A Wilderness Road Archive 1

"It's your hair." The words barely left her lips before she disappeared. He was too obvious in some rights but not in others. His personality was like the fronts that created tornadoes. One moment that he was warm and kind and the next cold and indifferent. The only reason she'd been able to utter those words instead of others was the implication behind them. She had meant he was too easily spotted while he took it a different way and for some reason she had not wished to offend him. It was the reason she slipped away so quickly after uttering them.

There were other patrols in the village itself and it was the very reason that Myra had suggested they leave the barrier as soon as possible. Despite some effort, certainly not her best, to convince Vith she'd realized it would be almost impossible. The sword might be an heirloom he was afraid to lose or have some other significance to it. Her search would have to be within the confines of normal light for as she slipped around a home she released the spell.

The moonlight flooded the area in short bursts. The drawing back of the spell like the release of a cloud covering it and revealing Vith's position first while making its way through the village itself. It would be the downfall of the elf currently watering a tree for the two lumps within the cage would be more noticeable. Especially to a man who had come to speak to the person who should have been caged within it. His approach had been masked by the sound of Vithkun's alleviation until he was but ten feet from his query. Noticing the absence he approached further the thick grass sliding against his heels. It dampened some of his passing but could not hide the long strides which made his clothing shift and his rather deeper breathing. He had brought his sword draped across his hip and he began to draw it from the sheath as a certain bright colored elf decided to peer around it. Bart met the loquacious elfs gaze with a short, "How?"

Sheathing his sword to have a friendly chat was the last thing on the mans mind before him. In his opinion the elf could not be trusted, his loud mouth had gotten him in here and only now quieting it wasn't enough to convince him that releasing him was going to be for the best. It was to that end that he raised the end a little when he began to speak quite heavily. He had the sort of look Myra gave him when she was considering her options only Bart's options were a lot less likely to be amusing for Vith and far more likely to end up with him back in the cage with the two who were snoozing away from force instead of choice.

"Your assumptions are what got you into this mess, and you spouting off words before even considering other options," Bart seemed in the mood to prattle slightly even if his tense shoulders meant he was looking downward at his hands seeing they were still bound. He came to the same conclusion that Vith feared, that he worked not alone.

The bandits never worked alone either and Myra had left one just outside the barrier who she believed would be out for some time. Some time had passed since she entered, however, due to their conversation and now her searching for his belongings. The man was still bound but once he rolled off the edge of the tree and down to the bottom he was able to at least take to his feet and rather awkwardly hop towards the edge of the barrier. Myra had just found Vith's belongings in a storage building of sorts and was collecting his sword along with the few other meager items they'd taken out of his pockets. Swinging the sword over her shoulder instead of hip, the belt being too long for it, she grasped the small bag and peered out of the building. She cursed silently seeing the very man who had earlier been so inclined to guard his secrets hobbling to another who pulled his gag out first. A spew of truth came from him with wide eyes as he was being untied. Alarms were sounded within the village a very loud bell ringing from the center and echoing throughout the area.

Bart heard it in the distance from their location his eyes never wavering. He knew what it meant and reinforcements would soon be too him as the prisoner would be the first person they would think that it was rang for. Five men began to cross the distance. They were in various states of dress but none had forgotten their weapons. They knew what lay in store for them if they were not prepared this time.

"I cannot free you for the council now has a say in the decision, we will catch who is aiding you and tomorrow you shall both be put before them."

Bartholomew's scowl told Vith all about his mood and he knew that he wouldn't be able to talk politely with one who were this set in his ways.
"My other option was to to attack and kill as many as you as possible!" Vithkun spoke as his fine features hardened. "Don't you try to deny that you're the criminals here! What would have had me assume? That you were giving out free cake or about to invite me to a dinner party?" Vithkun asked sarcastically knowing Bart's intentions were to cage him again as the alarm sounded and guards were closing in on the perimeter.

But Bart's last words didn't sit well with Vithkun knowing that his last hope was in danger of being caught now. The villagers might have been friendly in keeping him, but keeping him prisoner at all was irredeemable - and now he was going in front of a city council?
"Nonsense! I have tolerated you long enough!" Vithkun exclaimed as he backed up against the great tree. Now was the time do something spectacular - a last resort but also his favorite resort. A bell only chimed in case of prisoner escape, attacks on the city or... FIRE.

Vithkun's index finger had written this elvish word so many times now that even if his hands were on his back he could do so easily and it quickly moved on the surface of the bark inscribing the elvish magical word and as with the logs when Myra and him had camped the fire would start within the core of the tree but quickly embers became visible beneath the bark.
"Bart. YOU chose the wrong option!" Vith said as he with the other index finger wrote into the air 'Storm steed'. But what appeared was not a composed and elegant appearance as Wind Strider usually carried himself - oh no. This time a gale of wind stormed out to all sides, the the powerful wind making it difficult for anyone to stand their ground - much less approach Vithkun in this instant as the gale also had the fire inside the great tree flare up violently replacing its crown of leaves with fire in the most spectacular of ways. This would most likely cause most to think the alarm was sounded because of fire.

"Go!" Vithkun commanded Wind Strider, and putting its stormy hooves into the ground it burst forward in the general direction he had seen Myra sneak towards. Hopefully she would give Vith a sign so he would be able to know where to pick her up - in any case she could hardly have ignored the alarm and the fire wouldn't have passed idly either.

The courier had stumbled into a rather well used campsite, which hadn't moved for several weeks. The plans to migrate to the Oasis of the Crossroads had been forgotten as it there was some worry that maybe the next courier wouldn't have known where it was... or if the owners of the inn would've appreciated a rather unruly band of men camping nearby. So, they remained, which seemed the better option now.

Annan had been sitting in front of the fire, nursing a cup of ale... well, nursing for him, which meant that he didn't finish it all in one swallow. He looked rather cross initially as the courier approached him, and it didn't change even as he saw the letter. He took it from the courier, and handed it to his bard to read to him. It was only when the challenge was issued that the cross look escaped Annan's face, and a rather grim smile appeared.

"Sounds like fool's errands if I ever heard of any. We start at sunrise," he ordered to his bard, letting him pass the word to the rest of the men. He finished his last drink, and then got to work preparing for the start of the quest.

Never failing to marvel at the sight of the beast he rode upon her haste did not portray all of her emotions due to the rush of it all. Leaping behind him as if it were practiced between them the motion smooth and capable he had done time training and she had simply learned from a young age how to survive on a battlefield. Settling in her thighs around the outside of his buttock the position was not an uncomfortable one physically but mentally she wasn't sure whether to cringe or lean into his warmth and enjoy his strength as hers was waning now from the extension of the spell. It did not draw on her in such a manner should she have released it and let it do its work but she expanded it, weakened it, held it back by all accounts and it was not pleased at such a betrayal.

Sinking against him her bosom pressed along his back as hands clasped around his chest she kept them together one holding a fist as if she were taking a man to the ground. It was the least personal manner of keeping close as he raced forth. Her view only obstructed forward she had quite the show of the village burning and things flying and all her heart could do was hurt for a people she did not even know. Compassion came from her core the deep set emotions of elves not shared freely nor of drows but without training to close herself off to the world she felt everything. Felt the cries of the trees, the anguish of the people, the sorrow and madness, the confusion of the young, and knew their world was being destroyed before their eyes. All to secure their freedom.

They paused in their trek a safe distance away and glancing over his shoulder she saw him begin to work. Uncomprehending his magic it was still beautiful to see his hands weave through the air. The first drop of rain she felt was upon her cheek. Sliding off the edge like a single tear until it left to hit her blouse. He spoke so insincerely and yet she knew it was not the truth. He looked back slightly and she let her forehead fall to his shoulder. Torn between tears and joy she let a few of her own fall but did not shake to reveal them. Her hands that had been wrapped so firmly relaxed the fingers spreading across his chest as she kept her place, "He has already been found," she spoke low almost a whisper so he could not her the tremble in her voice, "He is the one that set the alarm after I left him beyond the barrier. I believed he would be out for much longer. A silly mistake really."

"You're welcome," he was right about her stoutness but mostly her voice lost some of its very fight towards him. How could she continue to be diverse towards his very person when his very person was something she'd really not seen at this point. He was not a mystery anymore but a man who was taught to act one way but truthfully deep down was not that way. Layer by layer he might be peeled back to reveal some of the very qualities that she treasured in others. Qualities not often seen. Then again it made this more difficult. Constantly reminded of the jewel that she was after she was going to have to betray him. Not in word for she could never say the words to do so but in action and that hurt most of all because she would also never utter the truth.

Straightening in place he also had a fiance and leaning against him was not appropriate. A moment of weakness she did not yet regret but perhaps would shortly she allowed the rain to wash away and cleanse her she had to get her bearings. The stars were covered but she had fully walked the paths around the village itself, "I did not leave camp where it was," glancing about she added, "I did leave Uma not to far from here, she has your belongings as well."

Leaving camp so far away would have meant back tracking and the possibility of bandits around what little she had and the spectacularly more that he traveled with. Feeling his hand over hers she ached inside but did not withdraw it until he himself decided better of the action. Moving towards the direction that they sought she wanted to avoid certain areas of the forest but after giving him short directions she found her strength sapped from as if the rain was lulling her off into the world of dreams.

While Vith took the path he might notice a trail within it. A trail where the plant so carefully sung to by the elves of old were withered and falling to ash on the ground. The destruction was purposeful in appearance as it was not random and the forest around those that had passed was thriving. If he so chose to follow it he would coming into a clearing. No, not a clearing, a place that had once been full of life but was now quite wide and abandoned in it trees reduced to nothing and naught but a pale resemblance of the forest floor beneath his feet. The pure pain that exuded from the world itself at the loss called to him like a nightingale so sweetly from a windowsill but while its song was beautiful this was so sorrowful that it could have torn the heart of a lesser elf in twain. Myra would stir from behind him if he chose this path and rather purposefully say, "It's best we do not linger here."

“Yes,” she’d murmured the answer to his question about his things before losing herself. It was a accidental the way her head rested gently against the center of his shoulder blades her hands holding on loosely if only to keep herself in place. Never would she have purposefully have allowed such blatant openness towards another person to be shown and she would not have allowed herself to fall asleep with any other. His warmth flowed through her like a comfort and the very thought of his joy at seeing her could not be forgotten. Obviously it was because she was there to lessen his discomfort at being in the cage, he might have never reacted so if she had simply been visiting, but something was nice about being wanted in that instant.

When Vith had turned along the wrong trail it had been at her behest. Purposefully she had attempted to steer him around it but the later signs of her passing that she had not been aware of had drawn him in. The instant they passed into the clearing she awoke feeling the death around her. It suffocated her like the very spell that had been used invading her senses and cutting through her like a knife. Every nerve ending felt like it was alight a shiver running along her spine that she compressed into it not allowing the motion to be seen outwardly her hands removed from his chest and gripping the edges of her thighs her cloak bunching into them.

Following Vith off of the horse she slid off without his assistance not asking for it as he began to treat her rather like a child who had been naughty. His scolding was not beyond her understanding for she heard that tone often as a little girl who had been caught pick pocketing. What did he want from her? To say she was sorry for her actions? Surely she could never apologize for what she had done out of what she believed to be necessity. It was by necessity that the spell had arisen to start in the dark nights in her homeland. The first instant she had killed a small blue bird because fear had driven her to protect herself. When she coddled its poor body the feathers almost grey in color from a once bright blue she had cried over it. The sort of choking sobs that enveloped the whole body within them each tear falling across her hands and to the ground. She’d buried it and to this day remembered its location a small marker laying above its body. When she had time she would visit it and still apologize for her mistake that cost the bird its life.

Moving on to practice on plant life had been difficult. Surely it was just as sinful and the way Vith looked around him she felt the hatred towards her actions. Or rather assumed it was there if he did not feel it. The forest was as old as time and for her to destroy it was unforgiveable but then again so was letting him die due to his arrogance. Her belief had been in the fact his life was in danger among those people and she though she wished she had another plan she could not bring herself to regret what she had done. He was here now, alive, and she had not rescued him simply so he might help her find the jewel. That realization came to her now even as he scolded her and she hardened her heart to the possibilities within it. What poor judgment she had.

He asked her questions that she had plenty of answers to now but each might be just an excuse in his eyes and to tell him truthfully that it had been for him would hurt more than anything. So therefore she searched for a half truth. She found it in a saying that she had learned to repeat more than once and because her kind were the only ones who could produce such magic it was not a lie but not an answer and she could certainly say it. So she did looking him in the eye with her own sharp ones a challenge lingering behind them, “Because I am drow.”

Their belongings were not in the actual clearing and she stalked off towards the forest refusing to ride behind him again she walked the last eight of a mile to reach them, not a far distance but one that would have been outside of the camp itself. Uma greeted her not unkindly the horse nickering and approaching her even as she tossed his belongings off and in his general direction. Patting the horse on the neck she took her place in the saddle no kind words of affection shared only a silent bond as she turned the beast around and went back towards the main roads where their path lay.

"A drow..?!?" Vith said and turned to Myra placing his hands on his hips challenging her right back with a firm stare. But the tension ended with a sigh and shake of the head. Even he could feel that neither of them had much energy left for and argument right now and as she left to fetch their things Vithkun walked around kicking the ash on the ground before his sword came back into his mind. He pulled it from the sheath wanting to make sure they hadn't dented its fine blade. Sure it was more than difficult to dent an elven blade anyway, but who knew what such simple folk could have used this for?

Content that the blade was good if not for a little bit of human smudge and smell, he strapped it back around his hip when he suddenly felt his pocket. The ring. After all it hadn't been necessary to use it - which was good. He wasn't feeling safe using something like that and perhaps its usage would endanger others around him too. That was going to stay there for a while, hopefully the entire journey, and as Vith dusted his shoes clean from ash and set his hair and clothes straight again he mounted Wind Strider awaiting Myra who was still the only one to know the road.
"You could mark it on a map you know. Just so we both know where to go." Vith would suggest, though it was more of a sign of frustration that he was left having to be guided by Myra - the same frustration that had him scouting around at first and getting caught.

Besides what remarks they may have shared in the start and the occasional practical communication their trip was largely silent until Vith found what looked like a suitable place for camp and rest. Vithkun felt tired from the whole ordeal and though it would have been possible to some extend to take a blunder on Wind Strider making it follow Myra's lead, he hadn't been prepared to do so knowing full well now that the forest could contain all sorts of scum.
"This looks like a reasonable place to rest - let's make a camp here." Vithkun said and immediately dismounted Wind Strider while unloading his things as if it had already been decided. They had reached a small picturesque clearing where flowers grew in many startling colors and the few oak trees that were surrounding the clearing gave off a light shade as their leaves rustled with a friendly sound. All that in stark contrast to the intense silence between Myra and Vithkun.

The trio were studied with a general air of mistrust by the small band of warriors, who had paused in their preparations to move out. They formed themselves into a huddled crowd as the three robed figures intruded on the edge of the camp, letting their naked steel weapons let them know that they were prepared for whatever was in store for them. They had met a variety of mystic creatures on this part of the road, and they weren't about to let another try and get the drop of them.

Standing apart from the men were Annan and the bard, who approached the three men together. The bard introduced themselves, "Greetings William, John, and Paul of the brown robes. You have come upon the band of the great warrior Annan Ap Owen, whose deeds are sung from the mountains to the plains. It is no wonder that you know of him, but the question then is why you approach him?"

Annan merely grunted in agreement with the bard's sentiments.