Gilan waited until Strider had retreated to her room, her words lingering behind her like smoke after a fire. Just get rid of her. The Ranger looked to Fell and found his friend's expression as troubled as his own.

"Is she…?" Gilan didn't know what to say. Is she okay? More than likely not, someone had just tried to kill her.

"I'll talk to her," Fell said. He wanted to tell Gilan that Strider was fine, that the mood would pass, but he honestly didn't know. He knew Strider well enough to know she'd survived far worse than Leena's attack, and yet he'd never seen her act so unlike herself. "What'll you do with Leena?"

The Ranger realized Fell fully expected him to do as Strider had suggested and take responsibility for Leena. Gilan likely would have done so anyways, but the only other place Gilan could take Leena was back to the castle. If she really was working with the Cult, it would likely be better to keep her locked up somewhere else while she was questioned. When Gilan walked her into the front gates of the castle and into the dungeons at Castle Araluen it would alert Leena's allies. They'd know someone was on to them, and they'd likely disappear and destroy any evidence of wrongdoing to avoid being caught.

Leaving Leena at the House would have been Gilan's first plan of action, but he couldn't endanger her life. They needed to know what she knew, who else she was working for. Gilan couldn't risk leaving her at the House if Strider couldn't keep a grip on herself.

"I'll get her to Crowley, somehow," Gilan said with a sigh. The Commandant was in for another late night, and yet Gilan knew Crowley would want to speak to Leena immediately. "Just make sure Strider doesn't do anything… Rash," Gilan said.

No promises, Fell wanted to say, but he kept the thought to himself. "I'll look out for her. Be careful with Leena," Fell said as Gilan left.

The Ranger left Leena on the porch while he saddled Blaze, then used a length of cord to tether her bound hands beside the right stirrup. He swung up carefully to avoid kicking the woman by accident, then set Blaze off at a slow walk back up the path to the castle. He neglected to gag Leena, thinking it would draw more eyes if he did. A Ranger and a woman traveling through the streets at night would draw enough suspicion on its own.

As it turned out there were far fewer people out and about than Gilan had anticipated. The stalls that had been full of goods only a few hours before had been cleaned out and left to stand vacant until the following morning. Light spilled from homes and inns they passed, and the occasional burst of laughter broke the silence of the night. The streets themselves were remarkably free of passerby, and they made good time as they moved through the town.

Eventually Gilan nudged Blaze down a fork in the road that led off into the trees. He felt Leena stiffen as they headed into the dark, her steps slowing. Let her worry, Gilan thought. They plodded along for a while before Leena finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen over them as they moved beneath the cover of the trees.

"You won't make it to the mountains, Ranger," Leena said after they'd been walking for some time. It was the first time she'd said anything since Strider had held her at sword point.

"Is that what all this was about? Stopping Strider from leading anyone to the mountains?" Gilan asked.

"They thought she was too important to leave alive, that killing her would be the key to preventing anyone from getting through to the mountains," Leena said with a laugh. "No one realized how fragile she is."

Gilan ignored Leena and focused on finding his way through the forest. The trees were growing thicker, the light of the moon through the branches becoming scarcer. She was trying to goad him into talking, perhaps to stall the inevitable end she believed he was leading her towards.

"Did she become weak after she was captured, or was she always like this?" Leena asked. "They used to whisper her name around fires like it was a curse, like a death sentence. Strider. Strider was at the last raid, and they'd shudder and thank the Gods they'd made it out alive. They were terrified, but when they found out she was a woman, well, she just wasn't invincible anymore."

"How did they find out?" Gilan asked. They still had a way to go, and whether he liked to admit it or not his interest had been piqued.

"How did they find out that she was a woman or how did they find out where she was the night they caught her?" Leena smiled when Gilan's head turned in surprise. She laughed again, the sound like nails on Gilan's nerves.

"There were rumors she was a woman," Leena said. "And the alliance happened and there she was in the flesh, attending councils and meeting with the King. Capturing her was a little tricky, but worth the trouble."

"Why did they want to capture her?" Gilan asked.

"Weren't you listening? Strider was like a mythical creature, a phantom that haunted the night. She is—was—the embodiment of what the Shadows are. Capturing her was like slaying a dragon." Leena let out a twisted, bitter bark of laughter. "If they only they could have seen the way she scrambled away from me, some phantom. They said she escaped from the Cult, but I don't think Strider ever really left the hole they'd put her in."

Gilan fought against the anger that began to burn in his chest. He'd been there when they'd rescued Strider from a small fort in Meric fief, and he didn't like to reflect too often on the condition they'd found her in. Gilan knew Strider hadn't ever quite been the same since being captured, but he didn't want to consider the possibility that she'd lost her nerve, or worse, her sanity.

"You won't make it to the mountains," Leena said again as they reached the end of the path. "Strider can't handle the journey, and she'll drag you down with her."

Gilan pulled Blaze up at the end of the pathway and swung down from his horse. He felt Leena tense as she fell silent, her gaze settling on the little farmhouse up ahead. The clearing was small, the farmhouse quaint and neatly tended.

"I thought you were taking me to the Commandant," Leena said after a tense moment of silence.

"Not exactly," Gilan said as he lead her forward into the night.

Please read and review and let me know how you're liking it!