23 Elloreah

Dreams of home haunted her every time she tried to close her eyes. She'd been gone no more than a night and a day. The unexpected nature of the transition ate at her. She'd drift off only to wake disoriented, and then it would all come back to her in a rush, heart thumping and terrified.

Through it all, the first night and the day, Mingan had been a constant. He was gruff, blunt, but he was constant. He'd been there when she'd needed him, had helped her. She was confident that despite his bravado, that he would continue to do so.

His aura was enchanting, a throbbing source of life. Even now, he was gone from the house, running the forest with John, she could still sense him, that gold hued glow of him.

He'd forgotten to activate the rune that sealed her from him. She wondered at that, finding that there was some small part of her that hoped his lapse was intentional.

She closed her eyes and drew the blanket to her chin, moving her focus on to the others of the ranch house. Sarah was just down the hall, a warm, earthy glow. The rest, the humans and animals of the ranch, were subdued in comparison. Just balls of life and light, a vague warmth and sense of comfort.

She reached out beyond the house to the land, feeling the trees that towered above the ranch. They were the true comfort, nearly ageless, quiet and patient. She'd been taught to fear the groves near her homeland, to not venture into that space in which she'd been born for fear they would call her into their wild and dangerous ways.

Guilt, duty and fear were all that had kept her from it. Heavily applied spells of glamour and protection had served to lessen the pull, but the trees and the forest called to her. Even now, in this strange land, the pull was there despite the lack of magic.

If her people had been so wrong about the kelpies, perhaps they'd been wrong about the dryads as well. She sighed and kicked off her covers.

There would be no sleep tonight. Testing her feet, she realized, with a smile, that the blisters were healed, and stood. She could escape into the trees, just for a while. This land was protected, Mingan had assured her.

She fumbled for the light switch, delighting in flipping it on and off in quick succession. It had amazed her when Sarah had stopped into the darkened room and flipped that little switch, showering the room in light.

Witch lights, luminescent orbs, powered by magic were common enough, but this light buzzed with something not quite like magic. It was its own force, and she'd felt it before, and yet could not quite place it.

She shook her head, smiling at the distraction such a small thing had given her. A muffled sob from the room across the hall shattered her brief reprieve.

It was Maggie again. Elloreah sat back on the bed, head in her hands. She could sense the woman's distress as clearly as she had earlier. It tore at her, the ache of grief, pain, and fear the woman emanated.

After some time, Sarah soothed the woman and Elloreah found herself able to think once more. She sighed and curled up on the bed, exhausted from the onslaught. She needed protections, she needed relief from the clarity this land and its lack of inherent magic granted her.

Sleep failed to take her, and it wasn't long before she felt him once more.

She gasped, sitting up and whispered, "Mingan," before she could catch herself. He was injured, and yet the aura of physical pain wasn't as raw and coursing as Maggie's emotional distress.

She choked out a little laugh, realizing it was his stubborn lack of concern for his condition that blunted the way in which his aura affected her. Though she knew it was not for her benefit, she couldn't help but thank him for it.

She listened as John fetched Sarah to help with Mingan.

John's aura was brighter now, pulsing and vibrant in a way it had not been before. Elloreah shied from it, the green hues, the cool, damp feel of his presence, both life giving and yet vaguely terrifying. He was the sort of creature that fed life into forests and just as quickly, delighted in the struggles of those drowning beneath the surface of the waters his kind loved.

Elloreah shivered, rubbing her arms absently. And yet, both Mingan and Sarah cared for this kelpie, this nightmare horse in the guise of a man. It went against all she knew. Being here, in this room, sensing with such clarity the pain of a man she'd just met. All she knew seemed to be irrelevant.

They were heading down the hall now, directly towards her room. Elloreah got to her feet, pulling the door open. John and Mingan were bloodied, shirtless, Mingan in nothing more than boxers. Both looked haggard from their night out. Elloreah could only guess at what they had done.

It was Mingan's pain that drew her attention once more as they neared. She compulsively reached for him, asking, "What happened?"

Her fingertips brushed his fevered flesh, wishing nothing more than calm and rest for him. In that instant, she took in his pain, his anger, his annoyance, absorbing it in a way she had not realized she was able. She staggered back, catching the wall, breath coming heavy in sudden exhaustion.

"Come on," Sarah urged, taking Elloreah by the arm. "You'll have to bunk with Maggie."

Elloreah allowed herself to be guided into the room where Maggie lay, thankfully, still asleep in a tangle of blankets on a pull out bed. Elloreah sighed at the sight of the woman, sympathy overwhelming her reluctance to help. She turned to Sarah, feeling the fatigue of the night overwhelming the plump, petite blonde.

"I'll take care of her if she wakes," Elloreah reassured the exhausted Sarah. "Get some sleep."

Sarah smiled and hugged Elloreah tightly. Elloreah found herself blinking back tears. How could it be that she'd know this woman for less than a day and already she felt so close to her? Elloreah returned the embrace, taking in the earthy scent of the motherly woman, the tender softness of her embrace.

It was her talent, she decided. Unchecked, unmoderated, she felt so much more now than she ever had back home. She was thankful to be surrounded by good people in this time of transition.

Her opinion of this world would have been much less generous had she ended up in the clutches of the monsters that had found her before Mingan had come to her rescue.

Sarah helped her to adjust the blankets and settle into the spot on the bed next to Maggie. The dark haired woman stirred, but only briefly. Once Elloreah had settled she put a soothing hand on Maggie's head.

The woman sighed, stilled, and slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. Elloreah pillowed her head on her arms, staring up at the ceiling. She trembled with exhaustion from her encounter with Mingan. Every use of her abilities weighed on her, some acts more than others.