Enola Yarn – blogpost 23

During my time studying, I found out that the blood link between Valentine and Violence can be broken by the death of one of the two. This doesn’t make me feel reassured, I’m afraid that we have to use the spell scroll of raise dead to revive one of the two but more gruesome: one of them has to die. That’s just awful. The link between the students and the voodoo dolls has two parts: one of the controllers and a piece of the subject. I guess that when I can get the link with the headmistress out of the equation, I break the spell. But how… I’ll have to think long and hard about that dilemma. I also expect that the hag took something from ME at some point to make a puppet, as I was affected by Valentines’ explosion as well the other day.

I explain the information I’ve found to everyone. Valentine thinks that when we kill Violence in a controlled way and then use the spell scroll, we’ll break the link between them and they can just continue their lives separate from each other. I think she is right. We make a plan: Farryn and Zeph want to go to the secret library in Hallasters’ room and need our help with dimension door. Valentine protests: “How will I be on top of my game when I still have that blood-link?! I think we first need to break the spell.” I agree with her. Zeph will help Farryn at the library again, and Violence and I make way to Turbulence and Violence. On our way to Violences’ room, we pass Turbulence. I tell her the whole story: of Valentine blowing up the voodoo dolls, killing two students, picking one to resurrect, and then finding out about the blood link. Turbulence is mortified. “WHAT?!” she pushes Valentine against the wall, but misses – Valentine ducks under her arm and Turbulence smashes the wall instead. I calm her down and tell her our plan. Turbulence reluctantly agrees but adds: “I did not expect you being such a loose cannon. It is SO frustrating! You’re just like my sister.”

We enter Violences’ room and tell Turbulence to stay outside for a second. “Violence, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is: the plan we made is going to work. The bad news: you have to die for a few minutes.” “Okay… Just do it. I want to go back to Skullport, away from this place, together with Turbulence. Just do it.” “Okay, Enola, do it,” Valentine says. I am shocked. Is she just going to let ME do this? I knew I was going to be the one reviving Violence, but I did not expect to kill her as well… “No… I don’t want to hurt her!”

Valentine gives Violence a shot of booze she has in her bag to reduce the pain she might feel in a couple of seconds, then steps out of the room. I am hesitant to cast my spell. I want her to be dead in one go – so she doesn’t have to suffer so long. I cast a lighting chromatic orb. It does the deed. Valentine enters again and helps me to interpret the spell scroll. This is going to take an hour. I ask Valentine to stay with me and hold my shoulder. I start the conjuration – it takes a lot of strength from me, but with the moral support from Valentine, I know this is going to work out.

Almost at the end, I feel her grip loosen a bit – as if she is about to let go. I look at her, our eyes meet. I feel that she is struggling with something: her eyes show a great deal of pain and struggle. I hope she is not having pain because of the broken link, but I NEED her to support me. She looks away, but her grip strengthens again. I look at Violence to not lose my concentration. After ten minutes or so, I end the spell. Violence gasps for breath. It worked. Valentine lets go of my shoulder and runs out of the room. In a glimpse, I saw one tear dropping down her cheek. I call Turbulence in, and as the two sisters start to cuddle and cry, I feel that is my cue to go. “Thanks.” says Violence. “Don’t worry.” I leave the room.

Around a corner, I find Valentine. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” 

“Oh really,” I ask sarcastically, “Really, HELPING someone to save someone else’s life, THAT is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?!” I am still panting from exhaustion.

“Yeah, but you don’t know what was in it for me…”

“Okay, nevertheless, thanks. I couldn’t have done this without your help, Valentine.”

When we return to Farryn and Zeph, we decide to distract Hallaster next to search his secret library. Valentine and I need to go through a dimension door while Farryn and Zeph keep Hallaster busy. The two of us wait until Zeph gives the sign to go. We transport to the library – we JUST made it: I feel the shelves and book poke in my back. There are a lot of bookcases, up to four meters high, all filled with books. It is a round room, with opposite of us a fireplace, a desk, and a display. I search the display, but it is empty. Maybe Spite DID take the book when he got here… Valentine finds a small book on the desk, it is almost like an autobiography. I look for secret doors, but only find the door leading out of this room, back to Hallasters’ office. I have the feeling the rug on the floor is not as it should be, so we lift it and stand guard of what might happen. Suddenly, a black shadow escapes from under the rug and spreads around the room. It moves toward me and I faint. The next thing I know is waking up in Hallasters’ office where Spite, Dumara, Violence, Turbulence, Farryn, Zeph, and Valentine are being questioned by Hallaster. He wants to know where the book in the display went. He is commanding us to tell the truth.

He is quite intimidating as he is leaning over me while I’m still gaining conscience sitting on the floor against the wall. I hear Spite is totally twisting the truth about what happened when we helped him, and that he is pretending to be a weaker wizard than he actually is, but Hallaster believes him! We also try to get Dumara to show her real self and eventually, Valentine convinces Hallster to demand Dumara to show her real identity. “The truth will out, Spite” Hallaster says. “Okay… Dumara, show yourself.”

Dumara transforms into an Oni. We were right. Spite lied about this, to us, and to Hallaster. So, it is not weird to think he lied about stealing Hallasters’ book too! Hallaster gives us one last chance to come clean, but nobody says a thing. “Okay, then you leave me no choice but to search your rooms…” he sighs. First, he transports us all to Spites’ room, he opens everything up but the book is not there. Next, we search Zephs’ room – nothing. Hallaster is getting more annoyed by the minute, but Valentines’ room and mine are also ‘clean’. Hallasters’ patience has almost run out. Where could the book be?! Does Skrianna have it, or Elan? Skrianna could have it… She has had contact with Spite, shares someone. “Why are they all so mean?!” cries Spite. Zeph bursts into tears as well: “Why are you lying all of the time?!” Valentine transforms into her true self and cries fake tears, but adds to the confusing conversation we’re all in. As last resort, Hallaster transports us to the headmistress’ office. “This is your final chance, if you don’t tell us where the book is, the headmistress will take over – and she’s kind of nasty.” “You can talk to the Oni,” Valentine says provocatively. The Oni tells the same lies as Spite did earlier – about that the party forced Spite to do stuff and help with the Cephalossk-situation. Hallaster has had it. “You’ve got 24 hours to get me the book, otherwise, I’ll hand you over to the headmistress.”

After the headmaster and headmistress are gone, we have a talk. “I don’t know what to do… Where do we need to get the book from?!” cries Spite. We decide to sleep on it, but we’re not letting Spite go alone. Valentine and I decide to sleep in his room tonight and set some traps to keep him there. Spite tries to block us from entering his room, but Valentine just pushes him aside. We find a miniature chest in his room, and we know the real chest is on the material plane. I want to put it back, but Valentine wants to keep it in her bag. The compromise is that the chest is out in the open, but closer to us than it is to Spite. I command a faithful hound to attack and bark if someone attacks us. We go to sleep.

When we wake up in the morning, Spite and Dumara are gone, and so is the miniature chest. Shit.