Carrie was quiet while Radu slept. She could see him getting healthier under the thin layer of dirt over him. She felt strange. Not in a bad way, just… different. It was as though she could feel Radu’s blood flowing through her body, mixing with her own. Somehow, she felt… heavier. And it was strange.

She crossed her legs and sat with the book propped open in front of her. Her wand gave her just enough light to read the spell in front of her. She’d made up her mind to look up both the binding spell Helga had used and the spell to release herself if she was caught in one. She searched the book for the spell that allowed Helga to dissipate into smoke. She had to have transferred herself to somewhere else. That was an incredibly useful spell.

But she couldn’t find it. There were many pages that still appeared blank to her.

After an hour or so, Carrie heard the soft sound of voices in the distance. She looked up and around her but she felt no one’s presence.

She tried to make out the words, holding her breath and focusing on her hearing. The voices weren’t in the distance, not coming through her ears. It was on another plane, not in her mind alone. She could hear her name being discussed but didn’t know what the conversation was about. As time passed, Carrie realized what had happened. She was receiving the emotions of her friends, the people she loved. They were worried about her.

At the same time, she felt their internal feelings. Raven was upset, Ali was hungry. Carrie smiled. How strange to know such intimate things about someone. Those were the people she loved.

But what about Helga? If she could receive the feelings of someone she cared about now, would the power work for someone she once cared about? She was sure if she could get to Helga, get the woman away from Solomon’s hold, she might be able to convince her to come back. She wanted the coven to be whole again, a unit like they had once been.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on Helga. She pictured her, even when they had last encountered each other, when Helga was so determined to take her to Solomon. She didn’t see how she was enslaved and that she was helping Solomon enslave and destroy more and more souls. He’d created an unnecessary war because he wanted power. How could Helga not see? Was her love that powerful?

She replaced the memories of Helga with those of earlier times, when Helga was so helpful in mentoring her and teaching her. When she’d seen Helga’s smile and heard laughter that didn’t sound evil.

Carrie felt lighter and lighter until she was soaring through clouds of misty white. She didn’t bother looking back or wondering what had happened. She knew what had happened. She was making her way to Helga. Somehow, she was going to speak to her, directly to her, without fear of physical harm.

The fog around her that had been a misty white color became darker, then lighter, then turned orange. The orange took form and she was soon floating over a desert of rolling sand dunes. She was hot; she could feel the burning sun on her skin even though she was not in her body.

She began to thirst, prompting her to try and hurry through the desert. In the distance, she saw a castle, rising up high into the sky. She flew toward it as fast as she could, wanting to leave the desert heat behind.

The castle came closer and loomed above her, its grey bricked walls not quite level, making the castle lean slightly. She stopped once she reached the castle and lifted up into the air, passing windows with no glass and nothing on the other side. She kept moving up, looking toward the top of the highest tower in the castle. That’s where Helga would be. Or at least, some kind of representation of her.

She slowed her ascension when she saw the pillars that surrounded the top level of the tower. She felt Helga would be there but didn’t want to make a fast approach. She didn’t want to look like she was coming for a fight. She wanted to talk. She wanted to reason with Helga.

Even if it seemed a fruitless fight, she still wanted to try.

She lifted above the pillars and looked down on the tower roof. It was a chaos of colors, swirling and mixing within themselves. Helga was there, standing with her back to Carrie, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were focused out over the edge of the tower, deep into the desert.

There was no way she didn’t know Carrie was there. Carrie wasn’t stupid.

“No,” Helga said, abruptly, breaking the deep silence that surrounded them. “You are not stupid. And neither am I.” She turned around as Carrie lowered herself to the floor.

“This is an interesting meeting place,” Carrie said, looking around her.

“You created it, not me.”

Carrie shook her head. “I’m not in my own mind. I’m in yours.”

Helga’s brows came together and she gave Carrie a disdainful look. “Do you think just because you were the one moving, you were leaving your own mind? You have brought me to yours. You created this. What have you brought me for? What do we have to say to each other?”

“I had to talk to you, Helga. You… you have meant so much to me in the past. I… I can’t believe that Solomon could make you…”

“Solomon has made me do nothing,” Helga said in a firm voice. “He has given me much more than I deserve. He will make me his queen and I will help him rule.”

Carrie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Never in a million years would she have thought this powerful witch who had been her friend could seek that kind of power.

“It’s never worked for anyone in the past,” Carrie said gently. “Why should it work for you? No human nor beast has ever been able to rule the world. I think that sounds like an incredibly daunting task. Who would want such a thing?”

“You don’t understand. Solomon is going to make everything perfect.”

Carrie shook her head, frowning. “Have you forgotten the destruction he has caused? How many souls has he enslaved and destroyed? You are willing to sit back and let him enslave all the witches in the coven and make them do his bidding. You want to give him the tools to make himself more powerful than any other being. You know we can’t let you do that.”

Helga laughed, throwing her head back dramatically. “You think you have the power to stop us? You and that vampire you’ve taken up with? Radu won’t save you, Carrie. He will be slaughtered along with all the other vampires who don’t do Solomon’s bidding.”

“Oh Helga.” Suddenly, Carrie felt so sad, she didn’t want to be where she was anymore. She didn’t want to be outside her body. She wanted to be back with Radu, watching him sleep, ignoring the rest of the world for a while. When was it her time to rest? She had pushed herself for days until she was so tired, she couldn’t think straight. That couldn’t be a good thing. It would hinder her when the time came to fight. She needed to remember the spells. She had to be at the top of her game.

“You act like you feel sorry for me,” Helga said, pulling the corners of her lips down. “I don’t understand why. It is I who should feel sorry for you. Solomon won’t tolerate treason.”

Carrie snorted. “Treason? Helga, have you lost your mind? How can you not see how evil he is? How has he blinded you so much? You were the witch who encouraged me until I was confident enough to continue on my own. You taught me so much. What’s happened to you?”

“I found my purpose.” Helga said it so simply, as if there could be no other reason.

“Your purpose is to take over the world and rule all creatures, human or otherwise?” Carrie asked in an incredulous voice.

Helga narrowed her eyes. “No, Carrie. My purpose is to serve at Solomon’s right hand.”

“You are kidding me. You are kidding me!” Carrie’s temper took over and she yelled the repeated words.

Helga looked unaffected. Carrie got herself back under control, pulling in a deep breath and lifting up slightly in the air. It was her intention to leave as soon as she could. “Your love for him can’t be that deep. Not after all the evil he’s done, all the lives he’s taken or destroyed. I’ll just ask one more time, Helga. Please come back with me. Come back and be the good witch you used to be.”

Helga laughed. “I wouldn’t even if I was in my physical form and hadn’t been pulled into your mind. How are you doing this anyway? I don’t know this spell.”

Carrie kept her thoughts clear so Helga wouldn’t catch them. She didn’t want Helga to know how she did it. She lifted up higher.

“You will not return with me, will you?” she asked in a disheartened voice. “I am sorry, Helga. I can’t let you destroy Radu or me or anyone else in the coven because of your obsession with Solomon. He is pure evil and we will stop him.”

“We’re waiting for you.”

Instead of floating and flying like she had before, Carrie felt a jerk on her midsection and she was yanked backwards. Her spirit slammed back into her physical form, making her fall backwards. The book fell from her lap. Her wand fell from her fingers and the light went out.

She leaned forward and tried to get her bearings, pushing her hands into the damp earth below her. She grunted, pushing herself to a sitting position and searching the ground around her with her hands for her wand. When she found it, she lit the end and looked for the book. It was closed on her other side.

She moved the wand to where Radu was still sleeping. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light. She could see him breathing steadily and was amazed to see how healthy he was looking. His skin was smooth, no flakes coming off.

She wondered if it could have been the sharing of their blood. He had given her some of his essence, some of his powers. Perhaps, as a witch, she had transferred some healing power to him. When she let him feed on her, he always looked younger. This transference was different. Instead of him drawing her blood, they had mixed them together.

She moved through the dirt floor on her hands and knees, drawing up close to Radu. The sun would go down eventually and he would wake up. She should rest, too. They had a battle ahead of them that she would need all her strength and courage to fight.

She’d never wanted to go up against Helga. But she had to make sure her friends were safe and Radu was safe. She wanted him by her side, whether she was destined to grow old and die or not. She would treasure the time she had with him.

The dirt floor was cool on her skin, reminding her how hot she had been in the desert of her mind. She replayed her conversation with Helga, wondering if it could possibly have been real, or if she had simply imagined the whole thing. She was convinced it had happened, that Helga had told her the truth. She was too deeply enthralled by Solomon, engrossed in him, to ever come back to the coven and fight on the side of good.

Carrie felt tears gathering in her eyes. The wonderful witch she had known was gone.

She lifted her hand and wiped the tears away. They would do her no good. She wished Radu was awake so she could talk to him, share her feelings with him. She’d never known anyone as wise as he was, and now that they were connected so intimately, she knew he would know exactly what to say to comfort her.

She rested her hand on his chest, where his hands were folded. She pushed her fingers through his and closed her eyes, drawing comfort from his steady breathing.