The first person she had bumped into was Anok.
It was as if the whole of Ignas was working against her at that moment, her mind racing as she pondered on what do to if he somehow made himself an obstacle in her plans.
He had steadied her with his hand on her shoulders and snatched them away to his sides as if she was lava, moving from her the second he realized she was alright.
Her grip on Seb's shirt tighten, as she held it closer to her face to hide it away from any trace of recognition.
She had asked him for it while on their face here and although he looked at her with absolute confusion, he had handed her the shirt, whispering to her that he was a virgin and was saving himself.
She ignored his words, making it clear that had no intention to be intimate with him before they had continued their journey here.
Why would he have even thought about that?
It was hard to hold her breath and not breathe in Seb's smelly sweat but she did it anyways, her gaze fixed on the ground, while Anon said reassuring words to her.
Ensuring her that all would be well all and that the next batch would be leaving a moment later and all she had to do was join a set of people that he pointed her to.
If only he knew it was her then his words would have been different. She pretended to head off in that direction, and he was quick to move on to someone else, although he seemed to be searching for someone in particular.
He was fairly distracted and that come greatly to her aid.
She had turned back, catching a glimpse of Nadia stumbling into him from the corner of her eyes, before she disappeared into the hallway.
The castle was empty.
She moved quickly, taking off Seb's shirt that she had used to cover her face, then taking in a deep breath in an attempt to breathe in free air without the smell of sweat, hot air slammed into her lungs and she scrunched up her nose.
It was so quiet she could hear herself breathing, the steps she took echoing to her ears.
The hotness led her to the den, she had expected flames and at a point, she believed that this was pointless, that she would never make it there, but she did and now she was staring at the torn-down bars of the den, her heart pounding in her ears as she wondered for the millionth time if this made any sense.
It did to her.
Every question of the sensibility of this was given one and only one answer.
She wanted to see Eli.
If he was still alive she wanted to rescue him and if he was dead---
If he was dead...
She wanted to go with him.
Why should he be here alone?
The den was dimly lit by a fallen torch at one side of the den, the light only enough for her to figure out some things.
It wasn't particularly bright enough.
The den seemed empty too, like the dragon had left.
She grabbed on the fallen torch to light her path better and what she had seen made her heart crumble in a way she could have never believed was possible.
Eli was at one side of the den, fallen to his face, his robe stained with blood and dust.
The dancing flames of the torch glimmered in her tear-filled eyes and she bit down a sob that wreaked through her.
She took a step forward, only to see something else.
Those same eyes that she dreaded, staring back at her.
It almost felt like she was in her dream, only that this time, it was real.
___
Slender fingers with long red polished nails clicked against a jar half filled with scales.
There were a number of them on the shelve.
The jar was settled on the floor and the hand dove into it, shaky as it grabbed unto the red and silver scales.
"Eli." The word slipped past her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she had said his name. The distance had grown between them over the years that it sounded foreign.
But that name was his and its right place was on her lips.
It was where it belonged.
"E--li" she stuttered this time, easily sliding down to the floor, not minding how the sand stained her dress, her heels had already been long discarded, so her magic could work better and faster in connection with the earth.
She was disoriented but her face remained void, all the emotions pushing into her voice instead.
She picked out some scales, letting some fall off her palm and into the jar, as she brought it to her lips and whispered, "Are you alright, my love?"
She stiffened, the thing on her forehead glowing red, her eyes staring straight at the scales yet seeing beyond it.
It had only been for a moment and she flung the scales on the floor in anger, a scream making it past her trembling lips.
Her eyes widened when she realized what she had done and she stood up to start picking the scales but she had moved too quickly and her leg had knocked down the jar, making more of the scales scattered across the ground.
She took a step forward and slipped to the floor as she rushed to pick them up, she stood up again but the same thing happened. Her tears were blurring her sight but she fought to stand on her feet, when she finally did, it didn't take long for her to meet the floor again.
This time around, she gave up and crawled instead.
Kestra quickly gathered all she needed as she crawled till she found strength in her legs, after repeating to herself over and over again that she needed to save him and she couldn't do that if she was weak.
Her legs had carried her to the big pot of boiling illusion and she had taken some of the liquid content in it with a calabash. Took a couple of her birds and fed on them too.
Then she started casting spells that made the room flash in different colors, made different hazy shadows move along the walls, the air filled with eeriness and the smell of herbs so thick that it could put one to eternal dizziness.
With her chest raising and falling too quickly, she realized there was one last important ingredient that she needed but lacked.
A soul.
Who would willingly give up his or her soul for the King?
The Bride, of course.
Now, where was that Pretty little thing?