They rode with as much alacrity as was possible while still remaining soundless, which equated to virtually none. Kaie felt her stomach give a nervous flop at the unknown. She prayed hastily for her companions' safety, especially that of her injured brother, and then returned to the task at hand.
The three young travelers followed the whistling through the underbrush, picking out paths through the growth. The shrill sound grew in volume and clarity with every passing moment. When they came so close the noise was almost tangible, Adrian, at the front, held up a hand. They drew to a halt. The clamor stopped. Kaie reach for her bow and notched an arrow. Adrian and Flynn both grasped their own swords.
"Let's go," Flynn whispered, and they spurred their horses to leap out of the trees.
Calandra wondered how much longer she could risk the signal. Everyone within two miles would know there was someone in distress here, and not all of them would be kind. She began to regret her decision. After all, she thought, it's not as if you have the means to defend yourself. A sword is never useful to one who cannot wield it properly. Stopping, she bent to check the girl again, and discovered that her forehead seemed even more scorching than before. Shall I take her to the next village? she wondered. What would she do, she questioned, if the poor girl died? What if she's only wandering from fever, and really belongs in a town nearby? Calandra needed to bring her to a healer, or at the least an herbwoman.
"I need to get out of here. How stupid could I have been?" she berated herself softly. Cal stooped down in an attempt to hoist the fevered girl onto her horse, but in next to no time she learned that she was too heavy. "Damn the bloody girl!" she muttered. "I can't just leave her behind…"
A few seconds of frenzied hurry passed before a crash made Cal jump up in surprise and dismay. Three armed riders had hurtled out of the brush. They did not look friendly. Thrice damn my luck, she thought swiftly, asking the Valar only to be able to live and save the girl. It is my fault, after all. She grabbed the dagger out of her belt and tried her best to look brave.
They stopped a few yards from her, to her relief and confusion, and stared at her with an odd blend of puzzlement and apprehension. She gripped her modest stiletto firmly, and barely allowed herself to relax a bit and look them over. All three were breathing hard and shallowly. The one aiming a longbow's arrow directly at her own pounding heart looked to be about her age, with very long, wavy brown-black hair and matching eyes. One companion shared a cropped version of her tresses, and something in his face and dark eyes recommended him as the girl's brother. The third companion was blond, and had something like amusement written in his eyes, though his handsome face looked almost too carefully composed. Calandra suddenly felt very foolish, standing defiantly with only her diminutive knife.
"Flynn, Kaie, lower your weapons," the blonde said, with the same half-smile, as he placed his own sword back in its scabbard. "There are no bandits here."
"I'll do what I will, when I will," snapped the girl with irritation, but she lowered her bow. Her brother—Flynn, he had been called—returned his sword to its case, but sat with such tautness Calandra could scarcely imagine how quickly he would draw it if needed.
"Do you care to introduce yourself?" the girl asked sharply, but without any particular hostility. She sounded more disconcerted than anything else.
Calandra realized after a moment that she had failed to think up a name by which to go, much less a persona to play. "Sydha," she said, after a moment of awkward silence, naming a childhood friend of hers. They seemed to be waiting for more, so her brain wildly grasped for anything—anything—she could tell them. "Sydha, daughter of Audic of the Guard of the Citadel."
After a few more seconds of silence, Flynn broke the silence by unhorsing and bowing courteously to her. "All right, Sydha," he said, half smiling. "Evidently you have no desire to share with us your history. That is merely to be inspected of a stranger to whom we are only half introduced. I am Flynn, son of Ossian of Rohan, and this is my sister, Kaie; the nice one, over there, is Adrian, son of Uryan of anywhere and nowhere." Calandra looked at him sharply, to see if he was mocking her, but no malice was in his dancing eyes.
Adrian spoke up as he swung off his horse. "We can see that there are no bandits, ruffians, or colossal man-eating animals in the vicinity, so if you would please tell us why, exactly, you gave such a call of distress, I'm sure my companions and I would be much gratified."
Kaie rolled her eyes and hopped off as well. She looked friendlier now that it seemed "Sydha" wouldn't try anything stupid.
Calandra knew, even now, that none of the three were foolish; she would be willing to wager her horse on the fact that they had already noticed the limp body behind her. She also intuitively trusted them, and for some reason it never even occurred to her it may not be a good idea to converse. If they wanted to pretend that they couldn't see the ailing young woman, she decided, it was fine with her.
"Riding through the woods, I came upon this girl," she said, motioning. "I felt obligated to stop. She is unconscious, with fever-dreams, and is burning with the illness. I know my strengths, and herblore is not one of them. To save her—to heal her—I need help."
"And why should we help you?" Kaie asked kindly.
Calandra shrugged. "This poor girl may die if you do not," she said simply. "I will aid her to the best of my abilities, but my abilities do not extend far."
"Fair enough," she said, and smiled. "We will stay for a few days—if that is all right for you two."
Adrian nodded his assent, and Flynn grunted his, after a short moment.
"Wonderful," Kaie said, and Calandra's heart warmed to her. "Now. I do not know much about healing myself, but if your talents are as bad as you claim they are, I may be able to help…."