As they got closer to the towering disturbance Pif’s Death doggie appeared and he sent, “Don’t like, nice-nice. Angry angry things over there. Doggie will protect but can’t stop all. Keep yourself safe nice-nice, the angries want to make you go away and they not friends of spirit-friend.”

Krarrnic said, “I saw the way he was looking at you, I take it the little one is just as disturbed as I am by the feeling in the spiritworld. These poor souls rage at their fate, only wanting justice and for their tormentors to share it. Sadly they are far gone in their rage, they can no longer discriminate between those who wish to aid them and their foes. Striking out blindly at every living they feel within range.”

Raelea nodded and said, “He certainly is disturbed by it and so am I. He warned me they want to make me ‘go away’ and also that they are not your friends at all.”

“They are not indeed but their pain tears at my heart, they still suffer and I want only to put them to rest so their suffering may end. Worse, I have heard that they can only be banished for a short while. The rage and pain of the swarm drawing them back always because no Shaman can banish them all, it would take many working together with protection from more.”

The feeling of rage, pain and hatred increased all through the next days travel but they had no actual trouble until they stopped for the night, far enough away to not attract the spirits but close enough to see the Spirit of Light when it came. Or so they thought.

Camp was set up and they were cooking a meal over the fire when a small spirit wandered away from the main group and floated into their camp.

It’s cries were heart-wrenching, the helpless and lost sobs of a young child in great pain.

Krarrnic stood up and rushed toward it with his hands outstretched and tears streaming down his face. As soon as the spirit noticed his movement it turned toward him, with an utterly blank face it studied him approaching for a moment.

Then it threw it’s head back and it screamed.

It changed from a small Oruc child to an angular shape of blackness broken only by the glinting of sharp teeth and scythe like claws.

Krarrnic hadn’t even paused and kept running toward it, arms outstretched,

Just before he shoved his arms into the spirits widestretched maw the doggie leapt to his defence and tore viciously into the now wailing blob of darkness. Just before it faded from view it shrank back into it’s childlike form with an expression of peace on it’s face.

But the damage was done. A swarm of spirits had broken out of the endless circling and were heading this way and fast.

Raelea shouted, “Krarrnic! Snap out of it! We need your help!”

His eyes cleared slowly as memories of long ago lost their hold and he saw the mass of spirits headed toward them.

With a few grunted words he spread his hands wide and his largest helper blurred as it traced out a circle around them. The swarm of spirits broke around it as the barely visible shimmer of a protective dome sprang up around them, gnashing teeth flashed and claws scrabbled as they tried to tear their way in.

Krarrnic chanted another couple of words then gasped, dropping his hand with the motions of a spell unfinished and with a tremble in his voice he said, “I can hold the dome but no more, the strength of these spirits is far beyond anything I have felt before.”

Pif’s doggie had remained outside and dove into the swarm of spirits snapping at them and throwing them around like a terrier among rats but soon, much too soon, the doggie disappeared and Pif sent, “Devouring grey all gone until tomorrow nice-nice. What we do now?”

With the small group swarmed by far too many angry spirits Raelea really had no idea. Even when she’d had her magic, without time to prepare this would have been beyond her.

A whispering voice she thankfully hadn’t heard in what seemed like an age said in the depths of her mind, “Well masterless witch, once again you find yourself in desperate need.”

Heart racing Raelea she replied, “There is no chance I will enter into any agreement with you again.”

His voice was gloating as he said, “But my witch, you will die, the fat dog will die and that idiot spirit speaker will die as well you can choose to avoid that simply by accepting me back and becoming mine once more. Surely the lives of your friends matter enough that it would be a small price to pay? Quickly, quickly, my witch. Already the spirit speaker’s strength begins to fade.”

Her voice steady she said, “I am not your witch and no, nothing is worth releasing you into the world. You are a monster, an aberration, a vile self-serving thing and the world will be better without you in it.”

He snarled and said, “I will hurry your deaths then, I will eat the Shaman’s pathetic morsels and laugh as the swarm tears you to shreds.”

“I know you monster and I am not the frightened young girl you took such unfair advantage of, you taught me yourself how not to be. You also taught me that there is no way you would have ever left my companions alive, you would not allow me that lifeline. Your threats are empty, they and you mean nothing or Krarrnic’s spirits would already be feeding you.” Reaching to her belt she tipped a bright purple vial into her mouth and her throat worked as she swallowed. “I was ready for you monster, you know very well what Last Resort is and I’ve just taken it. How well will you do without a body? Either you release my magic to me or I will die, my body will be destroyed and your foothold in the world with me. Quickly, quickly, vile spirit. I can feel it working already.”

There was a loaded silence then he said, “I will not. I was so close to Godhood, but your death means nothing to me. I have an age to find another and now I know the way of it, it will be easy the next time. So farewell my witch, the spirit speaker weakens further under the onslaught and the fat dog is without any power. I only wish I could end you myself but alas even with the thread of your magic I kept all that time ago I cannot.”

“You what?!”

“I kept a thread of your magic to sustain me while I healed all that time ago, it has been most useful since. The things I have set in motion to bring about your ruination and the deaths of those useless hangers on, it’s almost a shame you failed so quickly. Oh I know all your plans, your efforts to contact that blighted do-gooder and I ate the spirits at the closer site to the Spotted Foxes simply to draw you here where you could be more easily overwhelmed and pressured. Do not look for the do-gooder to save you either he has been delayed, attacked by the Shaman of a slaughtered tribe who thought I was him.”

“What is your point spirit? To taunt me? I am already dead by my own hand, your taunts mean nothing. To even attempt this is pathetic.” Out loud she said, “Krarrnic can you see if Aignew is actually here, he said he would eat your spirits and leave us defenceless.”

He’d been looking at her with a concerned expression because she’d fallen silent then taken some form of potion suddenly and for no reason he could see, he said, “Aignew? What is going on, his influence is not stronger within you but it is more… concentrated. But he is not in here with us, so my spirits are perfectly safe. He lies.”

Aignew’s voice in her head answered Krarrnic’s words, “Lying am I? The fool of a spirit speaker knows much less than he thinks he does. I could easily take control of you but I will not your demise is as certain as the rising of the sun.”

She said, “If it’s so certain, why are you still talking? Wait. What are you trying to distract me from?”

“Why nothing at all, I am just enjoying your helplessness in the face of your fate, I will remember you when I am a God. You will be reviled by my worshippers for defying me.”

“Defying you? I chose to not accept a very poor deal with an insanely jealous lunatic who threatened any friends I had with death constantly, that defiance is none at all.”

Angered he shouted, “I gave you everything, I trained you, I saved your life, I gave you my very essence! You owe me everything!”

“Wait… I just realised what you were distracting me from.” Moving swiftly she set out a ritual, lines of ash, chalk and coloured sands making a small circle. “I now know what you feared I’d realise, you spoke too freely didn’t you monster? THIS IS DEFIANCE! Mark the difference Aignew, mark the difference.”

As Aignew sputtered and questioned her, aloud she said, “Krarrnic, can you put a dome over me when I signal? It will be to contain one spirit.”

“Yes, easily. What are you doing?”

With a slight smile she said, “Aignew needs to learn the lesson many others have, a witch is never helpless.”

Seating herself in the circle she began to chant.

As Aignew’s essence was drawn into her, he shrieked, “You cannot do this, I refuse! I refuse to give you any more of myself! Nooooooooooo!”

The droning chant rose and fell, rose and fell, the air felt thick, electrified, until her chanting reached a crescendo and abruptly ceased. She flicked a finger to Krarrnic and whispered half to herself as a shimmering barrier covered her, “Now you will understand true defiance. I may die but you come with me into death monster!”

She didn’t know if she’d expected an answer or not but was not too surprised when she a pain wracked and badly weakened voice from deep within her mind, “M-m-my witch, why do you do this to me? How is this even p-p-possible?”

“I already told you, I am not your witch. You know very well this ritual needs no magic just a link of some sort between the spirit and the person, such as your essence that was already within me. You know that very well you were using this exact process yourself to shift your essence within me trying to take control but I doubt you thought it would be turned back on you. Why? You ask why? You are utterly self-centred, a monster. You know witches how could you think one would allow you to live once they knew what you were?”

“You a-are my witch, y-you will always be my w-w-witch. I will never let you leave me behind.”

“You’re right, I won’t. You die with me.”

“No! That is not how this will be! You will age and wither as you all have before then I will end you and find another. That is how it will be, how it must be!”

“No it isn’t. Your influence has ebbed along with your strength. It will take you days, maybe seasons, to regather enough strength to fight me for control. If you even can as tightly tied to me as you are now.”