Eulia And The Butterfly Dragon

Chapter 29 Kidnapped

Eulia was wearing her black denim riding pants and black shirt. She had the shirt tail and held closed by a knot just above her navel as she knelt barefoot on her dragon with a soft brush oiling it's skin. The dragon moaned in ecstasy as she brushed it. Its long tail wagged rather dog like and the butterfly dragons circled above each chirping pleadingly for their turn. "I'll get to you all," Eulia said as she laughed at her little group of tiny dragons, "I want you all looking beautiful when the menfolk return tomorrow. I don't have to work the booth today so we have all day for pampering."

"Oh yes!" the dragon moaned, "that's the spot." Eulia laughed again and smiled fondly at her dragon.

"Maybe Agnes will bring the girls over to help with the beauty treatment," she said to the butterfly dragons. Eulia continued to brush her dragon as she sang to it and the butterfly dragons adding their voices. None of them noticed the men with the huge gun hidden in the long grass or the men on horses nearby in the orange grove. The dragon arched it back stretching languidly as Eulia continued to apply her brush. She brushed her long wavy hair back from in front of her face with her free hand. "Next time I'll wear a braid," she said to her dragon, "I'll need a good shampoo once we're done." Two loud sharp booms rent the quiet. The second boom less than a second behind the first. The side of the barn behind the dragon shattered and exploded apart as the first ball struck. The second ball found its mark. The dragon's head jerked to the right. It stood and cloaked. Eulia fell from the dragon's back. "RUN MARI!" Eulia shouted. The dragon could hardly see and lacked the balance or ability to take flight. The butterfly dragons flew in chaos high above. The dragon managed to run for several seconds before collapsing hidden in the long reeds of the bayou.

In horror Eulia watched her dragon collapse. She never saw the horsemen approach from behind. Hugh was off his horse and struck her on the back of her head with a short club and she collapsed in oblivion as darkness enclosed her. The loud booms startled Phoebe and Jo as they worked their roadside booth. Then a dozen butterfly dragons buzzed them flying erratically and all trying to talk rapidly at once. Neither Phoebe or Jo could follow but could see they were quite upset. The other dragons landed close by. "Mari's hurt," Boo said, "Euly is missing." They simply abandoned the booth and climbing onto their dragons flew to where Mari was lying.

Eulia slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was bound at the wrists and ankles and laying on her belly straddling a fast moving horse. The horses rider had one hand on her back to keep her pressed down on on the horse. She saw that she was currently unobserved and began working the knot binding her wrists with her teeth. Her long hair obscuring her actions. The horses slowed coming to a stop so Eulia remained still faining unconsciousness. The horses stopped next to a wagon with a canvas cover. Two men dragged her from the horse and simply tossed her into the wagon and they resumed their flight. Eulia watched the two men in the wagon through partially open eyes and not moving. She recognized John but not her other captor. John rolled her onto her back and untied the knot closing her shirt tearing through the buttons and exposing her. "Look at this!" John said as he groped her, "ripe and so soft!" Eulia moved quickly to bite his arm drawing blood then brought her bound legs up to kick like a mule. John howled in pain and surprise and started to punch her while she growled and flailed with her legs. She now had her wrists free and rose to her knees when the second man seized a handful of hair and pulled her off John.

"Settle down you little hellcat!" then he put a knife to her throat. Eulia was panting with rage and exertion when she gave up her fight. A rag was stuffed into her mouth and a gag applied, then her wrists again tied much tighter this time. "Look at her eyes, John. Damn is she angry." At that point John realized he was bleeding and tied a cloth torn from his shirt around the wound. All her exertion had done little but had made her headache worse, much worse. She felt like vomiting but her stomach thankfully was empty. She breathed slowly through her nose to quell her nausea and avoid aspirating any vomit. She was so dizzy she closed her eyes and curled into a ball on the floor of the wagon. She simply refused to cry and lost consciousness again. This time from pain and exertion.