Chapter 2-

I ran straight for the healer hall, my mind reeling with the recent, terrifying memories that I'd just encountered. My mind didn't seem capable of understanding what had just happened and I felt surprisingly weak, every bone in my body aching. I didn't understand why I was in such agony, or why my head was throbbing painfully like it was going to explode.

I had a sudden vision of the herder falling to the ground in dreamlike slowness, the girl crying uncontrollably in Ceirwan's arms and the Demon band clasped tightly in my hand. As I kept reliving the dream-like moments playing over in my mind, my head was spinning so fast it blurred my vision. Suddenly, the memories sped up and I saw something else, another vision, although this one was completely different and one I had not personally experienced. It was as if I was reliving someone else's memories in a dream.

I saw a very pretty girl talking to a young man who had his back to me. I didn't recognize her straight away as she looked clean and healthy but it was defiantly the girl who had killed the herder as her eyes were unmistakeably like Rushton's and she had the same long, black hair when I had seen her. It surprised me to see how beautiful she looked and what a difference it made for her as she didn't look as skinny and lifeless as she had when I had met her. The man she was talking to pressed a small envelope in her hand and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Be careful Rosalind," he said desperately in a strangely familiar accent.

She tried to smile bravely at him but her mouth twitched nervously.

She covered quickly saying cheekily, "I promise you, I'll give this to your Elf".

I gasped, shocked and saw for the first time in my view, Matthew smile shakily at her.

"Gilaine said to farseek her when the coast is clear OK? Just promise me you won't do anything… ye know… stupid" Matthew said tentatively.

Rosalind laughed but her eyes looked raw with sadness.

"Matthew I promise. I'll miss you…" she stopped and looked around her desperately.

"It's them! Hurry Rose!" he said pushing her away frantically. The last thing I saw was Matthew's face wrought with despair and hopelessness and I wondered what had happened to them.

Without warning the memory swirled before my eyes and slowly changed into another.

This time I saw Rosalind locked in a cell; chains and shackles bound her tiny arms and legs. She looked just as I had met her near Obernewtyn though her face was brighter and her eyes full of life compared to her tortured physique. Her eyes were closed and her head lolled on her shoulders as if she were asleep but her eyes flickered and I knew she was pretending. The sound of heavy boots trudged up an old, rickety staircase in the distance and became louder as they came closer to Rosalind's cell. The footsteps echoed all around the cell and the wall of sound felt stifling as if it was pressing in on us. The sound of the boots was slow and sluggish as if the person was carrying something incredibly heavy.

Rosalind's eyes opened suddenly and sparked maliciously with disgust. She didn't struggle against her chains and it looked as if she had given up fighting a long time ago. Impossible as it is, it felt as if for a moment she looked right at me, even though it was a memory as I could feel her send feelings of bravery, compassion and happiness. I could feel her delving into her own favourite memories as if she knew what was coming and was preparing herself for whatever the guard coming to her cell would do to her. He finally reached her gate and fumbling with a key in one hand I saw that he had a three-tailed whip and an axe in his right hand. I started to feel sick, but Rosalind sent more empathy and her bravery made unexpected tears fall down my cheeks. When the guard finally opened the cell he walked over to Rosalind. Suddenly the candles lighting the room blew out as if a mighty wind swept threw the room and I could see and hear nothing but Rosalind's screams.

"Elspeth!" a startled voice cried, knocking me to my senses.

I opened my eyes hesitantly and saw that I was on the ground. My head was pounding painfully and I jumped when I felt someone's arm on my shoulder.

"Elspeth, it's me." Kella said gently.

She was kneeling beside me stroking my hair, her expression unreadable.

"What… What happened?" I asked her, pushing away her hand and trying to pull myself up.

She pushed me back down to the ground and gave me something out of her pocket.

"Eat this, it's just some herbs but it'll make your head feel better".

I ate them because I knew Kella would make me and pulled myself up to her level. The herbs must of worked straight away because my head felt clearer and wasn't painful anymore.

"See" she said imperiously with a smile. Her eyes swept over my blood stained clothes and the demon band clasped tightly in my hands.

"Lud, what happened Elspeth?" she said, her smile fading immediately.

I got up with Kella's help and made her hurry and follow me to where I had left Ceirwan and Rosalind.

Rosalind was laying limp in Ceirwan's arms, her pale skin alarmingly bright in the intense sunlight. Her tiny hands hung listlessly by her side and I realised her powers would of drained what little energy was left in her skeletal, lifeless body. I didn't notice before how malnourished she looked; especially know that I had seen what she looked like before. I was confused by the memories I had seen of her, as I had not been in contact with Rosalind and it seemed so strange and impossible that I relived some of her memories. I was explaining to Kella what I had seen but Ceirwan interrupted us.

"She fainted." Ceirwan whispered when Kella and I came closer, as if she were only resting.

I knelt down beside the strange, beautiful girl, wondering how all this had come about. Ceirwan looked at me worriedly.

"I was scared ye weren't coming back Elspeth. Something weird happened." He paused, looking down at her, his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"She kind of went into a trance. I could feel waves of empathy coming out from her and…and she kept talking aloud. Saying your name Elspeth".

I stared down at her and was again confused at her powers. She had to have been the most powerful and unusual misfit we had ever met.

"I don't get it Ceirwan. She knows Matthew… she was in the land of Red Queen… she's Rushton's sister. It doesn't make sense to me" I said, my head started to throb again.

Kella's mouth opened and closed as if she didn't know what to say.

"There's only one thing we can do." Ceirwan whispered.

"Take her to Rushton." I said.