Eventually, Eva ran out. She crawled along, blind to everything but herself and the rapidly diminishing trail of blood she made.
The sound of someone sobbing slowly grew audible.
She concentrated as hard as she could on expanding her vision as she crawled.
A small pool of blood entered her range about fifty feet away. She crawled towards it.
Another person, a woman this time, hung above the blood. Eva wasn’t sure she had a full grasp on interpreting her blood vision. There were two long poles on chains leading up to the ceiling like the kind trapeze artists swung on. They crisscrossed each other through the woman’s neck.
How her head hadn’t torn off her body, Eva couldn’t begin to fathom. Her body didn’t look like the lightest thing around.
Eva smeared herself in the pool of blood. It wasn’t as much as the man’s blood, but it freshened her up.
Do you wish to go back in time?
Eva whirled. She couldn’t find any source of a voice. That only meant they didn’t have blood on them. The woman above her continued sobbing, not taking notice of any voice.
You could regain your eyes. Your fingers. Your toes. Just say yes.
The voice came from all around, yet nowhere at the same time.
Devon was mad enough at her for Ylva’s throne room. Ylva had to be more benign than whatever lived here. She was sure she’d regret any contract made with whatever this was.
With time on your side, you could get revenge on all those who slight you.
Eva ignored the voice. She had a thought. Why couldn’t she sense someone who didn’t have blood on them. If they had blood
Eva focused on the woman above her. She had blood in her. She’d have to, in order to bleed.
The blood flowed from the holes in her neck. It fountained from her arteries and veins. Eva concentrated on that. Deeper and deeper inside.
You could get revenge before they hurt you.
It was easier this time. Her sight sank into the woman. Limbs, organs, a beating heart. The woman’s whole body opened up to Eva. Every pulse brought her sight to life.
Eva launched a fireball at the chains on the woman’s neck. It fizzled out without doing any damage. At least, none that Eva could see. For all she knew, that could be a lot.
She tried again, aiming for the same spot.
I wouldn’t do that.
On her twentieth try, the chain snapped. The woman swung to one side. The remaining pole tore through the woman’s neck as she swung. She landed with a plop in the pool of her own blood.
Somehow, she still sobbed and showed no signs of stopping. Eva wondered if she was even aware of anything outside her head.
Either way, her being alive was good.
Eva wiped the back of her right hand off on a relatively clean part of the woman’s body. At least, clean of blood. Cleaner than Eva was, in any case.
She shuddered at the thought that she might have been crawling through more than just blood. At least Eva wouldn’t be getting any infections.
With the back of her hand somewhat cleared off, Eva dipped her opposite thumb stump into the pool of blood. She carefully drew a circle on the back of her hand. Six lines spread outwards from the circle, touching the edge of a larger circle.
Probably the worst drawing Eva had done ever.
Hopefully it would work.
Moving to straddle the woman’s stomach, Eva whispered, “sorry, but you’re worth more dead than alive at the moment.” Her voice was hoarse and scratched in her throat.
Eva channeled magic into the back of her hand. She pressed down hard on the woman’s chest. A light pop was the only indication anything happened for a moment. The woman’s slowing cries were the next indication.
There it was. Looking inwards, Eva could see it covered in the woman’s blood. A bloodstone, right where her heart once was.
Eva smiled for the first time in a long time. She hadn’t expected that to work. Normally one should touch a beating heart directly. Not to mention the very malformed circle on the back of her hand.
Still, it had worked. The woman’s blood swirled around the bloodstone. With some effort and direction, the bloodstone erupted from her chest, covered in blood.
Eva inspected the bloodstone by covering it with blood. The blood filled every crevasse on the small marble.
That was a bad sign. Bloodstones were supposed to be smooth. The most perfect spheres to exist. Eva doubted this one would last a week. Less with use.
Eva planned to put it to good use.
