Chapter 29: Chapter TWENTY NINE

After telling her friends that she was going to the bathroom to freshen up, Mia had gone into the halls of the castle, escaping the surveillance of the Vila. She knew it wasn't very clever, but she convinced herself that she had nothing to fear when she saw a few professors patrolling the hall and around the castle.

And she had a good reason to want to escape her bodyguard for a few moments. His intoxicating smell didn't seem to want to leave her nostrils anymore, even when he was a few meters away from her. She had limited herself to a reasonable amount of alcohol, but the relaxation she felt after her second drink made her turn off her brain and want to jump on the vila as if her life depended on it.

A few students passed her when she pushed open the bathroom door and the young human found herself alone in the room. She sprinkled a few drops of water on her face to look good before an urgent need caused by the frozen liquid pushed her to join one of the toilets. Her sigh of relief was cut off by a quiet voice. She hadn't heard the door open.

"Are you sure she came here?"

A shiver ran up her spine. A wave of anguish crashed into her stomach as her breathing and heart quickened.

Shit! What do I do now?

Holding her breath, Mia silently pulled her feet up on the toilet to conceal her presence. Footsteps resonated and a first cabin was opened. It was the first on the right, opposite the door, the farthest from hers.

Breathe, think, she repeated to herself, trying to control her breathing. There is a window to my right as I come out of the cabinet which overlooks the back of the chateau. This is my only possible exit. But by the time I manage to open it... They will catch me...

And as if a higher force had heard her prayers, a loud knock knock echoed through the room, followed by someone trying to open the door.

"Hey, asshole! Open the door or I'll call a teacher!" shouted an annoyed female voice.

"What the fuck is he doing? Shouldn't he be stopping the others from getting in?"

The sounds of footsteps scrutinizing the cabinets moved away for a few moments to whisper two or three words to his partner. One of her assailants opened the door to the room to inquire about the situation. It was her moment. If she had understood correctly what was happening, there were three of them. Two who guarded the door on each side and the one who searched the toilets. This one had just joined his comrade in front of the door, which left her enough time to attempt to run away.

Neither one nor two, she discreetly pushed open the cabinet door and frantically put her hands on the window latch. In two seconds, a cool breeze greeted her. Without looking back, she climbed, both palms on the ledge to pull herself up through the opening.

"Don't think you can escape!" a voice screamed behind her back as a hand closed painfully around her ankle.

In a survival reflex, she threw her foot back to crush the face of her attacker. He tried to grab hold of her leg by digging his nails into her flesh, but Mia managed to free herself with a second kick. On the other side of the window, she stumbled in her haste and fell palms first onto the damp grass.

"Fucking bitch! She almost broke my nose!"

"Stop complaining! Lock the door, it'll make him lose time!"

Mia didn't wait to hear the last words of the male voice to run away. Even though she was a few seconds ahead, she knew they were running faster than her. And they knew it too. Along the way, she quickly threw off her wedge heels which slowed her escape.

I won't have time to go around the castle... Damn, I'm so stupid thinking I can escape these creatures...

Her footsteps brought her back to the edge of the forest. She didn't hesitate and plunged into the darkness, sinking between the trees, zigzagging between their imposing roots. She was already out of breath, but her survival instinct was pushing her to keep running. Her feet tugged terribly from running barefoot on the hard ground. The silence of the forest only increased her anxiety, and she finally yielded to the temptation to glance behind her.

A wave of relief swept through her that they weren't after her, but it was short-lived when a hand halted her course, clutching her throat as she turned her head to focus on her path. The grip took her breath away, crushing her airways. A stern look greeted her, and she cursed herself for choosing to go deeper into the forest. She had been warned, however, that the centaurs did not like anyone entering their territory.

"Drop the human, Thorfinn, she's ours," a hooded figure called out, accompanied by two others.

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The centaur released her, letting her crash to the ground, coughing. He moved forward, passing Mia, and was joined by three other centaurs who lined up beside him. Mouth agape, the blonde watched them come to her defense, daring the individuals to move forward. The three attackers backed away and whispered a few words, panicked, before fleeing. Surely they hadn't planned on having to go up against the centaurs in their twisted plan.

Thorfinn grabbed her arm to help her up while his comrades were taking their leave. He gave her a pointed, meaningful look. As if he knew a lot more about the situation than she did.

"Be careful."

And he disappeared, leaving her alone in the middle of the darkness of the forest. Her legs struggled to support her weight and her whole body shook with tremors from the adrenaline and terror she had felt. She had only one desire: to cry all the tears in her body to evacuate her stress and to take refuge under her quilts until the end of her life.

"Mia!" shouted a voice she instantly recognized as Ethan's.

Within seconds, he was at her side. Without even thinking, she put her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent which immediately reassured her. He hugged her back, almost squeezing her tight, but she wasn't complaining. There, surrounded by his arms, she was safe, and that was all that mattered at this moment.

"What happened?" he whispered in her ear.

Mia didn't answer, refusing to rehash the events in her head. She was exhausted, still in shock, and clutched at him as if her life depended on it. He sighed and slipped his arm under her knees to lift her and lay her against his chest. When she didn't protest, only strengthening her embrace, he started to walk out of the forest.

At the edge, a familiar group greeted them, running towards them. Ethan wondered for a moment how they had been able to find them so quickly, but the thought quickly left his brain when he saw the worried looks from the blonde's friends.

"What happened?" Arry asked hysterically.

Again the same question. Still no response.

"Let's go to the infirmary," Lily ordered after looking at Mia.

The fairy led them to a small door on the western facade of the castle, thus saving them from passing through the festivities and the curious eyes of the students. It led to a reserve containing plants, potions, and some pastries and led to the corridor of the fairies' apartments. The place was deserted, much to their relief. Lily led them to Mia's room and motioned for Ethan to put her down on her bed before heading back to the infirmary hall.

There were only two things in her mind at that moment: cling to the Vila as if her life still depended on it and stay in his reassuring embrace and never let go of him.

"It's okay, you're safe here," he whispered, trying to pull the blonde's arms away so she could sit on his bed.

Mechanically, she obeyed, but her panicked look begged him not to move away. Lily came back a minute later with a wet cloth and balm.

"Go home, we'll talk about it tomorrow", Lily ordered the two magicians who left with a nod.

Ethan sat down next to his soul mate, passing a hand around her trembling body and removing the mask that still sat around her eyes. Mia rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, letting Lily clean her wounds and apply the balm. Her short-circuited brain hadn't registered the pain, but the warmth of the remedy engulfing her feet reminded her that she had abrasions covering them entirely. A feeling of well-being spread through her body as the cream worked, relaxing her tense shoulders. When the fairy had finished tending to her wounds, Mia turned and climbed under the quilts, exhausted, not even bothering to undress her ball gown.

"Please stay," she implored the Vila as he was about to get up.

Lily and Ethan shared a goodnight nod before he slipped under the duvets himself after the fairy had closed the door. Lying behind her, he put his arm around her and she retreated deeper into his embrace, pressing her back against his chest.

Within seconds, she fell asleep.

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