"Wake up."
Brienne squirmed against the prodding foot, swatting it away. It wasn't her turn to keep watch.
"Wake up, Brienne. Kyla is missing."
One of Brienne's bright violet eyes popped open. The sorceress stirred, sitting up in her bedroll and grinding her fist into the other socket. "Huh?"
Sune -- the trio's leader -- stood over her, eyes scanning the darkness. She had her sword drawn and ready. "Kyla is gone," she repeated.
The young sorceress proceeded to shove both fists into her eyes. "Maybe she's, ah, relieving herself--"
"She's gone." Something in Sune's tone broached no argument. Her sword grip tightened.
Brienne sighed. The young sorceress peeled herself out of her bedroll with considerable reluctance, rising to her feet. She straightened her robes and stretched her arms over her head. "Okay. I'm up. Let's find her."
Starting from the center of the camp, they traced out a slow spiral and combed the surrounding forest. Brienne summoned a wisp of light to illuminate their surroundings. It didn't take long for the mote of magic to cast its glow upon a tree trunk marked with multiple tiny gashes -- evidence of Kyla's favorite nightly activity.
"Well, she didn't leave her knives behind," Brienne offered.
"Or someone was smart enough to take them."
Brienne resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She sent the glowing mote forward, continuing the search.
Several steps past the tree, something reflected the light back to her. Brienne paused, crouched -- and felt her blood freeze.
"...Sune."
Sune, still inspecting the knife marks, turned her head. "What?"
Brienne turned and lifted her palm, opening it. She held a single brightly feathered dart.
Kyla was their tracker, but Brienne had a few tricks of her own.
She knew how to speak with animals. Typically, this was of limited use; your average squirrel had pressing matters to attend to, and would never waste their time with humanoids. But after a little coaxing (and nut-based bribery), she secured a lead. The squirrel could barely remember the previous five minutes, nevermind what happened hours before -- but it did recall nearly being stepped upon by some giant, heavy thing. The thing had been heading west.
Sune took the lead. She trudged through the trees, leaving the road behind -- cutting her way through the brush when necessary. Brienne followed, her light wisp casting its glow ahead in search for more clues.
The morning sun rose up against their backs. Brienne dismissed the mote as blades of light overshadowed what little illumination it provided.
"We'll find her," Brienne said, doing her best to hide the tremble in her voice.
"I know."
Kyla groaned and lifted her head. Her nightmare had been strange and savage; visions of pain, humiliation, and pleasure so deeply entangled that she could not tell them apart. She stretched back and tried to move--
"...mmppmh..."
--only to realize that the nightmare was real.
A jolt of pain rushed up her arms. Both were pinned behind her, tied at the wrists and elbows. They were bound so tight that her shoulders ached, her chest forced forward. Her legs were bound at the ankles; a wad of fabric was forced deep into her mouth, held in place by a strap wrapped around her head. She had been blindfolded.