A Close Call

Writers: Devin, Kaysea
Date Posted: 23rd April 2008

Characters: Royani, Marod
Description: Marod and Royani are forced to run when Boesyn and Klegen are spotted in the area.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 2 of Turn 4

Milking the bovines was her least favourite chore on the small holding, so unbecoming. What would her family think if they could see her now, she wondered; once more pulling gently on the teat of the beast who stood chewing her cud quite happily.

They had been here a little over two days now; the farmer, his wife and their family had been most welcoming to both her and Marod. They were closer to home now; so that she could distinguish certain area's of their surrounds as places she had visited over the turns.

Thankfully the family they were staying with had been one of those rehoused after Amethyst Cliff had fallen during the quake, so they didn't recognize her as being one of the Blood. For that, both Marod and she were grateful. It meant that for as long as they stayed here, they were relatively safe - not being recognized meant not being turned over to whoever was behind the kidnap plot.

The beast snorted suddenly and kicked the pail with its rear leg, knocking the pail over, the milk she had collected splashed to the ground disappearing beneath the straw. She jumped up off the small seat and fell back, reaching behind her, but her foot missed its place and she felt her ankle twist beneath her. Crying out, she landed in the wet straw, and felt the milk seeping through her sodden skirt.

~*~

"You seem to have a knack for this," the farmer complemented as they packed up their few remaining goods. "Have you ever thought of being a merchant?"

"No," Marod said, securing a basket in the small cart. "But maybe I should start." He smiled at the older man.

The farmer chuckled and set another item down. Marod's smile fell and his stomach clenched. No, it couldn't be! He dared to look for a few more seconds before ducking his head. A shiver went through him that had nothing to do with the cold. Behind the farmer, half a dozen stalls away, were Klegen and Boesyn. He hoped to Faranth they hadn't seen him yet.

"Is that the last of it?" Marod asked, surprised that his voice was steady. He was fighting hard not to panic.

"Yep, that's it." Horgan said.

"Good. Do you think we could hurry a little? I can't wait to have another one of your wife's wonderful meals." Marod kept his head down, fiddling in the cart as if checking to make sure it was all secure.

Horgan chuckled again. "I'm gettin' hungry m'self."

Marod pulled his hat lower and fervently hoped the two kidnappers wouldn't look his way.

He was sick with worry all the way back to the farm, casting glances behind the cart to make sure they weren't being followed.

~*~

"Shaffit!" she hissed under her breath, then cast a glance around the barn hoping no one had heard her. The pain in her ankle hadn't abated, and was ginger to walk on; though she hadn't pressed it too much in the last candlemark, sitting and milking one beast after another, turning and turn about as the farmhand moved them in and out of the barn.

Her skirt had dried out but was now stiff, and she had a suspicion the sour smell that wafted over her occasionally, was actually her skirt.

She heard hurried footsteps walking the length of the barn and turn to see a hurried and worried Marod approaching. The look on his face was enough to send a shiver of apprehension down her spine. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat as she did so.

"We have to go. Now." He put a hand on her arm and leaned close. "I saw them at the market."

"No!" the word erupted from her, the denial a reaction to the kick in the stomach she had felt at his words. "But - how?" she asked. She was still seated, and wasn't sure how to tell him about her ankle - he may have to run and leave her there - easy tears sprung to her eyes.

"C'mon." He tugged on her arm, trying to pull her to her feet.

"OW!" the tears slipped from her eyes, not all attributed to the pain in her ankle."I can't - I can't go." she said, "I twisted my ankle this morning, I haven't walked on it since." she confessed."You'll -
you'll have to go without me."

Marod closed his eyes and took a deep breath against the rising panic. "I'm not leaving you. We'll have to think of something." And fast. His eyes darted around the barn as he tried to think past the fear. He couldn't carry her. That would slow them down too much. He wished they had a runner ... His hand squeezed her arm again. "The mare! The old mare in the field past the cot. We could take her."

"Marod we can't!" she gasped in horror, though a part of her - the sensible part - told her he was right, there was no other way for them to travel with her infirmity. "But farmer Horgan uses her each morning to round up the strays." she said, "He'll notice her absence in the morning, if not tonight; and then we'll have not just Klegen and Boesyn upon us, but the guards as well."

"We don't have much choice. We need to put as much distance between us as we can," he said. "If the guards catch us, you'll tell them who you are." And hopefully they would take her safely to her father, and not to whoever had planned the kidnapping.

"I don't like it Marod, but I like it even less that they're so close." she considered his words for a moment longer, "Okay, can you go and get the mare without anyone seeing, or will I have to make my way out there?"

He frowned and drummed his fingers against his leg. "How bad is your ankle?"

"I could make it -" she tested her ankle by finally allowing it to bear weight, "-but only if I rely heavily on you." she winced as a sharp pain ran through her ankle and up her leg.

Marod moved to her side and put an arm around her waist. "Lean on me as much as you need to."

With his help she managed to hobble out of the barn and around to the rear, in the direction of the paddock where the old mare was grazing.
"Do you think she'll manage me?" Royani asked with not a little disdain.Though the runner managed to carry her master daily in his efforts to round up the stray herd, she didn't look as though she could manage further than a candlemark of work.

He flashed her a smile. "She's stronger than she looks, and you're lighter than Horgan." When they reached the fence, he helped Royani carefully through and then called to the mare. "C'mon, old girl. We're going on a little trip."

With a lot of hurried help, she managed to get up onto the runners back,and held on tight to her mane.Turns of being taught to ride had come in useful - though it had been months since she had been runner-back."The Hold is that way." she pointed, "Do we chance going there direct, or a more round about way? It'll take at least a sevenday to get there if we ride and walk in a straight line; a few days longer to go a more indirect route."

"We'll go straight for a while to try to cover some ground. Then we'll turn off so we'll be harder to find." Marod patted the mare's shoulder and then walked toward the gate. His stomach knotted, hoping everyone at the farm was too busy to notice them leaving.

"We've nothing with us Marod, what will we use for food - or marks?"
they had a small amount they had managed to secret away, from the short spells of working on smallholdings along the way - and they'd left it all in their haste.

"Food we can beg for, or steal," he said. "I have an eighth mark from Horgan. That might get us something."

"It'll have to last a while," she said, glancing over her shoulder, "this'll be the last place we'll be able to work off our food and board."

"You'll be home soon. We'll make it until then." Unless Klegen and Boesyn caught up to them. Marod walked a little faster.

With Marod's faint assurance, she gave a brief nod. "You're right, we'll manage until then." She tried to concentrate on the way ahead, but couldn't resist a glance back over her shoulder every now and then to make sure they hadn't been seen, and weren't being followed. For a moment her mind went back over the months, and she was amazed that a few short months ago she had been aching for some adventure in her life; this wasn't what she'd had in mind though.

"We could move faster if you hopped up here as well." she suggested, feeling guilty that Marod had to walk beside the runner instead of riding her as well.

"She'll tire out faster carrying two," he said. Then he thought about the kidnappers and wondered how close they might be. "But maybe I should, for a little while. Just until we've put some distance between us and the farm." Marod jumped onto the aging runner's back behind Royani.

The mare slowed for a moment, but picked up the pace again, and actually began to move a little faster. Relief that she didn't falter washed over Royani and she settled in a little more comfortably. "Did _they_ see you?"
she asked, with a glance over her shoulder at Marod.

"I don't think so," he said. "I hope not."

"I do too. " she paused for a moment, "Um... did you hear anything they said? Were they asking about us?"

"No. I didn't hear anything," he said.

For now they maybe safe enough, but the move to another location was probably the wisest course for them, Royani thought as the mare plodded slowly on. The throb from her ankle grew less noticeable as the time past, ad slowly she felt herself begin to doze; her last thought was that Marod would keep a conscious eye on their direction.

Last updated on the May 1st 2008

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A Close Call