Valerien pushed Kirin to the ground and cursed as more arrows came flying. He burned two in the air, but a third struck so close that it grazed his ear.
"Hold tight," he told the bard and pulled him closer.
He let his energies burrow deep until the earth opened and swallowed them. When it closed above them, Kirin gave a strangled cry.
The soil resisted Valerien's command for a heartbeat, but then split and heaved aside until a rough chamber formed around them, big enough to stand up.
He felt the bard's body next to him and heard him gasping for air.
"This space is bigger than your room at the damned fort. Just breathe," Valerien told him sternly.
No answer came, but a ray of light from Kirin's hand tore through the darkness. It wasn't the usual warm glow of Seeker's energies, but a harsh white glare. Something about it felt strangely familiar.
Kirin's fingers dug into Valerien's arms with force as if holding on to dear life.
There was a faint scream from far away before the whiteness exploded all around and blinded him.
Valerien's body arched in pain.
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't underground anymore.
Rain hit against the rough wooden walls surrounding him. The place stank of livestock and dung, and the straw-covered floor below him was damp and cold.
Somewhere, a breaking voice stumbled over words that seemed to belong to a prayer. Why did it seem like it was coming from his own throat?
He looked down at thin arms hugging his knees. The limbs were short and frail, with barely any strength in them.
Fighting down panic, he forced himself to think clearly.
This weak body was not his. Nor were the myriad of emotions assaulting him all at once.
What kind of mad magic was this now? How did he find himself in the body of this little creature?
The grubby little hands lifted. A warm glow rose from the palms, spreading a bit of warmth as it danced around.
The sound of a creaking bolt made him flinch. The light vanished, and the door of the narrow coop flew open to reveal a huge, bald man.
"Have you learned your lesson?" he growled.
"By the laws of gods and men, a witch cannot be a slave," the boy replied.
Valerien knew that defiant tone. He could even picture the stubborn set to the chin.
The man sighed and squatted down.
"Who do you think you are, boy? Bloodshield reborn? That little glow of yours is useless."
"Maybe I could learn what to do with it. I will find my way to the witches on Ynys Mon. Please, Cadoc, just let me go. The master will never know. Even if they catch me, I won't say anything."
The man shook his head. "You are a child, Kirin. You won't make it that far on your own."
"Anything is better than this!"
Cadoc's face darkened as he stood up.
"No, it is not. I've barely talked the master out of selling you to a brothel, but if you anger him again, that is where you will end up soon enough."
"Let me out!"
The man hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.
"It is for your own good. The only way for us to survive is to submit."
He closed the door behind him. The bolt creaked into place again.
Valerien could feel the small body shaking with sobs. The misery felt unbearable.
"It's all right, little bird. You'll be free," he tried to say.
No sound came out. His mind was trapped inside this little human, but he had no control over it.
The shaking became more violent.
"Wake up!"
It was Kirin's adult voice in his ear, but it sounded very far away. Valerien tried to speak again, but the words fell silent. The shouting became louder.
"Get us out of here or I swear I will haunt you in this world and the next!"
His sight cleared slowly, and Kirin's dirt-streaked face came into focus. The bard had him by the shoulders and was shaking him like a lunatic.
The white light was gone, but the entire underground chamber was bathed in his warm, firefly glow, making it look almost enchanted.
Still unnerved by the experience, Valerien pushed him away.
What kind of dangerous magic did this human have that he didn't know about?
He should have snapped his neck long ago.
"What did you do to me?" Valerien growled.
"I didn't do anything! You buried us alive!"
Valerien dug his nails deep into the palms of his hands, trying to get a hold on himself.
Kirin took a deep breath, then asked hesitantly, "What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
"I only remember that everything went cold and dark, and that I couldn't breathe. But then you said everything would be all right and I would be free and… and I could breathe again," the bard said sheepishly.
Valerien froze. This was the grown man, not that pitiful little creature whose mind he had shared. How could he have heard unspoken words?
"Did I say anything else?" he asked.
"You called me by that stupid nickname, too. When I came to, I saw your eyes rolled back in your head like when you set the fort on fire. Like you were not … not really here. What happened to you?"
"Nothing."
Kirin threw his hands up in frustration.
"Fine. Don't tell me. But at least let me out of here. I'd rather die by an arrow than suffocate in this hole!"
"Don't be so melodramatic, bard. If anyone kills you, it will be me."