A New Party

Tirni

She was starting to hate this plan too Tirni could see nothing as she clung to Konra's back. On the one hand, that was good. On the few occasions she'd risked unburying her face from the larger woman's shoulder, she did not see torchlight behind them. They were either not being pursued, or had shaken their kidnappers. On the other hand, she could see nothing else; not a flash of moonlight, no stars, and no sign of their companions.

Her other senses were only of marginal help. Most of what she could hear, was Konra charging through thick foliage, so still in the woods. A fact confirmed by the whipping sensation of small branches as they crashed through the brush. Konra had to be taking it worse. She could feel the woman, strong as she looked, starting to flag.

"i think we can slow down now, Chief." Tirni spoke directly into Konra's ear. "I can't see or hear anything behind us. Can you still see Red and Shorty?"

Konra slackened her pace slightly. "Once... hah... once in a while." She replied, struggling to catch her breath. "I think Lyrae is making her wait for us. That Tiefling can really move."

Tirni sighed. "'A spell that makes me run fast'. Right. That dark vision working good?"

"Yeah. Everything is black and white and gray, but it's all sharp and clear." Konra inhaled deeply, starting to get her breath under control. "Haven't run into anything yet, have I? My... outfit is taking a beating though. And my feet are killing me."

"All right, put me down then." Tirni released Konra's hips with her legs. which protested mightily. "Keep a grip on my chains though, so I don't get lost."

Konra stopped and lowered herself until she felt the ground take the half-elf's weight, her fingers creaking as she relaxed her grip on Tirni's waist chain. "Ow. How long have we be running?"

"Who knows." Tirni mumbled, keeping close to her companion. "Even if I had an hourglass, I couldn't see it. It's not morning yet, anyway." She fumbled for a moment, feeling around for Konra's chain before hooking a finger through it. "Wow, your clothes really did take a beating." She snorted out a laugh. "Is your other boob out?"

Konra let out an annoyed growl. ""Yes."

Most people would think it best not to annoy their lifeline. "And me blind as a bat. Have to be careful or you'll be streaking soon." Tirni was not most people.

Konra sighed and started forward slowly. "Bite your tongue. Feels like this thing's hanging on by a thread, and I don't want the only thing I'm wearing to be these stupid cuffs."

Tirni allowed herself to be led. "You'll still have your collar. I can reach mine, and if they're anything alike, it's not coming off." The ground wasn't terrible to walk on, but she really would have liked some shoes. Even in the short distance, there were a few pebbles and sticks. She bet her companion's feet really were killing her.

Now that they weren't crashing through the woods, Tirni's ears were much more useful. She still couldn't hear any pursuit, but she could hear movement ahead; quick, careful movement. The tiefling, hopefully, though it sounded like she hadn't slowed much and was getting further away. Not great as she and Konra's hands were still bound, but the important thing was that they were out of that box. They could work from there, whether or not their new 'friends' abandoned them. Neither one apparently was going to be much help getting out of these...

She walked physically into Konra's back as her guide stopped short. "Oof, little warning next time."

"We might have a problem." Came the reply. "The spell must have worn off. I... can't see a thing."

Gehenna

"Gehenna, please stop."

"But those men..." Gehenna did not want to stop, but she slowed. "They might catch us again... And they'll be mad that we ran. Men like that always are."

"I wish I could disagree." Replied Lyrae. "But nice people don't kidnap others. That said, I can't hear the others anymore. And we can't abandon them as they are."

Gehenna slowed more. "But we might get caught. And the half-elf is..."

"Coarse. She's coarse." Lyrae offered. "But without the two of them we would never have escaped. We should go back for them. My spell on Konra will be wearing off soon, if it already hasn't."

Gehenna stopped. She was afraid, but Lyrae was not wrong. The other two prisoners would have difficulty as they were. And Tirni, as 'coarse' as she was, had gotten the door open. She swallowed and turned.

She didn't see them immediately, which made Gehenna more nervous. Were they recaptured? Was she walking into a trap? Then she heard a low, forceful whisper that was sort of a relief.

"Hey! Is that you... Lyrae? Gehenna? I can hear you moving." It sounded like Tirni.

"Yes, it's us." Lyrae replied. "Are you okay?"

"To a degree of okay." A different voice, Konra. "The spell wore off. Can't see."

Gehenna kept moving toward the voices, eventually rounding a tree, to find the pair standing still behind it. Tirni was on her feet, but almost clinging to her partners back. Konra's clothing was nearly destroyed, with just a scrap over her shoulder holding up a narrow band around her hips. The tiefling almost blushed before it occurred to her that no-one else could see either her nor Konra. There was no reason to be embarrassed... or not to look.

"Hear anything behind us?" Lyrae asked.

"All is quiet." Tirni replied. "But we should keep moving. If I were them, I'd wait until morning for a search. You know, so I could see."

"I know it'll be slow going, Gehenna, but could you guide us?" Konra's voice was even.

"Y-yes..." Gehenna moved to the much larger woman, unwinding her tail from Lyrae's waist. and coiling it around Konra's elbow. Moving slower would make it easier for the halfling to keep a hold anyway. She considered putting her down, but Lyrae wasn't too heavy, and her hooves handled the forest floor better than bare feet.

"That tail really is handy." said Konra. "More handy than either of us right now anyway."

"We should go that way." Tirni said. "Um, I'm pointing." She tapped one of Konra's arms. "This way. I can hear running water over there. It's a ways off but it's there. Gehenna can you see me pointing?"

"I can make some light,"said Lyrae. "but..."

"No." came the reply, in unison, from all three of her companions, though it was Tirni who elaborated. "We can't be the only light out here. Who knows what would come check us out. Slavers might be the least of our problems."

"Right, right..." Lyrae agreed.

Gehenna never used magical light. It had been in her book, but she could see in the dark, and wanted as little attention as possible anyway. She turned in the general direction Tirni had indicated. "This way? I can't hear anything."

"Got Dad's ears." Tirni said, sounding like she was grinning. "About the only thing he gave me, but they have come in handy on occasion."

"Okay..." Gehenna moved forward slowly until the tension on her tail told Konra to start moving as well. This was still a bad situation, but the tiefling felt much better, at least having a destination.

Konra

It was almost like the dark vision was coming back. Konra could see again, but only in shades of grey, and not very clearly. It must be near morning. Tirni had unhooked her fingers from Konra's bonds, able now to navigate for herself.

She had initially thought the half-elf was pulling their collective leg about the running water. Konra could hear nothing. But as the moved, she felt a slight tickle in her mind, that turned into a steady pressure. Then the roar of running water. A lot of it. They had to be less that a hundred feet. Though it did sound like it was flowing much too fast to be of any use to them.

And it was. The river they walked up on was a churning mess of rapids, in a channel a fair distance down from where the came upon it. There was no way they were going to cross it, and worse yet, reach it for a drink. The sight of so much water made Konra realize how thirsty she was. "Great. So now what?" she groaned.

"Depends." sighed Tirni. "Smart money on finding help would be down stream. No one is getting a boat past these rapids. So there probably isn't going to be a river town up past them. But if we are being chased, and those guys have a brain between them, they'll realize that too. And follow us."

Silence fell for a moment as the words sank in. Finally Konra spoke up. "Well, we need help. If we're being tracked, they'll probably send guys both ways anyway. Just in case. So my vote is that way." Her shoulder heaved as she tried to point. "Downstream. I vote down stream."

"Agreed." said Lyrae. "We'll need tools if we're going to free the two of you. Downstream."

"Fine with me. said Tirni. "Fair chance we're bent over either way, but let's keep moving."

Gehenna whimpered but offered no further comment.

Going was a little easier. The channel had cut itself into rock, so following the edge, there was not much in the way of brush, and patches of moss were actually nice on Konra's sore feet. And it was getting lighter. Soon she was able to see colors. And, as it turned out, so could Lyrae.

"Wait. Stop." The halfling had dismounted from Gehenna at the river and was lagging behind due to her shorter stride, but she bustled up next to Konra as they turned to look. "My gracious, you're covered in scratches! And your... clothes! Sit down. Let me see your feet."

"We need to keep moving." Konra argued. "We're in the open and..."

"And if you cripple yourself trying to be tough, we'll be worse off." The smaller woman countered. "The faster you sit, the faster we'll be up and moving again."

Konra sighed. Lyrae was not wrong. Her whole body felt like one big stinging ache. She crouched carefully, not wanting to fall on the rock without the ability to catch herself. As her rear touched down she lifted her feet for inspection, her soles were a bloody mess.

"I thought as much." grumbled Lyrae. "I'm amazed you weren't limping." She clutched her scrap of a focus and began whispering incantations.

"Psht, I've had worse than this." Konra said. "You should se the scar on my... uh... oh... oooooh." Konra rolled backwards as warmth and pleasure washed through her body. Her feet, which she'd been ignoring, felt like wading in cool water on a hot day. Her aches and scratches disappeared, and there was a not unpleasant tingle that vaguely reminded her of being chained in a magic circle in Telanos.

Lyrae took her faintly glowing hand from the larger woman's leg. "That should help. How are you two doing?"

"What did you do to her?" asked Tirni, watching Konra moan on the stone riverbank.

"A minor healing spell." Lyrae replied. "Though at the temple they taught us an addition that causes brief but intense pleasure along with the healing. Thought she could use a pick me up."

Tirni looked back to Konra, writhing on the ground. "You can pick me up any time."

Lyrae

It was more than a mile before the river was actually any use to them. It went over a short falls in to a pool that was relatively still, with an actual bank. They did have to do a little navigating; Konra and Tirni couldn't climb down the short distance, so the had to swing out a ways to find a slope, but they did find a way.

"We should take a break here." Lyrae said. "I agree we need to keep moving, but escaping will do us no good if we kill ourselves in the process."

"I can't disagree, as I was carried a good chunk of the way here." said Tirni. "We should let the horses rest. Hey!" She turned and whispered forcefully at Konra, who'd waded into the pool and dropped her face into it for a drink. "Keep that lock dry! If it rusts, you'll be in the same boat as me. I'm counting on you to break me out once I get that lock picked."

"Any time you're ready." Konra gasped through gulps of water.

"No..." Tirni heaved a sigh. "I've been checking you... I mean it out as we've been walking. A stick isn't gonna work for that. Gonna need something narrow and rigid, preferably metal, in my condition. And you'll need a bar or hammer to bust enough of this rig for me to move my arms"

"So find help." said Lyrae. "Or at least civilization. It would also be nice to know where we are."

"Agreed." Said Konra, straightening. "Now that the sun's up, I can at least tel directions, But it would be nice to know..." She turned to head toward shore.

"Konra, watch out! Your..." Lyrae had noticed, too late, that the ragged band running over the larger woman's shoulder (and likely holding up her shift was missing; likely snapped when she bent for her drink. And as she stood, there was no cloth around her hips, so it must have slid down. Around her ankles.

Konra face planted into the water. It was deep enough to avoid injury, but she came up sputtering. "Bleh. It's not warm enough for this yet." She climbed to her feet and sloshed toward shore.

"What did I tell you about..." Tirni began. "Oh..." Then she snorted out a laugh.

"Konra, you... lost your clothes." Lyrae said, working hard to suppress a giggle.

"What?!" she looked down. "Aw, dammit. That must be what tripped me. I thought I..." She sighed and closed he eyes. "I felt something tear."

"Let me see." sighed Lyrae, slipping her own ragged shift over her head. Then, more naked than Konra considering her bonds, the halfling waded out into the pool and felt around for the missing rags. Fortunately Konra had not gone far. "Ah, here we go..." Unfortunately, what she pulled up, no longer qualified as clothing, having been rent in two by Konra's aborted step. "Oh. Well..."

"Uh, there's not enough left of that to mend." Said Gehenna, trying furiously to avoid staring at Konra.

"Ah." said Konra. "What were you saying about streaking?"

"Told you." grinned Tirni, shamelessly drinking in the view. "But now I can honestly say, they're not your best feature. They do complete the package nicely though."