The Luna Cure

TWO

The two days passed by in a blur. With every mile we drove, a sense of uneasiness and fright instilled itself in me, but I showed nothing. I simply stated at the changing scenery, in awe of how much the world has changed in such a short time. I still didn't know how old I was, or what year it was, or how long I had even been in captivity.

Batilda had remained silent, glancing at me more and more the closer we got. There were road signs and places that would give clues to where I was, but it wasn't in English. I would guess it was French, since I saw many emblems of the Eiffel Tower on the road signs, but who knows.

Finally, Batilda spoke up.

"We are about half an hour away from the castle, dearie." She informed, pulling the black SUV over to the side of the road. I was confused at this, but I made no response.

Batilda turned to me, and I felt the magic she possessed start to buzz. Oh no.

I shifted, getting as far away from her as I could in the car. I raised my hands, shaking my head.

She rolled her eyes, muttering Latin under her breath and drawing foreign shapes with her hands. I saw a chain link slowly form on her arm, and my body froze in place. Not by choice, but from the spell.

Slowly, link by link, the chain grew. It was suspended in air, and it was growing towards me. I tried to wiggle out of my frozen state, but nothing was working.

The chain was close to me now. Too close. One link grew, inching up towards my neck. I shook my head furiously.

Another link. A few inches from my neck now.

A last third link, the side touching the skin of my throat. I gulped, and then I felt a silver collar settle on my neck. It burned to the touch, and my eyes grew watery.

Batilda smirked. "I think, out of all the girls, you always had the most potential. So I must take the proper precautions. Because it's always the one you trust most that turns on you." She saw my frightened, now shaking state, and cackled.

"One last thing." She added, and with more Latin verses and a final sweep of her hands, the chain disappeared.

But the she yanked her hand, and I felt the collar on my neck pull me forwards. I coughed, and the car remained silent. I couldn't even cough.

Batilda grinned. "That'll do it, for now." And she pulled back onto the road.

I felt the weight of the collar on my neck the whole way there. It burnt me till I was numb. I had warm tears rolling down my face the entire ride. I wiped them away at first, but then I stopped caring. She did this to me. She made me defenseless, hopeless, and made me feel immense pain. I did not care.

Finally, we started driving on this long stretch of land that led directly to the kingdom. And it clearly was a kingdom. There was a high wall that kept intruders out, with a palace in the center so high you could see all of the upper floors. There were numerous buildings and stone houses around the palace, and it was truly beautiful.

But I couldn't bring myself to admire it. I hoped and prayed that I wasn't the prince's mate. He didn't need that. And I just wanted to be done with all the pain and sadness I've felt for a very long time.