Alixanna flinched when the blanket was pulled off, trying to shy away from the other presence. Before the medic could completely recoil, a hand covered her face and the toxic sludge retreated. The process left her gasping greedily as her lungs were finally able to draw in unobstructed breaths once more. When her pupils had contracted enough for Alixanna to be able to focus, the brunette tried to take in her captor. [i]'Gorgeous,'[/i] her mind supplied, unhelpfully. She couldn't quite pin down the details of her face. [i]'Must be magic,'[/i] the doctor's daughter thought as her captor looked her over. Alixanna swallowed hard as the other told her that they are going to see her master.

Then the wagon began to move again and the healer was left to stare up at the tree tops. They continue like this for a while, until they stopped and the woman returned. She untied Alixanna’s feet, but left her hands bound before leading her out of the back of the cart, her grip surprisingly gentle. “Look. He awaits us,” her captor said, voice changing timbre as she gestured to the center of the bog.

Alixanna shifted her gaze to the middle of swamp and didn't see anything at first. “Wha--,” the teen started to ask, her voice still scratchy, but then she saw it, a beast that stood as tall as a man, covered in the marshland’s foliage and its jowls parted, revealing yellowed and impossibly sharp teeth. [i]’God’s have mercy,’[/i] she thought, transfixed by the monster. It spoke to the other woman, but the only words that registered were ‘dread king’.

The lion drew closer, his snout almost pressed against her face as he asked, "Does my witch... speak the truth, child? Will your soul cleanse mine?" 

Alixanna stared into the creature’s eyes and reflected in the evil orbs were only death and misery. The medic trembled. The witch said something else and the dread king’s eyes widened, pinning Alixanna where she stood. A wave of nausea fell over her and Alixanna’s mind was filled with images of the lion feasting on young maidens and crushing the skulls of children in his hideous jaws, all while they were still crying for their mothers. The beast looked away and Alixanna bit her lip so hard to keep from screaming that she could taste blood.

The dread king disappeared into the bog’s depths and the cloaked woman said, "I will give you a five minute headstart." 

Alixanna waited until the woman and her cart are almost out of sight, trying to even out her breathing so she didn't pass out. [i]’I’ll never out run anybody like this,’[/i] she thought, her toes flexing in the damp clay. [i]’Barefoot, hands tied, and this nightdress is like a gods damn beacon,’[/i] Alixanna sneered down at the nightgown as if it were to blame for this situation. 

Disoriented, Alixanna picked a direction and started walking, struggling to be brisk and keep her balance at the same time. A broken tree branch scratched her bicep and she hissed, glancing down at the torn material of her sleeve and the blood that flowed from the small wound. She felt the warm buzz of her magic as her skin glowed a pale gold and started to knit together, but the blood was still vibrant against the white of her nightdress. 

It gave her an idea.

Alixanna rammed her shoulder as hard as she could against the sharp point of the broken branch, forcing it to pierce her flesh and create a deep gorge. “Hurhg,” she hummed through the pain, concentrating on stopping the magic that naturally bubbled forth to stop the bleeding.  “The rangers can’t miss this,” she murmured as she ran the injured shoulder over the trunk of a willow tree, leaving behind a smear of blood. This Ogar person would surely see it too, but they were going to catch her anyways.

Alixanna continued walking; smearing her blood over every tree and bush she passed by.