Closed [Guest ST][Shiress] Without a Quicker Blood

[Shiress]

The girl understood now why her master had come for her, why he would place such interest in a single escaped slave, enough to travel senety or more days, well over half a season, from Sunberth to collect her. His life depended on it. He needed her gnosis of cultivation to aid the growth of some form of remedy he needs to rid himself of what ever disease it is that plagues him and threatens him. He needs her to save his life. Never. She would never use anything she possesses to save that low life of a man and he couldn't take it from her and she would not give it willingly.

Her master retreated and stepped from the cart, giving orders for her to be bound again. She never thought that she would be obliged to be tied up again for the second time this night, but she was and her body eased as her master left her, but it was short lived.

Green eyes glared daggers at Jordan's employed parasite as he removed his belt and began to tie her wrist together, the sinister look in the man's eyes told of his cruel intentions. The pain at her ankles caused the girls face to twist in pain, the woman's words contradicted her actions as she tied Shiress ankles cruelly hard, almost vengefully. She then shoved her to the cart floor in the same merciless manner, pressing hard against her neck with a relentless knee.

Squirming for a breath, Shiress' eyes rolled back and darkness threatened to take her, but just has she thought she'd have no choice but to yield, her captor shifted, allowing a gasp, followed by several conditioning coughs before finally settling into desperate panting breaths.

At length, her eyes upturned to the woman. "Please." She whispered then drew in a breath and coughed. "Don't let him hurt me."

[Orion Michaels]

It didn't take much time for Orion to gather his things. He hadn't needed them in some time, after all. Ready and packed with bandages, simple salves, dried herbs, and anything else he could need in order to treat an injury on the go. Even in his inebriated state, he managed to collect what he needed and be out the door.

Their trip went on without any conversation, any attempts to engage the woman met with cold silence. After enough failed tries, Orion gave up and submitted to the speechless trek. That gave him time to think, and that was a dangerous thing. Time allowed for the drink to run its course. Clearer his vision became. His thoughts became more coherent. And realization set in. He'd wondered off with some bandit. To treat an injured person? Or someone who was going to be injured?

What the petch had he done?

His face had gone blank. His skin pale. And yet, before he could protest, she was gone, rattling something about a blacksmith and another. He couldn't focus. He didn't know what was going on. So he did all he could do. Sit there, medical packs on the side of the horse, sword and shield strapped to him. He carefully held the reins of the horse, guiding it along the road until they disappeared into the woods to go and find whatever it was they were trying to find. He gently squeezed the leather straps while pushing his thighs against the side of the horse to encourage it forward. As long as he didn't have to do anything crazy, he figured he could handle the horse. His experience with mounted combat was anything but extensive. Still, he'd have to make due with a beast he hated. It was going to be rough.

Gods be kind, please..

[Philomena]

The older woman looked down at Shiress, and chuckled sourly.

"Weak little bitch, aren't we? Is that all we do? Plead and scrape and beg? You're lucky to be going back to being a slave if that's all you can manage."

With a fierceness in her eyes that spoke more of insecurity submerged than true hatred, then, she kicked the slave savagely in the side with her heavy boot.

"Get them in the camp. See that they're fed. Where is that damned Lona?"

The larger thugs picked up the two women bodily then, and took them out of the cart, Shiress roughly wrapped in a coarse piece of canvas. They two were brought into a clearing, with a circle of small tents, and several staked horses. In different circumstances it might have been pretty, fringed in the rear by a brake of green vines growing haphazard between several tumbling maples. The light of the earliest morning was beginning to break through, and it drifted through a thin summer night-haze, drunken on its own pale luminance. The boil marked slavemasterbut sat to one side, where the older woman now went, and began, in a trained businesslike way to begin to lance his boils. The two captives were placed around the fire, and ungagged.

At this point, a cantering of hooves broke the air. Lona had arrived.

"Tuiler, get me the boss, now!"

Lona leapt down from her horse, looking very serious. Get the boss was nonsense of course, the camp was not that big. But it was subtle nonsense, and gave, Lona figured, the impression that she had some authority over the other mercenaries. Tuiler stood quickly dropping the two girls, as his sadistic companion did the same. The old woman frowned and half turned, and Elojah stood, "What's his nonsense, Lona, my girl? You forget how to obey so quickly? I sent you out half the night ago."

Lona tensed, at the reference to her far too recent time as a slave, but suppressed her anger.

"The second girl. The blacksmith. We're throwing her in the woods."

Elijah frowned, "Now we've just become friends, why would I do that?"

"Because you hired me to keep this out of the eyes of the knights, that's why. And the woman is a full citizen, knights are out scouring for her. We kill her, throw her out in the wood. Double quick. They find her body? They'll figure an animal done it. I'm late because you have your watchers, here, helping you play strip-the-slave instead of drawing off the knight scouts like I told you to."

Tuiler frowned, "I'm tired of this bitch lording it like a damned Mage over the rest of us. Who petching appointed her a mine boss?"

Lone sneered intimidatingly at the man, "You don't have to obey me. This is a free camp. You don't have to do a damn thing I say. But, then, you don't have to live, neither. Knights ain't gonna take long to get here. Hogtie the slave, and for gods sake don't put her in the tent..."

Lona made a show of looking about.

"The vines... There ain't no ripe ones?"

"Eh?" Offered the sadistic thug.

"Ripe ones. You heard Piff before. Jiggervine. When its at harvest, thorns come out, sharp enough to cut through damn near anything. We hide her in a heap of them, I reckon the guards won't see her. But only if they're still all green. Reckon boss don't want his prize getting cut up."

For just an instant, the woman turned her face to Shiress threw a meaniful eye at her, subtle, but unmistakeable. Her eyebrow lifted and lowered just slightly. Pay attention, it said.

"Shouldn't be." Offered The second thug. "Jiggeryvine won't ripen until late summer. And it breaks down real quick in winter."

Lona looked at Elijah. He paused, but nodded finally.

"Do it. Do what she says."

Lona nodded, "And I'll take the blacksmith."

She scooped the woman up and drew a knife from her boot, cutting the tie at her ankles, to throw her on the rump of the horse. Then she rode off. The two male bruisers began pulling down great sheets of iron vine, as the old woman bound Shiress tightly, to make sure she could make no sound. They put her body under the vines, then, back a bit from the camp, and the clattering sounds of cleaning up entered the fresh green smell of the plants around her.

---------

"Now I gagged you because you're a feisty thing, and I don't want you doing nothing stupid. I ain't got time for stupid right now." Lona tied the handkerchief into Haddys mouth tighter as she rode at a slow canter.

"You don't wanna die? Then when I get you to your damned doctor, you shut up and let me go. I'm sticking my neck out for you and your hateful little friend. She left your shyke back in her chamber, when you get back. Dira Petch, I hate this petching city."

A loud crack sounded ahead.

-----

Anpeff Luzhin, a young Syliran woodsman crept quietly above the treetops, watching. Lona had told him the guards were coming from the west, and Lona was usually right, the only one of the Sunberthians who seemed to have any damned sense. But... It just didnt seem right. The animals were too thick here, and running in, not out of this direction. There were people in the wood, alright... But Lona must have made a mistake, he was sure of it. And he was ashamed of this business now, no matter how much money it would fetch him. He didnt want any questions around it to implicate him. He could take the sentence, alright, but... His mother and father. They would not understand, how much he needed the money, how much he was in love.

And... There. Something was very wrong. Distracted, he crept forward... A step too far. The heavy bough he glided along shivered, and cracked.

"Petch me!" He shouted, and balled up as his body started to tumble down through the trees, bout a quarter mile from where Orion waited...

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn could only listen and watch, doomed to stare on as Shiress suffered abuses at the hands of these horrid creatures. Some mercy touched the female to whom the girl had begged for salvation from rape, the woman spitting acid but relenting. Instead of letting the beast have his way she ordered them to move the captives to the camp. Feed them? seemed odd to Hadyn but she was in no position to either comment or dispute. Hauled off like a pig, the Worm's thugs pulled her aching body from the ground and dropped her unceremoniously beside a covered Shiress. The camp was small, occupying a tiny hamlet within the forest. The palest rays of dawn inched across the sky tentatively.

Ungagged the brunette reproached herself for the immediate desire to snap the brute's fingers off. Any display of aggression on her part and they'd further torture Shiress both physically and emotionally. But as the gag left her sore mouth Hadyn couldn't help but spit on the petcher's foot, a feral glare directed his way. Before she loose a string of curses the sound of hooves gave everyone pause to look. Another woman joined them looking haggard and agitated. There was an uneasy authority to her, as if she were testing the opportunity to boss the others around but she was decent enough at it that the others responded (begrudgingly) with obedience. Hadyn listened to the exchange before casting a quick glance to Shiress. She dearly wished to reassure the girl but her mouth was dry and it was probably in their best interests not to interact. So she opted for a pathetic smile, brown eyes softening with affection. Until Lona spoke again.

"We kill her, throw her out in the wood."

Petch. Hadyn scowled at her, brows furrowing as she swallowed an outraged snarl. Who was this bitch, anyhow? The Worm appeared displeased with this turn of events and for once Hadyn found herself in agreement.

The knights? Since when would the knights be looking for her at this bell? It's not like she was on their list of valuable citizens, nor had she been gone all that long. But Hadyn kept any trace of confusion or disbelief from her face as Lona continued. The woman was obviously being dishonest, though there was no clear motive behind it. It was all too much for the battered blacksmith to comprehend so she simply remained silent. Lona tromped over and re-gagged her. Shyke. Casting a reassuring glance to Shiress before she hauled up like a sack of potatoes and tossed on the horse, Hadyn silently prayed for clarity. If the woman was going to try and off her she made a stupid mistake by cutting the bond on her ankles - another odd decision for a supposed hired thug.

The two were off quickly, assumingly to Hadyn's death. But Lona was a peculiar creature, speaking once they were well beyond the camp. Her words were difficult for the brunette to decipher between the jostling of the horse and the immense pain emanating from all regions of her body. Something about being stupid, a doctor and Shiress. A doctor? What the petch was this woman doing taking her to a doctor? And why was she talking like she knew Hadyn? Hadyn certainly had no memory of her.

The whole scenario from the weaponsmith's perspective was nearly laughable. A comedy of errors. Nothing made sense. And she was hardly complacent with the idea of leaving Shiress in that petcher's grasp. But Lona's act of charity was the only thing the woman could rely on so she let the lady prattle on. Submitting to her body's requests, Hadyn closed her eyes, wondering if perhaps she'd die of confusion before they reached this supposed doctor.

[Shiress]

Shiress glared up at the woman as she spoke bitterly. She new better than to beg help from such evil doers, it was just a hope that a bit of humane sympathy would be given from one female to another and some part of it had worked, but one good deed deserves a bad with such malice.

The merciless blow to her side sent deep pain surging through her body, carving a torturous path like liquid fire to the core of her small frame. She pulled herself instinctively toward the pain and curled into it with breathless agony, unable to move. She groaned painfully as she was unpityingly pulled from the cart and sparsely covered, but none the less was she thankful she was covered.

With shaken faith, her green eyes trailed along the ground as she was led, cradling her side with her arm, into the encampment. With no need to revisit the sinister faces around her or to burn in her memory the place she was, her gaze remained inferior as she slowly lowered herself to sit by the fire. Hadyn was soon planted by her and Shiress wanted nothing but to wrap herself around her friend, but she knew not to move unless a new affliction was wanted. Instead, her hand slipped down by her side and slowly slid across the ground to touch Hadyn's leg softly, tears forming in her eyes as she returned a gentle smile.

Any comfort she may have felt was short lived with Lona's return, and more so her words. Shiress' eyes shot up in horror at the woman, then to Hadyn, but the more the woman spoke, the more it became apparent that her demeanor had maybe changed or something about her had changed. The way the woman was speaking seemed, well, nicer than it had since their brief encounter. It seemed she really wanted Shiress to pay attention, but to what? Pay attention to the fact she'll be hidden in case help arrives? The glance the woman gave her did little more than cause her to become uncomfortable, making her pull what little covered her skin together tightly.

The proposed murderer stepped up by Hadyn's side and before the dirt settled in the wake of her steps, Hadyn was jerked away. "No!" Shiress yelled out, her arms grabbing for her friend, but her movements sent another wave of pain charging through her torso. She couldn't say or do anything, only watch as Hayden was mounted on a horse followed by Lona. As the steed was turned and led away from the camp, Shiress knew that that would be the last time she would ever see her friend again. She felt alone now, it settle in nicely with the hopelessness and fear that already consumed her.

Her hands were bound to her ankles again before being carried and placed on her back beneath mound's of vine, deep green, naked vine, her thoughts were still of Hadyn and the woman's strange beckoning of her attention. She began to cry as nothing made sense. Why was she here? Why did she have to endure the torture of slavery for it to end in a brave, yet near death escape only to be placed right back in the nightmare again, why did Hadyn have to be with her, why does she have to be hurt. Her head dropped and tears again streamed down her cheeks.

"Please let Hadyn be safe." She prayed aloud in a soft whisper. "See to her safety, spare her life." She let out a soft sob, but again cringed with pain. "God's please help me. Help me. Please help me."

Just as her eyes closed and she began to drift away, her leg began to tremble, then crawl slightly as if a hundred bugs crept slowly across her skin. She slid her fingers down the front of her leg, around to her ankle and back up the inside of her calf to the mark of Bala. She stopped there, tracing the mark thoughtfully with her fingertips until, suddenly, Lona's words and gesture replayed quickly in her mind. It made sense. The vine, the thorns, the glance to her mark. Lona? But there's thorns. Sharp thorns.

She had to try and was willing to take the pain in place of a tortured existence of slavery and Elijah Jordan. With a swarm of hope, she was able to lift her hands enough for her fingertips to grab a vine and her eyes closed and slowly opened them with a long exhale, she knew this was going to hurt.

She yielded her thoughts completely to the vine that surrounded her, surpassing the earth to go deep where the root spread out into the dirt. Her mark began to tingle and burn, it's warmth spread quickly to finally run through her arms and as Bala's touch found the vine, it grew thicker and heavier before sprouting long, sharp thorns as she knew it would. She cried out in pain as she felt the tips of many sharp thorns pierce through her skin. Her bloodied hand covered her mouth in an attempt to silence her own sobs, she would forced her body to take what was given her and slowly her eyes opened as her hand left her mouth, realizing now that her hand was free, a thorn had cut completely through the rope unbinding one wrist. She remained still a chime, listening for footsteps, before freeing her other hand and beginning the painful process of making her way out of the vines without being seen or heard.

OOCI truly think this is my longest post EVER! Please forgive the length and any misuses of Shiress' gnosis. This was my first post utilizing it and the later it gets, the more clumsy my typing and thoughts become!

[Orion Michaels]

Sorry!Sorry for the hold up. Got a little busy in life.

Orion found himself forced to dismount. The tension was far too much. What in the world had he agreed to? A life committed to goodness now turned to one of crime? There wouldn't be anything honorable or noble about this, right? Panic hand long since began to set in. He was doomed. Probably going to be dead before the bell turned.

Worst of all, he was sober for it. What a shitty way to go.

"What the petch are you looking at?"

A snort of derision was all he could get in reply from his mount.

"Yeah, well, it's your fault we're out here. It was your four stupid legs."

Nothing.

"Sure. Be silent. I'll sell you off for meat when I get back, how's that sound?"

Nothing.

"Petching dumbass horse!" He kicked the ground, frustrations boiling over. He'd made a huge mistake. That was all there was to it. "We'll just leave. It can't be that important, right?" Let's just -"

CRACK

Orion fell silent. He was no woodsman. He was no survivalist. But he was sure he heard someone fall.

"You hear that, horse?"

Ignored again.

"It's a good thing you can walk you good for nothing..."

Convinced he was being watched, Orion made the tactical decision to investigate the situation. He'd had enough of waiting around for this person to show up, after all. The squire put one foot in a stirrup and hoisted himself up onto the back of his mount.

"Come on, worthless. Let's go check it out."

With a kick to the side of the horse, they were off. Slowly. Gods forsaken slowly.

"You suck."

[Philomena]

Lona, tensing growled a deep imprecation, "Petch a vetch. That better not be your mother-petched doctor." She reached behind, sliding a knife quickly out from her boot on the way, and cut Hadyn's bound wrists quickly, "Grab on, girl!"

And with no further warning she dug a heel into the horse's side. The ride was clumsy and for all her many skills, Lona was a practical rather than a showy rider, so the going was rough and jostling, and clumsy, as she struggled to hurry through the thick trees of the woods... and there. Gone. Petch your mother, and kill the baby, the damned fool was gone. What the hell was he thinking? She wished, frantically she had the Syliran, Anpeff, who would have been able to track him down.

She leapt off the horse, quickly. "Come on, girl... help me look for tracks. Not the ones leading out... your fellow is a fool, but I hope, he isn't a coward. Petch!"

----------------------

Anpeff hit the ground with a heavy smack, that left him dazed and clumsy. Gods be damned, how hard the ground was! He struggled dizzily to his feet. Hide Anpeff. Hide and catch your breath! He struggled forward, leaving, he was sure, a damned obvious trail, into a brake of ferns, and collapsed, gasping for his breath.

------------------------

"What the devil was that?"

The voice was that of Elijah, who rose suddenly, his face still oozing from the sores the old woman had been lancing. The woman rose as well.

"Knights. It must be as Lona said."

"Well... go find out what they're doing!"

The old woman frowned darkly, and leaned in to her master, mumbling by his ear. His eyes lit up... yes... yes, he couldn't afford to be caught here, yes...

"Tuiler... stay here and guard the bitch. The three of us will go investigate, try to lead the knights off."

Tuiler, glad finally, clearly, someone trusted him to be in charge stood, "Course, boss. No problem." He stood to move toward the brake of vines. The other three bustled off quickly through the woods, towards the sound of the cracking wooden branch.

[Hadyn Skellig]

What a bloody mess. Fighting the urge to punch Lona with a free fist the brunette kept strict focus on staying on the horse. There they were hurtling through the forest to gods know what end and something had upset Lona. Hadyn tried her damnedest to hold on to the woman but she was all skin and bones. Managing a loose hold that did nothing to ease her discomfort, the woman tried to avoid bouncing right off the horse as they tore through the underbrush. But then they were in the clearing.

Lona flew off the horse while commanding Hadyn to look for tracks. With far less grace or tact the blacksmith half slid half collapsed off the beast, feet hitting the ground uncertainly. The light wasn't particularly illuminating and her body was screaming to rest. But before she'd do the woman's bidding she would at least remove the petching gag. Wrenching at it and scraping her skin with clawing nails in the process Hadyn feverishly pulled the gag from her sore mouth, sucking in a swift breath before coughing from exertion. The tied fabric hung around her neck, soaking up the last of the blood from the knife. Her arms still felt unhinged from her body, haphazardly trying to obey her brains command.

"I don't know what the petch you're on about," she rasped whilst dutifully searching for tracks. "But I got hoofprints... 'ere."

She pointed a shaking finger at a partially obscured divot in the shape of a hoof. A shoed hoof at that. Under further scrutiny Hadyn wondering if it was a Knight's horse, or at least someone wealthy enough to shod their animal. Most folk didn't bother to slap irons on their beasts unless they were hauling wagons, standing on pavement for long bells or carrying fully armored Knights. She was utterly confused. Sinking to her knees now with the task completed the blacksmith wrapped an arm around her middle, the pain of bruised or fractured ribs causing her to grimace. It would be so easy to just lie down. Sleep for a bit. Petch this woman. Petch the supposed doctor. Nothing could help her now but rest.

But the thought of Shires alone back there sat firmly in the forefront of her mind. With a sharp glare at Lona, Hadyn lurched to her feet, staggering for but a tick until she managed to right herself on exhausted legs.

"Y'goin' back for her?" brown eyes narrowed as she jerked her head in the direction they'd fled. Her voice was strained from the gag and tired from abuse but her words were no less sharp. "Sure as shyke don't need to worry 'bout me none an' I fairly reckon there aren't Knights hauntin' the woods. Color me appreciated but why aren't you headin' back to save the girl? She's the one in dire straights."

Hadyn didn't understand it in the least. She'd been out cold during the interaction between Lona and Shiress. She had no idea this was the woman responsible for their plight to begin with. All Lona was to Hadyn was a member of the Worm's team that suddenly grew a conscience, which was equally suspicious. But for now she needed an explanation for leaving Shiress behind. And for this supposed doctor who'd clearly hightailed it.

[Shiress]

Gods this hurts

Shiress didn't know what hurt worse, the deep ache coming from her ribs or the pain of very long and very sharp thorns stabbing into her back. She did know, however, that if she was to return to Sunberth, the suffering would be much worse, but at the present, she couldn't imagine any pain worse than what she was currently in, she could only hope that the thorns weren't poisonous as so many others were.

Like an iron maiden, the spikes surrounded her and with any movement she made, a new thorn pierced her skin or would force another deeper, but still, her fingers worked blindly in the darkness until the rope was freed from her wrist. Her right hand slid slow and careful across her left side. Starting at her shoulder, she pulled long thorns from her skin as fingertips trailed her skin.

Every thorn plucked away left the skin slick with blood and like a crawling insect, Shiress could feel the streams of blood seeping down her sides and drip to the ground. After some time, she managed to clear her side of the piercings and she lifted herself and quietly parted the vines enough to see the camp.

The voice of her master came though the quiet causing her chest to collapse. Thinking her movements and subdued cries were heard, she held her breath as the vine fall back slightly. She listened hard to the females voice and that of her masters.

Knights

Her heart pounded as the sound of voices and footsteps trailed away from the camp. She pulled the vines back again to see her master and the female disappear out of view. For a chime, she remained still, peering out between the thick vine. The camp seemed emptied and now quiet. Slowly, she pulled herself to her hands and knees as quiet as she could move and pulled herself passed the thorn covered vine. She emerged with the back of her body, from the top of her shoulders to her rear-end and thighs, streaked with lines of blood that dripped from the embedded thorns that still clung to her skin.

Leaning again on her side, she pulled the frayed rope from around her ankles and cleared the thorns that were within reach from her skin and sat upright. She wiped blood away from her flooded eyes, not knowing and not willing to guess from what injury the blood trailed passed her hairline from. Dizzily, her eyes scanned the camp once more before pain and a light head failed her attempt to stand. Trying again and clutching her side, she made it to her feet and with a sway, turned and stumbled toward the treeline.

[Orion Michaels]

"Oh that's right. I don't know what the petch I'm doing," Orion muttered as he rode. All he was doing was heading off in the general direction of some sound he'd heard. Gallant knight, indeed.

"Y'know, horse, Dinah hasn't taught me a thing about tracking or the woods, or really anything like that. Could you gimme any clue why I'm out here?"

Snort.

"My thoughts exactly."

Orion glanced around halfheartedly, the occasional crunch of leaves and twigs beneath shooed hooves the only sound he was aware of. Until..

"Horse. Do you hear that?"

It was a ways away, but there was someone moving through the woods with some haste. Or maybe it was something. Orion shuddered at the thought. There were all kinds of stories about creepy things in the woods near Syliras. He'd encountered some sort of warped giant baboon but a season prior. He'd gotten lucky enough to escape then. Hopefully he'd not find himself in a situation where that was needed.

Urging the horse onward, he did as best he could to move closer to the the source of the loud noise and rapid movement. He squeezed his thighs once more, which was supposed to be the sign to help get the creature to accelerate, which it didn't. Grasping the reins, Orion gave the mount a firm kick to the side to get it moving. It, of course, ignored him, moving at its own pace. He had a long way to go to know how to get a horse to listen.