Shiress watched the woman intently as she spoke, her face a mask of confusion. The stranger knew her. Knew her name, where she worked. Knew she had been enslaved.
Shiress licked at dry, cracked lips, her gaze falling to the pot the woman stirred on the fire, then down to blankly study the earth beside her.
A thought, unbidden and horrifying, entered her mind, latching itself there, as wide, green eyes trailed back to where the woman sat.
She has watched me. Preyed on me. Planned
This was all premeditated.
The girl's hopes of escaping began to diminish. If this woman had sought her out, watched her, then this entrapment was not a loosely planned happenstance and her attempt to escaped would have been foreseen. Especially if the woman knew she had escaped full on enslavement.
Shiress' thoughts had drawn her gaze back to the ground and she hadn't noticed the woman had moved, until a brush of red crossed her vision. The girl's head tilted, as green eyes trailed up the tall, slender form before her, lids growing wider and wider, as recognition set in.
Eypharian
Her mouth moved, but words didn't come. She did know this woman. She had worked with this woman. She had...yes. She knew her now.
"The Stallion" she finally managed "You helped me one day at the stallion." Shiress looked away, digging through her memory for a name, but it alluded her jumbled thoughts. "The dancer." she mumbled, at last, eyes darting, as memory pieced itself together.
"I..dont.." Shiress tried again to wet her lips "There was a fight that night."
It all rushed in and Shiress jerked her gaze back to the Eypharian. "I protected you!" she exclaimed, anger entering her voice. "I dragged you away, held you while you were unconscious." The girl pulled her jaw to the side, shaking her head, with a snort of disbelief. The anger was replaced with hurt, maybe betrayal, something, but it was no longer anger. She felt her eyes begin to sting and looked away. It was all too much. This was all too much.
Shiress grew silent, as she fought back the tears and the sick feeling growing in her gut.
I. Will. Not. Cry.
At last, she drew in a settling breath and growled through clinched teeth
"Why..."
Shiress licked at dry, cracked lips, her gaze falling to the pot the woman stirred on the fire, then down to blankly study the earth beside her.
A thought, unbidden and horrifying, entered her mind, latching itself there, as wide, green eyes trailed back to where the woman sat.
She has watched me. Preyed on me. Planned
This was all premeditated.
The girl's hopes of escaping began to diminish. If this woman had sought her out, watched her, then this entrapment was not a loosely planned happenstance and her attempt to escaped would have been foreseen. Especially if the woman knew she had escaped full on enslavement.
Shiress' thoughts had drawn her gaze back to the ground and she hadn't noticed the woman had moved, until a brush of red crossed her vision. The girl's head tilted, as green eyes trailed up the tall, slender form before her, lids growing wider and wider, as recognition set in.
Eypharian
Her mouth moved, but words didn't come. She did know this woman. She had worked with this woman. She had...yes. She knew her now.
"The Stallion" she finally managed "You helped me one day at the stallion." Shiress looked away, digging through her memory for a name, but it alluded her jumbled thoughts. "The dancer." she mumbled, at last, eyes darting, as memory pieced itself together.
"I..dont.." Shiress tried again to wet her lips "There was a fight that night."
It all rushed in and Shiress jerked her gaze back to the Eypharian. "I protected you!" she exclaimed, anger entering her voice. "I dragged you away, held you while you were unconscious." The girl pulled her jaw to the side, shaking her head, with a snort of disbelief. The anger was replaced with hurt, maybe betrayal, something, but it was no longer anger. She felt her eyes begin to sting and looked away. It was all too much. This was all too much.
Shiress grew silent, as she fought back the tears and the sick feeling growing in her gut.
I. Will. Not. Cry.
At last, she drew in a settling breath and growled through clinched teeth
"Why..."