Elemental: The Luna Legend

45. The Nameless Girl

I shifted my weight around as I watched the prisoners. Some of the younger ones were scared and sniffling, the older ones sat glaring at us. But that one girl, she was calm and composed. Her eyes followed me and was full of curiosity. Her emotions were no longer of righteous anger and disgust, but of respect amazement.

"What is a mage?"

We all looked at her. The first one to speak out of everyone...the other younger witches were horrified but the older ones were curious as well. And although they did want to know the answer, their eyes turned to indignation towards their circle member. She was in the presence of elders and therefore should not have spoken first. It was considered disrespect to them and they were hissing at her.

I admired her bravery and there was something about her that drew me to her, I almost felt a strange kinship with her. And just to piss the witches off, I spoke to her and only her.

"We were descendants of witches and warlocks, but our power comes from the ability to control one of the four elemental mana inside our bodies."

Her eyes went wide as she tried to absorb everything. Her emotions went all over the place in a matter of seconds...from amazement to confusion, confusion to anger, anger to envy and envy to guilt.

I eyed her carefully but decided that she could an ally since she was the least hostile after capture...that and she was the only one I didn't punch.

"So what do they call you?" I asked softly

She eyed me in confusion...I guess she hasn't heard a kind voice in a while. I looked carefully and saw marks on her ankles and wrists, evidence of shackles. It wasn't fresh so she had been chained up for a while before. Her arms had tiny burn marks, her palms had calluses and her legs had angry slashes. Whip marks from the the look of it, I grimaced before looking in her eye and made my emotions clear. I wasn't going to hurt her, I would help her if I could.

"I have no name." Her face lost all emotion, almost as if she was ashamed.

I cocked my head. "What do they call you then?"

Erica took my hand. She could sense the change in my voice and how I was being nice to the prisoner. Being a Beta female, she was second to the Luna. Although her instincts aren't as refined or developed as Julia's, she would have to step up as mother and maternal figure to the pack should Julia be unable to. She could sense the girl's turmoil and could feel the need to help her.

She looked at the other witches with anger in her eyes. "They usually call me Abomination."

I eyed the witches carefully as they shifted in their seats. Why do people feel the need to say such horrible things?

I took off the water rings around her and told her that I will come back. I walked over to the witches, squatted and looked the leader right in the eye.

"What makes her an abomination to you?" I spat out, unable to contain my anger.

"Her magic is monstrous! She was born an abomination! She talks to spirits and gains power from them! It is forbidden and disgusting!" They all screamed out. I guess the nameless girl wasn't winning Miss Congeniality at the Witchy Pageant.

I closed a fist and it made their individual detainment rings tighten. "Magic was never meant to be limited, only balanced. Those who treat others different just because of the nature of their magic can take a long walk off a short cliff." I stood up and walked away.

"Just remember, Mage..." the elder witch spat out, "name her and she will be bound to you."

"And you remember that my magic can snap your neck with a snap of my fingers, so you'd be wise to hold your tongue." I said as I walked back to the two free females.

"Well, I'm sorry but I refuse to call anyone by Abomination. What would you like to be called?"

She gasped. I could see that she had never been given an option before. Her eyes watered slightly as she thought about my question.

"So have you decided what you wanted to be called?"

She nodded. "I want my name to be..."

"Stop." I held a hand up, she was confused. "This is your name. It's a gift and the one thing that will be yours till the day you leave the earth. If you have decided, introduce yourself and be proud of it."

She nodded again, tears gathering in her eyes. Erica had a soft smile and nodded to her in encouragement.

She smiled through watery eyes as she held out her hand. I grabbed it to shake.

"Hi, my name is Rue Santelmo."

I smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Rue. How did you choose?"

Her cheeks went red as she tried to explain. "Someone once read a story to me about a lady named Ophelia and I know that when she was handing out flowers she talked about their meaning. Rue is a flower but also means regret. It will mind me that I will now live life so that I have no regrets."

I couldn't help myself, I rushed in to hug her and I saw a little bit into what had happened.

The oldest of the witches was her handler. She was kept a prisoner for her abnormal yet strong magic, they tortured her and tormented her. She was broken down to the point where she didn't know anything but anger and shame. She was brought here with the promise that if she performed well...i.e bring us in, she would be give a place in the circle.

Naming something is what binds us together. If I had named her, she would have been bound to me for the rest of her life. I didn't want her to survive one form of restrainment just to give in to another. But since I gave her the choice, she would always be in favor of me and my friends. It wasn't planned but it was a positive. A happy accident, if you will.

After the witches, excluding Rue, were taken away by a water portal to the pack dungeons, I looked all over for Nox but I couldn't find him. I called out for him but he didn't answer. After a few more minutes, panic set in. I yelled louder and louder till my voice was nearly hoarse from screaming. I was hysterical. We might be on a rocky road to recovery right now but he was still my mate.

After looking around the house, the grounds and a few meters into the forest, I collapsed into a sobbing heap.

He wouldn't leave without telling me. Then it hit me. The scent of him, his mana was strong and it looked like it was just dimmed and disappeared. There had been so many wolves running around, I lost track of him...I was reprimanding myself. Between interrogating the witches and helping Rue, I had completely blanked out to everything else happening around me. He was the original Alpha, so I thought he would be fine...but even Alphas have weaknesses and I smelled it in the air. Wolfsbane.

Rue was still sitting on the steps where I left her but she had a look of pity on her face. As I walked up I could tell that she was confused and sorry. She didn't know what was happening but she felt it was the fault of the witches she came with. I fell to my knees before her as she ran to me and held me in her arms. I couldn't help but come apart. There was a Nox-sized hole in my chest and the guilt of pushing him away ate at me. If I had let him mark me again, this would've not happened.

I held on to Rue as the realization dawned.

The attacking witches were a distraction. They had taken him to force me to comply.

He was bait.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hey fam

Hope you enjoyed this one. Missing the boyfie when I wrote this so excuse the tiny feels. Might be a while till the next update since I'm going back home and trying to get on with life, but you never know, I might be able to put the next chapter on here soon. We will soon see. Thanks for reading!!

Anywhoo, don't forget to:

Comment

Vote

And stay Healthy!