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<blockquote data-quote="havenstone" data-source="post: 4785492" data-attributes="member: 61094"><p><strong>A Welcome Visit</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">THE SNOW DISAPPEARS </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">as the army passes into the driest reaches of the Arawai plains, but spring comes slowly to the arid landscape. For more than two months, the captives spend their nights shivering in the dusty, bitter wind that croons ceaselessly around the cage. The Arawai seem to be giving the Xaimani a wide berth; the party never see a single camp or riding party from the horse clans within eyeshot of the legion.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Carwyn bonds fiercely to Hamber, as though becoming a mother to the orphan is her rejoinder to all the injustice and horror of the last few months: the murders of her adoptive <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4341447-post9.html" target="_blank">father</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4712537-post52.html" target="_blank">and</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4740612-post67.html" target="_blank">ex-lovers</a>, her <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4727938-post56.html" target="_blank">torture</a> by the Sistecherns, the party’s enslavement by the Xaimani. Deep inside, she remains terribly frightened that Lune will leave her and Hamber if the possibility arises... but she has to admit that so far, the rogue hasn’t shown much sign of wanting to run, and his wariness around Hamber seems to reflect an inexperience with babies rather than </span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">fear of the commitment they represent. Carwyn does discover that she’s contracted a (cough) social disease from Lune, curses him out, and sheepishly asks Ontaya to cure them both.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Kyla is always conscientious and tender to T’harai, but finds that she is unable to throw herself into adoptive motherhood with Carwyn’s fervor. The <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4738480-post65.html" target="_blank">little albino baby</a> never feels like her own child; rather, T’harai represents the one unambiguous duty Kyla can now fulfill, after months of being pulled in agonizingly <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4439076-post34.html" target="_blank">opposite directions</a> by <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4732871-post62.html" target="_blank">conflicting loyalties</a>. In the many moments when waves of regret threaten to sweep her out of control, Kyla clings to the small, needy creature under her furs and ruthlessly pushes back the memories of <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4331510-post6.html" target="_blank">Kalitha</a>, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4711278-post50.html" target="_blank">Tevrala</a>, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4440905-post35.html" target="_blank">Gareth</a>.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">AS THE NIGHT </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">breezes grow warmer, the guards remove the hides and flea-ridden furs from the cages, and patches of green begin to appear in the wilderness around them. At times, the cage feels almost cheerful. One day, Ontaya senses a welcome presence -- one she has not felt since their enslavement. Casting her eyes around, she feels a tremendous surge of joy to see a <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4672813-post44.html" target="_blank">huge white horse</a> trotting past the army, accompanied by a single <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4354425-post13.html" target="_blank">Sufza</a> on foot. A Xaimani detachment questions the jogging, jovial Sufza, who replies in fluent Xaimani to their queries about the origin of the warhorse; he appears to be offering to sell the animal to them. Finally, they wave him on and tell him to keep moving.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">That night is particularly dark, with only the gray moon Sheresc in the sky, half-eclipsed by the twin red moons Ascha and Tischa. Just after midnight, from the blackness beneath their cage, a cheery voice whispers in Northron: “Greetings and salutations, most palatable of paladins, most able of Atrixes, most lovely of larcenous ladies! My heart is singing to find you well and at peace!”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Nurak,” Carwyn breathes back, calming Hamber, who has begun to fuss at the unfamiliar voice. “We are so, so glad to see you.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“And thank you for looking after Dorma,” Ontaya adds warmly. “And not selling her.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“It is a thing not to be mentioned,” Nurak replies at once. “Your stubborn steed would not suffer any but your sanctified self to sit her. This Sufza will keep her safe until you can ride her once more.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Have you seen Kay?” Atrix asks in an urgent hiss. “And bloody Agerain?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“After days of devoted diligence, I can say they appear to be alive. Sadly, my speaking to the kindly Kay would arouse the attention of several slaves who could not be assured of staying silent.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Nurak,” Darren whispers, “can you think of any way for us to all get out of here? It would have to be all of us, or the Xaimani would kill the remaining ones.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“In the open plains, the sorcerers of the South would likely find even the best-concealed of groups,” the mournful voice comes back. “A superior opportunity will assuredly arise once we are in Xaiman itself. Have you heard where this aggravating army intends to sell you?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“In Tziwan,” Ontaya replies.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Several scores of Sufza abide in the imperial capital,” Nurak informs them jubilantly. “My cousins and I will find you there, once you have been safely sold, and we will plan the most resplendent of rescues.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Excellent,” Meeshak breathes. “Go safely, Nurak. Watch for the guards.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“They will not find the stealthiest of the Sufza,” the voice says dismissively, and with no more noise than the wind shifting in the grass, the skinny rogue is gone.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="havenstone, post: 4785492, member: 61094"] [b]A Welcome Visit[/b] [B][FONT=Verdana]THE SNOW DISAPPEARS [/FONT][/B][FONT=Verdana]as the army passes into the driest reaches of the Arawai plains, but spring comes slowly to the arid landscape. For more than two months, the captives spend their nights shivering in the dusty, bitter wind that croons ceaselessly around the cage. The Arawai seem to be giving the Xaimani a wide berth; the party never see a single camp or riding party from the horse clans within eyeshot of the legion.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Carwyn bonds fiercely to Hamber, as though becoming a mother to the orphan is her rejoinder to all the injustice and horror of the last few months: the murders of her adoptive [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4341447-post9.html"]father[/URL] [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4712537-post52.html"]and[/URL] [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4740612-post67.html"]ex-lovers[/URL], her [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4727938-post56.html"]torture[/URL] by the Sistecherns, the party’s enslavement by the Xaimani. Deep inside, she remains terribly frightened that Lune will leave her and Hamber if the possibility arises... but she has to admit that so far, the rogue hasn’t shown much sign of wanting to run, and his wariness around Hamber seems to reflect an inexperience with babies rather than [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]fear of the commitment they represent. Carwyn does discover that she’s contracted a (cough) social disease from Lune, curses him out, and sheepishly asks Ontaya to cure them both.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Kyla is always conscientious and tender to T’harai, but finds that she is unable to throw herself into adoptive motherhood with Carwyn’s fervor. The [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4738480-post65.html"]little albino baby[/URL] never feels like her own child; rather, T’harai represents the one unambiguous duty Kyla can now fulfill, after months of being pulled in agonizingly [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4439076-post34.html"]opposite directions[/URL] by [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4732871-post62.html"]conflicting loyalties[/URL]. In the many moments when waves of regret threaten to sweep her out of control, Kyla clings to the small, needy creature under her furs and ruthlessly pushes back the memories of [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4331510-post6.html"]Kalitha[/URL], [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4711278-post50.html"]Tevrala[/URL], [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4440905-post35.html"]Gareth[/URL].[/FONT] [B][FONT=Verdana]AS THE NIGHT [/FONT][/B][FONT=Verdana]breezes grow warmer, the guards remove the hides and flea-ridden furs from the cages, and patches of green begin to appear in the wilderness around them. At times, the cage feels almost cheerful. One day, Ontaya senses a welcome presence -- one she has not felt since their enslavement. Casting her eyes around, she feels a tremendous surge of joy to see a [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4672813-post44.html"]huge white horse[/URL] trotting past the army, accompanied by a single [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4354425-post13.html"]Sufza[/URL] on foot. A Xaimani detachment questions the jogging, jovial Sufza, who replies in fluent Xaimani to their queries about the origin of the warhorse; he appears to be offering to sell the animal to them. Finally, they wave him on and tell him to keep moving.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]That night is particularly dark, with only the gray moon Sheresc in the sky, half-eclipsed by the twin red moons Ascha and Tischa. Just after midnight, from the blackness beneath their cage, a cheery voice whispers in Northron: “Greetings and salutations, most palatable of paladins, most able of Atrixes, most lovely of larcenous ladies! My heart is singing to find you well and at peace!”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Nurak,” Carwyn breathes back, calming Hamber, who has begun to fuss at the unfamiliar voice. “We are so, so glad to see you.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“And thank you for looking after Dorma,” Ontaya adds warmly. “And not selling her.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“It is a thing not to be mentioned,” Nurak replies at once. “Your stubborn steed would not suffer any but your sanctified self to sit her. This Sufza will keep her safe until you can ride her once more.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Have you seen Kay?” Atrix asks in an urgent hiss. “And bloody Agerain?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“After days of devoted diligence, I can say they appear to be alive. Sadly, my speaking to the kindly Kay would arouse the attention of several slaves who could not be assured of staying silent.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Nurak,” Darren whispers, “can you think of any way for us to all get out of here? It would have to be all of us, or the Xaimani would kill the remaining ones.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“In the open plains, the sorcerers of the South would likely find even the best-concealed of groups,” the mournful voice comes back. “A superior opportunity will assuredly arise once we are in Xaiman itself. Have you heard where this aggravating army intends to sell you?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“In Tziwan,” Ontaya replies.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Several scores of Sufza abide in the imperial capital,” Nurak informs them jubilantly. “My cousins and I will find you there, once you have been safely sold, and we will plan the most resplendent of rescues.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Excellent,” Meeshak breathes. “Go safely, Nurak. Watch for the guards.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“They will not find the stealthiest of the Sufza,” the voice says dismissively, and with no more noise than the wind shifting in the grass, the skinny rogue is gone.[/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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