Moongrace

Part 38

Cathryn gripped her hand even tighter. "Eleeza, are you sure?", she whispered.

Nioru answered for Eleeza: "She right. But I not understand why she can always know I am here."

Both women shuddered in fright. He stepped over to them, Eleeza moving back to avoid him. But he must be invisible since Cathryn didn't see him coming. Eleeza could hear her cry out and fight against something. She let go of her hand and Eleeza took a few steps back. She wanted to help her friend, yet she was so confused and frightened. But when she heard choking she rushed back to where she heard Cathryn.

"Let her be, Nioru! She's got nothing to do with this!", she shouted and threw herself between them. A strong smell made her almost throw up. Suddenly something hit her hard on her head. She felt her consciousness slip and fought to regain it. Cathryn collapsed beneath her and Eleeza was almost falling as well. But Nioru had gripped her around her waist just in time to stable her.

"Why would you get in a fight when you cannot see? You could have gotten yourself hurt even more!"

Eleeza pulled from his embrace: "As if you care. What did you do to Cathryn?" She knelt and felt for Cathryn on the forest soil. Before she could find her, she could hear somebody flying down. Two pair of feet landed.

"I found them." Nioru stated.

"Eleeza dear, we missed you in our beautiful castle. How come you didn't say goodbye?", Lenrio mocked and stepped to her. He pulled her up roughly on her arm.

"Ouch! Let go of me, Lenrio!" She yelled and tried to wiggle herself free. But his grip was very hard. He pushed her into the arms of somebody else, by the smell she knew it was Meino. She gulped, afraid what would happen next.

"I guess you made acquaintance of our rope before, Eleeza'renria. I hope you don't mind. And let me just tell you – you look awfully uglywhen you change into that human form!" After Lenrio's words something hit her on her stomach. She didn't have to see it to know that it was the magical rope. It wound itself around her quickly, tying her completely within seconds.

She called magic to herself, relieved that she didn't have to speak to perform a spell as Meino had to. She used the same on as before and changed the rope to harmless wool. The men started to shout angrily.

Wiggling free from it, her head was suddenly pulled back by her hair. She screamed when something wet was pressed into her face. That horrible smell from earlier filled her nose. She choked not able to breath. Fighting hard, throwing her fists at anything around her, she tried to break free. A hand forced the cloth painfully into her mouth. Her fists met somebody's face when the poison finally made her lose consciousness. She slumped into somebody's arms she vaguely recognized as Meino's. Then everything went black and still around her.

***

She opened her eyes and the pervasive silver filled her mind and vision. The calmness though dissolved immediately as the happenings of the night came back to her mind. She put her hands over her face, groaning. Then she started to feel around her. She was lying on the bed she came to despise having spent so much time on it. She didn't like the smell of it and the silky fabric.

Countless times she had tried to turn it to cotton, to resemble more Evan's bed. But she guessed that her gift wouldn't let her change it to something less valuable or pretty. She dearly missed him. His love, his tender touch and kisses, his kindness and the way he treated her. He had always seemed to understand just how she felt, even though she wasn't even human.

Clearly, she would try to escape again. She just couldn't let him be alone for ever. If he still wanted her. It's been weeks since they last saw each other. And she was painfully aware that it was her fault that she got into this situation. He had tried everything to keep her safe and she ran straight into her own misfortune.