Chained
Part Nine
by Kimra
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They had begun early in the day, long before he was awake, long before he wanted to be awake. But they had rolled him out of his bed and told him to prepare so the tent could be taken down. He had grumbled as they tried to take the tent down around his head, and threatened a few horrible deaths if he was not at least allowed to dress with the security of the tent walls.
It had been a week, sifting through everything that might have been of use, questioning captives, rounding up those few potential informants who had escaped Alanna's initial captures, and just plain hoping for some sort of miracle to help them. They had asked every possible question of every possible person, everything they could think of they had done, they had used magic tricks to make sure lies where not being told and to be certain no other deception was occurring but nothing had come of any of it.
So together Alanna and he had decided it was time to return to the castle, where they could at least break the news to their friends with more sincerity then a distance speech spell could ever allow.
Then they would begin again.
Numair shifted his position against the saddle, still half asleep and certainly not in the mood to deal with anything as mentally demanding as riding.
The travel arrangements had been made the day before, sketchily trying to take everything into account. There had been problems, of course, most of which had stemmed from the full search they had made of the complex on the second day. They had recovered twelve near hysterical and three disturbingly quite females from locked rooms within the building. They had bundled together, refused to talk to anyone but Alanna and shown the results of sever mental and physical battery. Some of them had been able to talk, but as far as could be understood none of them had seen much beyond their prisons since waking up in them.
He had added the charges associated with the women onto the Debec employees arrest papers and sent them off. Thankfully he didn't have to deal with the arrested men and women who had helped run the brothel, they where being tried at Goldenlake which was by far the closest settlement for such a big thing. Half of the soldiers had escorted the prisoners there not long after it was decided they could give absolutely no more information.
Cat had been curious, very curious about the women, but they had been far to jumpy and the girl had been unwilling to go near them after her first attempt. It seemed Alanna was far more predictable then the girls because nothing she did made the Cat scurry away, only on occasion, jump a little. He seemed even less able to startle her.
It had amused the soldiers to no end, that she was skittishly following him everywhere he went. But she seemed not to care, and he hadn't minded because, although curious, she had not gotten in his way on any occasions. He had however been forced on several occasions to order the Cat, like a pet, to stay with Alanna, but there where just some moments in his life that he was not willing to share with the girl, and changing and bathing where somewhere on the top of that list. Alanna, like the men, found it amusing, though he could detect a little worry that Alanna tried to hide from him and he was not self punishing enough to provoke her into explaining the expression.
The Cat had been his biggest concern when their return had been decided upon. He had not been sure how she would take the relocation, or even if she would participate in it. There was every moment a chance that she would just run as her nature seemed to suggest she would. He knew with something close to a certainty that if she went she would be gone for good.
He shouldn't have worried, because she had sat back, watched all the scurrying of packing and taken it in as if it was nothing, then the moment he had gotten her to sit in the wagon because he had no idea how she would deal with a horse or the pace they would travel at she had seemed perfectly settled.
The other women from the complex where much harder to deal with then the Cat. All of them where now travelling with them because they had refused to remain in the near by village and where a bit too scared to travel on their own. It was understandable but they had caused a much larger problem then one Cat who surprisingly obeyed his command.
They couldn't ride because there where no horses for them, they couldn't walk because they where not in the healthiest state, they had refused to ride double with men, and there was only the one wagon which Cat had seemed willing enough to share but none of them had wanted to share with her after having witnessing a week of her behaviour. They considered her sub-standard, which was oddly amusing considering where they had been the week before and that they had then been equals.
Alanna and he had been forced to accommodate them, both too humane to leave the victims behind. It had been decided the wagon could be rotated and so too could the horses and they would, for the most part travel very slowly back down to Corus.
Where the Cat would go when they rotated the wagon was anyone's guess, he assumed the Cat could ride double with him, knowing Alanna would not share and Cat would go near none of the men, but he wasn't so sure how she would react to that suggestion. In fact, more worrying then that was how the horse would responded to a rider who was so very animalistic in her actions.
He would have let her walk, but even at their slow speed he wasn't sure if her animal-like movements would keep the pace and he didn't want to push her in anyway that might unsettle her. She was too delicate to unbalance yet and he was trying to be cautious.
Letting out a yawn despite his best attempt not to Numair glanced over the troop. They had gotten a second wagon which some of the women where sitting in. The soldiers where walking by their horses having to keep the slow pace for the women who where walking.
He looked to the Cat and smiled despite himself. She wasn't like an animal then, sitting in the wagon looking around like a child rediscovering the world around her. She seemed to be entranced at time's by things that passed, by patches in the forest that didn't mean anything and then she would be back to looking around, seeking something of difference and interest. There was an aura of calm throughout the jittery interest, as if she was aware that right there, on the wagon she was more safe then she had ever been in her last home.
Cringing Numair looked away, not wanting to think about some of the things witness's had voiced when seeing her couched form behind him. The guests had mostly ignored her, no idea who or what she was, the employees seemed less ignorant and nothing they had said had helped with the sickened feeling that came every time he let himself think of her confinement.
He frowned as another thought occurred to him. When they got to Corus the women travelling with them would be relocated to a safe haven of sorts. He wasn't sure of the details though he knew of such places set up across the country. But what made him frown was the uncertainty if Cat would be going with them. She belonged with them in a way, but she was also so very different from the rest of the women. The segregation between them was the most obvious sign. And what ever was wrong with Cat went beyond what was wrong with them and despite his best attempts to fight it he felt a obligation to the girl that he didn't for the others.
That's when he noticed. As he sat there, watching her through the corner of his eye trying to decide how he could help her and if it was even possible for him to help her. A bird had landed on the wagon and was staring at his Cat as if she where the most fascinating thing it had ever seen. Birds did that, it was fine, but there was almost no distance between them, and she was staring back with a matching curiosity.
He touched at his magic on instinct, scrutinizing the girl on a level he hadn't bothered with before, and he nearly fell off his horse at what he saw.
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Daine stared at the bird, aware it was watching her. She had felt it land, as if she was looking at it, she had heard it give a call, one in her mind and one in the air around her, but she didn't know what it was saying. Like the horses it's words and meaning where muffled. Almost like the humans, though He was becoming clearer over the days.
It wanted something, she didn't know what, but she reached into her pocket and withdrew some of the crumbs from her breakfast. She thrust her hand at it a bit uncertain and though startled it remained. All she could think of was food, it was free after all, and looked healthy, it couldn't need anything else. And after resettling it's ruffled feathers it obligingly hoped onto her hand and began to peck at the offered crumbs.
Cautiously, her eyes flicking about to make sure no one would see her if she failed, she brought her hand up and began to stroke the soft brown feathers of the greedy little bird. Though it didn't feel greedy, more pleasant then anything else, as if it was only eating because she had offered not because it wanted to. She didn't mind though, she didn't want the crumbs, over the past few days she had eaten more then her share of food, and then again more because He continued to insist that she eat more then she wanted to as if she needed it.
The bird gave a chirp and instinctively she thought it was upset with her touching it. She dropped her hand from it's caress only to have the bird make a noise that sounded much more indignant and demanding. Cautious, bitting into her lower lip Daine reached again and the bird lent into her hand affectionately before giving a last chirp, jumping into the air and flying away.
Daine grinned in spite of herself amused by the creatures antics. It had seemed friendly and she wasn't used to that, but it felt nice and she felt so much better for it. With a smile on her face she turned her attention back to the forest that lined the edges of their road. Listening intently to the unrecognisable voices that continued to reach for her, amazed by the multitude she could hear. Every day she was willing to swear there where more animals in the forests then there had been the day before.
Her senses prickled, and too used to attacks she swung her head sharply to face the cause and found herself staring into His eyes. She was shocked at first, then confused. She wasn't used to being so much the focus of his attention and couldn't understand why it was disturbing her. Her smile was gone as she frowned at his expression and the next moment he was looking away, as if he had never been looking at her but she was no fool.
Cautiously she shifted her weight, nimbly moving across the wagon's contents until she could scrutinize him from closer up. He seemed to be concentrating, fixed in his task on something that apparently wasn't her, but she was doubtful.
He had been grumpy that morning, amusingly so. She suspected he was the sort of creature that wouldn't rise until the sun was at it's zenith if he didn't have to, but he wasn't lazy, no she suspected he would remain awake with the night creatures and lay to rest only when the sun began to rise. But that was inconsequential. He had been grumpy and she had expected that to last longer. Now though he seemed distracted, confused, maybe perplexed. She wasn't sure, she wasn't used to having to read such complicated emotions but she was getting better at it, better at understanding him.
Unexpectedly the wagon stopped, she wasn't expecting it and her perfect balance, which had taken the wagon's movement into account, was shot sending her tumbling to her side. A moment and she was back on all fours, her head whipping around to find the cause of the stop.
The violet eyed woman who smelt like lavender and blood but more of blood today was shouting something to everyone. Daine focused on the woman intently, not letting her other sense fall away but trying to understand the words.
She was distracted from her task when the scent of Him approached and she turned from her task to face him. He was still frowning, looking uncertain but not angry, no that one little bit of fear that had crept into her had gone as quickly as it had arrived.
"Time to get off, Cat." He motioned for her to exit the wagon, and with a quick glance about her to make sure everything was safe she vaulted over the edge of the wagon not bothered to climb over everything to get to the end where he was motioning.
He gave a half smile, as if he would have been amused if he hadn't been distracted by what ever was making him frown.
Tentatively she reached across and touched his hand, wondering what was wrong, and glancing down at her he gave her another almost smile.
"Time to see how you cope with horses." The third smile was almost genuine and she felt worry prick at her. It should have been real, he shouldn't have been worried and it was disturbing to see him so. Okay so he had been worried before, but it had never stopped the smiles he offered on the odd occasion from being real.
He began to walk, she followed quickly, aware that if she wasn't meant to he would have told her. And when he stopped at his horse, she flicked another glance about. There seemed to be a haphazard operation of some sort happening with the men and women. They where all moving everywhere and Daine wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but since He wasn't concerned with it she didn't think she should be either.
"Cat." He began, and stretched his hand down to her. For only a second did she hesitate before she slipped her hand into his grip. Carefully he drew her to her hind legs holding her hips to keep her stable. She stumbled anyway, not quite used to the balance it required but he didn't let her fall, all the while talking lightly, an encouraging note in his voice. The second she was steady he gave her a quick smile. "I'm going to seat you on the horse." He said very slowly, fixing his eyes on hers as if willing her to understand, and she did a little but she wasn't sure why.
The whole process turned out to be rather smooth, although she wasn't sure what was happening at first. She seemed to know what to do despite the fact that she had no idea how she did. And He, as always was very good at assisting.
When he sat behind her she was a bit worried, when his arms slid around her sides to pick up the reins she was looking for an escape, but he kept talking to her and explaining things even though half of it was gibberish she picked up enough and before the troop had even begun to move again she had settled down and relaxed back against him, rather comfortable.
"Tonight, we'll see what we can do for you." He whispered from behind her, and confused she turned a quick look at him to find he was watching her with that same frown. A little worried still she reached up and touched at the crease between his brow and he genuinely smiled, caught her hand and set it aside. "Don't worry, Cat." He told her calmly the smile still on his lips and again she understood.
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