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[with Thomas]
[A day or two after this.]
There are five of the liveried guardsmen in the inn now, and two in the stables.
Kaya hid the night in a storeroom bin that used to hold apples, and is now peering through a crack in the wall into the common room and trying to find a way past them.
There are five of the liveried guardsmen in the inn now, and two in the stables.
Kaya hid the night in a storeroom bin that used to hold apples, and is now peering through a crack in the wall into the common room and trying to find a way past them.
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"Easy! It's okay, it's okay, you're safe, it's okay."
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Safe is ... perhaps a slight overstatement, as is demonstrated a moment later when a crossbow quarrel punches halfway through the back of the driver's perch, missing Thomas's side by inches.
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Gaining more ground now, he chances a lean over to one side to glance at their pursuers.
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Another few bolts are fired, one caroming off a wheel (but failing to do any damage) and one sticking into the back of the carriage, the others all missing.
"Keep going," says Kaya hoarsely, from where she's crouched on the footboard. "They won't stop, they'll kill you --"
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"Not my first escape from the law, kiddo. I can handle this."
They've gained good ground now, line of sight lost once they break into the trees. The horses go for just a bit longer before slowing to a stop and Thomas casts an anxious look behind them.
"Quick, check the carriage for anything useful, then we have to move."
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It doesn't look likely to hold much that's practical; a wealthy young person's day-excursion carriage, not something intended for any journey longer or more arduous than around the square and back.
Kaya's searching under the seats, though, just in case. She's already gotten hold of a heavy wool lap blanket.
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He's just finished feeding them when a bird enters the clearing, Kaya likely missing the way it lands in his hair and chirps at him before taking off.
"We need to go," he calls after the girl. "The horses will lead them for a merry chase, and if we're lucky, we'll be able to loop back around to the town."
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"I'm not going back to the town."
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"Alright, I suppose. I've lived on less in the way of supplies. Come on, then."
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"Yes?"
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"You don't have to go with me."
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"I wouldn't have said I would if I wasn't going to follow through."
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Thomas lifts a hand towards the horses as he moves, as if in farewell, and the horses take off once more, leaving them.
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It isn't long before they hear the low murmur of a creek, not far away. Kaya turns to make for the sound.
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Kaya bends and scoops up a handful to drink thirstily.
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"We should go down river, maybe even stay in the water. We'd be a little exposed, though."
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"Onwards, then."
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After about ten minutes of wading, though, it's starting to be a struggle; the chill of the water is setting in, and the shifting footing makes each step more work than it would be on solid ground.
Kaya sets her shoulders grimly and plods on. There's no sound of pursuit behind them yet, at least.
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It's sometime later, that he notices Kaya drooping notably more than she has been.
"Here, would you like me to carry you?"
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(It's been quite some time since she's had a good night's sleep, or regular meals. And she's been awake and moving since dawn.)
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"There's no shame in needing help, Kaya."
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