wrong idea. I also noticed that, despite what I thought, the witch actually looked worried, if not a little scared. But why did she look scared? I couldn’t really have that kind of aura about me could I. No. It had to be a trick. A way of messing with me. Some form of torture.
“And yet, here you are. You couldn’t save her. You couldn’t even keep your presence concealed. I sniffed you out before you even made it to the castle. I’ve kept track of you all this time. The only reason that I did not report you to the prince was because of your scent.” the witch said. She then sighed and dropped the leash that was still attached to the collar on the ground. Nothing she was saying was making any sense.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, still trying to seem more intimidating than I felt. The witch seemed to see through it as well, because she just smiled.
“You can quite the façade. You don’t scare me. If I wanted to harm you, I would have already. Now, to answer your question. I was able to track you, because of the energy you give off. Your magic is stranger than most I have ever met. Well, except the fairies, but they are born of the earth, and thus connected to the magic deeper than you or I ever could be. Well, me. Being the goddess champion gives you an advantage. I mean, I couldn’t even seal your magic. If you hadn’t believed the lie, things could have gone differently, and you would be trapped here forever,” the witch said before sitting in front of the crystal, her back turned toward me.
“What do you mean, if I hadn’t believed the lie. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” I demanded. The witch jumped. It was almost as if my raised voice had scared her. She slumped her shoulders and laid her head in her knees.
“My magic is strong, but not even I could hold you. I wasn’t born into the magic, or given my magic by a goddess. I had to learn my magic, and it took years to get where I am now. But that’s not all...” she trailed off, looking down at what I had to guess were her feet. For an evil witch, she wasn’t acting like on now. There was something familiar about the way she acted. I couldn’t quite place it, that is, until she snapped her fingers. In a burst of color that reminded me of confetti, what used to be human skin was now a beautifully yellow and black patterned pelt. On top of her head, her ears twitched. Cats ears. Her long tail swung in front of me. As she turned around, I realized who I was staring at.
“It’s..You..”
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My theorycraft sense is saying it's Amethyst's sister who decided to go deep cover after getting her daughter out so she wouldn't be a slave while she stayed. Like as in she faked her death too.