As Grace flopped backwards, her chains barely keeping her upright, Alice finally lost control. Like the last few times when the priestess had pushed her to the limit, her arms were involuntarily flung outwards and an ear-splitting cry tore itself out of her throat. But this time, the flames that coursed through her body made her feel powerful, unstoppable, strong. She no longer felt the agonising burning or the fear. She was the mistress of her own magic. Something dark had snapped inside her soul.

The feeling of the magic pulsating through her was euphoric. She smiled, sinister and fearless, and yanked her arms inwards, snapping the reinforced iron chains from the walls. She did not know any spells, any words or phrases she should utter to create magic. All she knew was vengeance. All she could do was channel this beautiful rage towards the one soul who had tortured Grace.

Alice leapt to her feet, chains still dangling from her bleeding wrists. She ran, full-force, at the priestess who had backed against the wall. The priestess had her arms out in front of her, her hands stretched wide, and she was furiously muttering something inaudible. When Alice was just a metre or so away from the priestess, she bounced backwards off a solid, invisible wall. The priestess had managed to construct a shield of magic to prevent even Alice’s sheer unbound strength from penetrating it. Alice screamed in frustration, punching and kicking the invisible boundary that was preventing her from avenging Grace.

The priestess watched, a satisfied, if slightly anxious, smile spreading over her face.

‘Nicely done.’

She turned away from Alice and went back over to the altar, where she sat herself in a cross-legged position.

Alice dropped to her knees, exhausted and unable to move. The shield spell that the priestess had constructed was not just a wall in front of her, but a transparent cage that prevented Alice from moving even a step or two away from the spot on which she stood. As the magic ebbed away, she turned to see Grace’s unconscious form.

The smoke had faded and Grace’s wounds were invisible. Had they even been there at all? Alice looked on helplessly, unable to move, as the hooded guards surrounded Grace’s lifeless form, lifted her, and carried her out of the room.

‘Where are you taking her?’ Alice shouted. She couldn’t bear the thought of Grace waking up alone and in pain, without Alice there to comfort her. Tears she couldn’t control streamed from Alice’s burning eyes.

‘Nowhere that you need concern yourself about. She knew the dangers of becoming a companion of yours; she knew the risks. Let’s see if she can cope with the repercussions.’

‘W-what do you mean, she knew the risks?’ Alice blubbered.

‘Well, when you arrived, I saw how protective she was of you, so I instructed her to gain your trust, to win you over, to get close to you. All this time she’s been reporting back to me everything you have done together. Everything.’