Seth was amazed at what was happening to his body.
Yes, he already knew that there was something special about him. Growing up with his tutor and that cook didn't expose him much to how different he was from everyone else...but coming to the palace had opened his eyes.
No one had eyes as he did. One day, Seth had asked Sek if it was abnormal that he had this kind... and it always boiled down to the blood in him..." My Birth Mother", he had said.
Now, Ling had called to him through mind-linking.
[What the heck?!]
Thoughts swam in and out of Seth's head as he held the chains in his hands ransacking his mind on what to do. Ling believed in him for some reason... [I wish I could let the stupid wizard down, but he looked like he would die here if I didn't do something soon]
[What could he have done to the queen? I must remind him to tell me, and I must be given something in return if I can help him out of here]
An idea hit Seth like a stone thrown with a catapult.
"Close your eyes"
"Hold still"
Seth took a deep breath...
"You can do anything you want to do"
[Who said that?], Seth thought.
Seth didn't open his eyes because he could feel that he had entered another portal mentally. Seth's concentration was intense and he didn't want to break that.
But he knew that voice...Seth had been hearing it in his sleep lately and it was becoming familiar.
[The woman that called herself my birth mother], he thought.
It came again, "You were conceived in an auspicious moment with great magic, alongside the blood of a strong royal. Search your soul, son"
An unsettling feeling filled Seth's mind... his eyeballs moving uncontrollably beneath his eyelids.
[Why am I suddenly hearing voices in my head? This woman talks as if she is here and can see what is happening?]
Seth was almost losing the balance he was achieving...
"Be calm, Prince Seth. Find the torch that looks like it is on fire. Find it, that's where your power lies"... Ling said.
Seth closed his eyes tighter... He could see a light but it was so far away.
"It is far"
"Reach it, touch it... feel it", Ling replied.
* * *
Claws were growing out of Seth's fingers.
Ling's eyes widened... as if that wasn't enough, he looked at the prince's face and Ling thought his own head would explode.
Thinking it was one of his hallucinations, Ling shook his head a little then remembered that Seth had told him to stay still. He didn't want to interrupt the prince's meditation so Ling shut his eyes and opened them again in a bid to calm his nerves.
Still, Ling's throat was tight with fear...[In all my life, I didn't think I would come face to face with a human with demon blood. A warlock like me, scared], Ling thought.
Ling was a bit disappointed in himself. But who wouldn't be scared looking at what he was facing?
The prince had horns sticking out of his forehead. The side that had the snake eye, had scales as skin. Ling was sure more bones came on Seth's back because he saw the outline of two bigger spines on his left and right shoulders from where he was kneeling.
Just then, Seth opened his eyes, put the chains in his mouth, and bit down hard.
The warlock shut his eyes, not knowing what to expect. His heart raced as if there was an accelerator attached to it... [I am surprised I haven't had a heart attack yet, especially at my age]
The chain on Ling's left hand broke!
Looking down at his hand and realizing it was free, Ling's gaze went up to the prince in utter disbelief. Ling wasn't scared anymore but was amazed.
Prince Seth did the same to the other chain and Ling fell to the ground. The extent to which the dehydration and fatigue had taken his body was unknown to him until now.
He tried to stand up but couldn't. Then Ling felt a tickle at his sides; When he opened his eyes again, he saw that it was the tip of Seth's claws that had touched him. The prince lifted the warlock in his arms like he was a bride...
Seth jumped out of the cave and took off with an otherworldly speed. It was too much for the old wizard...
Ling fainted.
* * *
At this point, Seth didn't think like a normal human. His senses were heightened and he discovered that he couldn't talk.
[Is he okay? I think I must have shocked him too much], Seth thought.
Seth hurried, still with his newly discovered speed that he was getting used to already, and in minutes, he was at the place where he grew up.
[This is the only place that the queen will not check, looking for Ling]
He used his left foot to kick the door open, bent a little because being in this mode, everything increased... his height, his sight... everything not to talk of the horns that scraped the top of the wooden door.
[Horns. Will, I ever let Ruby see me in this state?], Seth thought.
Going into his own room, a little nostalgic feeling passed through him but he shook it off letting out air from his nostrils that were visible to the eyes.
He set the wizard down... "Where are we? I can not be in my house... The queen"... Ling said as he opened his eyes slowly.
As Seth sat down opposite him, he calmed and slowly returned to his normal self. It was a slightly painful transition and spots of blood could be seen where the horns once were.
"What can I get for you?"
"Just drinkable water and some fruits", Ling said.
As Seth was about to stand up... Ling said, "Thank you. From the depth of my soul, I am grateful. I could've died there if...", he turned his head away.
"You are welcome, wizard. Let me get what you need. We have a lot to talk about and you owe me answers"
"I know that"
"Stay here. I doubt the queen would come looking for you here"
"I doubt that too. She doesn't know this place exists"
He left the room.