Tethers that Bind

The Hunted

His shoulders were tense and she could see the vein in his neck pulse. A flash shot through her body, responding to the authority and base of his voice. Out of all the time she was watching these two from the shadows of the outlying forest, she had never heard this man's voice. To hear it now was both a shock and an unexpected pleasure. Snapping out of the odd sensation that had taken her over, she registered that he was trying to get the bard Yames to stop talking. The question was, why? Was he embarrassed by the story?

Maybe he suspects you.

"Regardless, you'll need me for this trip. Talking or not, you need the information I have about the Ravine. Without it, you wouldn't make it through alive." She spoke to Larnin directly. His eyes finally locked with hers and it was all she could do not to cringe from that stare. While the honey in his eyes was warm and inviting, something behind them chilled her skin, giving her goosebumps. She leaned her forearms onto her knees and leaned toward him. She would not be intimidated! Even if the hair on her neck stood up being even this close to him. She swallowed heavily but covered it by saying, "What's it going to be?"

Really, she didn't know what else to say. Convincing them would take information and she could only give a little, too much and she wouldn't be useful enough for them to go along with her plan. Reaching into her tunic, she took out a flask of her own and took a swig of the burning liquid. Hand extending over the fire, she offered it to Larnin, who still hadn't responded.

To her utter surprise, he extended his arm to meet hers and took the flask. Amalia had expected rejection at the offer. She could feel her eyes widen as he said, "You have a deal. However, you'll be giving us your weapons so you don't slit our throats while we sleep."

He does suspect me!

She cooled her flushed cheeks, leaning back onto the log. "You want me to unarm myself, how do I know you won't be the one slitting throats or worse? How do I know you won't try to have your way with me when I let down my defenses?" He smirked slightly and took a swig from the flask, eyes looking over her. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks again and warmth spread where his eyes took her body in. Uncomfortable with the attention, she narrowed her eyes at him. Still, that voice of his traveled south and nearly broke her when he said, "I'm not one to force a woman to bed, nor do I make a habit of inviting vipers to warm my sheets." The way this man said the word, "bed" was sinfully distracting from what he was saying. She had to shift her weight on the log.

He's right though, you're a viper.

Confusion at both the acceptance of her offer to travel with them and a strange feeling of rejection had her shoulders tightening. Maybe this was a mistake. But thinking of entering the Ravine alone felt like a cold vise closing around her heart. Panic started to rise inside her and she began to doubt this plan to get through the Ravine in the first place, much less with two strangers and an undetected identity from scouts above the Ravine.

Luckily, Yames chose this moment to break the tension building between her and Larnin. "Rin, surely she isn't a threat to us. She is the one who came to us after all! Maybe we should give her a chance and if she tries to kill us, then you can take care of her, I'm sure!" He was trying to be reasonable, which was kind, but also very, very stupid. Because if things went wrong she would not hesitate to do exactly what they feared. She had to get through the Ravine soon and get to Malisol. But she had to be as incognito as possible.

"Besides, I am very curious about what she offers. The last time we went through that dreadful place, I nearly lost my head!" Yames rubbed his throat and made a sour expression. "Anything to make that trip easier will be a boon to my soul." That wasn't uncommon. Trouble in the Ravine came in two ways. Either by bandits who waited outside the Gates, the opening to the Ravine itself. Or, by the scouts atop the walls and their arrows. There didn't use to be scouts, but word was that the Duke began round-the-clock watches about 6 months ago. Amalia felt herself shiver.

"You take first watch bard," Larnin said, tossing Amalia's flask at her as he stood to walk away. "And if you start singing, I'll wring your neck."

Yames raised his brows and took a heavy pull from his own flask again, shaking his head and laughing to himself. Amalia controlled her expression over the information as she got up to retrieve her bundle from a tree where she had stashed it in the forest. They'd been through the Ravine before but still accepted her offer. Even if they had a hard time, they made it through. She'd have to look for more clues as to why they were traveling through the Ravine in the morning. She'd also want to find a way to keep as much information about what she knew to herself, which unfortunately was very little anyway. She was taking a heavy risk with this but desperation pushed her forward.

Reaching her bag, she pulled it from the tree and made her way back to the fire. Larnin had set his night sack down near the fire and she had planned to do the same. Yames had laid his out but stepped away, probably to piss out all the liquor he was drinking. Not sure how good of a watch that one will be. She'd stay up for a little while anyway to make sure they didn't try to pull anything on her. Plus, she always slept with a few knives on hand. One under the pillow, one on her belt on her low back, and the last in her boot. None of it felt like enough for what lay ahead. Her mind began to quiet as she listened to Larnin's soft breaths and the crackle of the fire. The heat on her skin reminded her of the recent past.

Images flashed through Amalia's mind of the last time she barely made it out of the damn canyon called the Ravine.

6 months ago....

Panic gripped Amalia by the hair and was riding through her veins. Her breath was ragged and coming in gasps as she ran, bloodied unclothed feet catching on her torn dress, sending her face forward into the dust. Her head cracked against a rock and she cried out at the burst of pain. Shaking hand reaching up to feel at her forehead. It stung and her hand came back bloodied.

Shit. I'm in trouble!

Boots sounded from not too far behind her. Luckily, she was around a bend in the road so she was out of sight for now. She wobbled back onto her butt, eyes wide with fear. She had only heard stories of this place and didn't even know where it led!

Covering the blood on the rock with dust, she looked for a way out. The Ravine had one way in and one way out. It was said that an ancient monster had carved this stretch of land so he could catch man and beast and feast upon them. The height of the sharp walls cast shadows across the wash below. The walls were too tall to scale and floods had landed heavy boulders and sand into any crevasse. Effectively f*****g Amalia's chance at hiding anywhere. There definitely was a beast in the Ravine, but it was human and hunting her.

"She couldn't have gotten far!"

Amalia ripped off the hanging part of the dress and tied her bleeding feet in a rush. Gritting her teeth, she got up and ran like hell. The Duke would never catch her, she wouldn't let him. Every time she thought about what he'd done and what he intended to do to her, bile rose in her throat. Swallowing heavily, Amalia dove out of the Ravine just as an arrow came sailing by her ear. She rolled to the side and into a bush. Quieting her breath, eyes crazed, she kept pushing backward slowly away from the path, scooting on her belly. Boots crunched on the path before her. She counted 10. 10 men for one woman. They truly were hunting her now. How would she get away? How far down the road would they get before they realized where she was?

Suddenly, the earth fell out from under her and she was falling. She hit the water with a smack! Rapids carried her for what felt like miles away from the brush she had hidden in. She hadn't even heard the water because she was so focused on the Duke's men.

In the moment, she was scared she would drown, but later she would be grateful that the water carried her far away from her pursuers and the cold staunched the bleeding of her feet and head. Finally, the water had slowed and gentled curving around bends and depositing her onto a sandy shelf. As she pulled her body from the water and into the soft sand, her muscles screamed and helplessness crept in. Colder than the water. Heartbroken, she sobbed to the sky, overcome by her grief. Her one tie to this world, her best friend, was dead and Amalia was being hunted by her killer.

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall as she remembered her friend Ash. Grateful she didn't have to see the body. It must be better this way, at least that's what she told herself to keep from going insane. She would always remember her friend as she was that way. Bright blue eyes, always filled with a passion for life. Her big goofy smile as they'd talk about their village and what boy Ash had her eye on. She was a terrible flirt and loved to make bets on who she could get to buy us drinks or accomplish some silly task she gave them. They'd joked about being two old bitter ladies, chasing men around. Always free and happy in their naive dreams.

They'd been as close as sisters. They'd spend nights talking about their pain and sorrows and in the morning they'd laugh and find joy in the day again. They'd made plans all the time to travel or eat some food somewhere. Amalia always made trying new food a requirement wherever they ended up. But her best friend was gone. She couldn't ever laugh with her or smile with her again. A pain in her chest made her cry out. Amalia felt the loneliness and heartache c***k her soul open. Darkness filling the space and pulsing in her chest. The Duke had taken everything from her that mattered. She had nothing to live for anymore and it was because of that selfish f**k.

I'm going to f*****g kill him.

Tears, hot on her cheeks. She gave herself into the sorrow and let grief wash over her.

When she could cry no longer and the sun had dried her and warmed her skin, she began to sway to sleep. Mostly from exhaustion then something she willed. Her body spent from emotion and running, then trying to stay above water, and lastly dragging herself into this clearing of sand and sun. No longer able to move and as her vision faded to blackness she heard one word before being swallowed by darkness...

Revenge.