The spirits dashed at Anastasia but just before they were near her mouth, she became corporeal.
"Natsya!" she heard his voice and opened her eyes with relief.
Ileus ran to her and hugged her tightly. Breathless and panting, he picked her up with shaky hands and wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders. "Oh god, oh god!" he rasped. His heart thundered so loud that even she could hear it. He walked up to a tree nearby, pressed her against it, wedged her thigh between her legs and sagged against her. He was struggling to find the right words, so he buried his face in the crook of her neck and said something incoherent, "Vere dewd uo oo," which perhaps meant, where did you go. He uttered a soft curse.
