**Thank you akinolaifeoluwa for all the votes! Even though you already read through, (and I know you did! Thank you so much!) and probably won't see this, this chapter now dedicated to you! 8/20/19**
"Do you think they're in there?" Kanzia whispered.
"Yea. I mean, there's snow, and even you couldn't miss those bold tracks going straight to the door."
"What do you mean, 'even me'?" the indignant Kanzia pulled her gaze away from the building and faced Eloyse. "I can track better than you!"
"Really? Who was following the trail all day today?" Eloyse returned.
"I couldn't!" Kanzia whined. "You were in front and I couldn't see the tracks from the back!"
The girls continued their playful banter as they made their way back to Damian. They'd been arguing all day about who was the better tracker. The chase had led them up high in the mountains, until there was a good six inches of snow covering everything. They'd come upon the base unexpectedly, and left Damian to get a closer look. The building was white, and set back in a cliff. As far as both of them knew, there was nothing anywhere near. They were about alone as they could get. Eloyse suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
"Where's Damian?"
Kanzia peered around her friend. They'd been riding double since they'd met last night, and Kanzia had learned to like the small black and white horse.
"Maybe he wandered off?" she offered. Eloyse shook her head. She explained Damian's training, ruling out wandering as the cause he was gone. She began looking around for tracks, cursing herself for not starting with that. It wouldn't have been difficult with the snow.
"Stop!" A commanding voice sharply called out. Eloyse froze. She relaxed only slightly when a man in a strange uniform stepped out from behind a tree. He held a large gun, looking too big for him. She obeyed his orders to put her hands over her head. He kept looking around her, but she couldn't read his expression because of his mask.
"Where's your friend?"
Eloyse's heart skipped a beat. Where had Kanzia gone? "I don't have one." she sounded bitter. "Only my horse."
The man chuckled, but it didn't have any humor. "You forgot about your dog. Put down your hands." Eloyse felt something cold touch her hand the instant she lowered them. She resisted looking around. The man came over, and three more she hadn't seen followed him. He roughly pulled her hands behind her back and clamped cold, hard, and solid on her wrists. Eloyse winced as the metal bit into her skin. There was a soft whine, and a dog trotted into Eloyse's line of vision. A beautiful, cream white dog with long silky hair and pale eyes. She stood waist high to Eloyse.
Kanzia.
Eloyse stared into her eyes, wishing she was Devoy. Then she could talk. Why hadn't Kanzia mentioned she was a Zuni? Eloyse knew the answer already; the reason she didn't tell people she could heal was the same reason shape-shifters didn't proclaim their power. She broke her gaze away from the dog, and flicked her eyes toward the woods. If only Kanzia would run! Then she could go find Damian and keep herself and Eloyse's precious horse safe. The men had completely whatever they wanted with her hands, and turned, starting her walking. One walked on either side, with one behind. There was a pattering of paws and soft whimper behind them. One of her captors swung around, raising his gun at the dog. With a mighty bound, the dog vanished in the woods
"Come on!" the man jerked Eloyse forward. She stumbled and nearly fell, but just managed to keep on her feet. They were headed in the same tracks that she'd been following since she discovered Shyden gone. She had started out to find her brother, but apparently whoever had taken him was not very friendly.
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As the gate clanged shut behind Eloyse, she felt a fury surge through her. She was still tired from expending so much energy on Kanzia, but she found enough to yell at her captors as they ambled away.
"You're both just two-faced girl-snatchers! What's the matter? Can't find bigger quarry?" she turned on her heel just in time to receive an incoming missile hurtling at her. She gave a little yelp as she went down, somebody was straddling her chest, enthusiastically shaking her shoulders and chattering unbelievably fast. She brought up one hand, the blue glow showing her gather of powers. Suddenly the attacker's voice made sense.
"Eloyse! Eloyse! Oh, El-oyse!"
She stopped her hand just before connecting, and took her first good look at the person sitting on her. "Shyden?" she whispered, unbelieving. He nodded eagerly, a huge smile on his face. Eloyse sat up, pushing him down to her legs. She held him back a moment. It was really him. She pulled him close then, pressed against her. "Oh, Shyden.." She murmured. He buried his head in her neck. Relief swept through Eloyse. She had found him, and he was alive. A sudden thought came to her, and she pushed him away to look him over again.
"Are you in one piece?"
"Yea, mostly." he smiled. Knowing she could help, he tugged up his sleeves on both arms and showed her the large burn marks on his forearms. The wounds were starting to infect, a serious burn. Eloyse's eyes softened. She shifted to her knees, a more comfortable position before reaching forward. At her touch, Shyden's obvious relief made Eloyse's heart hurt. She couldn't imagine the pain from the burns that he'd suffered since he got them. They weren't fresh.
"Oh, Shyden..." Eloyse whispered as he turned and lifted his shirt to expose a small hole in his lower back. She went all-out, completely healing everything she could find wrong with him. Finally done, she pulled him in for another hug. He wrapped his arms around her, breaking his mask of bravery the first time.
"I'm so scared, Ely."
They stayed like that for several long minutes before breaking apart again. For the first time, Eloyse looked around. They were in a group cell. There was three other people in there, all miserable, one unconscious. The cell was small, too small for five people. Eloyse felt pity steal through her. She moved to the most injured one, a young man. She could feel he was close to death, and she decided to try and save him.
What was with her and compassion these days? If everyone found out she was a Malental, she would never have peace again.
She placed both hands flat on the man's chest, concentrating her energy into him. She felt no difference, and realized he would take more energy that she had to offer at the moment. Sad, she moved on to the next. It was a boy, about Shyden's age. He looked at her hopefully. She smiled gently, kneeling in front of him. A few quiet questions turned up nothing majorly wrong. He did say he had headaches, nearly constant, and severe. Eloyse put her hands on his forehead, commanding him to close his eyes and hold still.
She cautiously probed, searching for anything wrong, but came up empty-handed. She moved her hand from him, shaking her head in disappointment. She wasn't that good yet. "I think it was just a concussion. Keep the activities low and try rest. It should go away."
The boy nodded. Eloyse looked at him again. He had dark hair and eyes, like her. "How old are you?"
Startled, he suddenly turned shy and she barely heard his whispered, "Twelve, ma'am."
Eloyse smiled. "I'm not married yet. Call me Eloyse."
He looked up, confidence growing. "Shyden talked about you."
Shyden, standing beside his sister, sheepishly grinned. Eloyse elbowed him. "I hope all he said was good!" she snickered before going to the next person, a woman. She was a blond with beautiful blue eyes like Shyden's. She had been watching Eloyse, and knew what the younger girl was coming over for.
other"You're a Malental." she spoke in practically awe. Eloyse agreed, a bit embarrassed by the high respect she was getting. The woman's problem quickly came to a focus when she slowly unbound her right arm, showing a compound break. Eloyse winced.
"That looks painful..." she muttered. She took away the pain before cautiously examining it. It was infected. Her whole arm was a mess. This was going to be hard, especially when she was so low on energy. She took a breath, holding it a second before releasing. "Alright, let's see where we can go with this."
Working with gentle, skilled fingers, she set the broken bone and closed the open wound where it had been. Shyden watched with interest, but finally drifted away to his friend to talk. He kept a close eye on his sister, though. He didn't want her going anywhere. Eloyse labored over the woman for nearly an hour before rocking back on her heels and rubbing her tired eyes.
"That's all I can do." she softly said, almost apologetically. "There's still bone fragments, and it isn't quite knit together, but I haven't the energy."
The woman nodded. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"
Eloyse wearily smiled. She crossed the cell to Shyden, stepping over the other boy's legs to get there. She sank down by his side, heaving a tired sigh. He leaned on her, mimicking the sigh.
"I'm glad we're together."
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"You! Up! All of you! Come with us! Now!" A guard yelling woke the crowded prisoners. The boy with the concussion got to his feet drearily, one hand on his head. Eloyse gave him a sympathetic look, wishing she could help. Her power wasn't strong enough to cure head injuries on the inside. "MOVE!" The man bellowed. Everyone started moving faster. There were more men in the hallway, all wearing jackets that proclaimed HYDRA on them. Eloyse managed somehow to take the lead, Shyden on her heels and keeping his frightened eyes latched on big sister.
Eloyse walked with an easy, free step, although she trembled inside. Her hands were sweaty, and mouth dry. As they passed a door, one of the men walking beside her suddenly pushed her through it. Shyden started to follow, but was shoved back and forced down the hallway with the rest of the group. Eloyse wondered if everyone could hear her heart pounding.
There was all sorts of things that she didn't know what they were. In the center of the room was a table, and it was there that she was directed to lie down. She did so, closing her eyes against the unknown terrors of the room. More people were coming in, talking, discussion something.
Eloyse kept her eyes shut tightly. She felt her wrists roughly pulled down on either side of her and pinned in metal cuffs. Daring to open her eyes a little, she was dazzled by the bright lights reflecting off the sheer white walls.
How do they keep those clean?
She closed her eyes again, preferring the dismal darkness to the unpleasant light. Iron cuffs were snapped over her ankles. She withheld a whimper of fear and pain that had not yet come. The heavy tread of someone approaching made her eyes snap open again. There was a man standing only two feet away. In one hand he held a chart in a clipboard he was studying; in the other he held a fat tube attached to a long needle-like thing. Eloyse stared at the white-robed man, at first in incomprehension, then sheer terror. She had heard of shots, even seen a person get one. She'd never had one because of her violent medical-related reactions, and neither had her family because they had a Malental in the house to heal them. She couldn't move as he walked closer.
Finally taking his eyes off the chart he held, he noted the fear evident in Eloyse. For a moment he didn't seem to realize, then he followed her eyes to the needle in his other hand. He raised it, and Eloyse's eye involuntary followed. "Ah, scared of needles, are we?" The chart forgotten, he moved closer with a malicious grin on his face.