Little Sliver Horseshoe

(MiraTheMage) Enemies Everywhere.

"What do you want with me?" Eleanor said through gritted teeth. Her hands where bond in front of her and she was sitting in a chair near the fire.

Mrs. Ambers ignored her, but the hunter grinned in her direction. "For such a young thing you have sure pissed off a lot of powerful people," he said.

"And I'm still yet to understand why? We're trying to save the world, why are some people so against that?"

The hunter shrugged. "I can't answer your questions lassie, but if it helps, maybe my employer will when I bring you back to her... or maybe she'll just kill you, I don't know and I don't care." He gave her the fakest smile.

"Who is you're employer?" Eleanor asked.

The hunter poked the fire with a fire poking thing. Eleanor was pretty sure it was meant to scare her and she tried her very best not to let it get to her. "Lady Lalomix" he said.

Eleanor's head jumped up in confusion. "My old headmistress Lady Lalomix? But- but why?"

He shrugged. "Maybe you were just a really pitiful student? Hell if I know."

Eleanor ignored him and concentrated on racking her bairn for an explanation. She had hated

Lady Lalomix as much as every student at the academy. She was notoriously cruel, but in a sort of stereotypical boarding school headmistress way. Not in a wants to end the world way! And it was one of her professors at the academy who had first told her that she and her sister had this destiny. She had thought Lady Lalomix knew about it!

"Now-" the hunter said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He put down the poker and approached her, grabbing a chunk of her strawberry bound hair and tugging it so she was forced to face him. "-where is your sister?" he snarled at her.

"I legitimately wish I had an answer to that, but I have no idea," she said, glaring right back at him.

She knew that if could hold out long enough she could build enough energy to do something, but she also knew he must know that, and that if the head of the magic academy really did hire him, he must be prepared for that. But still, if she caught him off guard...

He tugged a little harder on her hair, "Oh really? When was the last time you saw Elizabeth? ...Elizabeth is a bit long, shall I call her Beth? Liz?" Eleanor felt her eye give an involuntary twitch. Liz hated being called Liz, which was why Eleanor (and only Eleanor) called her by nothing else. Hearing this person call her that really unnerved her. Obviously the hunter saw her reaction as he grinned and said, "Liz it is then. Where did you last see Liz?"

"About two hours ago. Maybe three? It was when you were chasing us through the woods, so why don't you trace your footsteps back and look there?" Eleanor answered, trying her best to ignore his taunting.

"Ah, but see... I saw the pillar of light as I was approaching. Lady Lalomix told me what that meant-" (Eleanor seriously doubted she'd given him anything resembling the true story) "-so tell me the truth, did Liz open the gate and go through?"

Eleanor knew that was impossible, even if Beth had suddenly discovered magic of her own, the brooch had only flown away after the beam appears, and magic or not she couldn't have opened anything without that brooch.... But this man didn't need to know that.

"Yes," Eleanor answered. "She ran on ahead of me while I drew you away."

"LIER!" the hunter shouted out her and smacked her across the cheek. Eleanor winced and raised her bound hands to cover the stinging flesh. The hunter turned around, "Miss Ambers. Would you like to tell Eleanor what you told me?"

Miss Ambers looked uncomfortable at being bought into this, but shuffled forward slightly. "A man. A stranger came to our village a few weeks ago. He had this haunted look in his eye and he wouldn't speak a word, so we thought he must've been through a right terrible ordeal. We- the whole village- we took him in. Thought we could help his damaged soul. But last night he was acting all erratic, seemed to wanna stay all night by that there arch in the village centre. We tired to tell him no but he really wanna. So we thought it best to let him do as he wants, thought it would might corse him more stress to stop him. So this here morning some of our men got up early, they get up just before dawn to start the days hard work they do our men. Well some of them sounded the alarm and lots of us ran out in our night things, and in glow of our lanterns we saw our stranger, he was in some kinda trance, and specking for a first! Though what he was a saying I couldn't tell you, it was in some strange foreign tongue. He held up some trinkets to the arch and a honest to god hell gate opened up! In our arch in the village centre!" It looked as if retelling the story had really worked her up, so she sank down into a nearby arm chair with a load sigh.

The Hunter looked back to Eleanor. "You see, I know that Elizabeth didn't open the gate, so now you will tell me the truth about where she is and who that stranger is!"

Eleanor opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to make sense of all she'd just heard.

"Well? Answer me!" He demanded.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about!" Eleanor shouted back.

"We'll see about that," he said, and pulled a knife out of his belt.

Eleanor flinched back but the hunter grabbed her bound hands. She distantly heard Miss Ambers yelp as he brought the blade across Eleanor's left pram, leaving a deep gash. She gasped in pain, though she couldn't help but feel a bit surprised he didn't go for something more painful than a simple gash across the palm, considering his general demeanour. Not that she was complaining.

As the blood started to flow, the hunter took a step back, so he was a little less in her personal space, though only a little.

He took out a vile and let the blood on the knife drip into it. Eleanor had no idea why he'd want it but she was sure it was nothing good.

But on a more positive note, and heaven knows she could do with some more of those right now, she could feel the warm strength of her magic creeping back through body.

She knew that it may be wise to wait for herself to fully regain her strength, but she was fearful that the hunter may have something up his sleeve, something from Lalomix, and she wanted to get out of here before she found out what.

With this thought in mind she focused on the fireplace, and with a surged of strength from her, the flames bust outward, lapping at the face and bodies of everyone in the room. Miss Ambers streamed and ran out of the room, the hunter immediately lunged for Eleanor, but she was quicker and had already leaped from the chair, and- as the front door was blocked by the hunter and the wall of fire, she ran the only way she could, up a small staircase, trying desperately not to trip, which was a hard task in her rush and with her hands still tied.

She just about made it up in one piece and rushed into a bedroom but the hunter followed her in moments later.

They stared each other down for a few seconds, then Eleanor took a deep breath and flung herself at the window. The glass shattered and she found herself free falling for second time in less then 4 hours.

With every last ounce of magic left in her bones, she focused on slowing her fall. She hit the ground with a small thud.

Eleanor looked up and saw the hunter glaring down at her from the broken window, after a second he disappeared, presumably to chase after her ver the stairs.

She pushed herself onto her feet and picked up a shard of glass, which she worked it into the rope binding her hands as she hurried away from the house.

The rope came off, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her pace, heading out of the village.

She had to presume Beth had gone through the gate, and she had to trust that her sister could do what needed to be done and would find her way back to her. In the meantime, Eleanor would have to work out how she could help most in this realm, starting with 'what the hell was up with her old headmistress?'