Chapter 10, Scared

*~~Natalie~~*

They were crawling down a tunnel, it had no windows or light of any kind, and even though her eyes had adjusted well enough to see, she wanted light. They had found the tunnel when she had pressed a button and then they had fallen down a hole. Luckily Tegon had gone back to his original form and led them to a small ladder, right below the button. Then they had been able to either climb up or climb into a tunnel in the hole’s wall. Well, they chose the hole and Natalie still didn’t think they should’ve done it. She went first, since she was the first to climb of Tegon’s back, and behind her the Raenton and Tegon were talking about things she didn’t know about. She didn’t know how long time had passed or where in the castle they were. Not that it mattered, she didn’t know where they had been before, either. She wasn’t fond of this place, she didn’t like darkness. And darkness combined with small spaces made her heart think it was in a race. It didn’t help that she was first and had bumped into hard walls, when the tunnel turned. She was almost sure of, that it showed on her forehead.

Another turn to the right.

It had been seven turns. She had counted. She felt something on her leg. Her body reacted and she kicked backwards. A groan and a “hey” followed. In her head she screamed at him for grabbing her. Really, what did he think she’d do?

“Be glad I sit on the other shoulder, girl.” Tegon whispered. They hadn’t dared to talk in a normal voice earlier, either.

Well, sorry.

Her face became warm, and she felt herself starting to like the darksness.

Raenton muttered something. She though she heard the words “kick” and “murderer”.

That was the moment she saw it. The light she had been looking for. It wasn’t much of a light, though. Just a small crack.

“There’s a light not far ahead.” She said.

“Really? Great!” Raenton said with relief. She could almost hear his smile. He was a very good whisperer, it was almost impossible to hear what he said, if he didn’t talk to you. It was even more impossible to hear what he said when he communicated with his mind, he had showed her, but he had said he could only communicate with one mind at a time. He did practice on it, though. It had been an amazing feeling, she hadn’t heard what he had told her, she had felt it.

When they came closer she felt a handle.

“Should I open it?” She asked.

“It’s not like we’ve got any choice.” Raenton said. “I don’t want to crawl back, my knees are hurting.” Natalie didn’t want to crawl back on her sore knees, either, but she wasn’t keen on opening the door. They didn’t know what was behind it. She hesitated but Raenton pushed himself forward (which made her blush), reached the handle and forced it open. It creaked horribly.

As soon as it opened sounds came to her ears, light blinded her and then there were no sound. She felt Raenton push her lightly, so she stepped out. Her eyes hurt. Tegon flew to her shoulder. Her eyes soon got adjusted to the light and she saw unfamiliar people staring at her. In front of her, not many steps away, sat a big, bearded man with intense eyes under his fringe. She wasn’t too scared, though, she felt Tegon’s warmth and knew Raenton was behind her. She felt the confused feelings of the people in the room, and since she didn’t feel any ill feelings towards her, she dared to let her eyes leave the bearded man and look around the room. She saw Miranda and Arabella. Slightly beside them, with a man holding their shoulders tightly, were Wilma and Hannah. Everyone in the room looked at Natalie, Raenton and Tegon like they were ghosts. She and Raenton probably looked the same, she had never, ever, expected this at the end of that tunnel. Sure she hadn’t known what to expect, but still. Why were they everyone in the room in the first place?

“Hey, is that…?” A young woman said. She started to walk towards them with wide eyes, the others’ eyes became wide open, too.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Miranda said to the woman. “You get away from them!” Miranda took a step forward only to be stopped by Arabella. When did they become so good friends?

“Is that…really Whidra Tegon?” the woman said again, coming closer. Natalie was unsure what to do and looked at Raenton for help. He didn’t look at her, but at the woman. Natalie was confused by the woman’s behavior. “Finally.” She was before them in an instant and as she was standing in front of Natalie. She had a look of desire in her eyes. Raenton had stepped forward, he didn’t make much of a threat, Natalie thought, he wasn’t that tall and his face just didn’t look mean. The woman didn’t come any closer, though, so he must’ve had some effect. The woman stretched for Tegon, but Arabella was there and held her arm. The woman wasn’t in a trance anymore, she looked at Arabella with eyes full of hate. Natalie felt Tegon move slightly on her shoulder.

“Didn’t you hear Leader? Get away from ‘em.” Arabella, on the other hand, did make a threat. She was about the same height as the woman and had a very mean expression. The woman didn’t move, she just smirked at Arabella. Natalie took one step back.

“You’re gonna stop me?” The woman said. “I’m strong, you know.”

“You’re not the only one.” Arabella hissed.

“Stop with your fighting!” a scarred woman said in a loud voice. “Where were we? Yes, we’ll free your friends if you find and give us Whidra Tegon.” Hannah and Wilma didn’t look captured. But they were slouching and they didn’t look at the people in the room, they just stared at…at nothing really.. “It suddenly got a lot easier, didn’t it?” You could hear her smile. Miranda looked very tense, and her face only expressed anger. “Girl.” She turned to Natalie. “You know who you have on your shoulder, don’t you?” Natalie brought her arms up to her chest and looked over at Miranda, she wanted comfort. Raenton wasn’t enough. She wanted someone to say that everything was going to be fine.

“I speak for myself, woman.” Tegon answered coldly. The woman looked surprised.

“Well, then. Would you like to help us, Whidra Tegon?” Her smile was warm, but her voice was fake. Natalie looked at Miranda, she didn’t get an answer, she looked at Arabella, but the girl just stared at Tegon while holding the young woman’s arm. Natalie looked at the bearded man, but quickly turned her eyes away to Raenton, he didn’t look at her.

Look at me.

 Tegon moved on her shoulder.

“I won’t help with anything, woman.” He answered. “You’ve done wrong and will continue doing so, I believe.”

The woman’s smile faded in a second. She looked over at the bearded man. Then rose from her seat, walked over to Arabella and punched her in the stomach. Arabella made a groaning noise and sank to her knees, holding the place where she had been punched. Natalie just stared at the situation before her, she had never seen anyone get punched like that before. She was scared. Suddenly it didn’t feel like real anymore. She felt Raenton gripping her arm. It hurt. Before she knew it none of the seated men and women, except the bearded man, sat in the chairs anymore. Some held down a screaming Miranda. Some held down a groaning Arabella. Some yanked away Raenton and she…Natalie was just standing there. She could, maybe, have fought them, but just as back then her mind went blank and she found herself starting to run towards the door, towards Hannah and Wilma. Before she got there, however, Tegon fell to the floor and so did she. It had all happened too fast.

*~~Tenso~~*

He didn’t like what he saw in the mirror. Not at all. The bearded man’s smile made him uneasy. Tenso couldn’t figure out what the man was thinking. And how had he nullified Arabella’s powers? Next to him Ingya had her already thin lips pressed tightly together. He hadn’t expected this, and was worried for them. Even the mighty dragon had been caught. Of course it was always worrying with a new group, they were inexperienced and didn’t know much. He had thought that meeting Raenton would help them, he wasn’t one of the best, but he could support them and then return to his own group. It didn’t turn out as Tenso had thought, though, and now they were in trouble. It wasn’t unusual for groups to get in trouble, it happened almost all the time, but he knew what troubles, like the one the girls faced, could lead to. He had seen it, experienced it and he would never let it happen again.

“Maybe I should go there.” Ingya said. She eyed the image in the mirror intensively, as if that would help the girls.

“No, there’s still Eleanor and Charlotte.” He didn’t want to send in Ingya, she couldn’t take on that many people all be herself. If only Natalie had reacted.

“Then switch to them.” She turned to him, every time she turned to him (and everyone else) she always had her eyes closed. Except when she were by the Holy Pond. Even though he knew why she did it, he thought she trusted him more than that. “Please.” They hadn’t checked on them for a while, but he didn’t really want to switch. If the worst happened they owned them to watch, bring Eleanor and Charlotte back and tell them. But he wouldn’t let that happen again.

“Don’t switch.” Ingya said beside him. “There isn’t any need to, anymore.”