It gets a little messy

It’s now or never! Lux closes the distance towards Gill before he can gather his senses, not caring that she makes a bit of noise – he’s still straining to hear what’s going on with his comrades further back past the trees.

She darts in, pixie lance in hand – hoping one touch will be enough. Gill’s eyes barely have time to widen as Lux’s invisibility unravels, in the same moment that the lance strikes true. A haze of glittering dust shimmers around him.

Gill stumbles slightly, looking at her, confused. Then – nothing. Lux’s heart sinks. That’s right – he has elven blood in him. That’s going to make this –

He throws a wild punch. She stumbles to dodge out of the way, trying to regain balance. Now she’s lost the advantage of surprise.

– tricky. Yeah.

She still has her magic – but she doesn’t want to really hurt him. Charms won’t work, Juniper said so. Trapping him in a web will just make it harder to get him away from here.

Her main advantage now is that he’s sluggish, uncoordinated. Maybe he’s fighting the control from the inside. She needs to get through to him.

“Gill,” she calls out, “Please, you have to listen to me – ”

His face contorts in confusion that turns to anger. He springs forward, making a grab at her. The last thing she needs is a physical contest between him and her five-foot-nothing self.

“Gill? That’s your name, right? Do you remember me? Think, please…”

Still nothing. Lux holds still, on her toes waiting for his next move. He makes a sudden lunge forward –

With a shout, Lux unleashes a spark of power – the most minor of her spells. She has to shield her eyes as a burst of light flares brightly in the air – right in front of Gill’s face. Dazzled, he staggers, barely keeping to his feet.

Before he can regain balance, Lux dives in with her full weight, a tackle that brings him heavily to the ground. If he managed to roll her over, she’d be in trouble, but for now he’s still dazed, writhing. Now or never.

“Gill!” She grabs his flailing arms, pinning them as well as she can against the forest floor. “Gill, listen to me. Athisz is controlling you. She’s in your head. Fight her!”

For a moment, Gill freezes, his gaze meeting hers. His eyes are glazed and unfocused, but they twitch with a flicker of emotion – conflict – pain.

“Athisz…promised us.” He struggles to get the words out, his tongue thick in his mouth. “A new home. A place to belong.”

“She lied,” Lux says softly. “I’m sorry.”

“All I wanted,” Gill mumbles. “Home. Place to belong. Place where I’m wanted…”

“I’m sorry,” Lux says again. “But I know a place where we can go. Where you’ll be welcomed. Will you come with me?”

He stares at her, as if not understanding her words. Lost, helpless, tears in his eyes. He has to be trying to fight his way through the bonds of the spell. If only Lux could help him, somehow…

Without even knowing what she’s doing, she leans down slowly, her lips meeting his. A small surface kiss first, but she feels his body react – a tremble of need, one that resonates in her. She leans into the kiss, sliding her tongue into his unresisting mouth; resting her weight on him now, her heavy breasts pressing against his strong chest. She feels him weakly put his arms around her…