Heroine

- Witches -

Sethra and Rune had only made it a few days when they hit the next snag in their foolproof plan.

Sethra was watching her feet make imprints on the soil and thinking about her mother when she had heard a sound. She quickly grabbed Rune by the back of his cloak and pulled him violently behind some nearby flora.

"Shit! Rune, where exactly are we?" she growled as quietly as she could manage.

"Ahh, we, we're. We are near the river, see?" he whispered back, slightly flustered. He pointed to the river that could only just be seen on the horizon. "The Messai. ...What is it?"

She cursed again, ruffling her hair in frustration. "I...I don't know what I was thinking! ...But it's.... Look, anyway, it doesn't matter, but that's-" she readjusted him without thinking by the shoulder to look where she was looking "-Ruric. But...," she groaned, "This isn't good, no...not at all...."

"What...is wrong?"

"They send patrols all the time. The border with Patrass is here. But.... They never send just one." Sethra ruffled her hair more violently before thrusting her hand down, punching the ground softly.

"Then where...are the others?"

She sighed before explaining. "Not only is the border with Patrass here, the land up north that belongs to no man is just a short distance away as well. They send one to walk the trails, and another to report. Sometimes more. There's always at least one hiding, so even if the first one is attacked, there's at least one left to tell the others back home."

Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed about the woods and Ruric stopped what he was doing to look to the sky and count with his fingers. Sethra bit her lip, knowing the knocks to be a code. Once finished counting, Ruric turned and looked right at the hidden pair, just as she knew he would. Before he had taken a single step, however, Rune and Sethra felt a hand at each of their backs. Sethra grabbed at her falchion, but it is grabbed away from her hip quicker than she can reach it. Rune panicked and swiped a hand over his face, whispering "don't look" to Sethra.

The pair were lifted by their clothes and thrown onto the ground, face down. Rune was the first to right himself, but he simply sat cross legged on the dirt, his head down, hood covering his face, and his hands clasped as though in silent prayer. Sethra, wanting to delay discovery as much as possible, stayed face down, trying to think of a plan. The man Sethra had called Ruric began shouting at them quickly, while the other two men lifted both Rune and Sethra to a standing position.

Sethra fought standing up and showing her face as long as she could, knowing full well she did not have a hood or a curtain of long hair to hide her face, and that she would be immediately recognized. Ruric kept shouting questions at them, almost too quickly to make out what he was saying.

"'Re-you-folks-spies? Yer-spies-from-'cross-the-border!! I-knew-it! Pleattde-scum! We-gave-you-everythin'-an'-you-repay-it-with-war!" He spat on the ground. "C'me-across-MY-border. I'll-show-ya-who's-boss-'round-here! Torey!" here he gestured to the man holding up Sethra, "Cass!" now to the one holding Rune, "Whadda we do with folks we find crossin' the border illegal like this 'round here?" he asked his companions, finally slowing down to a reasonable speaking pace.