Moongrace

Part 4

He could not find sleep this night, thinking all the time of Eleeza. Where was she now? What was happening to her?

When the sun rose, he got up and made his way around the castle, asking people for Eleeza. But no-one had seen her. He got more and more desperate. A few hours later he still asked people about her, he eventually had landed in the kitchen where Eleeza had slept in her first months right here on the floor.

He was just asking one maid when a groom came in: "Someone should help Girl! People have found her hidden in the dunghill covered by dirt and straw. Seems a bit ill that one. I wonder what happened last night in the hall." Everyone looked at Evan who ran outside to the dunghill.

A crowd had gathered there already. He pushed them aside and suddenly stood before a man. He had pulled Girl out from the straw and held her neck to feel her pulse. Evan stopped in his tracks. Only when the man announced that girl was alive he got down to her and petted her cheek.

"Girl, what did they do to you?" he whispered with a broken voice.

The man looked closer at him: "You are a friend of hers, right?"

"Her best. Thank you for rescuing her.", he murmured. The man nodded and moved away.

Someone called: "People, back to work. Leave them alone!" and slowly the people moved away. Evan lifted Eleeza up and carried her to his room. He put her on his bed and fondled her. Her eyes opened a tiny bit and she moaned then she again grew still.

He put a blanket on her and boiled water for a soup. Then he heated water for a bath. He acted so that he did not have to think about what they could have done to her. When the bath tub was ready he carefully undressed her, and washed her clean. The water in the tub got brown and smelly, but at least she resembled herself again. He even borrowed a gown from the maid next door and dressed her in it.

Then he laid her back on the bed and tried to make her drink the soup, but it did not work. Not knowing what to do, he sunk on the chair he put next to the bed. His eyes immediately found their way to her fingertips. There it was, the pink bubble. While washing her he had seen a few more. He counted at least twenty.

He saw her shivering and packed her in one more blanket. Suddenly he heard someone shout his name. It was one of the gardeners, who called him to work. He sighed and went, hoping that she would be fine. He felt bad to leave her in such a state, but what else could he do. If he did not work, things would get worse. That was something he knew for sure.

***

Eleeza was not afraid when she stepped on the stage; she had put herself in a kind of trance. Whatever happened she was determined not to show any sign of fear or struggle against it. With her magic she could protect herself, even though nobody must know about it. She knew it would be bad, but she stepped on the stage. She saw people in cages staring at her, more people watching her from the seats and the royal family looking at her closely. And Nasca standing in front of her with a mean smile on her lips.

Soon it will be over, soon it will be over... That was the only thing on her mind, the words that kept her where she was, that kept her from running, fighting, screaming. She barely noticed Nasca enchanting her, but when the magic was released she felt it at once. She quickly concentrated and changed the magic, not much, not to be noticed but enough to hide her true being and protecting her from lasting damage. She let the magic effect only the mask that she had created to hide her true identity. But still the impact of the magic was devastating.

She fell on her knees, with her last strength she kept herself upright. She could not resist Nasca when she told her to lift her arm. The magic Nasca used with her words lifted her arm without her doing. After what seemed like ages someone led her down the stage to a dark room. There she lost consciousness.

But too fast she was wakened again by a lot of cold water. The Queen and Nasca stood before her, telling her something she did not understand. She did not answer. She did not know what a question, a sentence, a word was. She saw their angry faces, felt someone lifting her up and then cold and a truly awful smell she could not locate. Then darkness again.

***

When she woke, she felt weak. She did not open her eyes first, she simply lied still, and felt for her body. She felt warm, a bit hungry and not really different. Well, there was a taste of raspberry on her lips. Or did she simply imagine that?

She opened her eyes and found herself in Evans room. She sighed, finally she was save again. At least for the moment. She called for Evan, with a croaked voice. But she got no answer. She tried to lift her head, but she was simply too weak. She sank back on the pillow and fell again in the salvation promising darkness.

Next time she woke she felt even weaker. It was dark around her. But she heard someone and felt a hot breath on her skin. "Evan", she whispered. He stirred and woke almost immediately.

"Eleeza, you are awake?" he turned to her and stroke across her face. "How do you feel?"

"Weak", she answered truthfully.

"Wait, I will just heat the soup. You need to eat something. You did not eat anything for at least one day." he inflamed the fire in the small oven and out the pot with soup on it.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked.

"Well, I do not know for sure. I found you early this morning you did not wake the entire day. Now it is almost midnight. So, it must have been at least a day. I do not know what they did to you the day before." he answered with a worried tone in his voice.

She groaned: "I do not remember much of the night. Only a short time after ... the enchantment. I just feel very weak." she stated. Then she fell silent again.

When he brought the soup, she tried to get up, but did not manage to move more than a few centimetres. He held her and fed her, and then he put her head back on the pillow. He was shocked by how weak she was. He had seen her trying to lift the blanket, but not being able to do so.

But at least she had woken up, that was what really mattered. He told himself to get help by a doctor if she did not improve the next day. When he had washed her plate, and got back to the bed she was asleep again, totally exhausted by this small conversation.