Nalcara's Shackles Ch. 02

Then

Sarah did her best not to move around too much. The spot on the stone wall where she'd been leaning had finally warmed to her body temperature, but the rest was still chilly. The church of Iomedae was not going out of their way to make her comfortable. The unheated cell did have some simple furniture, but the ankle cuff and it's short chain that attached her to the wall made it all superfluous; she couldn't reach any of it. They had, at least, done 'something' with her injured arm. It was encased from fingertips to elbow in some sort of plaster, imprinted with what appeared to be celestial script, and wrapped with prayer beads. It was currently useless, but at least it didn't hurt anymore.

She'd been their prisoner for a week or so. She'd rushed out of the burning terror of the forest, to find a large force of paladins and clerics from several denominations moving toward the tree line. She was relieved; momentarily. She was quickly branded as evil, taken into custody, and interrogated about why she'd summoned demons to the material plain. The paladin in charge of her, a horrible woman named Lady Celestine, did not even treat her as human.

Sarah jumped as she heard a bolt being thrown down the corridor that led to he cell. To her knowledge, she was the only prisoner in this area, and any attention thus far had not been pleasant. All she could do was cower and clutch the coarse robe she'd been given tighter around her body. It was all she had after she'd been stripped of her possessions upon her arrest. Even her cantrips had somehow been drained from her. It was small comfort that, while the robe was not warm, it was more than sufficient for modesty.

She further cringed at the voice coming down the hall. Her tormentor was not alone, as she seemed to be conversing with someone, but the paladin's voice was the one that carried; she always spoke as if the world should hear what she had to say. As they approached, she could make out several footsteps; three, maybe four people. They halted. as she expected. outside her cell. The lock was disengaged, and the door was thrown open.

Four people entered; Lady Celestine, several of her lackeys, and William. The paladin had announced her title to Sarah when they had met, but William, a young Iomedaen cleric, had introduced himself. It was he who brought her food. Which apparently he was doing now. He had a bowl of something, balanced on a folded blanket, sitting on a box of some kind covered by a cloth. He made his way carefully to the cell's bed and gently set his burden down. The Lady and her minions stood near the door and simply glared at their captive.

William retrieve the bowl for the pile. "You see, My Lady? The evil you sensed was from the cursed wound. Now that it has been treated and blessed, you shouldn't sense any." He bent down to give Sarah the food, stew it seemed, but she flinched at the motion and cowered.

The cleric looked sadly upon his charge before he reached a hand out slowly to rest on her shoulder and whispered a few words. When the bowl was offered again, Sarah took it.

"Pathetic." Lady Celestine snorted. "But you are correct. I sense no evil at present." Under other circumstances, Sarah might have thought the woman beautiful. She was tall and slim, with a suit of armor wrapped around her that seemed to shimmer even in the relative darkness of the cell. Most striking about the 'Lady', however, was her golden hair. The halo like mane around her head almost seemed supernatural. Her perpetual scowl and horrid treatment of people in general, soured the whole picture.

"Perhaps then, we can move her to more pleasant accommodations?" William asked politely.

"No." Celestine sneered. "By her own admission she traveled with those responsible. She is under suspicion until I say otherwise." Lady Celestine turned on her heel and swept form the room, minions in tow.

Sarah did not concern herself with eating until her tormentor had departed. William, remained however. After tasting the stew, she turned her eyes to meet the calm gaze of the cleric. "What did you do to me?" she asked softly. "That was a spell of some sort."

"Yes. It lessens harmful emotions. Rage. Sadness. Fear" He turned to retrieve the blanket, setting it with in Sarah's reach. "Lady Celestine, for all the good she is capable of, tends to foster those in people. She delights in terrorizing those she feels deserve it and you were a presumably innocent bystander. Your companion has had quite the opposite reaction as you, however."

Sarah took another sip from her bowl. "My... companion?"

"The fey girl you carried from the forest." William turned back to the bed and lifted the cloth from the box, which turned out to be a small cage, And in one corner, sat the tiny green girl. Her armor was gone, as was her sword. She wore what appeared to be under-armor. And she did not look afraid in the least.

"Where did the Porcupine Queen go?" The girl called out. "I hate to miss a chance to tell her where to stick her sword." She was most certainly not afraid. She cast her eyes lazily around the room. "Where have you brought me, Ratboy? This isn't the usual dark hole you've kept me in." Her eyes stopped on Sarah. "What's this sad creature? Is she going to teach me to be a good prisoner?"

William smiled patiently. "Likely not. This is Sarah. The wizard who carried you out of the forest. Sarah, this is... well, she hasn't told us her name."

"Why would I, stump brain?" The girl snapped. "That slug woman you answer to won't tell *me anything."

"Of course." William said. "I've been leaning all the best fey insults. In truth, Mistress Fey, Sarah has been treated at least as poorly as you have by... I'll go with Porcupine Queen. It sounds more respectful. It was my thought that both of you could use, shall we say, less hostile company."

"What do you care, Holyman?" The fey girl got to her feet and stomped to the mesh the made up the walls of her cage. "You miserable god-people only seem interested in torturing me."

"Some of my more militant brethren seem to forget," William straightened and started toward the door, "while we are sworn to destroy evil, we are also sworn to protect and heal the innocent. I'll return later, to check on you. With any luck, The Lady will allow me to move you out of this cell. Be well." With that, the cleric left the cell, closing the door behind him.

The diminutive fey turned on Sarah. "So it's you're fault that I'm here! Why did you take me out of my forest? What happened to my family?"

"I... I'm sorry." Without William's fear relieving magic, Sarah might have cowered before the wrath of the tiny girl in the cage. "You were hurt and there was fire and demons..." she took a deep, steadying breath. "I didn't see any others of you kind."

The fey snorted and stomped back to her corner, slumping to the floor. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the human. Finally she closed her eyes and released a long breath. "I'm an atomie." The fey girl sighed. "My name is Jixia Bramblehome."

Now

Sarah's eyes opened slowly. That in itself struck her as odd. Since her night in the forest, she'd mostly jerked to consciousness; usually several times a night. She felt, for all the world, as though she'd had a good night's sleep. Also, she generally slept curled up on her side, but she was flat on her back, arms and legs sprawled comfortably. And she was naked. She could feel the coarse sheet all down her back; even her butt was bare. Everything clicked home when she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes and neither arm would move, as if her wrists were strapped to the mattress. Jix had cast that spell on her, stripped her, pinned her, and... At that point, Sarah felt the small form lying under the blanket, between her breasts.

Sarah lay still for a time, reflecting of her current situation. Her ankles and neck appeared to be held as well, though her mouth was free. That was good. If Jix didn't wake soon, she would have to take action. She would have to relieve herself shortly, and the innkeeper was forgoing the room fee in return for her using a 'Flaming Sphere' spell the keep the outdoor walkways clear of snow. She couldn't stay in bed all day, though currently she could do little else. So for the time being, she was content to be still and recall the odd events of the previous evening.

It wasn't long before there was stirring under the blanket. There was initially mumbling and a little squirming. "Whu..? Where..?" The tiny fey, it seemed, had gotten a little sweaty during the night and thus had to peel herself from Sarah's skin. Once she was free, she crawled around blindly before her tousled coppery locks emerged from the bedclothes. "Oh, um..." Jix stammered. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Jix." Sarah replied. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, I guess." The tiny girl answered. "I got a little sweaty, but I wasn't cold." She paused. "You're still chained to the bed, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

Sarah flexed her trapped body in demonstration. "I am."

Jix closed her eyes and took a breath. "You feel calm. Maybe not happy, but you're not unhappy, so that's good."

"I think content is the word you're looking for Jix." said Sarah. "Besides, it's not as though you didn't pay for it." She smiled and the fey.

"What? Oh." Jix's arms twitched as if she had a sudden urge to cover herself, but in the end, not only did she drop her arms, but shrugged off the blanket to reveal more of her nude body, though her cheeks did color a bit. "I suppose I should let you go now."

"Well, let me up anyway. I have to use the chamber pot."

"I probably have enough magic back to stop the spell too." The atomie did look a little down at the thought.

"But you don't want to?" Sarah asked.

"Well, it is fun having you like this." Jix admitted, "But I don't want to make you mad."

"Tell you what." said Sarah. "Do as I say for a few minutes, and you can leave the spell on me for a while longer. How does that sound?"

"Yeah?" Jix grinned. "I'm listening."

"Ok, push the blanket back and stand up." Sarah ordered. "Put you feet a little bit apart and stretch your arms straight out to the side." She watched as Jix complied. "Good. Now, press your lips together and don't move until I say it's okay."

"Hrm?" Jix grunted, looking slightly confused.

"I just wanted to see what it felt like for myself." Sarah grinned. "It *is fun. And you're trapped, naked, right in front of me."

Jix blinked. Then her temporarily sealed lips turned slowly into a grin. "Murmph!" She grunted, twisting her body against nonexistent bonds. She twisted the opposite way, then arched her back, impressively not moving her limbs in the process. She struggled a moment longer before sagging. Mmmn," she whimpered piteously. Sure it was a little embarrassing, but she could feel Sarah's reaction through the spell. Completely worth it.

- - -

Sarah didn't keep her prisoner long. Soon, both were free and up. The fire in the room's small stove was stoked, but in the meantime, the air was chilly enough that it was decided upon to get clothes on. Sarah's daily 'Endure Elements' spell protected her, but not Jix, so they agreed, for the sake of their continued amusement, that if one were subject to enforced nudity, the other would be as well. They went through their morning rituals, finishing with Sarah preparing her spells for the day. Finally it was time to head down stairs.

"Time to go get some breakfast, Jix." said Sarah. "I guess you're coming with me since we're still tethered together."

"Yeah." began Jix. "Just so you know, the tether might get a little shorter. It's like what we think is close, and in crowded places we might think different."

"Okay. That sounds interesting." replied Sarah. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

Up until now, Sarah was doing quite well. The night's activities were engaging. Interesting. Fun. She felt better than she had in months. She was fine as she walked toward the door, but as soon as she touched the rod barring it, the fear hit her. She was going out there again. With those horrible beings. She had gotten very good at looking calm. Jix, however, didn't need to look.

"Gah!" The fey leapt into the air, zipping a quick circle around the human, searching for whatever it was that triggered the fear in her partner. Seeing nothing, she turned back to Sarah and suddenly felt a rush of humiliation from her. "Wh-what was that?"

Since Jix was tuned to her emotions, Sarah saw no sense in any deception. "It's- it's like that whenever I leave the room. It's been that way since they let us out of the church. I just think all those... people down there are... awful. Evil. Out to hurt me. It's... probably not true but I can't help thinking that. Present company excepted, of course"

"Every time..?" Jix blinked. "That's terrible! I felt the spell buckle a little!" Jix blinked. "How do you do that every day?"

"Well, it's that or starve, right?" Sarah grinned sheepishly. The door was still sealed and barred, so embarrassment was winning out over fear just now.

"I.." Jix found herself at loss for words. Never in her life had she felt fear like that. Not even fighting the demon-thing that nearly killed her. "How..? What..?" she stammered for a few moments before getting herself together. "Well, you won't be going alone today. I'll be with you. We'll face those people together."

Sarah smiled. "Well, we're not out there yet, Jix, but right now? That really does make me feel a little better."

"I can feel it." Jix replied. "I'd ask why you didn't tell me sooner, but I guess we're a little closer now that I tied you up and stole you clothes."

Sarah laughed in spite of herself.

- - -

The spell held. Jix wasn't sure it would with the feelings she was getting off of Sarah. The mage's theory was that Jix wasn't the cause of the fear, nor was her life currently threatened. That was giving the spell's creator a lot of credit, but thus far, Sarah felt she deserved it.

Jix hadn't left the room after the first day at the inn. Most people were indifferent to her. Some were actually afraid. Then there was the group of children intent on capturing her. Jix was not afraid of any of them. Even the children, she saw as an annoyance, to be dealt with, but not feared. It was merely easier to stay out of sight, as there was no benefit to continued contact with them. It was surreal for her then, to feel a twinge of mild panic every time they got to close to a new individual. These giants were much more dangerous to her than they were to a human wizard.

For Sarah's part, Jix's weight on her shoulder was comforting. It was a little silly; what would the diminutive girl be able to do if something happened? Perhaps it was just knowing that she had an ally; that she was not alone.

"Ah! There you are, Mage! Good Morning!" The Innkeeper was a large man. He might have been powerfully built in his youth, but middle age was creeping in and now the most impressive thing about him was his belly. Some might have found him jolly. Sarah did not. "Oh, and you brought your pixie!"

"PIXIE!?" Jix lifted off Sarah's shoulder to hover in between the two humans. "I'm not a pixie! Pixies are big and goofy and have no honor! I am an atomie of house Bramblehome, formerly of the Great Forest! Do not call me a pixie!"

The innkeeper, while taken aback, seemed more bemused than anything else. "Uh... right. Now I see it. Apologies." He turned to Sarah. "It's still snowing quite hard. The walks are still passable but getting deep again. I'd like you to clean them this morning and again this evening, if possible."

Sarah was grateful for the extra time to compose herself during Jix's rant. "Yes. Thant should be... fine. I've prepared several fire spells for the day." She swallowed, embarrassed that Jix could feel her insecurity with the man. "We were... going to the stables after breakfast. I'll do it then."

"That would be great. I'll get you a bowl of meal." He glance past Sarah. "Be careful, Miss atumie. Looks like a hunting party is on your trail." Then he turned and went about his business.

Jix sighed and floated back to Sarah's shoulder. Where the Innkeeper had been looking, she spotted three children watching them; one holding a butterfly net. "And that's why I brought my sword."

"Sarah glance at the kids. "I wouldn't mess with you. You really told him off."

"I would have told him more but I got stuck." She was speaking very near Sarah's ear, so no one else would hear. "I was going to get closer to his face. Apparent that was as far as I can get away from you right now."

"Really?" Sarah whispered back. "That was less than a foot! We really are stuck together." She moved to a free seat at the end of the bar. "Though after last night, having you on a leash is a nice thought." Despite being in the crowded room, Sarah almost smiled. The conversation was a welcome distraction.

Jix could feel just how nice Sarah thought is was through their link, and made a mental note to play it up some later. "*We are on a leash. Just you try going somewhere without me and see what happens. It's why I'm on your shoulder." She settled in beside Sarah's neck with a loose grip on her collar. "And I think it's so short because you're so nervous."

"Ah." Mumbled Sarah. "I do out weigh you by a great deal though." She pointed out. "I'd probably just drag you along."

"It's not me that stops you. It's the magic." said Jix. "I wouldn't move a bit. The spell wants me to pay attention to you, but you're not supposed to escape either."

Considering Jix could pin her in place with a thought, Sarah felt this was overkill, but she had no intention of separating from her friend.

- - -

Breakfast was bland, but edible; a bowl of oatmeal with a piece of sausage. Food was not yet scarce, but the number of people stranded her was putting a strain on the inn's stores. Once they had eaten, Sarah went to the door. As she did, several crowds started to form, around the windows, and around the door, though, helpfully, most kept back from Sarah herself.

"What's going on?" Jix whispered.

"They like to... watch." replied Sarah. She was uncomfortable with all the attention. She tried to hide it physically, but it was obvious to the fey.

"I'm right here." Jix said. "What are they watching?"

Sarah managed a small smile. Without preamble, she started to cast a spell. As she finished, a spongey ball of fire as tall as a human burst into existence just outside the door. The crowd oohed appreciatively.

Jix squawked out a sound that may have been a Sylvan expletive. She blinked and regained her composure. "I've, um, never seen you do that one before."

"You've never seen me melt snow before." Sarah stepped out the door, the sphere rolling in front of her, seeming to have a mind of its own. "Stay close. It will be cold out here."

It was cold, and still snowing quite hard. The track the ball was following was easily three feet deep on either side. The fire rolled to the stable, leaving bare earth in it's wake. It halted at the door, and reversed, doubling the path on it's way to the main road. It bounced and tumbled for about a minute, clearing a large portion of the inn's yard before winking out, provoking a few cheers from the crowd.

"Well done, Mage." called the Innkeeper from one window.

"They don't seem so scary." Jix commented as they headed for the stable. She wasn't really dressed for the climate, but her proximity to the human gave her limited protection, between the magic and Sarah's body heat. "They seemed to like you."

"The cultists were very nice to me too." replied Sarah. "Right up until they tried to feed me to a monster."

The stable was not heated, but it was shelter. Out of the wind, and full to slightly more than capacity, the heat from all the animals kept it warmer than the outside. The stalls were all full; some of the smaller ponies were doubled up. Near the entry, a sizable dark gray wolf lounged on a blanket. He raised his head as they entered, but made no other move.