The Midnight Ball

15

Note: Elinore
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The strange man gestured to the eleven women behind him

They moved like an army

Arms raised, shimmering like his hands but with different colours. Their light was weaker, and it looked as if the shimmer from their hands gathered in the blue flames in his

Ismie: You're leaching their magic

He gave a sinister smile

Ismie: Why didn't you just take their magic and let them go

He laughed: How little you know.. Magic regenerated. It's better for me if I keep them

Ramonda looked enraged by his earlier threat, and was trying to advance

She drew a dagger from a slit in her dress

Mariko held her back, shaking her head

He moved towards them

The girls took an involuntary step back, and his feral grin widened, showing sharp incisors, or at least Ismie thought they were. She couldn't be sure

Santana: We need to do something..

Ismie spread her arms wide, and prayed, belief held in her heart they will survive

He attacked

They closed their eyes

And heard a boom, then.. Nothing

The stranger growled, enraged. The sound was not human..

They opened their eyes, and were rewarded with a panting Navid, hair unkempt, standing with a large iron shield, in a dark cloak with the hood thrown back

He smiled at them, reassuringly, but looked under strain

They sighed collectively

Some of the girls had fainted

Stranger: Intruder.. This is not allowed! Ladies, attack!

Ramonda: Quick! Have you brought anything else with you?

He groped into the pack he carried, keeping his eyes on the strange man

And found pouches with something soft

He handed them to the girls

Mariko opened one: Salt!

She gave the girls next to her a pouch each, while the others gathered the fallen ones into a circle, and they lined the perimeter with salt. The strange man tried to attack, but each time Navid leapt to block with his shield

He didn't come out unscathed everytime. He was getting wary

Anushka: Have you brought a weapon?

He nodded

Illiana: Is it iron?

Navid: Yes..

Ismie: We need to get close to him so we can attack

Navid: You will do no such thing! If anyone is going near that bastard it's going to be me

Ismie: You are tiring already. You must let us help

He scowled

Anushka: She's right. We have to help. You can't do this alone

Mariko nodded: That man is unnatural, and strong. It will not be easy to defeat him

The man smiled, bottomless eyes shining. He folded his arms: You realize at one point you are going to have to move. You will need sustenance, unlike myself and these ladies, he pointed at the lost princesses

Adelaide: Who's to say if we don't wait till dawn, you will not just go away and will have to wait till another century

He rplied coolly: Ah, but this patch is enchanted, it doesn't follow normal laws of space and time

Santana: You're bluffing

Ismie: He might not be telling the entire truth, but he's not lying out right either. How do you explain us starving and running the other night till our dresses and slippers faryed.. There is some truth to what he says, I believe

Navid: It could just be his accursed magic

She nodded: But he's right about the whole place being enchanted down here. I can feel it

Margarette's voice was shrill, she looked crazed: So, you can remember after all

Ismie nodded: Now that he's revealed himself, I can remember everything

Margarette hugged herself, muttering

Man: So.. Are you will to wait, and test your theory?

Ismie was abruptly and hardly pushed out of the salt circle to the ground

Margarette laughed hysterically: I'm not. This is your fault!, pointing at Ismie, Come get her, gesturing to the strange man, who laughed