Praise The Husband

Chapter 37

Sundari's eyelids fluttered open. She felt a cold dampness around her and shivered. Everything was dark and disorienting, the trees around her looming like silent giants. As she sat up, she realized she had fallen into some kind of trap.

"Where am I?" she murmured to herself, looking around for any familiar landmarks. Her horse, which had been beside her, was now nowhere to be seen.

Then she heard it—a chorus of tiny, high-pitched laughter that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. She stood up, her heart pounding, and began to explore the dark forest, hoping to find a way out. The laughter grew louder, and soon she could make out tiny figures flitting around her, barely visible in the gloom.

The fae were small, with sharp teeth, dark wings, and grey skin that blended into the shadows. They danced around her, their eyes glinting with mischief.

"Look what we've caught!" one of them squealed, her voice like the tinkling of bells. "A lovely human for our feast!"

Sundari tried to summon her magic, but every spell she cast fizzled out before it could take effect. Panic rose within her as she realized that her powers were useless here.

"Let me go!" she cried, backing away from the encircling fae. "I have to find the purple grass to cure my friend!"

The fae only laughed harder, their tiny bodies twirling in the air. "You won't be going anywhere, human," another fae said, her sharp teeth glinting. "Tonight, we celebrate with a sacrifice!"

Sundari's heart sank. She had heard stories of the fae's cruelty, but she had never imagined she would find herself in their clutches. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of Rudransh.

"Why am I always the sacrifice?" she whispered to herself, tears streaming down her face. "Rudransh, where are you?"

Meanwhile, Rudransh raced through the forest on his horse, the shadows flitting around him like dark specters. His heart pounded with worry and anger. How could Sundari have been so reckless?

"She was here," one of the shadows whispered, pointing to a tree. "This is where she disappeared."

Rudransh looked around, confused. There was no sign of Sundari. "Where could she have gone?" he muttered, frustration boiling within him.

"Perhaps she fell into a fae trap," another shadow suggested, its voice low and eerie. "We can help you enter their realm."

Rudransh's jaw tightened. He hated the fae and their tricks, but he knew he had no choice. "Do it," he commanded.

The shadows swirled around him, and the world shifted. The trees twisted and warped, the darkness deepening until he found himself in the eerie, shimmering world of the fae. He moved cautiously, his senses heightened, searching for any sign of Sundari.

Sundari was now bound to a tree with vines, the fae dancing and singing around her. They sang in high-pitched, discordant voices, their words chilling her to the bone.

"Sacrifice tonight, under the moon's light,

Feast and dance, in the fae's delight!"

They twirled and spun, their wings creating a soft hum. Sundari struggled against her bonds, her fear growing with each passing moment.

"Please, let me go!" she begged, but the fae only laughed.

"You are our guest of honor," one fae said with a wicked grin. "We shall feast on your fear and flesh."

Sundari's tears flowed freely now. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Rudransh, please find me."

Rudransh moved silently through the fae realm, his eyes scanning the twisted landscape. He heard the fae's laughter and singing before he saw them, and his heart clenched when he saw Sundari bound to the tree.