The next day, Raieya set off at first light, choosing to eat an apple for breakfast as she rode. She kept her eyes peeled for signs of a group that had made camp or started off on a different path. Sometime around the evening she spotted an area of brush that had obviously been trodden by what must have been several people. Deciding to take a chance, Raieya broke off the road and began to follow the tracks. She rode hard, pushing the horses to keep going until it got too dark to see the trail.
Raieya was restless that night, anxious to know whether or not she was heading the right direction. She wondered how far ahead of her Gwaine's captors were. If they were traveling with slaves then they shouldn't be too far away.
Raieya also felt uneasy. She generally avoided Cenred's lands because there were known slave traders here. Without Gwaine to watch her back she couldn't trust herself to fall asleep completely.
As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him. Not only that but she was also worried about him. She knew he would've been pissed when he woke up and found himself captive. She hoped he was smart enough not to do anything to get himself killed.
Raieya got an early start the next morning, picking the trail back up at first light. She pressed on into the afternoon when what looked like part of a large stone fortress began to loom in the distance. Could this be the slave trader, Jarl's? Raieya picked up her pace, eager to get closer. She could hide a short distance from the fortress and then figure out how to get in. There would probably be guards posted. Perhaps she could sneak by them when they changed shift or maybe she could pick one off and disguise herself. A disguise would be best she decided. Then she could look for Gwaine inside with a smaller chance of detection.
Raieya pressed on into the evening, stopping when she neared the fortress. She was very close but hopefully far enough away that none of Jarl's men might find her. Securing the horses, Raieya settled in for another restless night.