516
Summer 70
Summer 70
Like a dancing, black smudge on a light blue canvas, the bird swooped, dove, and then soared; disappeared beyond the tree line; reappearing above a chime later to continue the acrobatic display.
Shiress lowered her eyes back to Kabrin road, frowning and shaking her head, "I have no vegetables or anything else for you, bird." She mumbled. The bird swooped lower yet, pulling up at the last moment, soaring straight up, arched, then disappeared into the trees.
crazy creature..
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"Is it her?' A balding, portly man asked, as he stood, turning to face a rustle in the underbrush, his thick fingers swiping sweat from a creased brow. "Aye, just as you said it would be." The reply came from a tall, slender man, with sharp features and a mop of dark, stringy hair, stepping into the small clearing, struggling to sling a robe around boney shoulders. 'What of the patrol?" The husky man asked. "Passed by half a chime ago." The man nodded to the reply and sat, motioning a hand over his shoulder. "And her?" The tall man turned to look at the motionless form of a woman, lying sprawled in the grass, beneath a tree."Leave her for the animals, aint got no time for a burying. Throw some leaves and sticks on her. She won't be missed, but hurry, we need to meet that wagon"
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Shiress swayed lazily with the motion of the wagon, her long chestnut colored hair pulled back into a careless tail. She wore a simple pale shift, of which the skirt was hiked scandalously high above her knees, and a leather vest, presently unlaced and gloriously exposing a sweat sheened chest. She had thought leaving the outpost earlier in the day, rather than later, would prove less heat. She was wrong. And at this very moment, there was no one she hated more than Kevith and nothing she hated more than deliveries.
Green eyes forward, gaze lost in thought, the barmaid fought back the urge to whip the horse in a full run just to feel a little breeze. She grinned at the thought of the small, ancient wagon falling to pieces beneath her, as she gloried in the wind though her hair.
Her bemusement left abruptly, however, and she tensed at the sight of two men walking down the road toward her, one tall and thin, the other short and round. Granted, it wasn't that odd to see others on the well traveled Kabrin road, but these two had no horses, and worse, had no travel bags. Shiress slid the skirt of her dress over the sheathed dagger on her thigh and tugged the reins for the horse to pull the cart to the opposite side of the road, giving the strangers a wide berth. She nodded an uneasy smile at the men, as she drew closer, drawing in a breath for a sigh of relief as the two seemingly passed by without so much as a glance in her direction. The breath caught in her throat, though, as the shorter man, quicker than he appeared, stepped out and grabbed the bridle of her horse, stopping the wagon.
"I have nothing in here! I have already made my delivery!" she announced, wincing at the quiver in her voice. "Not interested in your load" the man holding the horse said, the corner of his mouth curling upward. He glanced to his friend and nodded. Shiress shot a glance to the thin man, as he trailed along side the wagon, then back to the one speaking. "What do you want then? I have nothing to offer.." The wagon lurched heavily to one side, taking Shiress off guard. Dropping the reins, she fumbled viciously with her skirt, trying to disentangle the hem to get at her dagger, but a strong arm around her chest from behind made her freeze. The thin man squeezed, cutting off the air to her lungs, as he leaned down, pressing his lips to ear. "We want you..."
The man jerked.
Shiress felt pain.
Then nothing.
--------------------------
The man pulled Shiress' limp body to the back of the wagon, as the shorter of the two took her place on the bench. Looking around, the man jerked hard on the reins and lead the horse off the road and through a thicket of trees. There, he unleashed the horse with a slap to the backside. He watched the horse bolt for the tree line, then turned to the man leaning over Shiress "We've wasted time, she'll be here soon." he gestured impatiently toward Shiress' unmoving form. "Get her prepared, tie her up, and see if you cant revive her. Wouldn't do to try and sell an unconscious slave, now would it..."
Shiress lowered her eyes back to Kabrin road, frowning and shaking her head, "I have no vegetables or anything else for you, bird." She mumbled. The bird swooped lower yet, pulling up at the last moment, soaring straight up, arched, then disappeared into the trees.
crazy creature..
-----------------------------
"Is it her?' A balding, portly man asked, as he stood, turning to face a rustle in the underbrush, his thick fingers swiping sweat from a creased brow. "Aye, just as you said it would be." The reply came from a tall, slender man, with sharp features and a mop of dark, stringy hair, stepping into the small clearing, struggling to sling a robe around boney shoulders. 'What of the patrol?" The husky man asked. "Passed by half a chime ago." The man nodded to the reply and sat, motioning a hand over his shoulder. "And her?" The tall man turned to look at the motionless form of a woman, lying sprawled in the grass, beneath a tree."Leave her for the animals, aint got no time for a burying. Throw some leaves and sticks on her. She won't be missed, but hurry, we need to meet that wagon"
--------------------------
Shiress swayed lazily with the motion of the wagon, her long chestnut colored hair pulled back into a careless tail. She wore a simple pale shift, of which the skirt was hiked scandalously high above her knees, and a leather vest, presently unlaced and gloriously exposing a sweat sheened chest. She had thought leaving the outpost earlier in the day, rather than later, would prove less heat. She was wrong. And at this very moment, there was no one she hated more than Kevith and nothing she hated more than deliveries.
Green eyes forward, gaze lost in thought, the barmaid fought back the urge to whip the horse in a full run just to feel a little breeze. She grinned at the thought of the small, ancient wagon falling to pieces beneath her, as she gloried in the wind though her hair.
Her bemusement left abruptly, however, and she tensed at the sight of two men walking down the road toward her, one tall and thin, the other short and round. Granted, it wasn't that odd to see others on the well traveled Kabrin road, but these two had no horses, and worse, had no travel bags. Shiress slid the skirt of her dress over the sheathed dagger on her thigh and tugged the reins for the horse to pull the cart to the opposite side of the road, giving the strangers a wide berth. She nodded an uneasy smile at the men, as she drew closer, drawing in a breath for a sigh of relief as the two seemingly passed by without so much as a glance in her direction. The breath caught in her throat, though, as the shorter man, quicker than he appeared, stepped out and grabbed the bridle of her horse, stopping the wagon.
"I have nothing in here! I have already made my delivery!" she announced, wincing at the quiver in her voice. "Not interested in your load" the man holding the horse said, the corner of his mouth curling upward. He glanced to his friend and nodded. Shiress shot a glance to the thin man, as he trailed along side the wagon, then back to the one speaking. "What do you want then? I have nothing to offer.." The wagon lurched heavily to one side, taking Shiress off guard. Dropping the reins, she fumbled viciously with her skirt, trying to disentangle the hem to get at her dagger, but a strong arm around her chest from behind made her freeze. The thin man squeezed, cutting off the air to her lungs, as he leaned down, pressing his lips to ear. "We want you..."
The man jerked.
Shiress felt pain.
Then nothing.
--------------------------
The man pulled Shiress' limp body to the back of the wagon, as the shorter of the two took her place on the bench. Looking around, the man jerked hard on the reins and lead the horse off the road and through a thicket of trees. There, he unleashed the horse with a slap to the backside. He watched the horse bolt for the tree line, then turned to the man leaning over Shiress "We've wasted time, she'll be here soon." he gestured impatiently toward Shiress' unmoving form. "Get her prepared, tie her up, and see if you cant revive her. Wouldn't do to try and sell an unconscious slave, now would it..."