David and Fox waited until the Gargoyle clan had gone into their stone hibernation before setting their own plan into motion.
With her shady past and ability to get into any building, Fox would meet a team of movers at Demona's house, and have them crate up and move anything that looked as if it contained a spell.
Books, scrolls, personal diaries… anything. If it was printed in, written on or doodled with crayon, it was coming to the castle.
It would all be packed up and moved here to the castle, where David would transport it all to the dungeons.
From there, Demona could point to what she needed. And they would fetch it for her.
They didn't trust her to not try to escape if they let her out of that iron barred cell, leaving Elisa in the state she was in.
Of course, giving Demona anything with a magical connotation to it was just asking for trouble… but what choice did they have?
Elisa had been moved into a private room in the castle. She was hooked up to an IV line that was giving her fluids to fight off dehydration, and a tube that was giving her nutrients to keep her body going.
Other than blinking, Elisa hadn't reacted to anything, however.
Puck and Alex had taken a crack at reversing the spell, but, much to the irritation of the Fae, they were unable to undo whatever spell Demona had cast.
"The movers will be there in three hours," Fox said, consulting her watch. "I can be there in thirty minutes, and can start going through the house and getting things together.
"Are you sure that you wouldn't like me to come along?" David asked.
"You're needed here," Fox said softly. She gave him a quick kiss to the cheek, then walked swiftly through the door.
David walked down the hallway, stopping in the doorway of Elisa's room and gazed at the woman. It was still hard for him to believe that she was there, in his family's home, after all of their past together.
Mostly fighting, backstabbing and being arrested, but a man was allowed to change, wasn't he?
He took in the surroundings of the room. Heart monitor beeping, brain waves making patterns on the small screen, tubes and cords everywhere.
He shook his head. "This is not how your story ends, detective," He said firmly. "I wonder where you are right now."
With that, he turned and walked away.
He had preparations to make.
-{- -{- -{- -{- -{-
Elisa observed as Nell wandered the stone streets that made up the city surrounding the castle. She'd spent a few of her precious coins on a small round loaf of bread, and some sausages that would give her the first good filling meal in months. She had sacrificed one of the sausages to her cat, but had closed the rest away for the night's meal.
The women had gathered by a well, drawing water for such luxuries as fresh washing water for bodies and clothing. It would be wonderful to have clothing that wasn't rinsed out in the murky waters of a river, and a few of the women had even created special scented cleaners to keep them smelling fresh for a while.
Nell grabbed some of the cleaning powder that smelled of the heather that grew wild around their winter settlement. They traveled a lot, but usually settled in the lowlands, new the English border, to wait out the harshest weeks of winter. It wasn't warmer, but any stretch of the imagination, but it was less harsh than the highland winters.
Elisa shook her head to clear it. Since the first time she'd connected with Nell's thoughts, she'd been getting a near constant flood of information. Thoughts, emotions and physical sensations coursed through her body, making it increasingly difficult to separate her own thoughts and emotions.
One thing had become clear, however… She didn't think this was a dream anymore.
Demona had done something to connect her to this young woman.
For what purpose? Elisa wondered.
Nell claimed her own bucket of water and proceeded to clean a small stock of well-worn clothing. Most were practical everyday wear, but some were clearly fancier than others.
Performance costumes. Elisa's head was flooded with information and images. This band of gypsies provided goods such as their home-made herbal remedies, as well as having some talented members who made coin by performing.
Nell was a dancer. One of the best in her troupe, second only to her friend Menowin.
Winnie, as they called her, was tall, thin and graceful. She was able to enchant audience with her slow, flowing movements, as well as her stunning looks. She was pale skinned with a shock of deep red curly hair that held audiences' attention.
Nell felt like she was almost the opposite in every way. She knew she was not beautiful. Her skin was too dark from days out in the sun. Her hair was thick, straight and black. She was thin, but more muscular from working long days tending the plants and animals the troupe tended.
She was a good dancer, though, and she carried her weight. Her parents had both been gypsy, and she had loved watching them perform. When they had died suddenly almost five years ago, she'd felt lost. Luckily, she'd been allowed to stay on and train to be a performer as well.
And so, here she was at the age of 16, living on her own and earning her own money…
Well, she shared the coin with everyone, but it left her with a little of her own to treat herself whenever she had the chance.
With a sigh, Nell gazed down into the bucket of well water.
Elisa gasped. The hair was less tame and the eyes were a shade of violet, but… it couldn't be.
It was her.