Elizabeth pulled her cape closed over her thick nightgown, thankful for the extra layer as she left the stone halls, watching the frost on the bare branches of a shrub melt as she let out a breath. The thin layer of snow glittered in the full moon, the black sky speckled with stars and clouds. Her heart skipped a beat when she caught a scent on the breeze, and she turned to see Justin standing behind her, similarly dressed and gazing at her with longing in his eyes. He closed the distance between them and swept her up, holding her tightly.
He didn't speak, and she could feel his heart thumping as she clung to him. It felt like an eternity before his grip loosened, her nose brushing his as she pulled back to look at him.
"I saw Jonathan," she said quietly, breathlessly. "He told me not to be afraid, or to feel guilty. He understands."
He nodded.
"Alice came to me, too," he returned softly. "She told me the truth, that there was no murder, and that I shouldn't let guilt hold me back."
He nuzzled her nose with his, her trembling fingers tightening on the edges of his cape as he tenderly cradled the back of her head. His breath was hot against her lips as he leaned closer, only for him to nearly drop her as he jerked in shock. He put a hand to the back of his head, hissing through his teeth as his fingers caught on something, his eyes going wide when he saw what it was.
"Oh no," he set her down fast, pushing her toward the colony entrance. "Get inside, Elizabeth. Hurry!"
He cried out again, and Elizabeth darted into the hall, tripping on her nightgown as she heard him fall in the snow outside, feeling a sharp tug on her tail as she tried to flee.
"Sorry, Mrs. Brisby," a low voice menaced, the weight that had trapped her pressing down harder. She tried to scream, only for a vicious hand to clamp tightly around her mouth. "But you've caused enough trouble already, and I won't leave you around to get in the way again."
A thick cloth blocked her face, filling her nose with a heavy, bitter scent, the world slowly fading as she tried to hold her breath against it, her vision going quickly black when she no longer could.
The last thing she felt was a dulled prick at the back of her neck.
Justin groaned, tasting salt and copper, mixed with an odd flavor he couldn't place. His head was spinning, but he had to get up, he had to make sure Elizabeth was all right.
I have to find her, he jumped to his feet, grunting in pain as his shoulders snapped back. He tugged, feeling rough rope around his wrists, just too thick for him to break; his hands were almost numb as they bumped against a sturdy pole. He looked around, realizing where he was, wondering how he could have ended up bound in a small, deserted hut. The last thing he remembered was telling Elizabeth to run, after feeling a sharp pain at the back of his head. He had recognized the dart from his guard training, a small, carved projectile coated with the strongest sedative their doctors could develop, used against the predators they hadn't been able to chase off.
He breathed deeply to calm himself, his hackles rising when he recognized the scent that coated this place. He should have known she wasn't done causing trouble for them yet.
"Sorry about drugging you so heavily, sweetheart," Yasmin ducked through the cloth-covered entrance, a bloated satchel hanging at her side. "But I had to make sure you stayed asleep long enough for me to get everything settled."
She went to the pit in the center of the round room and lit the fire, hanging a variety of tied plant sprigs from hooks on the low ceiling, then went to a barrel and dumped the rest of the bag's contents, a collection of nuts and seeds.
"Where's Elizabeth," he demanded, keeping a close eye on her every move. He could feel the bark wall with his fingertips, but there was still enough room for her to step behind him and try something. She scowled at him, then huffed.
"If you must know, I gave her exactly what she wanted," she started to sharpen a knife, likely stolen from the colony kitchen. "I found a trap left by NIMH and threw her in it. She's on her way there by now."
His chest tightened. NIMH had been in the valley? And worse, they had Elizabeth!
"They have no idea the rest of you are here, if that's what you're worried about," she continued, chopping up a large grain of rice. "They were on the outer edge of the valley, as close as they could get without breaking human laws."
She swept the pieces neatly into a large black pot, then grabbed a dried chunk of carrot and started dicing.
"I brought you here first, though, since I know I can't take you in a fight. That's when I have you another dose of sedative, to make sure you didn't wake up before I got back."
She cut up a few more vegetables, added some broth and set it on a grill over the fire.
"I'm not letting you go, of course," she sat down, her eyes glinting hauntingly as she stared at him over the flames. "I was planning on ambushing you from the start, but being able to get rid of her at the same time was just too good to pass up."
She stirred the pot, breathing deeply as she smiled appreciatively.
"I had to get a new place to live after your son found me, of course," she went on. "We're far enough now that our scents will never reach the colony, and it won't be much longer until they think you're dead. Then I'll finally have you all to myself, just as it was always meant to be."
She stood, untying the braided cord at her waist, letting the shapeless burlap she wore fall to the floor behind her. Justin's stomach churned, and he turned away. She looked the same as she had in the ballroom, and he briefly wondered how she'd been able to accomplish everything she had claimed.
"It snowed last night, too, so they'll never find the trails we left," she sat on her knees and threw herself against him. "All we need now is some kids of our own, and we'll have the life we were always meant to have!"
He growled, throwing her off as best he could, keeping a defensive stance as her empty gaze chilled him to the bone.
"I guess it is kind of early for that," she picked up her robe and got dressed, smoothing the rough fabric over her hips. "We should at least wait until they've called off the search for you, then we won't have to worry about being interrupted."
She went back to the pot and stirred it, staying silent until she took it off the blaze and set it on a nearby stone.
"I made your favorite," she spooned a portion into a large bowl, nearly filling it to the top. "Rice and hazelnut!"
She came over and sat on her knees, holding a spoonful against his lips. It did smell quite delicious, and his traitorous stomach growled, even with the idea of eating anything she'd made being enough to make him sick. But he knew he'd never escape if he didn't keep up his strength.
"That's it, sweetheart," she smiled as he ate, even with him all but snarling at her. "Eat as much as you want, I made the entire pot just for you!"
He soon finished the bowl, and tried to get a better idea of his bindings as she went to refill it. The pole was buried in the ground, and from what he could tell, didn't quite reach the ceiling. He was sure he could twist it free if he had enough time, and chewing through the ropes wouldn't be an issue. He just hoped he'd still have use of his hands, since he couldn't be sure how long he'd have to wait to put his plan into action, and he knew she'd never risk untying him.
"I really don't get what you see in Mrs. Brisby," she said when she came back. "She's just a mouse, for one thing, and she's not even from NIMH! Why would you want to be with someone who's just going to die in a year, anyway?"
He wondered if she'd already forgotten what she'd done with Elizabeth, and he wouldn't be surprised if she had. Her memory had always been terrible when it came to things that didn't affect her directly, and Elizabeth's whereabouts were clearly no longer worth remembering.
"I mean, yeah, she warned us that NIMH was coming to the farm, I guess, but she's also the reason Jenner almost killed you," she stirred the bowl, steam rising off the surface. "And that was after we already had to waste our time moving that stupid block. Why couldn't she have just moved?"
She rolled her eyes, Justin hissing through his teeth when soup splashed across his cheek. She didn't notice, focused solely on her rant.
"So she might have lost one of her kids, so what? She would have still had the other three."
He wished he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he had learned about this side of her a long time ago, she truly loathed any children she hadn't given birth to. It was just one of many reasons he had broken it off with her.
Don't worry, Elizabeth, he vowed silently. I'll come find you as soon as I can, I promise.
Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and looked around, her heart stopping when she saw she was in a small cage, the floor covered in wood shavings, with a ceramic food dish in the corner and a water bottle spout coming through a hole in the solid metal door. Even without feeling the hard plastic collar around her neck, it didn't take long to figure out where she was.
"I'm at NIMH," she said to herself, oddly less frightened than she had thought she would be. She wondered if it had to do with the fact she'd get to truly understand what Jonathan had gone through, providing a type of closure getting to say goodbye to him couldn't accomplish. It would also mean she'd get to see her children grow, once Justin could come for her.
Justin, she held her hands to her chest, remembering how he had held her that night, how she had felt the kind of bliss she had longed for since learning Jon was never coming home. The last thing she remembered was seeing that dark figure loom above her, after hearing the panic in his voice as he had told her to run. She prayed that he was safe, not wanting Odin to lose his father, or the colony to lose another leader. She knew who that shadow had been, and briefly wondered why Yasmin hadn't killed her.
Justin would never accept her if she did, she realized, not that there was much chance of him accepting her regardless. She thought that scientists from NIMH must have been close to the valley, as she was sure Yasmin wouldn't be able to find the labs on her own, much less fly there and get her inside. She feared that Justin had been taken captive as well, trying to calm herself with the fact it wouldn't take him long to escape. He had been in worse situations, after all, and she knew he kept his skills sharp, having seen him train with the guard on more than one occasion. He would come for her in the spring just as they had planned, she just had to have faith.
I know, all that wait for a relatively short chapter, but I just could not figure out where else to go with it, so I finally decided to just post it. It's still better than nothing, right?
