On the Road With the Ranger - Day One
A tale freshly told of the Arnorian
The group that kidnapped Rhifaroth sets out of Bree.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Although the plans were hastily made, the trip out of Bree has so far gone without a hitch. The weather was perfect--clear and sunny, but not too hot--and one of Aleswyn\'s men drove the cart out of town, seemingly without arousing any suspicion. Meeting the rest of the group on the road, the travelers then set out at a steady but not hard pace, wishing to put some miles between them and the town.
It\'s late afternoon when they finally draw to a stop, pulling the wagon off into a shaded area by the side of the road by which runs a small creek. They see to the horses first, and then Cordelia heads to the wagon, carrying a water skin and looking worried as she goes to check on the Dunadan.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Their cargo, once the food, blankets, and assorted things are moved out of the way and the man uncovered, is sweaty from heat. Aleswyn\'s idiot men must have dosed Rhifaroth pretty heavily because it\'s been considerably more than four hours and he\'s still out. But, the overdose apparently wasn\'t enough to kill the man because he\'s still breathing.
Drawing the tarp off of the man, the Dunadan stirs just faintly, a change in his breathing at the sudden light and fresh air.
[Cordelia(#1394)] The man stirs--at least he\'s alive. Grimacing, Cordelia now climbs into the wagon to kneel next to the ranger. \"Rhifaroth.\" She puts a hand on his shoulder and gently shakes him. \"Rhifaroth, wake up. You need to drink some water.\" Dammit...they need to ditch this wagon soon...She looks back west down the road, squinting.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Their prisoner lays on his side, hair damp and sweaty. Opening his eyes just a little, Cordelia can see that Rhifaroth\'s pupils are still swollen and dark even in the bright afternoon light. It\'s too painfully bright. The man closes his eyes and turns his head away from the light, trying to protect his eyes.
\"No... Muir, let me ... sleep.\" The man mumbles something else but it\'s incoherant.
Keldean has been very quiet since his aquisition of the wagon. More than once he\'s glanced back towards Bree, his eyes tight with worry, but the farther they get without any pursuit the more his nerves ease. Before he left the inn, Keldean had grabbed some of his belongings, a fresh change of clothes and all of his saved coin. At the warehouse, he made sure to go find the bundle of weapons that he had stashed from Rhifaroth the first day Cordelia brought the man there.
The teen walks over to the cart, peering in past the young woman to see how the ranger is doing. \"Is he going to be okay? He doesn\'t look so well..\"
[Cordelia(#1394)] With a sigh, Cordelia pours a little of the water into her hand and dampens the man\'s forehead. \"You can keep your eyes closed,\" she tells him, \"but you have to drink something.\" The water skin is pressed up to his lips.
\"He\'s...pretty knocked out,\" Cordelia grimaces to Keldean\'s question. \"Which is fine, but under the tarp and in the sun all day, drugged up...he\'ll need to drink at least some. Even if Asht wants him weakened.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Water is cool on his skin, welcome... even though he just wants to be left alone to sleep. Thirsty... so the water skin to his mouth seems to awaken the man a little. But the light is too bright. The Dunadan tries to move an arm repeatedly to cover his face but his arms are tied. Squinting his eyes against the light and not opening them, Rhifaroth tries to drink. It\'s difficult when you are laying down on your side and not sitting up. Some of it spills.
Legs are drawn up, and an effort made to shift an elbow. Lifting his head, the man is trying to sit up, maybe, \"Too bright.\" he mumbles.
Keldean reaches over and places his lightly over Rhif\'s eyes. His skin is cool. He just got a drink in the creek and rinsed off some of the dirt of the road. \"Nob is going to know I took the cart after two days.\" The teen says quietly, his tone subdued.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"Wait,\" Cordelia says quietly to Rhifaroth. She stands up edges her way among the things in the wagon--all of it will have to be packed onto the horses once they ditch the wagon--then starts going through one of the packs, pulling out a length of cloth she used for bandaging Rhifaroth the previous night. \"I can make a blindfold out of this. Keldean, woudl you help me sit him up. I need...\"
The teen speaks just then, though, and Cordelia -stares.- \"You\'re worried about -that-?\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Keldean\'s small kindness to lay his hand over the ranger\'s eyes to shade them for a moment is appriciated. The man at once stops struggling, his muscles easing as the pain from the brightness lets up. The man mutters some more, \"Giliath ... seen them?\" A frown, Rhifaroth\'s eyes still closed, \"Too many orcs. Must ... hurry...\" Then a change in the man\'s voice, tighter, \"Where\'s Muir?\"
Keldean climbs up onto the cart to help heft the ranger up, holding him in place so that she can accomplish her task. \"I.. well.. I just meant that Nob will probably say something at that point. He\'ll talk to people.\" The boy answers carefully, trying to figure why he shouldn\'t be worried about it. Or, alternatively, what worse things to be worried about are.
[Cordelia(#1394)] It\'s a squeeze--it\'s a small cart, and smaller still with all of them in it. Cordelia works her way around behind Rhifaroth. \"I\'m going to blindfold you for the sun,\" she warns him first. \"Also...Asht wants you blindfolded for the journey, too. I\'m...I\'m sorry....\" Small hands work quickly, binding the soft, wide cloth around the man\'s eyes. \"Muir is safe,\" she whispers quickly, sounding very scared as she does so.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Someone is ... moving him. Hands tug and push, helping him to sit up. Something about a blindfold gets through and alarms the man, \"No! I want to see!\" But there is nothing he can do to keep Cordelia from doing it, with his hands and arms bound. Even his ankles are tied together and his feet bare, without boots.
Breathing a little fast, the man is still drugged and disoriented, \"Must find them... not let ... the orcs ... \"
Rhifaroth\'s head lulls and he mutters something else. Apparently thinking that his family is missing and orcs are around to eat them or something.
Keldean holds the ranger still, plenty stong enough to manage that. \"Just be quiet and rest..\" He mutters to the man, not wanting Rhifaroth to rouse Asht\'s suspicions on what they might be doing.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"Find who?\" Cordelia prompts once the blindfold is tied. The water skin was set down in the cart--carefully closed--and she nods toward Keldean now. \"Give him a bit of water to drink, Kel. Don\'t want him getting too dry out here, what with the fever we had yesterday.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The man rouses a little at Cordelia\'s prompting, \"Muir! the ... children. Missing...\" apparently the Dunadan is anxious about his family, remembering orcs in the area, mixing up time and events in his drugged state. He mutters something in Sindarin then, but it\'s not clear. Something about tracking.
Sitting up and his eyes shaded, Rhifaroth relaxes somewhat, halfway conscious at most. It may well be nightfall before his wits have cleared.
Keldean reaches for the water skin, and while still holding the man sitting up with one hand, carefully presses the opening of the skin against his lips with the other. \"Drink.\" He implores, trying to sound soothing. \"You need water.\"
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"Tracking?\" Cordelia repeats in Westron, sounding very puzzled. Again, she looks west along the road they have just traveled, but there is no sign of anyone there. \"We need to get moving again,\" she notes to Keldean, sounding nervous.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Water is gratefully accepted. The man drinks, only spills a little. Several good swallows with breaths between. Then he turns his head away, getting his breath, \"So ... tired.\" Thankfully, Aleswyn\'s men made sure the ranger had access to assistance so that Rhifaroth did not have to soil his clothes with urine the night before.
Leaning against the back of the wagon, the Dunadan seems to want to go back to sleep. Just as well if they are going to move on.
Keldean eases the man back down, then stoppers the water skin and sets it aside. Then the teen hops down from the wagon again and glances around. \"Do you think I have time to clean up some more?\" He asks, plucking at a dirty mess of a curl with a frown. It\'s not that Keldean cares about cleanliness, but he\'s learned the hard way that if he doesn\'t at least wash his hair once a week or so it reaches a point of tangled no return.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia reaches for the water skin, then climbs out of the cart. \"I need to refill this,\" she says, eyes narrowing a bit at Keldean. What is the boy up to? \"You have until Asht has the horses ready to go, but I doubt that will be long. If you want to clean up, go wade in the creek quickly, but don\'t make us wait. You -don\'t- want to anger Asht.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Now settled to lay back down in the cart, their cargo makes no further complaint nor struggle. The tattooed man lays on his side where he was put, now blindfolded with the scrap used before from his grey cloak. The ranger\'s breathing has smoothed out and likely, Rhifaroth has slipped back to drug influenced sleep.
Keldean looks nervous at the mention of Asht, but the creek is right there and he can\'t imagine how he could possibly hold up anything by scrubbing some of the dirt out of his hair. It seems Cordelia is looking far more deeply into his interests than necessary, because the teen simply kicks off his boots and wades into a deeper section of the stream to do exactly what he said.
He\'ll never get all the snarls out, but the water breaks up a lot of the mats that were beginning to collect in his auburn curls. He washes his face and arms as well, tugging his sleeves up to avoid getting his shirt too wet.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Watching from the bank, Cordelia can\'t help but smile. The sight of Keldean worrying about keeping his hair clean after only one day might even be funny, were it not for the fact that it\'s likely the elves are following them and the journey ahead will be dangerous and arduous. She walks to the edge of the creek, refilling the water skin with clear flowing water and then dipping her hands in the creek to wash her face and neck--who knows when they will next have this chance?
The teen has reached such a point of overload on all the other stress of the last week, that his hair seems to be the only thing he has an ounce of control over. It\'s a small thing he can do to help himself feel better. He\'s thought about running, but Asht scares him far too much to try it, and he\'s not entirely convinced that the people back in Bree won\'t lynch him if they find out what he\'s been involved in.
Once the teen is done washing up, he wanders over towards Cordelia, twisting the water from his hair. \"Cordelia.. If Seeker is friends with the elves, and we\'re going to try to get him to show us where their home is.. What happens if we run into some elves?\"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Perhaps taking a cue from the teen, Cordelia has dunked her head in the creek, her long black hair now wet on her back. But it\'s a sunny, warm day, and she doesn\'t seem to mind. \"We\'re not going to run into elves,\" she says fimrly. \"We\'re going to find the secret way to their home but not take it. We\'ll hide .\"
Keldean has a skeptical expression on his face, his eyes trailing back to their large group. \"All of us are going to hide?.. \" His mind wanders back to his conversations with Barlok. Keldean lowers his voice, \"What did Asht say he would do to Liuni?\" Cordelia had told him she was following Asht because of her sister.
[Cordelia(#1394)] A frown, the girl\'s voice lowered, even out here, with Asht out of sight. \"He will cut her face,\" she says. \"Make it so that no man will ever want to marry her or give her an honest day\'s work. So that women and children run screaming from her and she will have to live off the pickings from garbage.\"
Keldean shivers, despite the warm sun beating down on them. After seeing how casually Asht cuts people with a knife, he\'s not skeptical in the least about this. \"And he\'s a friend of your father? Why hasn\'t your father done anything about him?\" Keldean glances around with a fearful expression on his face again.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Still keeping her voice low, Cordelia answers quietly, words said in a rush. \"I\'m half Bree, Keldean, and that\'s because my mother\'s farm in the hinterlands was raided when she was young and she was sold into slavery. She was bought by my father,\" she says truthfully. \"He freed her, but only after she became...inconvenient to have around. My father...well, he only cares how much I help the family business. Me and Liuni.\"
Keldean gazes at her, his face growing more troubled as she shares this information. He\'s quiet for a long time and he glances back towards the cart where the ranger is tied up. \"So.. Anyone that Asht decides isn\'t useful?.. He\'s going to kill, or sell as a slave?\" Keldean\'s words are soft, but filled with a new kind of fear. He heard how Seeker spoke of being enslaved.
Cordelia nods her head very slowly. \"Likely,\" she says, wincing. \"You saw what he\'s like....\" She glances behind. \"We shoudl get ready to go.\"
--
Later in the afternoon.
It started out as a lovely morning, but some gray clouds moved in and now a misty rain is gently bathing the road. On the Great East Road is a small group of travelers. There\'s a woman riding a horse with a young girl, a pony pulling along a cart with some tarps tied over it (probably to keep the rain off of the goods) and a man and teen walking alongside the wagon.
Keldean has kept to himself since his little chat with Cordelia at the stream, his eyes mostly downcast and on the road. He has a troubled expression on his face, and occasionally glances towards Asht, but the looks are fleeting.
There\'s a woman with a baby as well. What a cute family.
[Asht(#29272)] The figure next to Keldean is almost entirely concealed beneath a black travelling cloak. The black hood of it is drawn as far forward over his face. Asht\'s attention seems entirely focused on the ground as he walks.
The cart hits a rough patch and begins to bounce around as it moves. Asht looks up and pulls his hood back now, revealing his sallow, sickly features, his brown eyes blinking painfully in the sunlight. With a sharp glance at Keldean he quickens his pace. \"We must hurry,\" he mutters softly to himself, his voice cracking.
Keldean glances around, rubbing the back of his head as he sees no one else near enough that Asht might be talking to. \"We can\'t move the cart any faster. The pony will tire.\" Now that he\'s cleaned up, the teen looks younger, his age more apparent. The lines on his neck where Asht cut him with the dagger are obvious, but healing quickly.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Both of the young women have their hair braided and pinned up beneath bonnets of straw that shade their faces and protect them from the sun, so that their hair cannot be seen. They are riding a sleek stallion, the smaller girl sitting in front of the older, who seems quite at as on the horse, and they are walking slowly behind the cart. \"It\'s a long way, Asht. And we\'re not likely to find other horses along the way. We have to save these for as long as we can,\" Cordelia calls now, echoing Keldean\'s sentiments.
[Asht(#29272)] Asht turns to Keldean and then looks up and across to Cordelia. The thin man nods slowly. \"I know this,\" he hisses. \"We are in great danger here... \" The words trail off towards the back of the cart where his own horse is tethered. He gives the horse a withering look. \"If this beast had not thrown a shoe I might have the priveledge of riding,\" he says to Cornelia with some scorn.
Keldean has no helpful suggestions. He\'s never been east of Bree and has no idea what lies ahead on the road. The youth is tired. He was up all night helping to prepare for them to leave, and after a full day yesterday and all day today on the road, walking, the boy is starting to feel his exhaustion.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"You could...\" Cordelia suggests to Asht after a moment, \"ride this horse.\" Is that a small smile she gives Keldean as she offers this to Asht. \"Otherwise, by the evening we\'ll reach some shelter. And with any luck there will be tools to reshoe the horse.\"
[Asht(#29272)] A harsh cough shakes Asht\'s frame and he shakes his head roughly. Pulling his cloak tightly around himself as he walks he says sharply \"Keep your horse.\" There\'s no thanks at all, only his usual angry arrogance. \"Our \'guest\' is still asleep is he?\" Asht throws a pointed glance towards the cart as it rolls forward.
Keldean sees Cordelia\'s smile and makes a disgusted face. He remembers riding that horse all too well. Asht asks about Rhifaroth and the teen falls back to lift a corner of the tarp, looking inside. \"Yeah, he\'s still asleep.\" The teen reports after studying the ranger for a long moment.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"He is..\" Cordelia answers with caution. \"And likely to be so for a while yet. Do you plan to have him walk when he wakes? Tie him to a horse? How do you plan to have him lead us where we want him to?\" She glances at Adelaide and the baby and shrugs.
[Nauthcel(#19666)]
Though rain may daunt some travelers and chase them under cover, there are those who treck the GER taking no notice to the elements. Even as the rain continues to mist, a shadow moves among the trees seeming to keep to a tireless pace without the slightest bit of noise. Thus does Nauthcel secretly follow Cordelia and her band for reasons unspoken.
[Asht(#29272)] Asht\'s pace slows a little and he nods to Keldean then turns sharply to Cordelia. \"Yes, we tie the scum to a horse and then we might make some progress...\" he snaps before becoming quiet again. He walks in silence, feet scuffing the ground as he does so.
Keldean sighs softly and slows his place, letting himself fall to the back of the traveling group so that he can put some distance between himself and Asht. He shoves his hands into his pockets and lets his gaze drop to the ground again. The teen is soaked, his garments clinging to his skinny frame and his hair never got a chance to fully dry from the rinse in the stream earlier.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia falls silent for several minutes. \"We\'ll need another horse. Unless you plan to tie him to your horse, Asht. In which case, you\'ll have to walk the whole way.\" She seems to take great pleasure in that, grinning. \"In any case, we need to rid ourselves of this cart. It\'s slowing us down and I don\'t like it.\" She twists in the saddle--holding the girl in front of her tight to keep her from doing likewise--looking at the road behind them, but it\'s obscured somewhat by the mist. \"Noone...I don\'t trust it, though.\"
Asht stops walking and turns to Cordelia and returns the grin, although his deepset eyes show no sign of humour. \"Well perhaps our young friend here will not be averse to turning horse thief for us,\" he says loudly, indicating Keldean with a sideways glace.
Asht looks at the gathering mist and shivers. \"I do not like it either,\" he says softly to Cordelia, his expression no longer hostile, there\'s genuine worry there.
[Nauthcel(#19666)]
In hearing the uneasy feelings passing among the small group, the Ranger slows his pace to allow for more precise steps so as to choose his next hiding place among the many boughs. Ashen eyes from beneath the deep hood pass from one group member to the next and pause for a time on the cart.
Keldean lifts his gaze, eying Asht for a moment. Then he looks around at the forest to the north and south and frowns. \"Where?\" He asks with a vague gesture. \"There\'s nothing around here. People don\'t have horses in Bree.
[<#1394>] Turning again in her saddle, Cordelia stares into the woods there...something there? She rubs her hand over her face, getting some rain water on it to try to wake herself up some. She sighs, shaking her head at Asht. \'IF we can find a horse here. The teen is right about that. I think we\'ll have to alternate riding. Or choose someone to stay behind.\' She looks at Keldean as she says that. Then another frown, softer to Asht, \"
[Asht(#29272)] Dark eyes meet Cordelia and Asht nods. For once he\'s not looking at the woman in scorn, it seems the mounting sense of danger has broken down his hostility. \"Yes, I know it,\" he says softly, tone pitched low. He looks up, eyes scanning the surrounding trees, but can see nothing. A quick shake of his head and he says quickly to Cordelia \"Still, we, of all people, should not be afraid of the shadows, yes?\"
A glance at Keldean and Asht nods again. \"If we cannot procure another mount we must make do then...\" he says to him, then the words trail off as his attention returns to the mist shrouded ground surrounding the road.
[<#1394>] With a quick turn of her head, Cordelia glares at Asht, and then actually hisses something at him in another language. \"
[<#29272>] The movement of Cordelia\'s hand is mimicked by Asht and he comes to a stop turning on his heels, hand resting on the dagger at his side. He looks up at Cordelia, his eyes blazing, his mouth open. For a long moment he simply glares and then finally says \"
[Nauthcel(#19666)]
Thoug shadows may be claimed as an ally of the enemy, they are considered by others to be neutral. Having been trained well, Nauthcel continues to tred lightly in the forest hidden behind brush and tree and mist. The hue of the cloak mimics that of the forest causing a single blend of color.
Keldean can sense the tension growing between the two even though he can\'t understand what\'s being said. He frowns, growing tense. \"What.. is it?\" He asks, directing the question towards Cordelia, glad that he\'s backed off from Asht.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"I\'m not afraid to die,\" Cordelia answers in the common tongue. Still, her face pales at Asht\'s words to her, and her hand withdraws from her knife. She gives a worried look to Liuni, who is riding with her, and falls into a stony silence.
[Asht(#29272)] Asht continues to remain still, staring at Cordelia. Then the anger drops from his face, replaced by an expression that is unconvincingly in its neutrality. His cloak whips around as he turns and continues walking in silence, his eyes directed ahead of him. His jaw works slowly, grinding his teeth but he says nothing further.
Keldean gets no answer and isn\'t about to ask again. He goes back to staring at the ground, a glum expression on his face.
--
That evening! (It\'s the log that keeps on giving!)
--
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
It\'s really getting dark in the wagon, underneath the tarp...
[Addie(#22296)] Nighttime and the small party has arrived at the Forsaken Inn. A wagon, a driver, and a group of riders, perhaps it looks like a merchant party. The moon, a crescent shape, is high in the sky, and a decrepit building is next to the place the wagon has drawn up to.
Asht walks slowly behind the wagon, indeed his pace is so methodical it could almost be called a plod. He comes to a halt as the wagon stops and only then looks up. A dry cough comes out of his throat, and he looks at the inn in front of him with a measured gaze.
A hand comes up to rest on the black stallion that has been walking behind the cart, tethered to it by the reins. \"What do we know of this place,\" he hisses softly. It\'s not clear who the question is directed to.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The occupant in the wagon has awoken and been awake off and on the past few hours. Being blindfolded, tied up, and underneath the tarp though, the man hasn\'t really made any noise for anyone to notice. Now that the wagon has stopped, the Dunadan shifts underneath the tarp, trying to knock the heel of one of his feet against the side board for attention. He apparently wants someone\'s attention.
The man\'s voice is a little rough, \"Valar, get me out. I need to pass water.\" Someone hasn\'t gagged the man, yet.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Drawing rein as the party comes to a halt, Cordelia first slips off the horse and then helps Liuni dismount. \"I\'ve been here before,\" she says as she takes a slow look around the place. \"It\'s...well, rundown. Haunt for locals, the unsavory type.\" She glves Asht a sly look at that. \"Don\'t know if you\'ll find a blacksmith or not...or if anyone will be in this place at all, and if so, what sorts they might be. Pity you don\'t know how to shoe a horse,\" she says, with a hint of a taunt in her voice.
A look given to Liuni, and she takes the child\'s hand, then walks toward the wagon. \"Looks like our guest is awake,\" she notes. \"And helping him pass water is not my job.\" She reaches into the wagon and pulls the tarp off Rhifaroth.
Keldean feels the thump against the wood where he\'s leaning and twists around, frowning. \"Umm.. Do you think anyone will see anything here?\" He asks, looking around nervously as Cordelia pulls the tarp aside.
[Asht(#29272)] His attention turns from the inn to the ranger and Asht walks a pace towards the card. \"And you think it\'s my job?\" he asks Cordelia with a withering look. He leans over Rhifaroth and slowly draws his dagger, concealing the action from any watching eyes. A long moment is spent studying the prone figure then he says quietly \"That will just have to wait, scum.\" Asht holds Rhifaroth\'s eye a moment, his face a mask.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The tarp having been removed, Rhifaroth tries to lift his head. He can\'t look around, but he seems cramped and eager to be moved, turn over, anything. But at the sound of Asht\'s voice, the Dunadan frowns.
\"You want me to piss all over your cart goods? Do -you- enjoy the smell?\" Certainly he doesn\'t. And less does the ranger enjoy soaking in it for hours, days, on end.
[Cordelia(#1394)] A look given to Keldean, then Cordelia nods. \"You\'re right, actually. Not here. We need to move this wagon off the road and well out of sight. Into the woods, even.\"
She still has one hand on the tarp, and now she moves to re-cover the ranger, the motion interrupted by the exchange of words between the two men. \"It will be somebody\'s job to assist him, and it won\'t be mine,\" she sneers at Asht. \"I\'ll not have him dying on us on this trip.\" Her next words are very slowly spoken, but the threat is clear in them. \"Do you understand me?\"
Keldean watches Asht, that ever-wary expression on his face around the man. \"I could help him with it..\" the youth offers with a small shrug. Not the most glamorous of tasks, but better than watching Asht grow more angry. \"The pony needs to be taken care of anyway. I can unhook the cart out back, push it into the woods...\" The teen has a tired, but otherwise passive expression on his face.
[Asht(#29272)] Asht looks round the interior of the cart for a moment then takes a length of rope that is coiled in a corner. \"I might find it hard to distinguish the smell of piss from your usual aroma,\" he says quickly to Rhifaroth before throwing the rope to Keldean. \"Here,\" he calls to the young man. \"See to him. Tether him around the kneck, it\'s the easiest way.\" A grim smile paces across Asht\'s face.
He is silent a moment but stiffens as Cordelia speaks. He drops his head and remains facing away from her. \"I do not need to understand you,\" he says slowly and very carefully, his voice shot through with venom. Again his hand moves towards the dagger at his hip, concealed under his cloak.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
He may be blindfolded and tied up very well, but the prisoner manages to scoot himself down to the back of the cart and get his legs down. With more than a little effort, Rhifaroth grits his teeth and gets himself sitting up, using the weight of his legs to assist, \"Unless you want to carry me, cut my legs loose, damn you.\" The man is in a foul mood. Riding all day wedged into the back of a small cart might do that to you, trussed up tightly.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"Alive. And healthy. Not dying of blood poisoning,\" Cordelia replies to Asht, her voice nearly a snarl. \"Unless you would rather that all this danger be for nothing?\" She turns then, not waiting for Asht\'s answer, and walks to Rhifaroth to begin working to untie his legs. \"Run off and your son dies,\" she warns him. \"Keldean, tie the rope around his neck.\"
As the tension between Asht and Cordelia rises again, the teen gives her a worried look. Keldean keeps himself out of the fight though, and instead loops the rope on one shoulder and moves to grab the reins of the pony. \"I\'ll help him out in the woods where no one can see. Just leave him Cordelia, I can do it... Don\'t fall off.\" He add quietly. Before anyone can object he coaxes the animal along and gets the cart moving again.
Once he\'s a good distance from the road and in a nice shadowy bit of brush, he loops the reins onto a branch and moves around to the back of the cart. \"Please don\'t kick me again.. they can see us.. \" The teen says in a soft tone.
[Asht(#29272)] Asht glares at Cordelia, eyes burning, as she turns around. If his expression was one of hatred before it has now become something more extreme and madness flickers in his eyes. A soft snick of metal against metal can just be heard as he begins to draw his dagger from it\'s sheath. He seems in no hurry though, but remains motionless, glowering in the dim light.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The tatooted man doesn\'t like this much at all, but ... he isn\'t complaining as Cordelia begins to work loose the knots around his bare ankles. Keldean\'s voice is a moment\'s warning before the cart suddenly moves. Rhifaroth throws himself back in preferance to falling out of the cart on his face. When the cart finally stops, the man can be heard to be muttering what are probably foul curses in Haradiac.
When his ankle ropes have been removed, and Keldean has helped the blindfolded man out of the back of the cart, Rhifaroth finally nods his head to Keldean, \"Well, don\'t drop my pants infront of all of them, for Manwe\'s sake! Least wise, not infront of Cordelia.\" As if she hadn\'t already seen what Aleswyn\'s men had been doing to him the evening before.
[<#1394>] \'What?\' Cordelia snarls, wheeling around on Asht as Keldean, cart and Rhifaroth leave. \'You\'ll stab me here in the road and leave me for dead, Asht? Is that what you plan to do?\' She sneers, switching to a foreign tongue. \"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Her angry piece said, Cordelia turns to lead Elfaron to the back of the Inn and what looks like might be stables, carefully avoiding Rhifaroth and Keldean attending to nature\'s call.
Keldean doesn\'t loop the rope around Seeker\'s neck, but instead ties it around his bound hands. Once the man\'s legs are free the teen takes his arm to guide him deeper into the bushes. He looks back once, but the others are out of sight now. \"This is good.. no one can see here.\" Keldean hesitates, then assists as best he can with the bathroom needs, horribly embarrassed but he toughs through it.
[Asht(#29272)] As Cordelia speaks, Asht\'s expression doesn\'t change, in fact he doesn\'t move a muscle. A flicker of something akin to pride crosses his face at the words \'sick cruelty\' and \'warped mind,\' however. As Cordelia moves off he takes a step after but then stops himself and breathes heavily. Perhaps the import of her words have hit home.
There is a short pause, Asht licks his lips and says softly \"The back, not the belly. I will stab you in the back.\" His tone is almost sing-song, the words perhaps meant for no-one in particular. His hand falls to his side again.
Cordelia disappears for a while--likely she has her own call from nature to attend to, as well as looking after Liuni, if the girl has followed.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The Dunadan\'s dignity has been trampled all over the past many days. At least he seems grateful for being allowed such assistance in preferance to the alternative. When they are finished but before they turn back Rhifaroth even says in a low voice, \"Thank you, Kel. Hurts pretty damned bad, after a while.\"
Keldean doesn\'t immediately pull the man back towards the others after the immediate business is done. \"Sure..\" He says when the ranger thanks him, then after a long hesitant pause and a thorough glance around, \"I.. I don\'t know what to do..\" His words are little more than a whisper. \"Cordelia, she said that you would only be sleepy and was going to ask some questions. I didn\'t know.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Blindfolded and not having a clue which direction they have been traveling, the Ranger almost laughs - but aborts the reaction. Swallowing it, the man gets his breath and gives a reply likewise almost inaudible, \"Got yourself in over your head, Kel? You know, there are a lot worse things than dying.\" There is a pause in silence, then Rhifaroth adds just as quietly, \"If you got me loose and armed, that would go a long way in redemption, lad.\"
[Asht(#29272)] Looking up from his revery, Asht looks up sharply, suddenly aware of the fact that he is all but alone. Eyes dart from the inn to the clump of bushes where Keldean and the Dunadan have disappeared. A ponderous expression on his face he begins to walk slowly towards the two men, keeping his movements as quiet as possibly.
After a few paces he stops, sniffs the air. It isn\'t clear how much, if any, of their conversation will travel.
\"He\'ll kill you.. You\'re too weak.\" Keldean responds, \"and even if you got away, he would kill me, or Cordelia. We\'re too close to Bree. Asht says he\'ll murder my family if I do anything wrong.\" He glances back towards the inn, twisting the end of the rope he\'s holding nervously. \"It\'s not your baby. Your family is fine.. \"
[Addie(#22296)] Down from the seat of the wagon climbs a small woman gripping a bag. She puts the bag down for a moment and yawns and stretches, clearly awakening from a nap and then peers at Asht and Cordelia. \"
[<#27282>]
The last thing the youth whispers really catches the Southerner\'s attention. \"It\'s not my son?\" Rhifaroth was ... beginning to have his doubts that it was.. surely they couldn\'t have gotten one of his children from his wife without a fight.
\"Then maybe you could start slipping me some decent food. You and Cordelia. She and her sister are in this deeper than you are - and she\'s scared. Then I\'d be stronger.\"
The man doesn\'t want to admit that broth once a day isn\'t nearly enough to sustain a man of his size with any stregnth, but it is true. \"If you did that, I could get you and Cordy out of this. Kill Asht and that woman.\" Did he just hear something? Rhifaroth grows silent, listening.
Obviously Keldean wouldn\'t be whispering to Rhifaroth right by the wagon if Addie was sleeping in it, so the teen had taken the ranger some distance into the forest line to relieve himself. To spare the ladies on the trip, of course.
The teen listens carefully, considering the ranger\'s words. \"I can try. He watches me all the time, except when he\'s arguing with Cordelia. But.. I\'m worried that he\'s going to ki-\" It is awfully quiet, and he can\'t hear Asht or Cord speaking in that foriegn tongue anymore. \'Come on.. you\'ve had enough rest.\' He says more loudly, pulling at the rope. \'You spent all day laying down, now you can\'t walk ten paces?\'
[<#29272>] The thin man turns to Adelaide and throws her a fierce look, and he gives her a quick nod. \"
[<#22296>] Moving closer to Asht, the slight woman lowers her voice to a whisper. \"<...> I ... ... ... as far ... ... ... ... .... ... the ... on ... ... when ... ... Mordor.\"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Her own business concluded, Cordelia turns to head back to Asht and Addie. As she passes the spot where her path toward privacy forked off from that of Keldean\'s and Rhifaroth\'s, she pauses, frowning. \"Keld?\" she calls off toward the bushes.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Keldean\'s raising his voice and the man nods before he gives answer in a louder, grumpy voice of his own, \"Tie you up for days and see if you don\'t hurt like hell.\"
His clothing back in order, Rhifaroth turns back with Keldean, having given the young man no trouble. He still can\'t see anything though because Kel hasn\'t removed the Dunadan\'s blindfold. He is, however, walking on his own two feet, without boots. The Ranger\'s gait though is stiff and careful as though he really is a little weak and sore.
Keldean holds the rope tightly in one hand, and his other is guiding the man again by the arm, so that he won\'t trip on roots or undergrowth. \"Yeah, well I\'m not going to get smacked because you\'re sore.\" He mutters, tugging Rhif back in the direction of the wagon.
[<#29272>] Asht throws Addie a tense grin, showing his teeth. \"
[<#1394>] More whispering turns Cordelia\'s head, this time from the woman Addie, and in a language other than the Common Tongue. As she hears Rhifaroth\'s voice, she looks in that direction, considering, then instead walks to Asht and Addie.
\'We should get this wagon unloaded and hidden and soon,\' she frowns, the venom that had been her eyes eariler for Asht gone. \"
[<#22296>] \"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
What he hears does not please the Ranger, \"Back in already? Don\'t you people sleep or eat, or rest your horses?\" A frown from the blindfolded man as Keldean brings him up, \"Will you at least rebind my arms in some other position? Hurts my shoulders ... and if you do, I\'ll shut up so you don\'t have to hear my complaining.\" There might be a touch of sarcasm in Rhifaroth\'s drawl.
There\'s a look of protest on the youth\'s face when they talk of moving on. Keldean opens his mouth, then clamps it shut again and simply wraps the rope tied to the ranger around the same branch the pony is tied to. The teen begins unhooking the pony from the cart, avoiding anyone\'s gaze if at all possible.
[Addie(#22296)] Frowning, the slight woman looks at Asht and Cordelia and her torrent of words in the harsh language is very sing-song. \"
[Asht(#29272)] With a quick nod to Addie, Asht turns to Cordelia. \"If I must,\" is all he says, not looking directly at her. He leads his horse away from the cart now and ties it losely to a branch before reaching down to loosen the saddle a little.
Asht looks over at Keldean as he does so. \"Leave the ranger, boy. His comfort is no concern of yours.\" he says quickly, then leans down and lifts one of the horse\'s hooves, inspecting it closely. The stallion shies a little but doesn\'t seem to mind.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Something has snagged him. There is a tree close? Rhifaroth backs up a tentetive step, feeling what he can... yes, there is a tree. The man puts his back to it and carefully slides down to rest. But, even with his hands bandaged up so he can\'t grab things well, he tries to grope the ground for ... well, a sharp stone would be nice. A little one he might slip between the bandages, between his fingers.
[<#1394>] \"
[<#22296>] \'How tiresome, the slight woman says tiredly. \'Asht, if you would take the prisoner and sit on him for me? And Cordelia, get the child ready for the journey.\' Her tone then turns sharp and she looks at Cordelia. \"
Keldean glances up from his work on unhooking the pony from the cart, eying Asht for a moment, but doesn\'t say a thing and looks back to what he\'s doing. Then Cordelia is snapping commands at him and to a degree they conflict with what Asht just said about the ranger\'s comfort. \"But.. I..\" He gestures vaguely at the cart, horribly confused now. \"Are we leaving the pony?\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Did that strange woman just say something about ... Asht is to sit on HIM? Rhifaroth didn\'t like the sound of that. He can\'t feel hardly a thing thorough the bandages, darnit... but the blindfolded man feels more desperately incase he can find something he can pick up. His left thumb is still dislocated and of no use and the other thumb is wrapped against his hand, but if he could just find a stone. Even one to hit someone with..
Blessed Keldean might buy him a few seconds more.
[Asht(#29272)] In the darkness, Asht is bent over intent on removing a stone from the horses hoof. With a sudden movement it comes flying out and he lowers the hoof to the ground. He straightens and looks across at Adelaide. \"As you wish,\" he says, voice soft. \"Which horse shall I put him on? And we must hide that cart too.\"
Asht takes a few paces towards Rhifaroth, looks down at the man and laughs softly. \"Get up, filth,\" he whispers as he leans down towards him. His eyes move over the ranger\'s body, inspecting his bindings closely.
[Addie(#22296)] \"The large brown one,\" the slight woman says carefully. \"That should hold his weight and it\'s patient enough to deal with him being tied up. You\'ll ride next to him?\"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia, too, seems confused when Keldean points out the conflicting orders. \"I..uh...thought...\" she starts to answer Keldean, but her words trail off. \"What are you going to do to him?\" she demands of Addie and then Asht. \"And -why-? What\'s the point?\"
[Addie(#22296)] Patiently, the slight woman looks at Cordelia. \"Whose decision is it?\"
Keldean waits as well, not sure what to do, but not about to throw his opinion into it.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Rhifaroth can\'t see the man, but he can hear that Asht has come over very close to him and leaned down. Alas, nothing like a stone here on this soft section of earth beneath the trees, \"Help me up, you backbirthed reject.\" The Dunadan taunts the other man, buying a few more seconds to try and close his bandaged hands on -something-. Wait, what\'s that he just touched?
Still seated, the blindfolded man\'s breathing has picked up just a little more rapidly with concern as to what that Adelaide woman has in mind. The more they bicker the better.
[Asht(#29272)] A short choked cough comes from Asht\'s mouth and he reaches down, trying to grab the ranger by the collar and drag him to his feet. \"Do you think you can give me any more reason to despise you?\" he asks, his tone fierce. \"Now get up.\"
Although he speaks to Rhifaroth, Asht looks over now to Cordelia and Addie, keenly aware of the danger in that situation. A hungry smile forms on his lips but he says nothing.
Asht\'s look seems to loosen Cordelia\'s tongue, and she walks over to Addie so that she stands quite close to the woman. \'And -who- exactly are you?\' she sneers. \"
Keldean fidgets, obviously unclear as to what to do. They had definitely said they wanted the cart unloaded, so the teen moves to get that done. He begins pulling things off and setting them near the horses. He casts a glance towards the ranger but Asht is dealing with him.
The slight woman gives a long, exasperated sigh. \"
Cordelia stumbles backwards from Addie, though the woman hasn\'t so much as laid a finger on her. \"Kel...\" she turns quickly to the teen, \"we need to talk. Now. Let me help you unload the wagon.\"
[Addie(#22296)] Liuni looks at the woman with a horrified look on her face too and runs after Cordelia, clutching at her skirts.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Rhifaroth is dragged up to his feet by Asht, from the tree he had slipped down to sit against. Alas, what his bandaged hands felt was a tree root or a stone too large to pry up. Asht pulled him up before he could get ahold of it, whatever it was.
Still blindfolded, the tattooed man bares his teeth in a smile of his own, \"Then we are in agreement. I despise you as well.\"
Keldean looks up sharply at Addie\'s words, his brown eyes wide in the darkening night. He licks his lips as Cordelia speaks to him, and tries to stay calm as she moves over to help him. \"What is she talking about??\" He asks Cordelia in a panicked whisper.
[Asht(#29272)] A shrewd expression forms on Asht\'s face and he laughs shortly as the slight woman speaks. He throws Cordelia a thin-lipped smile then turns back to the ranger. \"And I thank you for the compliment, fool,\" he says softly.
With a quick movement he pulls another length of rope from the cart. Nimble fingers make short work of forming a noose, which he drops over Rhifaroth\'s head then pulls it tight. Too tight perhaps. He holds the end of this make-shift noose tightly, wrapping it around his wrist a few times. He remains where he is, his attention now on Cordelia and Addie.
[<#1394>] Taking the teenager by the arm, Cordelia tries to draw him to the other side of the wagon. Her voice is wavering as she speaks, shaking with sudden fear. \"They are going to torture Rhifaroth, Keld. Find out what you two were whispering about in the woods. And compare your stories. If they don\'t match, they\'ll torture you.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Having a rope dropped around your neck and tightened sharply around your throat, especially when you are all tied up and can\'t see what is going on ... is not at all pleasant. Being then shoved to the ground and a man sitting on you, with that same over tight rope around your throat, even less so.
Rhifaroth can\'t throw his hands up to try and slip it off. He is knocked face down into the earth. There is a brief sound of choking and gasping a bit for breath, but the Dunadan\'s air isn\'t entirely cut off.
Keldean stares at her in dead shock for a moment, his face losing some color. \"We.. We were talking -about- anything. I was just helping him.. you know.. do what he had to do. Why would I talk to him?\" He can feel his palms going sweaty already, his breathing growing more rapid as that dull fear that\'s been clinging to him for the last week becomes sharp once more.
[Cordelia(#1394)] \"Keldean, listen to me,\" Cordelia whispers harshly. \"They /heard/ you and Seeker whispering. Caught some words...about his son, for one thing. They\'re not going to believe for a moment that you just helped him pass water. They will...\" she looks at the teen, taking in his pale face and some pity comes to her eyes. She sighs, peeking out from behind the wagon to see just what is happening to the ranger, and drawing back with a little gasp as she sees the noose around the man\'s neck. \"I...I don\'t know if Rhif will be able to hold out....you may have to tell them the truth, Keldean...or tell me. I\'ll lie for you. What should I say?\"
Keldean looks down, trying to think, trying to remember exactly what he said to the ranger. He\'s tired and exhausted and it\'s difficult to think straight when fear is rushing through him. \"I.. He wanted me to cut him loose, and I said that I couldn\'t, because Asht would kill me. And.. \" How much should he trust Cordelia? He doesn\'t really know how much she\'s been protecting him.
\"Then .. umm.. he wanted me to take his son and run, but I said I couldn\'t do that either because Asht watches everything I do. He begged me to help him, but I told him I wasn\'t going to risk my life for his, especially after he sentenced me to death when Asht wanted him to choose between me or the baby.\"
[<#1394>] On the other side of the wagon from Addie and the rest, Cordelia frowns at Keldean. \"Are you /sure/ that\'s all you talked about? I don\'t know if they\'re going to believe it, even if it -is- the truth..\" She sighs. \"But what\'s that...Asht made Rhifaroth choose between you and the baby? What did he choose?\"
[Addie(#22296)] Kneeling next to the prisoner and leaning close enough to whisper in his ear, the slight woman keeps her voice pleasant. \"Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What did you talk about with the boy behind the bushes?\"
Keldean doesn\'t gain any confidence from her words, and swallows heavily. \"Make them believe it! I didn\'t say anything! I didn\'t tell him anything. Why would I?? I know what Asht will do!\" Despite his whispers there\'s a frantic edge to the boy\'s voice.
When she asks about the decision Keldean shakes his head, an almost anguished expression on his face. \"Asht told Seeker to choose who to kill, me or the baby. Seeker picked me, because he said I got myself into this mess. But then Seeker passed out from getting sick and wouldn\'t wake up.. I don\'t know if Asht would have done it or not, otherwise.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Laying on the ground, having turned his blindfolded face and trying to overhear the others to no good effect, Rhifaroth swallows at Adelaide\'s question. He licks his lips, trying to stay calm, \"The weather? Taking a piss?\" He isn\'t technically lying, he\'s asking questions in return.
Thankfully, the rope around his throat is loose enough that he can get his breath enough to even give an answer. Quietly, the prone man adds, \"Keldean doesn\'t like me. He\'s the little snake that got me into this.\"
[Addie(#22296)] The slight woman sighs and shakes her head and then turns to the other man. \"Please hold the rope more tightly.\" The other man grins and pulls the rope, pulling the man\'s neck up a bit and increasing the pressure against his neck. \"Perhaps we could try again. What were the two of you talking about while you tended to your bodily functions?\"
[<#1394>] \'No. You don\'t know. Trust me in this. You can\'t even begin to know what Asht will do.\' Cordelia draws one arm around Liuni, who had followed her, clutching at her skirts. Then she drops her voice. \"Can you...can you hear what Seeker is answering -her-?\" She jerks her head back to indicate Addie, on the other side of the wagon, with Asht and Rhifaroth. \"I\'m sorry , Keldean. If they don\'t trust my answer, they may torture you. Or they may torture you just to do it. If you want to run now...I\'ll cover for you. Somehow...just..go.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
How convenient. Choking him, cutting off his air, the Dunadan can\'t very well give an answer esaily, can he? Rhifaroth chokes, trying to suck some air. His whole body tenses, muscles underneath his tattooed skin of his arms bunch up, making the rope that binds his elbows behind his back creak in protest. His legs are not tied with rope at this time. Both feet come up to try and slug the man upon his back as hard as he can with his heels!
[Addie(#22296)] The rope is slackened just enough that the man can speak, but the pressure the heels can kick with doesn\'t appear to bother the man. In a very pleasant voice, the woman continues. \"Well?\"
\"No.. I can\'t hear them..\" Keldean responds in a voice growing more frightened by the moment. Her words are anything but reassuring. \"Cordelia.. Why did you get us involved with these people? You should have told me what kind of help you needed.. We could have gotten the guard, or.. something!\" He shakes his head, auburn curls bouncing against skin that\'s grown almost ashen. \"If I run, he\'ll get on the horse and chase me down. Or he\'ll go back and go after my family.. or he\'ll hurt you. You think I haven\'t thought about it?\"
[<#1394>] \'Don\'t worry about me!\' Cordelia snaps at the teen, likely loud enough for the others to hear. Taking a breath, she gets her temper under control, along with the volume of her voice. \"Take Elfaron. Sneak off to the horses now--you can do it. They\'re busy with Rhifaroth. Take Liuni with you. And then ride back to Bree. They don\'t know where your farm is, and they\'re not about to go back to Bree at this point. Please Keldean...please. Do it for me.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
His arms are bound, but his hands are only bound up with bandages to keep his fingers together, and to keep his scraped up wrists clean from infection. But though his thumbs aren\'t much use in their wrapped position, the man can bend his fingers. Move his hands a little... which are right in front of the man who\'s sitting on his back. Rhifaroth tries to grab the man\'s family jewels and crush them as best he might in retaliation for the choking - if he can get ahold of anything.
He gasps, \"B*tch!\" The ranger sucks air and spits at the woman, \"Told me you had my son.\" Valar forgive him, but this woman is an enemy.
[Addie(#22296)] The man lets out a colorful series of curses in the harsh language but his grip remains firm, in fact, for several moments, he pulls the rope even tighter and harder as he tries to get away from the grip. The woman frowns again. \"Now why would he need to do that, one who they call Seeker? Certainly we\'d said as much to you already. No. No. I think perhaps he told you something else.\" She pauses and moves around to the man\'s feet. \"A toe perhaps? Two? you could still walk that way..\"
The teen shakes his head, his voice shaking now. \"I don\'t know how to ride.. \" He looks at Liuni, his face full of apology.
[<#22296>] Liuni pouts a little and looks at Cordelia and then Keldean. \"... ... not ... ...,\" she says very quietly.
[Addie(#22296)] \"Or,\" the woman continues, \"I could give my special knife to Asht. I imagine that without a finger or two...\"
[<#1394>] \"Then walk, dammit! Run! Anything!\" Cordelia hisses suddenly at the teen. One hand reaches forward and she tries to shove his shoulder to push him away from her. \"Save your life, dammit!\" Another whisper to Keldean, harsh and intense. \"Leave now! in the dark, when they won\'t be looking for you.\" Coredelia frowns. \'Dammit!\' she snaps.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Oh how he tries to twist off what he\'s got a hold of... but Asht has the advantage over Rhifaroth with the harsh rope around the blindfolded man\'s throat. The Dunadan struggles as he might, trying to keep hold on the other man but he just can\'t get any air. For a moment or two he can hold out just because he\'s a stubborn son of a ... goat, but he must have air. Growing dizzy, growing desperate to breath, intense pain, and weakness from lack of enough food or basic needs, the bound man can\'t last.
But Rhifaroth tries. Better that they choke him unconscious than chop up his feet, right?
Alas, he can\'t keep a grip on the other man. Asht pulls out of his bandaged grasp.
[Addie(#22296)] Handing the small, poisoned knife to the other man with a thin smile on her face, the slight woman smiles. \"Hand me the rope...and then cut off the small finger on his right hand.\" She pauses. \"Unless you want to tell me more?\" The man holds out the rope to her and the woman gripes it tightly.
As much as Keldean doesn\'t want to cut and run, Cordelia\'s begging to save her sister\'s life is enough to motivate the boy to try. She shoves him and that gets Keldean moving. He reaches for Liuni\'s hand, and will try to pull the girl along into the woods, moving fast, but hopefully not too fast to draw immediate attention to them.
[Addie(#22296)] The slight woman smiles. \"Hold the rope tightly, don\'t let him breathe much while I do this.\" She pauses. \"Unless you want to tell me more?\" The man holds the rope just slack enough for the man to breath while the woman kneels down and holds the small finger of the man\'s right hand tightly.
[Addie(#22296)] With the attention of the man and woman focused on the prisoner, now is a good time to run.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia\'s eyes follow Keldean and her sister off into the darkness, and she stays where she is for a long time, quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Valar, how that poison made him so sick before. Rhifaroth\'s heart beats quick and loud in his own ears, the choking rope having made his head throb with his own heart\'s rhythm. The man gasps for breath, trying not to suck leaf mold into his mouth with his face in the dirt. Sucking breaths quickly, the man spits out debris from his mouth. Kel and Cordelia may be this man\'s only hope to get out of this alive, \"Nothing! You venimous snake! That boy hates me!\"
The man tries to struggle, a bolt of fear cold and sharp as the unseen woman takes a hold of his right hand, feeling out where his little finger is within his bindings. Rhifaroth\'s whole body tries to thrash, but the man on his back need only tighten the rope to choke him more.
[Addie(#22296)] The rope tightens a bit more and the woman clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. The sharp knife comes against the small finger and begins to slice, slowly, carefully, a clean sharp cut until the entire finger is removed and the bleeding becomes pronounced. The man releases the rope just enough for the man to breathe again. \"This grows tiresome. How many fingers should you like me to remove?\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The rope tightens first, pressing hard against the man\'s wind pipe. Rhifaroth tries to struggle but though the man on his back is slim and not especially strong, the Dunadan has been ill used for many days now aready. So many days he can\'t even guess how many, in that dim warehouse, and now blindfolded in the back of a cart.
As the knife cuts into flesh, and then begins to saw at bone and joint, the Dunadan at first bares his teeth and tries not to give into the surge of pain. But something harsh and mangled escapes his throat even with the rope choking him.
When the rope is let up, the blindfolded man gasps for breath, coughing and gagging.
[Addie(#22296)] The rope is slackened just a centimeter more and the slight woman grips the pinky finger of the other hand. \"WEll?\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
Rhifaroth is a very, very stubborn man. But he also doesn\'t wish to be a very stupid man either. Keldean had said something about helping him. If he gives the lad away, they might kill the boy. That\'s one last chance of getting out of this alive.
Blood, bright and plentiful soaks into the cloth that brinds the Dunadan\'s right hand where his little finger was previously. The man gasps for air against the pain, still blindfolded and deep down, a little bit afraid. Anger would be more useful, just now.
Voice low and rough, Rhifaroth says, \"Please ... no more. Stop.\" Is the man just stalling again?
[Addie(#22296)] Holding the knife against the man\'s other pinky, the woman says, her voice faint. \"Then tell me what I want to know.\" But then she looks up. \"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The man they keep calling a Ranger lays upon the ground and breaths as much as he can, trying to hang on. Sweat has sprung up upon Rhifaroth\'s skin. The woman seems distracted and said something in a language he does not know. Is it some other grusome order?
The tattooed Dunadan says nothing, trying to think.
[Addie(#22296)] \"Let them go. They are unimportant. I suppose it doesn\'t matter what the boy said now...\" She says to the man. \"Get him tied to the horse then. Face down so that when he vomits from the poison it doesn\'t slow anyone down.\"
[Rhifaroth(#27282)]
The maimed, bound man lays limp and still trying to get air through his damaged throat. He can\'t even see that Keldean and Liuni have darted out into the dark woods. Blood soaks his hands and back from the woman\'s blade. And until he is drug back up to his feet and manhandled towards the horses, Rhifaroth seems dizzy. The poison is already in his blood and making him ill.