The man's arm was strong around her waist as they rode. Sinaedh said nothing, concentrating once again on learning to ride blindly, slowly finding herself moving more easily with the horse. They emerged from the brittle forest of the spiders into a more rolling area, where the man slowed the horse as the animal navigated the hills.
"Who," Sinaedh began to ask.
The man grunted, then spoke only one word. "Quiet."
She nodded mutely, turning her face to the sun that warmed her skin. It slowly occurred to her that she could see a lighter haze in that direction. Blinking, she looked toward the sun, then away. There was no doubt. When she faced the sun, the blackness she had been living in brightened to a dull gray with hints of looming figures dark in the haze.
The horse trotted through a sandy stretch of road, then over a bridge where the stones rang beneath the animal's hooves. Once over the bridge, the man urged the horse to a greater pace again. Sinaedh felt the chill of the breeze as it increased, and the gray she saw dimmed slowly until there was black all around her once again. In the dimming light, the man pulled the horse to a halt, then muttered in her ear. "Down."
Sinaedh nodded silently and swung her leg over the horse's neck, then gripped his mane as she slid down the animal's side. Her knees buckled briefly as she stood. She heard a thud behind her as the man dismounted. "Fire," he grunted, and a small packet struck her shoulder, then fell to the ground. Sinaedh bent to feel for it, finally lifting the small leather pouch by its strings. Questing fingers found a lump of stone and a bar of metal within the soft container. She nodded in understanding, then began her search for wood.
Bent slightly and walking carefully, Sinaedh felt toward trees, then picked up the dried branches she found underneath. She carried the brush toward a spot where she stacked it until she had found enough wood so that the pile was longer than her arm and up to her waist. She knelt and scraped a spot on the ground clear, then chose logs to frame the fire. A few handfuls of pine needles were carefully fluffed in the center before she bent over the fire to strike the metal to the flint, making sparks that were directed to the pine needles. She heard the sounds of the man caring for his horse as she bent forward, blindly feeling for the heat as the needles smoldered. She shielded the new flame, leaning to carefully blow it to greater life. Tending the growing fire, she felt its warmth on her face. Once again, she was heartened to see a dim glow in the blackness around her.
The creak of leather armor warned her the man was nearby, as did his aroma of dried sweat and spilled ale. She heard a dull thud as he dropped to the ground, then the pungent scent of dried fish came to her as he pulled his food from a bag. Her stomach growled loudly, but he offered her none as she pushed another length of wood into the fire, then sat back away from it. Over the crackling of the fire, she heard him pull a stopper from a flask, then the gurgle and sigh as he drank. He recorked the flask, then belched.
"Here," he grunted, and Sinaedh found a hand on her arm. She scuttled toward the man as he tugged her close. "Ye'll do," he muttered, gripping her shoulders.
Sinaedh gasped as he pulled her close. Once again his odor filled her senses, then she was startled as grizzled whiskers scraped over her cheek. His lips covered hers, his tongue probed fiercely between them. She lifted her hands to push against him, and bit at his questing tongue. "Hel!" he yelped, then shoved her down, quickly leaning over her to hold her with his weight.
Sinaedh flailed blindly at the man, kicking and squirming to try to free herself. "Fight if ye want," the man grunted, capturing first her left wrist then her right in his hands. "I'll have what I'm due." He straddled her legs, sitting on her thighs to hold her, and stretching her arms above her head. Fumbling fingers gripped the plain shift she'd been given by the kobolds and jerked it, burning the back of her neck before the material released with a rip.
"No!" she cried, struggling. The man's weight and strength held her nearly motionless on the ground. "Let me go!"
He leaned forward, taking her lips in a slobbering kiss again, but careful to watch for her bite. In vain, Sinaedh twisted and squirmed beneath him. "Ye get no say here, Thrall!" he grunted, cuffing the side of her head roughly. Sinaedh saw stars as the bruised flesh flared in pain. He leaned forward again, whiskers brushing roughly over her skin as he licked from her chin to her belly. "Taste good, Thrall. Ye'll do."
He shifted one leg, and Sinaedh took her opportunity, thrashing wildly in an attempt to escape. She felt her knee connect with his back, then he struck her again, and her vision narrowed to a strange circle of black surrounding dancing pinpoints of light. Rushing filled her ears and she moaned as pain radiated from the blow. The man shifted again, knees coming to the ground between her legs. She cried out, twisting ineffectually and trying to kick, but his strength pinned her to the ground.
Sinaedh gasped for breath, blinking back the tears of pain and anger that threatened again. The man lay atop her, his sweat and the odor of sex all she could smell.
Finally he moved again, lifting himself up away from her and releasing her wrists. Sinaedh scrambled up as well as she could, her legs trembling and aching. She reached to pull the shredded tunic close around her as she listened to the man grunt as he climbed to his feet. He seemed to ignore her as he walked a small distance away. Sinaedh thought with despair that he had good reason to dismiss her attempts at release. She was blind and in a foreign land. Even if she escaped this man, where could she go?
Home, she thought firmly to herself. That's where I'll go.
The man returned, tossing something soft to the ground. "Warm," he said, taking her arm and forcing her to her knees again. She felt blankets on the ground before her, and unrolled them slowly. The man pushed her down atop the blankets. She heard the creak of his armor again, then he lay beside her, one arm wrapping around her, his skin warm against hers. He tugged the blankets and Sinaedh close. Soon, she heard him snoring.



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