Closed From Bondage to Bonded

[Sira]

Sira watched quietly while Azira worked on the fire, nodding appreciatively when she switched the stuffing out for moss. Why didn't I think of that? She was relieved when Azira failed to light the fire on the first try, that would have been embarrassing, but soon enough the Avora managed to produce a flame where Sira had barely been able to get a spark. Maybe her flint was better? Right, or maybe you should have paid more attention during basic survival lessons, she chided herself. Sira could hunt as well as any Endal or wind eagle, but when it came to basic human needs for survival she was almost clueless. In truth, she almost never brought a tent with her, much less start a fire, and the only clothing she ever brought was her was a katinu, or sometimes a full cloak, and that was more to bundle her weapons in than to actually wear. If she slept overnight, she normally found a sheltered ledge and spent the night as an eagle, her feathers doing more to keep her warm than simple clothing would. On this trip she wasn't alone, however, and had taken that into consideration, bringing everything she needed to shelter as a human, and while she did not think it would have been odd to go naked, even on a cold night as long as she had her blanket, she understood that not everyone was used to that.

"I probably could have started it eventually," she responded when Azira declared the fire good, "I just figured.."

Sira paused, then grinned sheepishly. There was no sense lying about it. "Actually, I don't think I've even started a fire since bendi training. The only time I've ever needed one in the wilderness, there have always been others with me to do it. And when I'm by myself, feathers usually keep me warmer than flames."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and awkwardly, and soon enough the sun set. The wind continued to blow furiously outside their cave, and shortly after sunset one of the ties holding the tent in place came loose. Sira jumped to her feet, trying to grab the tent, but before she could make it the other ties failed and the entire thing was torn away by the wind.

"Petch," Sira exclaimed as a blast of cold air burst through the cave opening, sucking the warmth out of their shelter completely. Sira stood there, watching the tent blow off over the trees, and even took a step forward, considering shifting and going after it, but she knew there was no point. She wouldn't be able to catch it, and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally turned and came back over to the fire, pulling her katinu tightly around her, looking dejected. This was not how the trip was supposed to go.

As the night drew on and the stars came out, the wind did slow down a bit, but the air grew colder and colder, the fire barely seeming to do anything to help. Sira stubbornly stuck another branch into the flames, shivering slightly, then glanced over at the bedding. She was exhausted, but she wasn't sure how to broach the subject with the Avora. It was getting cold, really cold, and Sira knew from experience how warm a pair of bodies underneath a blanket could be... but she remembered how Azira had reacted just from Sira laying a hand on her, how would she react to having to share such close quarters with her? Rather than bring it up, however, she just sat there, shivering, and occasionally turning to warm a different part of her.

OOCLet me know if I'm moving too quickly. Basically I'm trying to fast forward to the good parts. And feel free to make your own stuff happen if you want.

[Azira]

While Azira had been concerned about the Endal's inability to start a fire, she couldn't fault her on it, especially given her explanation. It made a lot of sense but she wasn't entirely blameless either. Considering that she knew of the knowledge she lacked, the huntress felt like it was something that should have been remedied long ago - whether there were others to take care of such duties or not. A small amount of resentment stirred within her at the thought of someone incapable of starting a campfire being Endal while the Avora was stuck where she was in spite of her abilities. Oddly enough, she didn't think that a Wind Eagle would be particularly impressed just because she could create flames.

The young woman smiled secretively to herself. There was more than one way for her to start a fire but since she'd had reimancy sprung on her in Lhavit, she had had little practice in the magic. Given the negative experience she'd had to deal with involving the arcane art during her stay in the city, it wasn't all that surprising that she had neglected its use. Even though it appeared to have stabilised, the Inarta wasn't quick to forget how the magic had sprung from her unwilling fingers and leeched her energy. It wasn't like she had great need of it as she could achieve the same ends with more mundane methods but it might one day be useful as a form of offence.

You'd have to actually practice it first. No good setting fire to your own foot in your time of need because you couldn't be bothered learning how to aim, she pointed out to herself.

Considering the lack of things to do in the cave, the redhead did briefly consider drawing on her djed to train herself but decided against it for the time being. Instead, she sat down against a stone wall and hugged her knees to her chest, becoming blank as she listened to the violence of the wind. She wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been lost in her own world for when the Kelvic rushed to save the tent. The huntress was slow to react, the canvas already flying free when she made a move to help. The full force of the gusts whirled into their shelter and sent her back to the fireside shivering. The flames whipped back and forth, threatening extinction as Azira looked on anxiously. She stared at it, as if expecting her scrutiny to keep it alight. She was afraid to take her eyes off it in case it become endangered, something that seemed a very real possibility now that their main wind breaker and insulator was gone.

Slowly, she began to feel like a living block of ice, motionless as each minute shift of her body seemed to make the cold worse as icy fingers tried to extract what little body heat she'd managed to retain. If she'd been alone than she would have huddled beneath her blanket long ago, happy for what little warmth she could get but she clung stubbornly and stupidly to an unwillingness to share close quarters with another person. The strange thing was that she had taken such measures in the past but there was something about this situation that made the idea intolerable. It wasn't the fact that Sira was an Endal, or that she was a Kelvic but rather that she was a woman and one to which the Avora was attracted. However, she couldn't shake the memories of the last time they'd been close and the past had come creeping back into her head. It was the attraction and the closeness and a certain hopelessness about the circumstances. By giving in, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and it was that that she couldn't stand. However, she couldn't allow herself to freeze to death because of her fears. Plus, she'd seen the occasional longing look that her companion shot in the direction of their bedding and realised that she was causing the suffering of more than one person by being this way. It was pretty likely that the woman had put two and two together and decided that suggesting going to bed was likely to get a bad reaction given how she'd acted that day in her Aerie. She knew how stupid she was being and that meant that she needed to do something about this; she needed to take control.

Forcing her limbs to unwind, she shuddered as the chill probed at the newly exposed warm spots. Alongside the stiffness of her body was an ache from being jammed in such a position for so long against the uncomfortable surface. Blood flow returned painfully to her legs and arms as pins and needles raged within her flesh.

"We can't sit here all night," she croaked, voice hoarse from lack of use. She swallowed, trying to return some moisture to her mouth as she stood and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "There's no point sitting in silence either. I mean, if you're on your own, you have to make do with it but if you have someone with you then it's stupid to while away the bells without talking."

She moved to where their nest was, crouching and the crawling into the smaller space. Her heart quickened and it suddenly felt as if she might choke as she tried to keep her breathing slow while her body tried to hyperventilate. Azira had to do this. This time, there was no running away from her problems and it was just a matter of surviving this without causing herself unnecessary grief. Shuddering in the warmer air behind the saddle, the huntress squirmed into position, wrapping her blanket gratefully around herself. Curling into a ball on her side, she looked towards the Kelvic from her sideways position.

"You might as well get in here before you catch your death. It's so much warmer and it'll warm up more with us in here. I'm sure you don't have a problem with closeness so c'mere."

OOCThe speed is not an issue, I just wan't sure quite how fast you wanted this to go but yes, on to more interesting things!

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Sira]

Sira looked up in surprise when Azira started speaking. Is she blaming me for the silence? No.. no, she didn't think so. She was simply trying to break the ice, which was probably a good thing, considering the fact that they probably would be covered in it if they sat there for much longer. She was even more surprised when the Avora invited her in.

To her credit, Sira's mind did not immediately think about what could potentially happen when such closeness was involved. Of course, it was cold, and her mind was moving slowly, but in truth, Sira had mostly given up hope that any such thing would happen between them. She would welcome it, of course, but she did not believe that Azira was interested in her in that way. Perhaps the most surprising thing to the kelvic was that fact did nothing to diminish her interest in the Inarta as a bondmate. Her interest in Azira went beyond just physical intercourse.

"Oh, but the weather is so nice out here."

Sira managed to keep a straight face for about a second before she cracked a smile and laughed, then scurried away from the fire toward the blankets. She noted that Azira had bundled up under her own blanket, but rather than do the same, Sira pulled hers over both of them. Not touching was impossible in such confined quarters, but Sira did her best not to cuddle or do any unnecessary touching. She pulled the blanket over both of their heads, blanketing them in darkness.

"It will be warmer this way. We can share our heat if we're under the same blanket. I might not be an expert at starting fires, but I think I know a little something about sharing a bed with somebody."

While the pair of Inarta tried to get over their awkwardness with one another and keep warm, the wind continued to blow outside, and a group of lithe figures emerged from the tree line. They silently made their way across the snow, heading in the direction of the cave and the not technically cuddling Inarta. They did not make a sound as they covered the distance, and the only evidence of their passing was the light imprints their feet left in the snow.

[Azira]

The huntress cracked a nervous smile at the other's comment. "Oh yes, positively balmy," she joked, although the humour did little to ease the tension of her body. As Sira scurried over, she had to resist the urge to scream or make some other sound of alarm but the moment passed quickly. Suddenly, the woman was beside her, her nearness unavoidable in the small space. The blanket that shrouded them in darkness somehow made it more intimate. The Endal's remark about sharing a bed with someone made the Inarta's cheeks warm and she was glad that the other couldn't see her colouring in the low lighting. She couldn't tell if it had been a casual, flyaway remark or if the Kelvic had intended her to read more deeply into it.

The young woman was left facing the other, which stretched the blanket unnecessarily between them as Azira tried to maintain the greatest possible distance between them. It took a few chimes but she finally worked up the courage to roll over, wiggling carefully into a position that left her back resting against the other's front.

"Well, goodnight then. Hopefully things will have improved outside by the time we get up," she murmured before closing her eyes and willing herself to go to sleep. Despite her reservations, the Avora would inevitably relax, revelling in the warmth and focusing on the positives of the contact between them. As the tension in her muscles unravelled, Azira's eyes became naturally heavy. The wind continued to howl outside and the fire could be heard crackling and spitting but the sound grew familiar to her, almost soothing and slowly began to fade as she started to doze. The storm raging around their cave provided a range of other noises like whispers of activity but she thought nothing of it. When her mind went blank as sleep took hold, she failed to register the sounds as being any different than what she'd been hearing for the last bell or so. The young woman never heard them coming.

When something grabbed her foot, she felt the icy clasp of fingers. Her body tried to move her away from the cold but it fought back, tugging her and she woke in a state of groggy befuddlement. Awareness came slowly as she failed to process her situation although the chill was working quickly to return her to reality. Something was dragging her from the safety of her bed, something that seemed to have a hand to hold her. The young woman lashed out, kicking wildly to try to shake the grip loose. Another set of cold fingers tried to grab her free foot as it bounced up and grazed the stone of the ceiling. Crying out in pain, her foot dropped suddenly from the shock of it and was gripped hurriedly.

Azira worked to throw off the blanket from her head so that she wouldn't be blind, doing her best to fight against that pull. She tried to thrust her knees abruptly up towards her head and felt the hold intensify, grappling with her to ensure she couldn't break free. She screamed her frustration, throwing the material free so that she could glare up at the pale, male faces that looked down at her. Symenestra!

Each male held one of her feet and together they worked to pull her out so that she bumped painfully on the cold stone floor and was dragged across it.

"Sira! Sira! Help me do something about these bastards!" she shrieked, part-rage and part-fear. There were other faces though, some of them female, some of them laughing and they were here for the Kelvic too. The horrid implications of the situation hit the huntress as she realised that she was going to be part of a Reaping. Well, they couldn't have her that easily; she'd go down fighting.

As they dragged her out from the lower-roofed part of the cave, the Avora used her arms to try to thrust herself up into a sitting position, throwing fists, elbows, shoulders and head towards bones she knew were brittle. She wanted to break them, she wanted them to release her, she didn't want to breed monsters.

OOCHope it's all right that I moved things along. Feel free to expand on the Symenestra coming in because I realise that Sira might not have been unconscious when they came. Additionally, feel free to decide whether or not Azira does any damage. If not, you have the license to have her hands grabbed or whatever, just be aware that she will struggle but I think that's a given.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Sira]

"One of them is a kelvic."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. One of the dire eagles the Inarta ride. I saw her shift when they landed."

"Do you know which one?"

"No, we should try to collar both of them before we get them out of the cave, just to be safe."

"Alright. Let's go."

Sira slept peacefully, one arm draped around Azira's waist, warm and comfortable, or at least as warm and comfortable as one can be in a freezing cave sleeping on a saddle pad. She was glad that Azira was finally able to relax, and hoped that the next day things wouldn't be so tense between them. She didn't notice anything odd about the noises outside their cave, and when something grabbed her leg and yanked her out of the comfort of her bed she was caught just as surprised as Azira.

At first Sira didn't understand what was happening. The hand yanked her out from beneath her blanket, and she heard Azira struggling nearby. Instinctively she lashed out with her foot, but whoever or whatever had her did not let go. It wasn't until Azira called out that Sira came to full alertness. She lashed out again and shoved back whoever was holding onto her, then twisted out of his grasp. Her eyes darted around the room and spotted her sword lying near the fire. Warrior instincts kicked in, and when the creature tried to grab her again she rolled out of the way, coming up next to her weapon.

A symenestra dropped from the ceiling behind her.. wait.. from the ceiling!? No time to think about it. The blade rang out as she pulled it from it's sheath and in one swift motion she spun and slashed the pale man across the chest. The widow's eyes widened in surprise and he stumbled back a few steps until he bumped into the wall, and without hesitation Sira drove the blade home, piercing him straight through the chest and scraping the cave wall behind.

The kelvic turned, seeking her next target when one of the men kicked over her saddle, smothering the fire beneath it, and the cave plunged into darkness. Sira couldn't see a thing, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness, and she swung wildly, hoping that she didn't accidentally hit Azira in the process. Something grabbed her arm and sharp nails pierced her flesh. Sira cried out and dropped her weapon, and as flames began to lick up the sides of her saddle she was slammed into the wall, her head cracking against the cave, almost knocking her out cold. Her attacker wrapped something around her neck as Sira struggled to regain her senses.

"Azira," she mumbled in confusion, struggling against the man pinning her against the wall.

She caught a glimpse of one of the creatures picking up her sword and moving off toward the other side of the cave. Three of the monsters were surrounding the Avora, and the fourth approached with the sword. Sira pushed against her attacker but he put a clawed hand to her throat, and Sira felt several sharp points of pain as his nails dug in, drawing a small amount of blood. The widow said something in broken Nari.

"Stop fight, Inarta. Or both you die.

[Azira]

There was another struggle taking place near at hand as Azira could hear it. Sira was sure to overpower them and they'd deal with these monsters together. Although there was the possibility that the huntress would need rescuing as she found that it was proving more difficult to slip free of her captors than she'd expected. The harder she fought back, the greater the effort they seemed to put into ensuring that she wouldn't get away. A third Symenestra appeared, a female, who joined the first two so that the Avora had to increase her efforts. She began to scream in fury, thrashing within their grasp so that they had a job to keep hold of her.

"Inarta!" a male voice called in oddly accented Nari. Her eyes whipped towards the source of the sound and a tick later, she discovered a talon sword within her vision. The fight in her diminished rapidly in the face of such explicit threat and as it was placed at her throat, she froze completely. Her amber gaze became visible though slits as her eyes narrowed, a poisonous look emanating from them.

"Stop fight. We have you and other." He gestured towards Sira, who became visible for the first time as one of the widows moved to clasp something about Azira's neck. Her body sagged as she saw the defeated Kelvic, pinned at the throat by claws. It was the woman's sword that was against her skin, she realised and the revelation sapped her fight from her. If the Endal could not even protect herself and break free then how could she be expected to do it?

Hands grasped her shoulders and pulled her upwards until she was forced to sit up and then dragged into a standing position, finding herself flanked by the female and one of the males; they clearly knew that she needed to be well-guarded. She glanced towards her companion with a helplessness in her eyes as they marched her forward to the cave's entrance. The cold seemed a minor worry right now and she paid little attention to it as she dragged her feet in an attempt to halt their progress. An unpleasant burning smell filled her nose as the saddle caught fire, the leather blackening and curling in the heat. Her gaze was moist as she looked back at their recent sleeping quarters, which were rapidly being destroyed as the remaining widows ransacked their belongings, cramming things into their bags and dragging them away. They had no right! That stuff was theirs!

Trying to twist away from them and look at her companion at the same time, she was slapped, her cheek stinging and tears slipping down her face.

"Sira! Do something!" she cried plaintively as she was pulled out into the full force of the wind. She spotted the collar around the woman's neck and guessed its meaning; they knew what she was. The huntress realised that she wore one too, as that's what they'd placed there, which meant they didn't know who the Kelvic was. Maybe they did this as a precaution for all their captives in case one was a Kelvic and maybe they had no clue of her nature. Perhaps that was the only thing that might offer some hope. If they didn't know then if they could just get the collar off her, she'd be able to shift and destroy them all. It might be their only chance.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Sira]

The fight was over, they had lost. Oddly enough, Sira was calm. With all the terrible things she'd faced over the years, a simple harvest seemed almost mundane. That did not mean she did not fear for her life, or Azira's, but she was calm.

Priskil, guide me. Light my path and give me the courage to save us.

She'd been praying to her goddess more often, in recent seasons, and Priskil's light shined brightly in her palm. The light would lend both herself and Azira some courage, but that wasn't her intent. Though it saddened her to see the saddle burning, a gift from Aidara, she used her gnosis to brighten the light of the fire, making it shine. It did not burn any hotter or faster, the gnosis simply strengthened the light.

The Symenestra holding her started in surprise at the bright light, loosening his grip on the Kelvic's threat and Sira reacted immediately, thrusting her knee into his groin and shoving him back toward the brightly glowing fire. Sira ran across the room toward the Avora.

"Azira," she shouted as she tried to get to the woman. Her captors paused, still holding her tightly, but their hesitance gave Azira the perfect fire of the kelvic running toward her, the fire glowing brightly behind her illuminating the cave. It also let her spot the blade that flashed out, Sira's own blade, and cut the kelvic across the leg. It wasn't deep, thankfully, but it did cause Sira to stumble. The Symenestra with the sword was behind her on an instant and had the blade to Sira's throat.

"Bind her!"

The creature shouted something in a language Sira did not understand and a pair of widows ran up with rope and quickly tied Sira's hands. Sira did not struggle, but there was a look of determination in her eyes even as they bound her feet, leaving enough slack that she could shuffle along but couldn't run without tripping.

"Don't be afraid," Sira's voice said into the Avora's mind, opening a link between them and leaving it open. Some of the kelvics emotions bled through, and there was a little fear that she couldn't hide, but more so there was anger and determination. This was not the first time Sira had been kidnapped by someone who intended to breed her, and she was not about to suffer through that again. "We'll escape, we'll get this collar off my neck, and then we'll kill them all."

OOCYay for Priskil powers! They don't really do anything, but they're shiny! Also I changed the time stamp to the 90th

[Azira]

Sira responded to Azira's desperate cry and the huntress could only gaze on in horror as the scene unfolded before her. Everything seemed to slow, painfully etching every detail into her memory. The Kelvic pulled free of her captors, fire flaring up brightly behind her as she ran towards the Avora. The bright light glinted dangerously on the talon sword, the warning cry frozen on Azira's lips. A shriek escaped her as the blade slashed at her companion's leg, causing her to stumble before the Symenestra was upon her. The sharp edge placed to her throat was a clear threat and despite knowing that they were valuable, the Avora feared that she'd be drenched in the Endal's life blood. Instead, their captors rushed forward to bind Sira and then appeared to remember the huntress as well. Soon, her own hands were tightly bound, enough slack around her feet to allow her to shuffle and she quietly endured it without resistance.

Her head hung down on her breast, her gaze fixed on her bound hands in front of her. She tested her bonds but it was clear that they were expertly tied, no leeway given for her to wiggle her way out of them. Freedom seemed an impossibility. If she got ahold of a blade, she might be able to slice herself free but given the awkward closeness of the arrangement, it was doubtful that she could do it without slicing her own wrists open. However, she might be able to help Sira but such an attempt would hardly be inconspicuous.

The telepathic message had her head snapping upwards, eyes flicking to the shapeshifter before she realised what she was doing. She dropped her gaze again, bitterly cursing herself for such an obviously suspicious mood. Her bitterness mingled with Sira's anger, the emotions crossing between them. She set her mouth in a tight, grim line and silently sent strong affirmation.

"Yes. We'll get them one way or another. I'd be happy to go down fighting if I could bring a few of the bastards with me. That'd be better than facing the purpose they have in mind for us," she replied, disgust and horror riding her words. "I think we should act docile. If we don't look like we're going to fight anymore then they might let their guard down. They might make mistakes."

As they were forced to shuffle away from their cave, the glow of the fire stayed with her, leaving bright spots in her vision. She was night blind but she didn't care. The fire had given her an idea, a potential means of release. It would be exceptionally dangerous but it might be worthwhile if there was no option. It felt like something that could only be used as a last resort. Since curing herself of the rather sporadic nature of her reimancy in Lhavit, she had been hesitant to willingly call upon it and thus had neglected practising her magic. She might be able to trail res down the ropes and set it alight but chances were that she'd burn her own hands pretty badly or do worse if she used too much magic. The same issue could occur if she tried to free Sira of her bonds and she couldn't burn the collar off without cooking the neck in the process; she knew that metal conducted heat very well after all. If she could manage it, it might be possible to attack their captors with it and then escape at their leisure but if she did that then they'd need to be taken out all at once. It was a difficult situation, an impossible one in her eyes but any course they took would be dangerous and rash. She didn't know if it was possible to minimise disaster.

"This might be the time to reveal any hidden talents that you have so we know what we have at our disposal," she suggested, as she looked around her, noting that the Symenestra had brought both their gear.

OOCI'm sorry that this took a lot longer than promised but hey, it was worth the wait, right?

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Sira]

"I don't have any more tricks... I could probably catch them off guard by screaming into their heads, but I don't know how much that would actually help. Maybe if we had a plan. We will just have to wait until the right moment."

The man who cut who shoved Sira forward, and one of the others shoved Azira. "Move." Sira moved, and the group of them made their way down the mountains. They seemed to know where they were going, and they did not stop when the dawn finally lit their surroundings. They were heading West, Sira noted, the sun finally allowing her to get her bearings. West? What was to the West? Kalinor was South, which is where she would assume they were being taken.. but getting to Kalinor would require trekking across miles and miles of mountains. Still, there was nothing West.. except the sea.

"A boat," she said across her connection to the Avora. She had not broken it since they were captured, maintaining contact if not conversation the entire time. "We're heading west, toward the water. They must have a boat."

Sira didn't know what to think about that. Was it a good thing, or a bad thing. She did not know how to sail. The few times she had been on a boat it was just as a passenger. Could they kill the Symenestra and sail back to Wind Reach? That still required them to get free.

Sira thought about it for a while, but could come to no solid conclusions or come up with much of a plan. Half way through the day they finally stopped and made camp in the shade of a cliff. Sira could smell the salt of the ocean on the air. Were they planning to go to the boat after dark? If so, it meant they needed to come up with an escape plan soon.

"I think we're close to the coast now. I think we should try to get away tonight. Any ideas?"

OOCSorry for the crappy post and taking so long, it's been a busy week but I wanted to keep things moving.

[Azira]

Azira said nothing and instead chose to bide her time. She fidgeted a little, which was seen as an attempt at struggling and resulted in a whack across the back of her shoulders and a shove to make her move forward, stumbling as her balance was compromised. She managed to remain standing but inside, she was in turmoil, doing her best to suppress a rising guilt that she was sure must be seeping across her connection with the Kelvic. Was she being grossly irresponsible by failing to inform the other about her ability regardless of how erratic and uncontrolled it was? Would it be better to mention it and allow the other to think the matter over and come up with a plan accordingly? It wasn't fair that she wasn't even letting her know that such an option was open to them, no matter how dangerous it was.

She focused on moving one foot ahead of another, shuffling forward in a display of docile obedience. Her teeth worried at her lip, nibbling and tugging at the flesh until she finally broke the skin and the salty, metallic taste of blood touched her tongue. The huntress sucked quietly on the wound, willing herself to keep away from the cut so that she wouldn't make it worse while she continued to puzzle over the issue at hand. Following her captors was an easy activity requiring no real thought at all and so it was important that she devote the time she had to working out a plan of action. She knew what the end result of this little expedition would be and that wasn't a result that she found acceptable. If she had any say in the matter--and she did plan to have her say--then it was never going to happen. There was no point waiting for the right moment as Sira said if the time came and she had no idea what to do. They had to be prepared before that moment came so that they could take advantage of the window of opportunity that was certain to be brief. It was possible that they'd only get chance. If that chance came and they botched their escape by poor organisation then the Symenestra would never let their guard down again. Azira was not going to be a spider breeder to be killed by the monster--or monsters--in her belly.

The Endal's revelation came as a shock, the Avora having settled into a daze during the trek. She had no idea how long they'd been moving but her legs ached and she felt dead on her feet. However, once the glaze left her expression, the Inarta realised that her companion was correct. Now that Syna was making her presence known, it was easy to determine the direction they were heading in. There was nothing else to the west of them except the water, no other destination that could draw their captors. It was so late in the fall that the waters were sure to begin stirring violently soon, provided they hadn't started to do so already, and the idea of being on it in such conditions seemed like a death sentence. The Symenestra weren't famed for their seafaring abilities so what were the chances they could get them out of danger on the open water? She didn't fancy her odds and hence they needed to get away from them before they could be loaded onto a boat and manoeuvred out to sea.

Azira didn't know how close they were to the coast but the distance felt like it was narrowing rapidly and she was suddenly aware that they didn't have much time to think things true. Would they reach the coast before nightfall? Surely, if they came to the coast late in the day, even if it was before dark, the widows wouldn't be foolhardy enough to cast off. Then again, they could see well in the dark and there was no reason why the sea would be more dangerous at night than in the day, at least as far as the huntress were. So chances were they'd have a day of freedom before they were effectively lost. Although a new day was only beginning, she was suddenly aware just how short their time really was. They needed to put a plan into action and escape before nightfall most likely and they didn't even how an inkling how to go about doing that at the moment. They were bound, tired and outnumbered as well as being unarmed. The young woman couldn't boast of any prowess in unarmed combat and she had no idea about Sira. Still, it seemed like the situation was stacked against them.

At first, the redhead didn't respond to Sira's query but remained quiet as her mind raced with possibilities. If they were on or near the water when Azira released her reimancy then she could probably extinguish herself in the sea if she inadvertently set herself alight. It was magical fire but she'd fared all right with water before although that might have been pure luck. Presumably so much water would smother any flames. Once the magic was out of her hands after all, surely it was merely ordinary fire? The gaps in her knowledge were becoming clearer with each moment she considered the matter but even with her ignorance and her doubts, it had to be voiced.

It might be possible to do. There's something I... haven't told you, she admitted guiltily via the connection, gazing at her feet as if afraid that she might accidentally catch Sira's eye. I have something that could give us an advantage but I can't guarantee anything. I could hurt myself or kill myself, maybe all of us. Something happened to me in Lhavit because of a curse and I couldn't control what I was doing. Once it was over and I could control things again, I wasn't... keen to dabble with it. I had a bad time.

The huntress knew that she was being unnecessarily cryptic but now she tried to bring herself to admit it, she found it difficult. It was a secret after all, something she had kept close to her chest and thus she was reluctant to let it go, even though it might be necessary to save their lives.

I have fire reimancy! she blurted mentally. I have an idea how to draw res but I can't really control things afterwards, especially not with my hands bound like this. If we do things near the water then we might not go down in a fireball of doom, she joked weakly, the nervousness bleeding through the link, rising to almost haemorrhage to the other as her fear was added to it.

Nari | Common

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