The spirits dashed at Anastasia but just before they were near her mouth, she became corporeal.
"Natsya!" she heard his voice and opened her eyes with relief.
Ileus ran to her and hugged her tightly. Breathless and panting, he picked her up with shaky hands and wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders. "Oh god, oh god!" he rasped. His heart thundered so loud that even she could hear it. He walked up to a tree nearby, pressed her against it, wedged her thigh between her legs and sagged against her. He was struggling to find the right words, so he buried his face in the crook of her neck and said something incoherent, "Vere dewd uo oo," which perhaps meant, where did you go. He uttered a soft curse.
Anastasia wrapped her arms around his neck as she let relief sink in her. Her thoughts were all jumbled up at the moment. She grabbed his hair and then kissed his temple. "I missed you," she breathed. Surrounded by his woodsy and spicy scent, she felt light-headed and forgot about her injury.
After what seemed like eternity, when he placed her down, he looked at her with his golden eyes that were glistening. He brushed her cheeks with his knuckles and then gazed down. Her clothes were soaked with blood, especially her right arm. "I missed you too," he replied. "Did you turn into shadows?"
She nodded. "And guess who I met?"
He held her hand and pulled her from there. She noticed that the Mozias and vokudlaks had gathered in one place in the thicket of trees. They were talking amongst themselves as they counted and joked at the number of men they slay.
"Who?" he asked, squeezing her hand.
"Nyles."
A smile spread on his lips. "I am sure she is dead."
"She is," Anastasia replied and sucked in a breath. Pain seared her arm.
"Relieved?"
"Very much!"
"But you appear pale," he noted. He stopped and then touched her forehead.
"I came across rogue spirits," she said, looking in his golden orbs.
Ileus' eyes narrowed. "Are they still there?"
She nodded. "They wanted to enter my body, but I realized they couldn't harm me if I turned into physical form."
A muscle feathered in his jaw. Suddenly he heard someone… in his mind… "Masterr…"
A tree was ripped out in their vicinity, along with its roots. Cold air rushed in with the dense clouds and Ileus burst into shadows as if he had burst into night. He enveloped Anastasia with intensity so stunning that it overwhelmed her and she was transported to the safety of the group. And then Ileus was gone, along with the warmth and that spicy and woodsy scent.
"Ileus!" she shouted. Her body broke into cold sweat as her breath burst in and out rapidly. She looked at Kaizan with wide eyes. "There— there are rogue spirits!" she warned him. "They— they—" Her knees became so wobbly that she almost sank to the ground had Kaizan not caught her. With a ragged breath, her wild gaze swiveled around the group as if telling them to go and bring him back.
Kaizan looked at her with disbelief. "Princess," he whispered.
"You— you have to help him," she told him, needing him to understand what it was to encounter the rogue spirits. She had seen them so close.
Kaizan held her tightly because she was trembling. Gently, he said, "I am sure Ileus can take them down."
"B— but they are spirits. N— no one can—" Everything seemed fuzzy to her.
"Anastasia, Ileus is known as a dark wizard for a reason. He is also known as the dark wizard because the spirits call him their 'Master'."
Her heart thundered. "What does that mean?" she asked with confusion.
"The spirits call him their 'Master' because they want him to be their leader. They know that he is so powerful that if they enter him, they can rule the world."
"No!" she shrieked. "They wanted to enter me. They can get inside him easily!" Wait, rule the world? She pressed her hands against her mouth. Ileus was the Master of the rogue spirits? Oh god. Would they listen to him? Or would he succumb to their greed? Ruling the world was… tempting.
Suddenly she heard a deafening blast in the place where Ileus had vanished. On an impulse, she took her dagger out and tried to run in that direction, but Kaizan pressed her to the ground and covered her with his body. All others too ducked. Anastasia thought she was going to faint. Ileus… She lost track of time when more blasts occurred. The horses neighed and Seashell roared.
What seemed like ruthless eternity, when the noise ebbed, they rose to their feet. Anastasia scanned the area with a wild gaze. Black shadows burst again and Ileus emerged from them. She wanted to run to him, but her limbs were so shaky that she was rooted to the ground. She saw him walking towards her. When he came near her, she whispered, "Ileus."
"Yes sweetheart," he said. He looked as if his clothes were windblown.
"They— they let you go," she asked, trying to understand what she really saw. "They wanted to enter me, and I—"
"I know, sweetheart." Gently he pried the dagger from her hand and gave it to Kaizan. Her vision became blurry. "I was trying to impress you by emerging from those shadows and sending the spirits back to the Land of Gaira but you look ghastly."
Her fuzzy gaze landed on his face and then on his body. She touched his chest to feel his presence. Her body swayed.
"Anastasia!" he called her. "Look at me."
She brought her rolling gaze back to his face and tried to focus. "Are you okay? Legion…" But she was so dazed and panicky that her head felt heavy.
"Yes sweetheart, I am absolutely fine." He curled his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. His jaw hardened when he saw that she was too shaky. "Did they hurt you?"
"No." She said as her throat became dry. "They couldn't," she said in a low, weak voice.
His eyes went to her right arm that was still soaked in blood. He ripped it out and saw the gaping wound. He cursed under his breath.
Her body caved in and she swayed like a leaf.
Before she could hit the floor, Ileus scooped her in his arms.
She continued to look at him as he carried her to somewhere she didn't want to know. The next she sensed was that she was being set over Lovac. He mounted behind her as someone held Lovac's reins. She didn't hear what instruction he gave to them. Her eyelids were too heavy and mind was too fuzzy to comprehend things. He gathered his arms around her and tightened his hold. "Lean on me, sweetheart," he said. She sagged against the warmth of his chest and closed her eyes, slipping into darkness. She heard horses moving and Seashell whining. She dreamt of Maple whipping her, voices of concern, stars floating in her vision and Lovac neighing. Warm chest, sticky blood, spicy scent… a promise spoken… a sharp taste on the tongue…
When she opened her eyes—
