Sengoku Visions I

Chapter 13 - Abducted

As my concentration was on admiring my work, it took a moment to register a hand grabbing me around my waist. As I went to react, another clamped over my mouth, catching a scream in my throat. I struggled uselessly against vice like arms, my panic rising. I was then spun around so fast the world swam to find my captor was ...

Saizo.

This time he looked truly dangerous as he continued to stare at me. He slowly took his hand away from my mouth and I gasped for air. Reaching past me, he undid the stable cross-ties, his other arm still wrapped around me, holding me to him.

"Shut up." He menaced, as my mouth opened to protest. His eyes glittered, scaring me into silence. Before my senses could follow the speed, I had been flung up onto his horse and he was sitting behind me. He held my left arm across my body at such an angle my shoulder screamed immediately. I watched through confusion and tears as he picked up the reins and I had only a split second to grab a handful of mane before we launched out of the stall and into the storm. Rain pelted my face and I tried to struggle, but he increased the pressure to my shoulder making me cry out in pain.

"Shhh" He breathed into my ear. We careered across water, picking up speed I turned my head to one side as the wind took my breath and caught a flash of Lord Shingen and Yukimura standing outside the Main Hall. I could swear they were laughing.

In seconds we were out of the gates and galloping headlong into the dark and who knows where.

Once again I was soaked through, the gallop seemed endless, Saizo never relaxed his hold of me or said another word. The driving rain was occasionally highlighted by lightning sending me snapshots of the surroundings, but I had no idea where I was.

The terrain changed, we were moving upwards, the path twisted and turned as we ascended. We rounded another bend and clattered into what appeared to be a dead end. My body had gone numb with cold and Saizo had no trouble slipping me into his arms and leading his steaming horse on foot.

Suddenly the rain stopped; from the sound we had entered some sort of cave. I tried to focus, there was a soft, flickering light ahead, and he turned sharply left, swinging me into a larger space.

A crackling fire was the light source, there were random furs and cushions draping rock formations, providing a series of low couches. I also saw my other clothes and boots near the fire, along with robes over the back of one of the couches. It dawned on me this had been carefully planned.

Saizo dumped me onto the floor near the fire, its heat was fierce against my wet skin. I looked at him and went to speak, but again he cut me off.

"Strip." He commanded. I baulked, shocked into silence and sat there dripping. "Or shall I do it for you?" He took another step towards me, a menacing kind of glee in his eyes. I felt rising anger replacing my fear, and turned away to begin wrestling with my boots, a stream of curses from me bringing a chuckle from behind. It sounded wicked reverberating around the cavern's walls.

My anger switched up a gear, I was confused and getting increasingly frustrated as my sodden boots clung stubbornly to my legs. I stood up looking for something to spring the heel against, and promptly found myself back on the floor. I'd been on the horse for so long my legs now refused to support me. Out of sheer anger I forced myself upright again.

Finally the boot heel gave, and I kicked them both away. The cold stone sent a chill through my feet, but I was beyond caring now, I just wanted to get out of these soaked clothes. My cloak slopped to the floor and I stood on it to protect my feet, sending a mental apology to Shingen as I did so. My left shoulder was pounding from its punishment and I had to bite my lip hard against crying out as I wriggled out of the rest of my top. It also made a splat on the stone. I reached for my other jumper, keeping my back to Saizo and most of my modesty to the fire. The instant warmth from it was a tonic. I wrapped one of the robes around me and peeled my dripping trousers off, almost kicking the fire, my familiar breeches stuck to my damp skin, but eventually I was triumphant and warm from the effort.