Her flimsy white dress blew out around her in the wind as Lela hugged her arms to her chest, wishing desperately that she'd brought a coat. Trees towered over her alongside the path but did little to block the wind, they were mostly leafless this time of year. She shivered and pulled her arms tighter around herself, thinking fleetingly of going home but instantly rejecting the idea.
Something about the wording in the letter she received held her here. The things it said had sounded ridiculous but it seemed almost deadly serious. So she stood here in the moonlight at the entrance to the forest just outside town, waiting for midnight to strike. Perhaps she was the ridiculous one. She wasn't missing a chance to gain the power the letter had mentioned though. Even if it would involve this. You must be prepared to give yourself to a man entirely, the letter had stated. If this was some cheap ploy to get her in bed she'd kill whoever was behind it, but if they could actually give her the power they promised... she smiled despite the cold. It would all be worth it then.
A jacket would have at least made the waiting bearably but her instructions had been very clear. Wear only a single white dress and dark shoes, nothing else, but you may wear any jewelry you want. Odd instructions she thought, but it was worth going through some discomfort for what she had been promised. Another shiver caught her and she thought again that she should have brought a coat. It could have even been white.
She was wearing one of the only white dresses she owned, it wasn't really her color. The dress was sleeveless with thin spaghetti straps that came down into a V-shape over her ample breasts. It tightened around her waist before flaring out into a lace cut-out patter as it reached almost to her feet. At least it offered her legs some small protection from the wind. She had on black flats which were already dirty enough she was probably going to throw them out when she got home. Her long jet-black hair hung down just past her shoulders. She felt uncomfortable with it loose like this. She always kept it tightly tied up at work. Far be it for any of those bastards to see anything feminine about her.
She gritted her teeth just thinking about the office. The only thing worse than the glass ceiling was enduring the lecherous glances those morons gave her. As if she was too stupid to see it! They weren't even subtle enough to wait until her back was turned half of the time. Making the hour-long drive from her small town into the city was hell in the morning, thinking about what she'd have to put up with.
Thinking about the times someone would grab her ass on the way out of a conference room, or accidentally brush a hand against her chest in the elevator, made her mad enough to forget the cold. The only time she'd dared to complain her boss had told her in no uncertain terms that she'd have to learn to deal with her coworkers if she wanted to keep working here. She'd show him though, that asshole. She'd show all of them.
A bird's call and a flutter of wings from a tree nearby startled her enough that she flinched, jerking her arms up towards her head. A crow burst out from the forest and soared up into the dark sky above her until it was lost. She lowered her arms and breathed a sigh of relief. This was getting to her too much; maybe it was time to forget about it.
"Lela, we are ready for you," a deep male voice came from the woods. She jumped again, her heartbeat racing. She hadn't heard anyone approach. She turned back toward the woods and saw two figures standing on the path leading into the trees, both wearing full-length black robes with hoods drawn up over their heads. In the moonlight she couldn't make out any details of their faces.
"You kept me waiting long enough," she said sharply, trying to cover her fear, "let's go."
"Not so fast," the other figure spoke, raising his head slightly and bringing up his hands. In them Lela could see what looked like rope.
"I can walk myself," she said quickly, taking a step back. What was she getting herself into?
"You must be bound for the journey," the other figure said, "however we will do nothing against your will."
He raised an arm, the hand barely visible at the end of a long black sleeve, and pointed back the way she'd come. "You may leave now if you wish, and no one will speak of this to you again."
"No," she said, struggling to make her heart stop beating so far, "No I'm ready."
The figure holding the rope walked around behind her and she stood still, peering at the other figure. She hoped figure out what he looked like but it was impossible without more light. She felt her hands pulled back behind her and tied together gently but firmly. The ropes were smooth and didn't hurt her wrists. As the man tying her finished she gave an experimental tug at the knot but the ropes didn't budge at all. Smooth but strong. She wouldn't be getting out of this herself.
She had to bite back panic again as a cloth strip descended over her field of vision. She could feel him tying it behind her head so it fit snugly over her eyes.
"Is the really necessary?" She asked, her voice sounding higher than she meant it to.
"Do you want to leave?" A voice came from in front of her.
"No," she said again, lowering her head with a resigned sigh. Apparently that was all she was going to get out of them. If they thought they could bully her for long they'd have another thing coming. She'd show everyone when all this was over.
She felt a hand on each of her shoulders and she was pulled forwards. She stumbled and the hands tightened on her arms, keeping her upright until she regained her footing. She blew to move a strand of hair that had drifted in front of her face and started again, stepping carefully with the hands guiding her. She walked slowly, holding herself back, afraid of tripping completely or running into a tree. After a few yards she loosened up and began to walk faster, begrudgingly trusting the invisible hands to guide her.
They walked for what seemed like ages, going in a direction she thought was deeper into the woods. She tried to ask a question once but was greeted with silence from both sides and didn't try again. A few times her feet caught against a root or a rock in the path and she stumbled but each time the men holding her arms kept her upright. She thanked them the first time but after getting only silence in return she didn't bother the next few times.
Wonder and anxiety had finally started to turn to boredom when at last they pulled her to a stop. She could feel warmth coming from somewhere ahead and hear what sounded like a fire crackling.
"Who are you?" a voice came from somewhere in front of her. The man on her right prodded her roughly in the side and she stepped forward, surprised.
"Lela Norwood," she said, her voice shaking.
"What is your name?" the voice ahead of her repeated.
"Lela Norwood," she said with more certainty.
"What is your name?" the voice said again, louder this time.
Lela turned her head to look back and forth, as if she could somehow see the answer through her blindfold. With a sinking heart she realized what they wanted.
