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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 10, 2009 15:35:57 GMT -5
"Teresa, stop!" Ian yelped as she launched herself at him. She must be half out of her mind from fever or something. He had to drop his bow in order to grab her wrist so she couldn't stab him. Still, she was strong and the blade inched closer to his throat.
Maybe she didn't have friends out there and they were all in trouble, Ian thought as he struggled with her. He was just trying to disarm her without inflicting any additional damage. "Teresa! I am only tring to help you! If those aren't your friends out there, then we need to fight them together. You are in no shape to fight them alone!" He tried to reason with her, but didn't think he was getting through.
_____
Brandwyn heard Ian yelp and said, "hurry! If you really are her friends, she needs you. She was hurt pretty bad and isn't exactly thinking clearly." Brandy knew Ian wouldn't fight her if he could help it. She kept an arrow knocked though, and stayed behind the two men, just in case they attacked her.
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Post by ivory on Oct 11, 2009 16:05:57 GMT -5
Galen was already inside and had assessed the situation within the blink of an eye. "Teresa!" The call of her name was more out of relief than a command, but she stilled all the same. Her hand shook as she kept the knife poised, not trusting her ears. He wasn't supposed to be here.
He moved quickly to her side as Jock entered behind him, his eyes cold. Whereas, Galen had seen Ian as a friend, Jock's more paranoid nature had labelled him as the enemy. As soon as Teresa was pried off of him, Jock was behind him with an arm circling around his throat. Before he could start to squeeze though, Galen gave a shake of his head and though puzzled, he complied, releasing the man. He took a few steps back, not liking the fact that he didn't know what the situation was.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 13, 2009 22:01:51 GMT -5
Ian eyed the two new arrivals warily as he rubbed his neck with one hand and kept the other down by his belt knife. "Who are you?" He casually picked up his bow where it had fallen against the chair. "Teresa, do you know these guys?"
___
Brandwyn stepped into the cottage, her bow ready and had an arrow on Jock, ready to shoot him until he let go of Ian, then she lowered the point to the ground, but kept it knocked until she knew the situation was diffused.
"They claim to be friends of the lady there." Brandwyn said, "but I am not sure what they were up to in the barn." Brandwyn kept her eyes on Jock. He seemed to be the bigger threat at the moment, yet also seemed to follow the older man's hand signals. She noticed for the second time that he backed off with a wave of the other guy's hand. So far he hadn't uttered a word either.
She found herself studying him and only half following the conversation between Ian and the others.
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Post by ivory on Oct 14, 2009 7:42:39 GMT -5
"We're family." Galen skipped over his name, not completely trusting that Teresa wouldn't accidentally call him by his real name. He'd looked up when he answered, but now his eyes were back on her face. She offered him a smile, still trying to stand on her own two feet despite her condition; she really did annoy him sometimes. But nevertheless, he let her go, knowing there was no reasoning with her. For one, she was a woman, for two, she was Mother.
"...but I am not sure what they were up to in the barn."
"It's a place we usually stay at when we travel to visit her. The half-way mark from our house to hers." He then turned his questions to Ian. "Where'd you find her? What happened to her?" He figured he'd play the half-accusing/half-thankful brother, besides, he wanted to know.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 14, 2009 14:51:22 GMT -5
Ian's cracked leg bone was aching and so eased down into the chair, laying his bow across his lap absentmindedly while he studied the newcomer. He suspected the guy wasn't being entirely forthcoming, especially since he didn't answer Ian's question by giving his name.
Still, Theresa did seem to know him and had calmed down, so the guy was likely not going to harm Theresa. But would he harm Brandwyn or Ian? Ian glanced at the boy and thought he looked a bit wild. This was definately a strange family. If they really were family. Ian had his doubts, but he didn't see any reason to hide where they had found Theresa.
"Actually it was my apprentice who found her, being tortured by that General of the Aslavian Army." Ian pointed to Brandwyn who jumped slightly and blushed bright red, looking at the man sideways. Ian wondered what was going through her head now. She looked like she had been caught with Cook's sweet rolls in the middle of the night. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her questioningly.
"We watched from the ridge top all that day as the General transported Theresa in a wagon with the wagoner whipping her repeatedly all day. She couldn't tell me how long she'd been without food or water. I figure three days at least." Ian looked at Theresa. "She had some knife wounds too, and really should be lying down right now." He said sternly, looking her in the eye meaningfully.
"Anyway, Brandwyn decided, against my better judgement, to free Theresa that night. We spent most of two days flying back here so I could doctor her and get her back on her feet. We hadn't been here long before you showed up." Ian noticed one of the wounds was bleeding again.
"I did what I could for her, but all this moving around seems to be opening up her wounds. She is not out of danger yet. She needs rest, food and water." He said with concern. "In fact I think we all could use some rest, but I am not sure how long it will be before the Aslavians turn up here."
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Post by ivory on Oct 16, 2009 9:57:40 GMT -5
Galen sent a nod of appreciation toward the girl when he found out she’d been the one to find Theresa.
"We watched from the ridge top all that day as the General transported Theresa in a wagon with the wagoner whipping her repeatedly all day. She couldn't tell me how long she'd been without food or water. I figure three days at least.”
His jaw tightened, but other than that, he kept his thoughts to himself. Well, besides with Jock. That boy had the uncanny ability to read him.
"She had some knife wounds too, and really should be lying down right now."
Teresa sulked, but went to lay down anyways, causing Galen to let a look of surprise wash over his face for a second. She never listened to such sound advice before. Now he was really worried.
Food and rest sounded good, but Ian was right. How much time did they have? They’d placed a few traps as security measures around the woods and roads leading here, but they’d never had the need to use them before. They were years old and though sturdy when placed, Galen didn’t want to chance some of the strings having been rotted. Best to move on….but Theresa….
He didn’t doubt that she couldn’t keep moving, she was way too stubborn, but she didn’t need to be on her feet after such an ordeal. And come to think of it, this was supposed to be Jock’s time off, and there was Malleus in the barn passed out and with his hand cut off. Man, this wasn’t the best of situations….but before he could say anything, there was a crash outside, near the barn, then a groan.
Jock was out the door before Galen could call him back. He started to move after him, but stopped, having realized that Jock’s stance had been more relaxed than anything. He’d bet his life’s earnings (which was quite a bit given all the thievery), that the groan and crash belonged to Malleus. Man, they were in for some rough questioning….and given all the past few day’s events, he wasn’t exactly up to thinking on his feet speed….
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 17, 2009 7:59:16 GMT -5
Brandwyn blushed slightly when Galen nodded his thanks, but she was still studying the boy, trying to figure him out, and only half listening to Ian and Galen.
Suddenly there was a thump and moan outside and she whirled around in the doorway to see what made the sound. It was a good thing she moved because Jock pushed past her so fast he would have bowled her over if she hadn't moved.
When he took off in pursuit of the sound Brandwyn followed close on his heels, her bow still at the ready. She had suspected there might be someone else still in the barn. It seemed her suspicions were confirmed.
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Post by ivory on Oct 31, 2009 19:32:16 GMT -5
Jock frowned at the sight of Malleus sprawled over the ground, his face scrunched up in pain from the fall, having landing on his forearm. The boy moved to help him, tapping his skin twice to let him know he was a friendly.
Galen was standing beside the bed near Teresa, but his back was facing the wall, giving him a clear view of all the occupants and the doorway, when Jock came in supporting Malleus. Knowing that he had his pride, Galen kept from asking Malleus how he was holding up, instead giving Jock the watch-him look before turning it back on Ian.
"Do you have an estimate of how far this Abdulah guy is from here?"
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Post by Brandwyn on Nov 2, 2009 22:16:01 GMT -5
Brandwyn followed Jock and saw a familiar form crouching in pain. She gasped at the bloody stump where his hand used to be.
"Oh no! Adrian, what happened?" Brandwyn helped Jock get the blind man back to the cabin. She turned to Jock as they were walking back, "You know Adrian here?" It seemed pretty obvious to her that he did, but he hadn't uttered a word this whole time and she was beginning to find that odd.
They got him inside and she narrowed her eyes in thought as the man just glanced at the boy in some silent communication. Something was going on here, but she wasn't sure what.
Brandwyn watched them both carefully.
___
Ian stood up carefully on his good leg when the boy and Brandwyn helped the old blind man into the cabin. But before he could do anything, Galen asked him;
"Do you have an estimate of how far this Abdulah guy is from here?"
Ian thought for a moment, calculating how long it had taken them to get back here traveling non-stop as fast as they could push the horses versus the snail's pace the Aslavian army was moving.
"If the whole army is coming this way, which I kinda doubt, it is going to take them about 4 days. However I think the main part of their army is going to keep to the plains where the traveling is easier." Ian mused as he began to assess Adrian's wound from across the table.
"I am more worried about the force he sent after us. We lost them I think, but they were few and fast moving. If they managed to track us then they could be here at any time. The good news is there were only about five of them as nearly as I could tell, and I know we shook them off our trail, or we wouldn't have made it this far."
Ian picked up his satchel of bandages and herbs. "Sit him down here and let me look at that." He glanced at Brandwyn and saw that she was really pale, like she might be ill at any moment. "Anyone else out there?" Ian asked her, more to take her mind off the bloody stump of Adrian's arm than because he thought there was anyone out there.
Brandwyn shook her head. "I don't think so - unless whomever did that to him is still around." She pointed to Adrian (Malleus). "You didn't see anyone else, did you?" she asked Jock.
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Post by ivory on Nov 4, 2009 14:39:24 GMT -5
Jock flicked his eyes toward Galen for confirment before giving a shake of his head in reply to the girl. After settling Malleus on the bed, he moved back to his position by the door, watching for the small group Ian had just warned them about.
Galen was slightly lifted at how much time they had from the main army. Three days of rest would suit the them well before they had to move again; not to mention, those age-old traps wouldn't be put to much to the test. But then again, the risk of staying here with these two might be just as dangerous. They'd shown themselves to be capable of thoughtful conclusions and with Teresa in the state she was in, who knew if she'd accidentally say something that'd jeopardize them all, or more importantly, their upcoming mission?
Fixing his mind instead on the possible five trailers, he said, "I thank you for saving Teresa, but Jock and I can take it from here. Please, don't feel any obligation to stay. You two may have lost the trailers...for the night at least." He held Ian's gaze, hoping to get his words to nail home. Though probably trained in some sort of defense, the two were sporting their own injuries and the last thing Galen wanted was for them to get in his or Jock's way.
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Post by Brandwyn on Nov 12, 2009 17:41:17 GMT -5
Ian had finished dressing the blind man's arm and hopped back to his seat by the fire. The cold damp air of outside set his cracked leg bone to aching.
Though he was dead tired, Galen's suggestion that they would be fine set off some bells and whistles in Ian's head. He wondered what they were up to.
He watched Brandwyn ease into the chair opposite him and saw the grimace of pain as she sat down. She looked as tired as he was. Though they needed to get their information to the King quickly, he knew that if they ventured out tonight, they would likely never make it.
"Well, we haven't slept in two days, so I think we will just stay here for the night." Ian glanced at Malleus, remembering the story he had given the old man. "In the morning we will head back to La Rivage."
"But! -" Brandwyn snapped, and stopped as Ian shot her a glare.
"We are going back in the morning." He pierced his apprentice with a glare until the defiant look faded from her eyes and she nodded her head meekly in defeat. "We both need some rest before setting out." He settled back in the chair and propped his leg up on the hearth. "Brandwyn, you take first watch." He wasn't comfortable with both of them sleeping with these others in the cabin and caught her eye before closing his own and settling in to sleep in the chair.
___
Brandwyn wanted to protest them going back to La Rivage, but then realized he might just have been saying that for the benefit of the other men in the cabin.
She caught his eye as he settled down to sleep and knew she had to stay awake for at least the next four hours so he could get some sleep. She sighed and stood back up to take up a posistion by the back window near the bed. She turned and leaned up against the wall so she coudl keep an eye out the window as well as an eye on the inside of the cabin.
She looked back at Ian fondly. "Sorry about that," she said softly to Galen, "somehow he manages to just go abruptly to sleep when he wants to. It used to creep me out, but I am used to it now." She shrugged and looked out the window, trying to see if there was anything moving out there.
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Post by ivory on Nov 12, 2009 19:53:46 GMT -5
"Well, we haven't slept in two days, so I think we will just stay here for the night."
Not good news, but Galen kept the disappointment from showing on his face as he gave a small nod of agreement. Maybe they could sneak out of here before Ian or Brandwyn did, giving themselves enough time to cover their tracks. But as he swept his eyes to each face of his comrades, he knew they'd move to slow for that to happen.
And when Brandwyn was told to take watch, well, that was the end of that plan. He'd simply have to wing it, though given ancedotes, there was nothing simple about winged plans. Carefully thought out plans had the tendency to go horribly wrong; winged ones had a much higher percentage of doing so, though they did half-way make up with it by their flexibility. Even so, he'd rather plan one than wing it. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to do so, so he flicked his eyes to Jock, signaling that he take the first shift, and then closed his eyes.
He wouldn't sleep for the next hour or so, double checking that Brandwyn wasn't about to shoot the lad. His fingers were still gripping the hidden knife in his sleeve when he finally fell asleep.
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Post by Brandwyn on Nov 22, 2009 0:37:34 GMT -5
Brandwyn leaned against the wall and divided her attention between what was going on outside the window, which was nothing, and the boy keeping watch at the other window. He still hadn't uttered a word and she had thought she'd seen a hand signal of some sort the man had given and the boy acknowledge. She began to believe that he couldn't talk, or perhaps wouldn't talk for some reason and that peeked her curiosity.
But after two hours she had a hard time staying awake. She needed to move around, and she was worried about the horses. Still, she didn't want to leave Ian alone with the others, not sure if the boy wouldn't slit his throat while Brandwyn wasn't looking. That thought woke her up and was enough to keep her awake until the end of her shift.
She noticed that it took a long time for the man to fall asleep and he had a hand tucked into a sleeve, which seemed rather strange to Brandy. She thought that maybe he had some kind of weapon stuffed up it. Certainly that was not an unsual place to hide a dagger or throwing star or something. She made sure to keep a good grip on her bow, though she also made sure not to appear threatening to any of the others in the room.
Finally her shift came to an end and she woke Ian quietly, trying not to wake anyone else. "I should check on the horses before I sleep." Ian nodded and doublechecked that his bow was within quick reach as he rubbed his aching leg and watched his apprentice slip out the door.
Brandwyn did a quick circuit of the grounds and barn and found nothing amiss. She quietly slipped back into the shack and added a log to the fire. "Everything appears quiet out there." she whishpered to Ian, then settled into the corner by the fireplace, on the floor and pulled her cloak tight around her. "It is getting a bit cold out there tonight."
Ian nodded. "Get some rest. We will move out at first light." If they were not attacked during the night anyway. He grabbed his crutch in one hand and his bow in the other and hobbled over to the window Brandwyn had been manning and settled in to watch, thinking about the group they had stumbled upon and what they could possibly be up to out here so close to the front. They had to be out here because of the war. It was too much coincidence otherwise. He just hoped he could get Brandwyn away from them without any further involvement, though he would be wondering down the road how his two patients would make out. He thought both the old man and Teresa would be ok, but one could never be sure.
Ian looked away from the window and at Teresa. If she didn't take it easy, she would likely suffer from infections and fever and he hoped Galen knew how to care for her if that happened. Still, he must keep their mission in mind. It may already be too late to get their information back to the Araluen army. They were going to have to ride as if the whole Aslavian Army was chasing them straight to hell. Ian sighed and turned back to the window. It was going to be rough the next few days.
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Post by ivory on Nov 24, 2009 19:41:08 GMT -5
Jock never moved during his shift except for his hardened eyes looking across the landscape even as he kept the girl on the edge of his vision. He could stay frozen for hours, had done so on a number of occasions, and despite his sore body from his recent beating, he did so now. He stood with his arms hanging loosely at his side, his body relaxed yet still possessing that clear ability to strike and strike hard. He kept on the balls of his feet, shifted toward both the door and the window, allowing free access to his back to those in the cottage. Amazingly, he wasn't overly concerned with his current position and as with all changes, he simply accepted it as such, not giving a single thought as to the reason why.
He was aware of the exact time Galen fell asleep and added it to prolong his shift. He was uneducated in the subject of mathematics, but his ability to tell time was more precise than most. Jock shifted slightly as Brandwyn moved, more out of habit than anything else. He found himself watching as she moved to wake her comrade before shifting his gaze back out the window. He tensed as she made her way to the door and quickly scanned the outside environment, even shifting some to get a broader view. Despite that he saw nothing, he didn't relax until she was back inside, then shifted to place his back to the wall as Ian took her previous place. Before he'd even finished, he'd sensed Galen's movement and gave a small sigh. He'd hoped to let the man rest, knowing he needed it even if Galen didn't. One thing neither of the two males acknowledged was that they were each being looked after by the other.
Without a word, he moved to Galen's recent position, knowing arguing with the man was useless. Galen could be stubborn beyond doubt and though he wouldn't admit it, Jock was greatly in need of a period of rest. Within minutes he was in a light sleep and Galen was sizing up Ian after having swept his gaze over Teresa and Malleus.
Half way through his shift, Teresa gave a little moan, entering into a stage of half-awake, half-asleep, jerking Galen's gaze to her face. Heavens, he yearned for her. Shoving his emotions aside, he turned his eyes back to search the terrain for possible threats. Unknown to him, the threat came from inside not without, and from the least likely person he'd ever thought to betray them: Teresa.
He'd never heard her as she made her way across the room to stand beind him, one of her arms wrapping around his throat to press against his mouth. He reacted instintively, gripping her forearm in one of his hands, her elbow in the other. He started to shove her elbow up when he noticed the blade in her other hand arcing around to piece his chest. He struck out at a spot below her elbow, forcing her the knife in the other direction, then quickly shoved and ducked out of her grip, dragging in lungfuls of air.
The betrayal stung sharp in his chest, but before he could move to counterstrick, she'd dropped the knife and was screaming in pain. Jock was immediately beside her, covering her mouth with one of his hands, his other arm wrapped tight around her body to subdue her. Galen quickly made his way to them, not even bothering to flash a look outside. If there'd been anyone out there, there was no doubt that they'd heard her and were even now closing in on them.
Teresa twisted in Jock's arms, putting up one hell of a fight and seeing the boy's own pain, Galen wrapped his arms around her and nodded for the lad to herd Malleus outside. She was shaking in his arms and despite his attempts to soothe her, she kept thrashing around like a fish out of water, her hands reaching for her waist. Sorrow filled him as he realized the truth and with gritted teeth, he snapped over his shoulder to Ian. "Help me."
She was reliving her time in Toscano, the only mission that had gone horribly wrong. She'd never told him the details of the scars she'd carried out of there, but it didn't take a genius to figure out the scars run wickedly deep.
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 9, 2009 19:02:21 GMT -5
Ian heard Teresa moan and watched her for a moment, but she quieted and so he turned back to look out the window, scanning the darkness for any indictation that they had been found. Even though the only light in the cabin was coming from the dying fire, it would stil probably be a beacon of light should anyone stumble close enough to see it through the trees. Ian would have doused the fire, but with all of them on the injured list, they really needed the warmth.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a struggle near the other window. Ian looked over in surprise as Teresa attacked her supposed friend. Ian grabbed a crutch and hopped forward as he watched in disbelief. Jock jumped in and then Ian realized they were trying to subdue her without hurting her and that she wasn't in her right mind.
"She must be delerious." Ian hobbled over and tried to help hold her. What she needed was probably a sedative. "Want me to give her something to make her sleep?" he asked Galen as he tried to hold her legs.
She thrashed around and Ian realized that wasn't working, so he started talking to her in a low, calm voice. It had calmed her on the ride here, so maybe it would work now.
"Easy Teresa, it is only a dream. It is not real. You are in a nightmare. There there, it is okay..." he said soothingly, only half making sense as he captured a hand and stroked her arm gently. "Careful now, Lady... you are going to be fine.. go back to sleep now... you are safe... your friends are here and you are safe..."
____
Brandwyn woke suddenly to the sound of screaming and a struggle, she sprang up, crying out at the sharp pain in her back caused by her sudden movement. The pain doubled her over for a moment and she had to catch her breath.
When she stood up she pulled her dagger and looked around to figure out what was going on. It only took her a moment to comprehend that the woman had gone beserk and the men were trying to calm her. She pulled Ian's medical pouch over toward her and dug through the herbs, hoping she was picking the right ones. She grabbed a mug and filled it with hot water from the pot on the hearth and sprnkled a portion of the herbs from the pouch into the water. She was hoping the tea would steep fast enough so it was ready for her to drink before she hurt someone.
Then she wondered how they were going to get it into her with her fighting them like that. She listened to Ian's voice and felt her nerves settle. She was always amazed that he could do that, just by the tone of voice he used. He had used that trick on her often when she was in a tirade about something.
But she could only watch helplessly until Ian asked for the sleeping draft.
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