Clearing her throat, A’ldissa slowly backed away. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I have magic and you don’t.”

Rolling up both sleeves, A’nallia extended her arms, palms up, her glare never leaving the woman. “Then burn me.” Her voice was deep and confident, not its usual sweet tone, and she inched forward, daring her to make a move.

Taking another cautious step backward, A’ldissa’s eyes widened with genuine fear. “You... You cannot harm me.”

“Oh? Do you know that?”

A’ldissa kicked the outdoor hearth next to her, stirring the kindling and its flame. As soon as she saw the orange light, she pulled it to her hand, the fire forming a ball in her palm.

“It was just a joke. But now you are making me uneasy. I will burn you if I have to.”

The hushed voice that came from A’nallia was heavy and cold. “Then do it.”

Not waiting for the woman to make the first move, she reached out and grabbed A’ldissa’s forearms, squeezing tightly. A’ldissa did the same, fire burning into her pale skin, spreading up her arm to her shoulder, then to her neck. Her flimsy gown easily caught the small flames, smoldering, then lighting. The thin fabric went from glowing red to black in an instant, turning to nothing but ashes at her feet, but A’nallia didn’t wince. She felt nothing.

A faint blackness began to swirl in her eyes and A’ldissa tried to pull away, but her grasp was firm. Her mind emptied and she began pulling warmth into her body, following it through every inch of her victim – from the chest, into the arms, down the forearms – but this wasn’t a healing warmth. It felt different. Powerful. Good. A’ldissa grew weak, energy slowly draining out of her. A’nallia could barely hear O’rana, just a frantic voice in her ear begging her to stop as her prey fell to one knee. She kneeled with her to stay level and keep their gaze locked. With one swift movement, she released her hands, and A’ldissa fell backwards onto the stone floor.

As if nothing had happened, A’nallia stood and casually brushed the dust off her bare knees. Beside her, O’rana was silent, mouth gaping, speechless for probably the first time in her young life. A’nallia glanced at A’ldissa, then the long burn marks on her arm and neck, then back at A’ldissa. It took no effort for the puffy, bubbling lines to fade and disappear, and she leaned close to the woman.

“This.” She pointed to the sheet still hanging from the heavy twine. “This is the end of your petty revenge. You have tormented me every day for more than a month, but it is done. You were never his favorite because he doesn’t have favorites. We serve him as he wishes, nothing more.”

She straightened, helping the trembling A’ldissa from the ground. The woman simply nodded and rushed through the back door into the kitchen, but A’nallia stayed, turning to stare at the blood-stained linen.

“That was... That was...” O’rana stammered, struggling to collect her thoughts. “That was... Nalli, I don’t know what that was. But it was... amazing!” She shouted the final comment, her vigor and excitement returning, and she leapt up to hug her naked friend, squeezing her tight. “I didn’t know you could do such a thing! Did you know you could do such a thing? We all have some life magic but, what was that? And the look on her face! Priceless! You were so frightening, so intimidating, I thought she was going to piss her shorts.”

The babbling went straight through A’nallia. Everything was distant, blurry, and after a few moments, she dropped to the floor, knees crashing into the stone.

“Nalli?”

Face buried in her hands, the shy, embarrassed girl quickly returned and A’nallia sobbed, everything she had managed to contain only minutes ago flooding out. O’rana reached down and rubbed her back, making soothing sounds to calm her, but she would not be calmed. She hunched into a ball, cowering, O’rana not leaving her side, until she finally ran out of tears. Crying turned to a breathy whimper, her eyes red and head aching.

A stern but motherly voice brought her back to reality. “Feeling a bit better now?”

She hadn’t noticed when I’liara arrived and didn’t know how long she had been standing there, staring down at her. After sniffling and wiping the wetness from her face and neck, O’rana helped lift her to her feet. Facing the old woman, she could only nod, head low.

“Good. We’ll talk about A’ldissa later. For now, the linens still need washing, yes? And perhaps O’rana can find you some clothes?”

A’nallia nodded again and reached to tear down the sheet as her friend scrambled into the house.

Her master’s voice drifted out of the kitchen doorway, where he stood watching the scene. “What is there to talk about? It seems like the matter has been sufficiently resolved.”

A’nallia didn’t know how much he had witnessed, but any of it was more than she wanted him to see. She acted strong and controlled with him, but deep down, she was still just a young girl.

How is it possible that this day keeps getting worse? Perhaps I should just drown myself in the well and end it.

Instead, she pretended to ignore the voice, grabbing the sheet from the line, tossing it into the pile with the others, and calmly walking naked across the lawn toward the well. What was done could not be undone, and the best she could do now was move on with the day. As she left, she heard her master’s voice again.

“When she has finished her chores, send her to see me.”