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Were you laughing at me, too Rinea? This whole time? Just like him!
His accusations rang in her ears as she fled, her heart pounding, her vision blurred with fear. This is not my Lord Berkut. Something had changed, too subtle to notice at first; he'd become more aggressive in his desire to beat Alm, more easily frustrated with his uncle. Obviously it had to do with that mirror the witch had given him, but she remembered his disgust with such things. Strong men do not need to rely on a greater power! I can defeat him on my own!
But no matter how much he changed, one thing hadn't. Even at his most frustrated and angry, he'd never been anything but kind to her. All it took was a word or a look from her and he'd calm down, apologizing, clinging to her like a raft in a stormy sea.
The man she'd seen just now was a stranger who wore her lover's face.
She ran until her feet ached and her lungs burned, as far away from the castle as she could. Berkut, what have you done? You were disgusted that she even offered you that thing, you broke it, didn't you. Why? Because of one boy?
Outside, she collapsed to her knees in the snow, barely suppressing the urge to be sick as she struggled to regain some form of control of her thoughts. What could she do? Even with a stranger's face, deep down she knew it was still Berkut, in the flesh. A man once too proud to resort to begging the gods for help, now lost to the dark forces.
I need to help him. But even with all her studies in magic and healing since childhood, she hadn't the first clue how one would go about breaking such a spell. She knew the stories of witches, women who gave their souls to Duma for power. The only way to break the contract was death, and the thought of ending her lover's life made her stomach churn even more.
But there's no other way, is there? No witch has ever regained her senses voluntarily, or even through magic. That's it for them.
The sound of footsteps caught her ear just then. Her head snapped up, and she found herself looking into the surprised, curious face of a young man she'd only ever seen at a distance. He held up a hand to stay his troops, and knelt down beside her.
"Lady Rinea?"
"Sir Alm-no, my apologies, Prince Alm." She swallowed, willing herself to stand and curtsy before him, but he shook his head.
"Not now, please. I mean, there's no need for that. I-" He paused, a pained look crossing his face. "I'm sorry. Lady Rinea, what brings you out here? I've never seen you stray long from Berkut's side off the battlefield." And Rinea's stomach churned anew, the momentary distraction of meeting the crown prince of Rigel fleeing as she remembered why she was here.
"My lord Berkut," she began, "Sir Alm, you must-my lord, something is terribly wrong with him! He's...a dark force, I'm afraid he's been-he simply won't-"
"Lady Rinea, breathe." His hand was firm against her back as he stood, and Rinea took several deep gulps of air, willing herself to calm down. Focus, Rinea. No matter how afraid you are, Lord Berkut is the one in mortal danger. If you're going to save him, you must not falter.
Once she was sure her heart wasn't about to leap from her chest, she looked up again.
"My lord Berkut did not take it well when the emperor died, for...many reasons," she began. "Usually, I'm able to console him when things go wrong...I'm the only one besides the emperor he ever listened to. But..." The fire, the glow of his eyes, the echo of his voice.
"But?"
"He's not himself anymore, Sir Alm. His face, the way he spoke, the dark red aura surrounding him..." She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. "I fear he's sold himself to Duma, made a pact there's no going back from. The witch Nuibaba, she gave him this mirror, and-"
"Those creatures that rose from the ground outside the sluice gate," Alm said. "That's where they came from, isn't it?" Rinea nodded.
"The mirror came with a pact, and he's given in. I'm afraid, Sir Alm, he's become like those women who give themselves to Duma to become witches," she said. "And even knowing that, sir, I...I want to save him! I can't let his life end like this, I know he's still in there somewhere, and-"
"But that's impossible." A young cleric stepped forward, her head bowed sadly. "Once a soul is given to Duma, it cannot be retrieved. It's the way it is with witches, and I'm afraid it's the same for your lord Berkut," she said. "I'm sorry, Lady Rinea."
"No it's not! I was a witch and they saved me!" cried a young girl who leapt forward, her ponytail bouncing almost aggressively. "Alm, brother, don't you remember? I turned into a witch, but then you destroyed Tatarrah and brought me back!"
"That was different, Delthea," another man said. "Your soul was still intact. Tatarrah only hypnotized you, and it's easy to break a spell if you kill the caster. If the mirror was given to Lord Berkut by Nuibaba, it shouldn't have had any effect on him. We defeated her at her abode, remember?" Rinea's heart sank, her eyes stinging with tears.
"So he's..."
"We don't know." The man beside Delthea looked like he wanted to say something, but a look from her stayed his tongue. "Our mission is to put Duma to rest, but if your love's soul has been overtaken by him..." He shakes his head. "We might not have a choice if he stands in our way."
"No!" Alm suddenly shouted, causing many eyes to widen.
"Alm?" One of the young men raised an eyebrow, and Alm reddened, clearing his throat.
"Apologies for my outburst. But...no, I can't allow that. Not until..." He shook his head. "Berkut is my cousin. He's the only living family I have left. I know, he hasn't been exactly kind to me, and he has a lot to answer for. But I don't want to give up on him." Rinea lifted her head, sniffling. Berkut's cousin. I wonder, if he knew...
"Wait!" A blonde girl stepped forward, braids bouncing against her shoulders. "Maybe that's the key. When Luthier took down Tatarrah he snapped Delthea out of her spell, right? I know it's going to be a while before we get to Duma, and even with all Silque's taught me I won't pretend to know everything about this stuff, but...well, maybe Duma hasn't completely taken over him yet?"
"Lady Rinea says he's totally possessed," said the boy from earlier. "I'm pretty sure even family can't fix that."
Somewhere in her panic-addled mind, Rinea remembered. The altar was glowing only faintly, the flames low, Berkut still resembling himself even when his gaze and his words were those of a stranger. When a man gives the ultimate sacrifice to Duma, at his altar, he obtains power greater than his wildest dreams.
"He didn't sacrifice anything," she realized. "I-I don't know if that changes anything, but...maybe..."
"There might still be time," Alm said. "Where is he, Lady Rinea?" He offered his hand and she took it, gently, standing up slowly. She dusted the snow from her skirts and took several deep breaths. For a moment, she felt guilty; the blonde girl had mentioned they were on their way to battle Duma, and she didn't want to be holding them up for something that could be hopeless.
But I don't want to give up on him. Alm's words echoed in her mind, and she met his gaze.
"I know as a future king, I must put my personal feelings aside for the good of the world," Alm said. "But I'm not a king yet. And Berkut is my only living family." The rest of the army looked at him, then at one another, and finally a blonde man stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We're with you, Alm," he said. "Lady Rinea, where is Lord Berkut?"
"By the altar. But by now, he could have-" She swallowed, willing herself not to panic again. "There's not much time. Come with me, I know a shortcut." And not another word was spoken as she led them through the underground path to Duma's altar. Praying they would not be too late.
They found him doubled over in pain by the altar, whose flames were burning brightly, and for a moment Rinea's heart constricted. No! My lord... But he pulled himself upright, turned to her, his glowing eyes desperate and full of fear.
"R...Rin...nea..."
"My lord Berkut!"
"Rinea...h-help-" He spasmed with pain, crying out sharply, clutching his head. "The voices! I hear her, she's in me, I can still-"
It could be a trap, she thought, with the flames glowing so brightly the demon in her lover's guise could be trying such a thing to lure her close, to kill her unless she offered her soul to become one with Duma as he was about to. But her heart cried out for him, wracked with pain, begging for help.
"My Lord..."
"I don't want-not like this, Rinea, I can't-!" The red aura around him flared, and he hissed. "Power! I must have power!" She stepped back, hugging herself.
"Berkut!"
"Stay away, Rinea! Offer yourself to Lord Duma, become my empress! We will crush everyone who dares oppose us! No! G-get back, I-"
"Berkut, stop! Listen to us!" Alm cried out. "Can't we just talk?"
"Die! You, the simpleton who stole my throne, you must-" His body spasmed. "No!"
The flames leapt higher, roaring angrily, almost grasping for him, and Rinea realized this was no trick. But she didn't have time to ponder what changed; he could be saved. Her Berkut was still in there.
"What can we do?" she asked quietly.
"Duma is demanding he complete his offer," Silque said solemnly. "Many have considered offering their souls to Duma for power and chose not to at the last minute, but I've never heard of one starting to make such an offer, only to rescind it. Perhaps if we were to get through to Berkut's humanity, the forces within the altar would be silenced."
"And there's only one person who can do it," Alm said. "Right now I'd just make things worse, I'm sure of it." Rinea nodded.
"I'll give it all I've got." She stepped forward, taking Berkut's trembling hands and pulling him to her. Red-hot pain lanced through her but she squeezed tighter, only sheer will and her love for him driving her forward, as if that alone could remove the darkness threatening to overtake him.
"Berkut," she said, "my love, my lord...you're still in there. You turned your back on Duma for me, didn't you? So I know you're still you. Please, listen to me."
"Burn! Throw yourself on the fire, woman, Lord Duma commands you!" But he didn't make any move to steer her towards the altar, clutching her hands like a lifeline. Rinea drew closer, staring sharply into his eyes.
"I never once thought you were foolish," she said. "If you were meant to rule Rigel, I would have gladly stood by your side as empress. But Rigel is not your empire, and I still wish to stand by your side. That's all I've ever wanted, whether you were an emperor or a sheep herder." She squeezed his hands more tightly. "You were the one person who truly had faith in me, and you loved me despite my family's poor standing. And I have always believed in you."
He opened his mouth to speak, but all that escaped was a cry of agony as the flames grew brighter. Rinea let go of his hands and embraced him to her, gritting her teeth against the pain.
"I love you, Berkut. Not your status, not your blue blood, not the title you sought to hold. You held out your hand to me, Berkut, you made me feel like a true princess when the rest of Rigel saw the unfortunate daughter of a fallen house. You would have done so no matter what your standing, because deep down I know the kind of man you are. And even if it means my life, I will save that man."
The fire blazed, Rinea fighting back gasps of pain and shutting her eyes. If this is how I die, then so be it. If I must take his pain and possession into myself and be put down, at least he will live. She held him tightly and waited for the end.
But then, suddenly, the pain stopped. The flames stopped roaring, and she felt strong arms clutching her, heard a voice whispering her name.
"-nea. Rinea, my love, please, Rinea, wake up..."
She opened her eyes, and the aura surrounding him was gone. The altar was silent.
"Berkut..."
"Rinea." His voice broke and he held her as tightly as he could, Rinea letting out her breath in a shaky exhale.
"It's really you. I-I was so afraid-"
"I'm sorry. I was foolish, if I'd simply kept my temper or never broken that mirror, I'd have never-" He shook his head. "You almost died because of me, Rinea."
"I'd die a thousand times for you, my lord, if it meant your safety."
"Rinea..." He cupped her cheek in his hand, leaned forward-
"Ahem." The clearing of several throats jolted her back to the present. Several members of the Deliverance looked on awkwardly, one was grinning, Luthier was covering Delthea's eyes, and Alm looked oddly sad.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I-"
"We don't have much time," Alm said. "Celica and her friends are in here somewhere...I need to find her before it's too late." He closed his eyes. "Berkut, listen, there's so much I need to ask you, I know how you must feel about me right now-"
"If Rinea wishes to come with you and help you find your Celica, I will accompany her," Berkut said sharply, his eyes narrowing at Alm. "But I will be watching you, Prince Albein, to make sure you are worthy of becoming Uncle Rudlof's successor. Do not think I am suddenly on your side." Alm nodded, disappointment flickering across his face.
"Understood."
Berkut studied Alm for a moment longer, and maybe it was Rinea's imagination, but she could swear she saw something akin to gratitude in his gaze. But he said nothing, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close as Alm led the group slowly away from the altar.
"Are you going to be okay, Rinea?" Berkut asked. She nodded, leaning against him.
"I will...just promise you won't leave my side."
"You feel indebted to them, don't you? Even as they stood and watched while you risked your life?"
"There was nothing they could have done," Rinea said. "But they heard me out, and they brought me back to you rather than simply letting you be consumed by the flames. You're their enemy, and they still helped me save you. That's more than I deserve."
"Hmph." Berkut pulled her closer. "It's only a speck of the fine things you deserve, Rinea. I may not become emperor of Rigel, but they will treat you with the grace and dignity of an empress, or they will regret it." Rinea sighed. It would take time for Berkut to get used to the others, especially Alm. Deep down she hoped he'd open his heart to them and show them the kindness he usually reserved for her.
But he has all the time in the world now, to learn to connect with people better. You're a wonderful man, Berkut, and someday I hope you see it as much as I do.