[with Thomas]

[no_thief]

[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.

Comments

[vagrant_malkin]

He gives a nod, putting a bit more wood on the fire before going to go settle down.

"Wake me if there's problems."

[no_thief]

"Okay," she says, very low.







Some hours later, the moon rises in a dark sky and illuminates the clearing.

She's nowhere to be seen.

[vagrant_malkin]

The sun's just barely begun to even think about rising, when a bird wings it's way into the clearing. Chirping urgently, the avian makes to wake him, telling him in a way that only he's able to understand, that Kaya is in trouble.

When a glance around the camp fails to produce her, he's on his feet and moving quickly, still shrugging on his coat as the bird leads him to where he needs to be.

[no_thief]

She's got a significant head start; he moves faster than she does. Which means that he's cut the distance between them to something like a quarter of a mile, by the time the sun has made its way free of the horizon.

Which in turn means he's close enough to hear it when a shriek rends the air from some distance ahead, sending clouds of birds winging hastily into the sky.

A second shriek follows, this time with words in it: "No! No!"

[vagrant_malkin]

His heart seizes and clenches in his chest at the shriek, along with the faint and frantic words. He's speeding up as fast as he can though, without giving himself away; he needs to get closer, needs to see what he's dealing with so he can save her.

[no_thief]

There's fairly tangled underbrush around the small clearing ahead; a little creek runs through it, tributary to the stream they waded in yesterday.

Two men in the same blue livery are there, one of them holding a struggling Kaya by the arm.

(The same livery, Thomas might notice, but not the same men.)

[vagrant_malkin]

He wants to rush in, to take both those men on and save her, but they're armed and he isn't. It's a problem, definitely, but it also means he'll have to follow carefully and be ready to spring into action and get her away at the earliest opportunity.

[no_thief]

The one holding her hunkers down to get a better look at her face. "Aye," he says tersely, "it's her."

"Finally," says the other one, in a tone of relief. "Better make sure she's got the box --"

"Right." He looks into Kaya's face, his own stern. "Let's have it, then."

Kaya struggles to pull free. "No!"

[vagrant_malkin]

His next action is decisive and swift. A feathered friend bursts from the underbrush ahead of him, going straight for the eyes of the man holding the girl.

He breaks cover just after the avian, moving as swiftly as he can. His belt knife is in his hand, and while the one man is distracted, he moves in low, making a grab for Kaya with one hand while the bladed one lashes out at the man's exposed gut.

[no_thief]

"Ji, look out --" shouts the other man, his voice mingling with Kaya's shriek.

Thomas's belt knife scores a deep gash through the blue uniform, drawing blood. The guard called Ji lets out a hoarse cry and goes to one knee, and his grip slips off Kaya's arm --

-- and the other guard's sword comes out with a clear singing scrape, and he swings for the intruder's legs.

[vagrant_malkin]

He dances out of the way of the blade, just barely, and earns a tear in his pant leg for his troubles. He hasn't stopped moving, though, his other arm has a hold of Kaya, heaving her over one shoulder while he makes a break for the underbrush once more.

They needed to move and they needed to hide.

[no_thief]

The other soldier's right on their heels to the edge of the clearing, and then crashing through the underbrush right behind them.

[vagrant_malkin]

Move! Movemovemovemove.

He'll manage breathlessly, if Kaya is okay.

[no_thief]

Kaya's okay, at least for the moment, and has the sense not to struggle this time.

The soldier is still right behind Thomas, keeping to the track he's trampling through the brush.

[vagrant_malkin]

He's thankful, that Kaya is light. It allows him some maneuverability, still, vaulting over fallen trees and ducking under low branches without losing much of his stride.

If that guardsman catches up to them, it'll be their death.

[no_thief]

Thomas's death, perhaps. Not Kaya's. She knows that, and knowing it brings her no comfort at all.

She huddles as close to Thomas as she can, as she would to a fleeing horse, trying not to impede his movement.

The guard is panting behind them, and they can both hear him swearing aloud as he lunges with his sword.

[vagrant_malkin]

There's a soft grunt from Thomas, as something stings him. Though it's likely just a branch that's hitting him as they pass. All it manages to do, though, is just but the barest moments of a hitch to his step, before he presses on.

[no_thief]

And it seems that's as far as the guard cares to follow them, with his injured companion behind; he shouts a few vicious oaths at them before turning back.

Kaya buries her face in Thomas's shoulder and clings tight.

[vagrant_malkin]

Thomas isn't letting her go anytime soon, and as soon as the guard is out of visual range, he does his best to move a bit more stealthily. It wouldn't do for them to get away, only for them to be followed easily.

[no_thief]

That same dull edge is digging into Thomas's side; something under Kaya's shirt. She doesn't seem to notice this time, holding tightly to him as he moves -- although when she can't hear the guard anymore, she lifts her head from his shoulder to look at their backtrail.

In a whisper: "I think he's gone back."

[vagrant_malkin]

"Doesn't matter," he pants in a low tone, suddenly feeling winded and a little light headed. "We have to put as much distance between us and them as humanly possible."

[no_thief]

Kaya nods. That panting; he sounds tired.

"I can walk," she offers tentatively.

[vagrant_malkin]

"C'n manage."

He's aware of a stinging in his side, now, and he shifts Kaya over to one arm while the other inspects. When his hand comes away slick with blood, he can only blink at it confusedly as he stumbles.

"...Oh."

[no_thief]

She's seen it, and sucks in breath in a near-silent gasp.

[vagrant_malkin]

"Well...this just fucks everything up."

Carefully, he places her on the ground, and presses his hand to his side to staunch the flow.

"We should keep going."