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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 31, 2009 11:52:38 GMT -5
Brandwyn watched the beef jerky hydrate back into strips of meat in the pot as they warmed up and the water boiled. She had put some herbs and the last of their dried vegetable soup packets from Meric into the pot. Thinking back now to the day they had left and the day she had met Tandar, it seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, so much had happened. She was surprised to realize it was barely three weeks.
When the soup looked like it was hot and edible, she found one of the bowls they had used two days ago and ladled some into it and handed it to Ian. They exchanged a look, but not any words. He was still mad at her, despite the fact he was helping the woman. She turned back to the pot and dished up a bowl for each of them and dug out the last of their stale bread. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she soaked it in the broth. She sat down to eat and watched Ian feeding their mysterious guest.
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Post by ivory on Aug 31, 2009 14:57:59 GMT -5
Teresa's eyes flew straight to the pot as her nostrils flared with the smell of food. Her stomach hurt painfully and she stared in silence with wanting. Despite it though, she managed to hold on to her manners as Ian was handed the first bowl. Her stomach squeezed tight in protest, but she kept the pain from her eyes and face and if any escaped she hoped they thought it only because of the wound on her shoulder or the myriad whip lashes she'd received.
She attempted a half smile at the girl as she was handed her own bowl and with a patience she didn't feel, she forced herself to eat slowly, knowing she had to get her body to get used to food again.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 3, 2009 14:46:59 GMT -5
Ian had been planning on feeding her, but Teresa reached for her own bowl of soup and so he sat back and watched her eat. Brandwyn was going to have to give her some clothes probably and Ian wasn't too sure that she wasn't going to have some serious issues with infection. She needed to stay here for a few days at least, but he couldn't afford the time to wait to deliver their information.
He glanced out the window as he pondered the problem, a worried look on his face. Should he ride on ahead with the news by himself, leaving the women here alone? Should he send Brandwyn on with the news? She might be safer that way, then staying here, though nowhere was really safe in Gallica right now.
Maybe ... Ian turned to Teresa, "Do you by any chance of friends nearby that we can get you to until you heal up?" He was taking a chance by even asking the question, but it slipped out before he really considered how it may make her wonder what he was up to. "I don't think it is going to be safe here for very long," he ammended hurridly. "They are undoubtedly looking for us and they could end up bringing a large branch of the army this way, just to clean out the woods of Gallicans." Ian explained. "I dont' think we want to be here when they get here, but you need to rest and heal up."
He left out the part that he and Brandwyn urgently needed to get back to the coast where the Araluen Army was sure to be assembling by now.
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Post by ivory on Sept 3, 2009 15:52:16 GMT -5
"Do you by any chance of friends nearby that we can get you to until you heal up?"
Teresa didn't like where this was heading, but kept her face blank at his question. Her stomach recoiled as her heart kicked it up a notch as a slight burst of adrenaline rushed through her system. Not a single outward appearance gave her suspiciouns away.
"I don't think it is going to be safe here for very long. They are undoubtedly looking for us and they could end up bringing a large branch of the army this way, just to clean out the woods of Gallicans. I dont' think we want to be here when they get here, but you need to rest and heal up."
He had a point, but she still wasn't comfortable with divulging any information about the Family. Despite that she felt more outside there than any of them, she had a loyalty to them, especially to Galen. He'd helped her when she thought she was lost, had given her a kind of family to help with the pain she felt for those gone. He was more than a brother to her, he was well, like a father.
"No." She said it with conviction, making her voice slightly pained with regret and fear. At least, she wasn't too weak-minded to act, though then again, she had been doing it for the greater part of a decade. "My family's dead." She said those last words with hardly any emotion at all, silently telling them that they'd been dead a very long time, or rather, long enough that she could recite it as fact than an emotional break-down.
Se took a deep breath, ignored the pain shooting through every part of her body, and took another bite.
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Post by ivory on Sept 3, 2009 16:02:50 GMT -5
Galen followed Jock back through the woods, but froze when the cottage came into view. Would anything go right tonight? He signalled for Jock to stop and without a comment, the boy followed his orders, probably having come to the same conclusion. Despite what many thought because the lad was mute, he was far from being mentally challenged.
Despite that he'd rather have Jock stay beside him, he raised a hand and held up two fingers without space between them. Then he parted them, signalling for them to split up. Without comment, Jock slipped in one direction, leaving Galen to head in another.
A bird called shortly after and thinking it was Jock, Galen froze. But it'd been a false alarm and after a seconds he took another step when another call shot through the air. He knew that one and his blood ran cold as he forced himself to stay still. The calls died within a few seconds and he slowly made his way to his left and then toward the barn. He scanned the land before slipping from the trees to dart into the barn where he found Jock bending over a body.
He cursed.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 9, 2009 13:02:54 GMT -5
Brandwyn heard some strange bird calls outside the cottage that sounded very close. She sat up listening for a moment, spoon paused halfway to her mouth, with her head cocked to hear better.
She wasn't an expert on Gallican wild fowl by any means, but those bird calls didn't sound quite - natural. There hadn't been anything quite like them that she had noticed since they had landed in Gallica.
She got an uneasy feeling in her stomach and set her dish down. "Ian, I think someone is outside." she whispered and reached for her bow, stringing it swiftly.
Ian looked away from Teresa in alarm. "You stay in here with her." He ordered.
"But your leg! Let me go check, I can be quieter." Brandy protested.
Ian scowled, she had a point. He nodded relunctantly as he strung his own bow and made sure his saber would slide from its scabbard easily.
Brandwyn knew if someone was watching the cottage, going out the front door could be fatal. She went over to the sleeping area and pulled open the shutters over the tiny window. It was just big enough for her to squeeze through. She peeked out and listened, but didn't hear anything. The horses were grazing on this side of the cottage and gave no indication that anyone was outside.
Brandwyn Squeezed out the window, bow first and dropped to the ground with a very faint thud and then she froze, in a crouching posistion until her eyes adjusted to the darkness outside. She listened, but still didn't hear anything. Slowly, silently she inched around the back and peered around the corner towards the stable, still crouching down low to the ground with an arrow knocked on her bowstring.
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Post by ivory on Sept 9, 2009 16:29:17 GMT -5
Galen was in the middle of cursing up a storm as he slung Malleus over his shoulders when a single word was whispered in the air: Jock. He started to slip the Godfather back to the ground when Jock stopped him with a raised hand before quickly signing that he'd take care of it. He didn't even wait for an answer before slipping out the barn door, staying low to the ground so he'd be less easily seen.
He stopped after having gone a few yards, head cocked to the side as he listened. He'd made sure to limp as he walked, but instead of limping on his right where it actually hurt, he did so on his left, hoping that if someone was watching they'd be deceived, making it all the easier for him to paralyze the threat.
He focused on the spot to the left of the window, having realized that in the dark, one saw better out of their peripheral vision, and gradually made out the shape of a person. Something strange happened then and he was taken momentarily off guard, wondering why the heck he felt like...vomitting?
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 15, 2009 11:11:59 GMT -5
Brandwyn thought she heard a low voice in the barn. Then she distinctly heard a curse word. Suddenly the cursing stopped - right on the heels of someone whispering a strange word. It sounded like the whisperer said, "jock". Brandwyn couldn't make sense of it.
She crouched down low, hugging the side of the cottage as she watched a boy leave the barn, limping. Then the boy stopped and stared off into the darkness, as if he had seen something. Brandwyn froze, not even breathing, the bow in her hand ready for action. She hoped that she hadn't been seen and wondered if there were any others in the barn. This boy didn't seem old enough to have made the low pitched curse that she had heard.
That meant there were at least two of them - or maybe three, since she didn't know if the whisperer was the boy or someone else.
But who were they? The kid wasn't dressed as an Aslavian, so she didn't think they were soldiers. Would there be bandits around her so soon after the Gallican army had passed through here? She doubted it, but it was possible. She found it strange that people kept turning up at this cottage that had seemed to be in the middle of a fairly dense forrest with no clear roads going toward it. It sure seemed to be a popular place.
She waited, not moving, for something to happen, ready to fire her arrow if anyone made a threatening move towards her, breathing as softly as she possibly could.
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Post by ivory on Sept 15, 2009 14:37:44 GMT -5
Confused with himself, Jock stayed frozen for a few seconds in wonder. He didn't really feel threatened, but in no way liked the new feeling, he went to move toward her [OOC: just using her so I don't further confuse you. *grin* Jock doesn't know the gender of the person], but stilled himself quick enough, reminding himself that she could very well be armed. Frowning, he thought to warn Galen, but for some reason, his 'name' didn't issue from his lips. He had the wildest urge to fidget, but years of training kept him still, as he struggled to shove the odd feeling away. But still, he didn't say his name in warning. ~ * ~ Teresa froze when Brandwyn went out, warning lights flashing off in her mind. How had Abdilah find her so quick? Panic began to seize her despite her fight for mental control, and she launched to her feet, trying to get to the door. Pain shot through her, but the panic of being submitted to torture again helped with easing it to the back of her mind.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 26, 2009 7:56:58 GMT -5
Brandwyn wasn't sure what to do, but knew she couldn't just crouch here all night. She slowly stood up, her arrow trained on the boy.
"Don't move!" She said boldly, amazed that her voice, though a bit high pitched, did not betray how scared she was. "and tell your friends to come on out here where I can see them." She was ready to give him one warning shot at the ground in front of his feet if he moved toward her. One warning, and the next arrow would be through his heart, she vowed.
____
Ian tried to stop Teresa from moving around much, "Take it easy. We don't know who is out there yet. No sense in running out and getting killed after all we went through to get you here safe." Ian soothed her, placing an arm around her waist gently to keep her inside. He looked around and found the knife Brandwyn had given her earlier and handed it to her.
"Stand over there behind the front door." Ian indicated the spot. "I will sit here by the fireplace with my bow ready and if an enemy comes through that door, we can take care of them."
She wasn't in any kind of shape for a fight, barely standing, but he knew she wouldn't lay back down. She had a wild look in her eyes, wild and determined, in spite of the pain she was feeling. He hoped she wouldn't set her wounds to bleeding hard again. She really shouldn't be on her feet, but if the Aslavians were out there, he was going to need her help to stay alive, as much as he hated putting her through it.
Then her heard Brandwyn say levelly "Don't move!" and his heart lurched. He almost started to the door, but knew he would never get there in time if she were in trouble. He waited, sweating in anxiety.
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Post by ivory on Oct 5, 2009 14:25:35 GMT -5
Jock's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to wonder if she was bluffing or not. He wasn't prejudice against the female gender, having witness Teresa's skill, but she sounded a little young to be taking a life. He ignored the fact that he himself was only seventeen and started to wonder if he should attack or not. Normally he wouldn't take so long to decide, but there was something different about her. What though, he couldn't exactly decide on. ------- Galen muttered a curse at the order to come out or she'd shoot and without the slightest hesitation, laid Malleus down in a corner before heading for the door. He slipped out slowly with his hands up and palms out in the age-old acknowledgement of being unarmed. Of course, that was bogus, but hopefully she'd take his word for it and not immediately shoot him. "We're unarmed. We're just looking for someone. Perhaps you've seen her?" He kept his voice calm and low so as not to startle her and sent up a prayer for them all. ~ * ~ Teresa fought for a few seconds before she was handed the knife. She stared at it for a second in remembrance of a last torture session brought back by the previous one, but quickly ridded herself of the memory and grasped it in her hand. Her throat was as dry as the desert land, but she managed to croak a 'thank you' before taking up the position at the front door. Heavens, she hoped Abdilah came through her side. And with that thought, came just enough anger to give her a substance to which she could ignore the pain.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 5, 2009 19:15:34 GMT -5
Brandwyn kept her arrow trained on the young man, figuring that if the older man was his father, he would not try anything with his son in the direct line of fire.
"We're unarmed. We're just looking for someone." He said. Yeah, right. Sure they were unarmed. As if she would fall for that one. "Perhaps you've seen her?"
Brandwyn took her eyes off the boy long enough to flash him a look of surprise, which hopefully didn't show on her face. The tip of the arrow lowered a fraction involuntarily. Then she looked back to the boy, but directed her question to the man.
"Did you say 'her'?" Brandwyn asked him, "Maybe I have. What does she look like?" Maybe these were friends of Teresa's, or maybe not. She had to be sure before she said anything. "What you want her for?"
They weren't Aslavian, that much was evident. She eased up on the bow string, but kept it pointing at the boy. She would be able to draw and fire before either of them took two steps if she had to, but her arm was getting tired holding the draw for that long.
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Post by ivory on Oct 6, 2009 15:17:46 GMT -5
Jock at started to shift to his left, ready to move before she froze him with the question: "Did you say 'her'?". Having learned to pick up on people's tones of voices, he shifted his gaze completely on hers. For the first time in a long time, he wanted to speak, but though he moved his tongue a few times in his mouth, he couldn't remember which movement made which sound. He felt helpless, a little more so when Galen answered, but he didn't hold it against him. Galen, everyone actually, was used to him not speaking.
"She's fairly tall, around 5'10 with auburn hair down to her shoulders, probably tied in a single braid down her back." His voice reeked with slightly concealed desperation, but at the moment he didn't care enough to completely hide it. This girl might know where Teresa was! "Her eyes are a hazel or a green depending on the light and angle. She has the tan of an outside worker and her, her lips are thin, contrasting with her sharp nose and high cheekbones. She carries herself like a queen, but she, she may not..." He swallowed before switching his thought of words, "be completely well at the moment."
"What you want her for?"
She has seen here! Galen's eyes skirted around the darkness as if she'd walk out of the shadows and into the dim light of the barn, but of course, he saw nothing. Placing his eyes back on the girl's silhoutte, he answered,"She's family."
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 6, 2009 22:07:22 GMT -5
Brandwyn knew he was talking about the woman she had rescued, but she wasn't entirely sure this man was really family. She stood there for a bit with her arrow still trained on the boy while she thought, but it was now pointing more towards his knee than his heart.
Then she remembered how Teresa had hesitated before answering Ian's question about having any friends nearby. At the time Brandwyn had been certain Teresa had lied. Now she thought maybe it was to protect her friends.
Slowly Brandwyn lowered the bow all the way. "If her name is Teresa, then she is inside the cottage with my mentor. We rescued her from the Aslavians."
Then Brandwyn turned her head towards the house and called out, "Ian, I think there are some friends of Teresa's out here that are anxious to see her." She turned back to the two men, "And just so we are straight, if you try to hurt her, I will turn you into a pin-cushion." She gestured with her bow for them to go inside in front of her. Her threat may have sounded lame, but she wasn't bluffing. She only hoped she had read the man right and they really were the woman's friends. Otherwise she and Ian might be in a bit of trouble.
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Post by ivory on Oct 9, 2009 17:49:19 GMT -5
Galen had stiffened at the use of Teresa's real name, fearing how disoriented she was to give her actual name. He wondered if she'd told them anything else, but immediately dismissed it. She was one of the best. She simply wouldn't give out information...would she? She was certainly ill...no. Teresa was stronger than that.
Figuring the only way he'd know for certain was to question her and so he gave a be-on-guard-but-don't-act signal to Jock before heading inside at her wishes. He nodded in acknowledgement of her threat before slipping inside, wondering if she'd have the courage to even carry it out.
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Teresa froze at the sound of the girl's voice, wondering if this was some kind of trick. The Family wasn't supposed to be here. It was am ambush. They were going to give her back to Abdilah. In a hazzled panic, she turned from the doorway and launched herself at Ian, knife leading. She wouldn't go back. They'd have to take her corpse.
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