Indebted

51

As the group of impostor hikers made their way down a slope. Atticus felt a flash of emotion ring out from Esti. So sudden, and so bright. Hitting him with so much force now that he was so close to her, unshielded, nothing hidden between them. Esti in full force crushed his ability to think or maintain his run.

Atticus in his shock, lost his footing, and started to slip. Feet sliding down the gravelly, uneven trail. Joe's quick reflexes activated, and he was able to catch Atticus by the arm, and stop his fall. Giving Atticus a chance to gain control of himself, make sense of what he felt. "Someone is attacking Esti." Atticus managed to say, before his feet had stopped sliding entirely.

From the high ground of the trail, all were able to see as a flash erupted in the center of the small town below. Orange flames licking up into the brightening night sky as the first warming of the sun could be sensed at the horizon. Atticus knew, in his soul without a doubt. "Esti is where the fire is." Fighting for her life and it wasn't a fight only against the flames.

Theo and Joe looked at each other. Communication passing between them that Atticus was not privy to. Theo took control in a fraction of a heartbeat, "Then double time. Lets fucking go!" Theo called, taking off down the trail far faster than a human would be able to move. Joe and Atticus jumping to follow. Esti was in danger, there was no time left to lose and far less desire to try and be noticed. Not with a bonfire burning and Esti in danger at the heart of it.

Atticus stumbled again, crashing into Theo who roughly turned and grabbed Atticus and slammed him back on his feet. "There's a bind on Esti, I-She's-They- I can't?" Atticus was losing any semblance of control he had. Esti was in grave danger. The separation from Esti had been too sharp, too sudden. Someone with great power had put a bind on her. Cutting her off from his awareness. Doing god knows what else to her.

Theo, barely held back a roar. "Move it!" Increasing their pace even more. Far beyond what would be possible for a human. With almost all attention in town focused on the fire, Atticus, Joe, and Theo were able to quickly approach the town. Make their way through the streets. The entire volunteer fire department on the scene of a garage fire, the entire structure was lost, Atticus ran close to the structure, he could scent through the fire and smoke, Esti had been here. So recently it hurt. Atticus was frozen, watching as a fridge and stove fell from an upper loft down onto the concrete slab foundation with loud crashses. Theo and Joe rejoined Atticus watching the walls crumble.

"The owner is very concerned that a European boater named Holly Monroe was staying in the garage, hasn't been accounted for." Theo said, voice low. Barely discernible over the roar of the burning fire and gushing of the fire hoses as the local emergency team worked. "The girl had luggage, but there is nothing left here." Theo added.

Joe in Atticus's other ear, "Funny thing how much Holly, looks like Esti in the owners memories." Joe added, "Smells of magic on the other side of the building, this fire wasn't natural or accidental." Layers of complications compiling into a knot.

Atticus was last to add the information he had "She isn't moving willingly, she's fighting." Theo and Joe both turning to look him in the eyes.

Theo gestured broadly, "Lead the way lover boy. Try and move quickly before we lose her." All could sense the strong magic that was in the area. No scents of shifters. Only the humans in the village. A troubling development, a witch wouldn't be working alone. Theo and Joe had encountered a cackle faction once. Hyena's were brutal, savage and able to hide their essence from almost all detection. Hyena's had been near wiped out for the second time in a century after picking one fight too many with the wrong pack. Creatures one and all, when backed into corners will turn feral and reckless as a last chance to try and save themselves.

Joe was radiating unease so heavy Atticus could feel it in the air. "Theo?" Looking towards his mate for reassurance. Honestly, Atticus wanted Theo to tell him everything would be okay just as much as Joe did in the moment.

Theo didn't say anything, except to move their bodies faster, work harder. Theo barely hid the nightmares of what he had seen at the Hyena breeding barn they had liberated from affecting Joe who had held the perimeter. Hyena's and at least one powerful witch, or more likely several linked together with a cackle was a challenge Theo had not anticipated. One he wasn't certain they were prepared for.

***

For the third time in her life, Esti was awoken from safe happy dreams into danger. Smiling, whispering Atticus's name out loud as she woke. She had dreamed he was back, it had felt so real. Only for her good mood to turn in an instant to panic. A burning circle of metal was around her throat, Esti was looking into a stranger's eyes. The circle of metal became a tight, thick collar around her throat, the magic metal spreading and growing to encase her throat and cover her shoulders. Rigid and unyielding exerting a powerful force over all that Esti was.

The dragon hated it, went to shift, to take control of the situation. To burn, to fly, to get away from whatever nightmare had come to call. Except as the dragon went to take control and shift, instead of the warm, endurable pain of a shift, every nerve in Esti's body felt like it was being melted in the center of the sun. White hot burning sensation erupted throughout her body. Esti wanted to scream, and found her voice was locked.

Esti looked up. Deeply confused and scared. The strange, unhinged looking woman who had put the metal around Esti's throat smiled down at her. "First rule for leashed ones, you may only do as your master allows." The voice had an accent Esti couldn't place. The woman smelled awful to Esti. Of sulphur, and rotting seaweed. Esti's dragon immediately wanted to fight. Which only earned them another full body pain experience. "Second rule, leashed ones will never hurt their master or themselves." Esti went to grab the lamp on her bedside table, wanting to throw it directly into the face of the woman in front of her with as much force as she could muster.

Esti's hands burned and refused to touch the lamp. No matter how much she tried to make herself. The woman whose bracelet had grown and changed in sync with the collar now binding Esti, sighed. Deeply, as though she was both bored, and disappointed. "You will learn quick or you will suffer, nothing will your hands touch that you consider a weapon. Now come, we need to be away." Esti's legs worked on their own to swing over the bed, her long night gown flowing to her ankles. Esti had been sleeping like a lady. Hair braided, wearing a proper nightgown. She had been so happy just minutes ago when she thought she had felt Atticus nearby. An especially cruelly timed dream.

Esti's body was acting to follow the instructions she had been given by the woman in control of everything. Esti tried to fight every second, but she was being compelled, suppressed, and controlled. Esti did not have a choice. Not any longer. This was so much worse than the thin band that had been around her throat while she had been a slave at court. That had been for punishment, and to keep her trapped on the castle grounds. Why fence the property when you could bind the living property in place was the ideal Magnus had set up for his slaves. As long as she stayed inside the borders, Esti was essentially free to do as she willed.

This was much different. Slaves who were wolves could still shift at will. No dragon before Esti had ever been made a slave; and she had only been made a slave because no one knew she would ever shift or have a dragon. Magnus would never waste any dragon in slavery. The heavy, magical collar binding Esti now was far more evil than the band she had known before.

This collar wanted to hurt her. To break her. Remake her into nothing more than a tool on a leash. Esti watched, eyes narrowed and full of rage as her luggage was collected by men she did not know, ones who could hide their scent. A sandalwood scented candle appeared above the witch's hand, the wick lighting on its own. The witch flicked her hand towards the curtains in the bedroom, the candle following the invisible trajectory of her hand. Melted wax spilling over the floor and curtains.

The curtains caught fire with an unnatural roar. A rush of air as the window's broke, shattering outwards. The fire on the curtains spreading quickly. Shooting up into the sky. As the building truly began to burn in a way that it would not survive, only moments after Esti had awoken, she was led out of the garage apartment, and away from the building. The strange scentless men taking her bags, leaving the building as though she had never been here at all.