Prince Liam left, despondent and more than a little embarrassed. Anger swiftly followed, and his fingers tightened on his wand. Just a few spells, and he could remove this Damon from the picture. Disintegrate him, perhaps, or even change him into a mermaid rather than a merman. She could be Scarlett’s lady-in-waiting! How delicious it would be watching this interloper being forced to prepare her former lover for another man’s pleasure day after day! As for Scarlett, she would have no choice but to marry him, and everyday, she would…she would…
She would hate me, Liam realized. And she would have every right to.
Groaning in shame, Liam put his face in his hands. Religious beliefs aside, this was the reason magic users were feared. Just a brief moment of weakness, and he could easily have done something irreparable, becoming the evil sorcerer of legend.
It was time to face it. He had blown his chance, and now, he had to live with the outcome. Still, his heart was heavy as he returned to the lake. When he reached his clothes, he glanced at Oliver’s discarded garments again. It had clearly been left untouched since he had last seen it.
“Hm, that’s strange. If he became a merman like myself, where did he go?” Turning, Liam eyed the mouth of the river leading back to Rubrum. “Did he also return to Scarlett’s castle only to be rejected like myself? Or did he run into trouble on the way?” Whatever the case, something was wrong. He could feel it.
Quickly, he cast a spell using Oliver’s clothes to transport the prince to his location. Instead of a merman, he got three rather fat sharks. It only took him a moment to figure out the rest. Enraged that these beasts killed his friend, he lifted his wand and caused them to explode in a shower of fish meat, leaving behind the chewed remains of a merman.
Heartbroken for the second time that day, Liam brought Oliver’s body back to shore. “I should just give him a good burial,” he told himself. “But I…I just can’t.”
Perhaps, it was the need to redeem himself after his earlier behavior, but he knew he had to bring back his friend no matter the cost. And there would be a cost, a big one. Otherwise, people would be resurrecting the dead all the time. Still, he had failed Scarlett, his own family obligations, even himself. He would not fail Oliver, too. “Hang on, friend. I’ll bring you back.”
Without further hesitation, he started the ritual. Slowly, the merman remains began to glow and knit back together, teeth marks and partial digestion repairing themselves. At last, Oliver’s complete form lay there lifeless. Now came the hard part.
Liam needed to sacrifice something personal, something important to buy back his friend’s soul. Worse yet, he would not be able to choose what it would be. “Maybe a few years off my lifespan,” he mused. “Maybe my strength or even my very humanity.” Whatever it could be, he had to pay up. So, taking a breath, he linked himself into the spell and waited.
His body heated up as he felt himself losing…