Moongrace

Part 42

Eleeza was determined. If escaping didn't work, then fighting it was. As much as she despised violence, a life in captivity was much worse. She told Cathryn to be absolutely quiet and move a few feet away. Then she concentrated on the sound of wings above. When they got closer Eleeza focused on their heartbeats and breaths. She could tell them apart by it.

She took the dagger in her right hand and waited for them to get closer. Once they descended from the trees, hitting some branches and making quite some noise, Eleeza threw the dagger towards the centre of Nioru's heartbeat. She could hear it cutting through the air, and then cloth and skin. A muffled scream rang out and somebody fell on the floor.

"What was that? Nioru, are you still there?" – "Why are we visible? Nioru?" The men whispered, but no one answered.

That could only mean that Eleeza hadn't missed her aim. Listening to his breath she could hear it getting more and more shallow and then – silence. Which made her sad and sick with her own action, yet was an immense relieve. One down, two to go.

"Hey Lenrio, you took quite long to find us. Meino, what a pleasure to meet you again." She called out.

"Oh my goodness, she looks amazing!", Meino whispered to Lenrio, something that Eleeza wasn't meant to here, but gave her an idea.

Suddenly there was a fizzle: "Ah, now I can finally see you." That was Lenrio, sure of his victory.

"Did you enjoy the dreams I gave you?", Eleeza continued innocently.

"Did I have a part in them? Did you maybe see even more? Like this?"

And she brushed the sleeve of her shoulder, half her breast visible. She heard at least Meino gasp. She took a step forward, closer to them, but also closer to where Cathryn stood. Then she pushed down the dress a bit more.

"Eleeza..." Meino's lust was audible, exactly what Eleeza played onto. She lifted the dress and revealed her legs.

"Meino, dear. Would you like to kiss me?", she whispered in a seductive voice. And sure enough he stepped forward. Eleeza revealed even more of her body.

"You are so beautiful...", Meino whispered as he bent down to her. And Eleeza prepared herself mentally.

Just in this moment Cathryn, who had been hidden in the shadows, pierced Meino with her dagger. Before Meino could even scream, Eleeza touched his skin and poured magic over him. Magic with the sole purpose to turn him to gold. He shook under her fingers and let out one last groan, seconds later her fingers touched a metallic cheek.

"What have you done?" Lenrio suddenly screamed. He had been captured by Eleeza's beauty just like Meino. "You witch! What did you do? How could you trick us so easily?"

The sound of a sword being unsheathed enhanced the threat that was posed by her third kidnapper. Cathryn suddenly pulled her back, stumbling back together with her.

"He has a sword, be careful!", she screamed in fright. And pushed her in another direction at the other moment.

A sword, why did he have to have a sword? She could sometimes hear something cut through the air, but else she was helpless against that weapon.

"Carful!" Cathryn's loud scream of terror made her step back, the brink of her dress got tangled in some vegetation.

"Lenrio, stop it. Wait just for one second." She said as calmly as she could in her fear.

"Why, do you think your trick will work again?"

She reached out with her mind to touch his. It was darker than what she had assumed. Desperately she searched for any kind of inner beauty, anything that would make him come around and overthink his urge to capture them again. But there wasn't much she could work with: "Lenrio, think of you mother. Of how you gave her flowers and she returned that special smile. Don't you miss her? She died, right? Died because..."

"Stop roaming in my head!", Lenrio interrupted her certainly very furious now. And then the inevitable happened: The cold sharp edge hit her arm with which she shielded herself.

Pain shot up like fire and she could feel hot blood running down her arm. While her body wanted her to clutch her arm to herself, she kept it up in front of her. Using the magic around her, she sent it up to the gash in her arm within seconds. Not with the aim to heal it though. She sent the glorious power further into the sword, willing it to be nothing more than a soft, long bandage with the purpose to make wounds get pretty skin again.

Lenrio didn't even have the time to withdraw the sword when it already was soft cloth. Another loud cry of rage rang out into the night. Eleeza didn't waste any more time. She jumped up onto him. She knew that she was improvising and didn't know if any of this was a good idea. There were two dead men around, both dead because of her. All of this despised herself very much, she cringed before her own ugly actions. But she didn't have the time to think of a better solution.

She had planned to knock Lenrio down to the floor. But he must have seen her coming and remained standing.

"Give up." Lenrio snarled like an animal and tried to fixate her hands. Eleeza's arm burned as she held against him with all her strength. Lenrio staggered suddenly after a punch of Cathryn: "Let her go!"

"Stay... away!", Eleeza shouted in the direction she assumed her, totally out of breath. Cathryn would be no match in strength against him and she had to protect her. Lenrio slammed her back into a tree. Eleeza could free her hands. She pushed away from the tree bark, bringing both to the ground. She didn't stay long on top of him though. Forcefully he pulled at her hair. Now he was almost sitting on top of her. Quickly she kicked at him and brought herself in front of him. Again, she jumped onto him, this time on his back.

They wrestled over the forest soil, an even match. But Eleeza was exhausted. The magic, the flight and the other fights had weakened her immensely. Even though she was determined to keep fighting, she was suddenly lying beneath Lenrio. His hands fixed her arms on the ground. She found herself too weak to wiggle free and utter fear formed a lump in her stomach. Terrified she kept struggling.

"Do keep still, horrible woman!" Lenrio said wheezing hard. Then his breathing suddenly differed and his heartbeat rose. She then realised that she lay under him almost naked. The fight had ripped her dress into rags, she heard as much.

"You are mine!", Lenrio suddenly whispered with an alarmingly possessive tone. She could his breath closing in on her face. She shook in revulsion and struggled hard against his hard grip and weight. He kissed her cheek. She froze. His lips moved closer to her mouth.

"Get the hell off her!" Cathryn's loud voice startled Lenrio. The weight on Eleeza changed and she wiggled her hands free. Then she heard a blow right next to her, followed by a loud crash and Cathryn's cry of pain.

"What did...?"

But he was on her again, fixing her to the ground within seconds. A tear leaked down her cheek. What had happened to Cathryn? Was she alive?

Determination flared up again, brighter than ever. An idea came to her mind. An idea crazy enough to work, yet absolutely and utterly against all her pride. She lifted her head towards his face, feeling sick of what she was about to do.

His sweat and foul breath made her stagger and almost give up. His lips were too soft, very wet and slimy. Sweat was all over his face. Still she opened her lips. Even though everything inside her screamed to stop this craziness.

Through her lips she sent the feeling of narcissism, self-esteem and the knowledge of one own's beauty. The knowledge of being kissed by the most beautiful being on earth did the rest. She changed his inner-self, changed his feelings towards himself – made him his own most precious treasure. It was a curse, a course of inner-beauty. A course that would change his perception of the world since he, and he alone would be his only treasure. She gave him ultimate sense of self-worth.

Lenrio's groping hands and voracious lips came to a stop. He sat up, freeing her upper body.
"I... I am..." He stammered.

A tear escaped Eleeza's eyes and sympathy rose within her. She had changed a life, maybe even ruined it. Suffering under several curses had not stopped her cursing another person. She choked.