Eihmo'tei padded along down the bustling city street, following his two human friends. The tearful separation left tears still welling in the his eyes. He could not even be bothered to look around at his surroundings, something the Zerdani loved to do at each new location. Instead, his focus remained forward, following Kiara and Perryn as they went off to meet the dragon at the edge of town.
Little did any of them know, a pair of men were discreetly and intently following the three. They had gone on for quite a distance like this, doing their best to blend in and not draw attention to themselves. Meter after meter they followed, drawing nearer with each step. Their orders were clear, and their target was in sight. The two mysterious men were soon close enough, and awaited the perfect moment to close in.
Eihmo'tei followed his friends down a less densely populated side road. This was the moment, when the half-fae dragon rider and the boy had their backs turned to the target. There were few others here that would notice - and less that would care - before it was too late to stop them. In one quick motion, the pair closed in on the unsuspecting Zerdani. All he could offer in reaction was a loud and high-pitched yelp as one slapped a metal dog muzzle on his face. Once the second man wrapped a long cloth around Eihmo'tei's form, they quickly collected him and took off in the opposite direction.
Gaping stares painted the faces of every onlooker, shocked by the extremely sudden commotion. Even if Eihmo'tei was not as dizzied as he was, the metal cage on his snout would have prevented a cry for help. The men bolted towards the crowded street, with their subdued quarry in their arms.
It took a moment for Kiara to realize what had happened, it was just so fast. Then with a gasp she whirled around.
It took about two seconds for her to take stock of the situation. Another to wonder at who and how and why. Then three more to spit at Perryn, "Run to the edge of town, find Kit, don't look back."
Then she was off, desperately attempting to track the kidnapper through the crowd.
One of the kidnappers cursed as they realized the dragon rider had started after them. They had to lose her somehow.
They had made it back to the main street, but struggled in getting a writhing animal through the dense crowd. Startled civilians hastily tried to move out of the way of the two. Many did, but others were either shoved or knocked over. A trail of chaos was left in their wake as they desperately tried to maintain forward momentum.
If it weren't for their haste making them careless, Kiara might have lost the kidnappers. As it was, she managed to keep them- or rather the evidence of their passing- in sight.
Despite their best attempts, the two mysterious assailants could not maintain their distance from the dragon rider. She was quickly closing in to them. Now, they were legitimately nervous.
"In there!" one called.
They peeled off into a narrow alley, completely devoid of others. Here, they paused for only a moment. One drew a previously concealed short sword, waiting for their pursuer to turn the corner. The other struggled to keep the squirming Zerdani subdued enough to continue the escape.
Kiara wasn't an idiot- she'd been in enough fights to know not to go barreling around a corner blindly. And that she'd learned the hard way, and has scars to prove it
Drawings her knives, she crept into the alley, lips curling back in a snarl.
The man in possession of the captured Zerdani turned a corner, being in sight for only a few seconds after the dragon rider entered the alley. The swordsman kept his weapon drawn, slowly and carefully backing up away from the woman. He blocked the alley with his very being, holding the sword out before him in an attempt to discourage her from advancing. Although he backed up, he still held his blade with confidence. His eyes stared directly into hers. Whether he had the skill to use it well or whether he was bluffing was unknown. Regardless, he was not prepared to yield to the pursuer.
"I'm gonna give you one chance at this," Kiara hissed. "Let my friend go, or I turn you into a pincushion."
"By the time you do, the little beast will be long gone!" the man retorted, still in a steady retreat.
"Maybe." Kiara's eyes were cold. "But you'll still be dead."
"And you will never find it!" he snapped.
With that, the man raised his sword higher. He ceased his movement just before reaching the back corner of the alley. His feet were firmly planted, ready to try holding his own against the well-armed woman.
Any green in Kiara's eyes seemed to disappear, eaten by black. She threw two of her knives with deadly accuracy, one pinning the man's hand to the wall beside him, the other sinking into his shoulder.
She drew her third blade from the sheath on her thigh and stalked closer. "Now. Where. Is. He?"
With the clanging of steel on the floor, and a short agonizing scream, the man was successfully subdued. He tried to remove the knife from his hand, but could not. It was simply wedged in too tightly. That, and the second knife in his shoulder had sapped his strength. He looked at the woman now, with fear in his eyes upon seeing her black ones.
"It... H-he... We are taking him to..."
Some blood flowed from the man's mouth as he spoke. Even in this situation, he was still reluctant to divulge any helpful information.
She spun her blade and stepped forward, pressing it against his throat. "Yes?" Her voice was calm, almost sweet. "You were saying?"
"Essyrn! We are taking him back to Essyrn!" he cried out.
The pinned criminal no longer saw any reason to keep this information from the dragon rider. He hoped, that with this compliance, that maybe he could get out of this situation alive.
Kiara smiled. "Good boy." She patted the man's cheek and drew her knife from his shoulder, leaving the other pinning his hand to the wall.
"Now, where'd your friend go?" Her head tilted to the side. "Tell me and I'll take the other knife."
Another cry of pain was heard as the knife was removed. The man watched as blood flowed quickly from his wound. At least that pain was nearly gone. Now there was one more knife to go.
"H-He took that thing to the wagon. It's not... It's not far. He has probably left by now."
Kiara beamed at him. "Thank you ever so much." She kissed his cheek, pulling the knife from his hand and gripping his wrist at the same time so she could twist his arm around behind his back.
A few strips of old leather served to tie his hands and she left him there, taking off back down the alley.
"Kit!" She shouted his name aloud, but also in her mind, calling to the dragon with that mental bond riders shared with their companions that she rarely needed to use.
The man fell to his knees, needing some time before he was able to rise with his own strength. Surely, his master would not be pleased. It did not really matter though. After this act of betrayal, the man did not really mean to go back to Essyrn.
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Eihmo'tei had already been shoved into the back of a plain and generic horse drawn wagon. Completely hidden by wooden walls, he was unable to see the surrounding area. Not even much light made it into the compartment. His bindings made movement impossible, and the mouth-cage did the same for calling for help. The Zerdani squirmed, doing what he could to wriggle out of the cloth that held him. If these came off, he could free his mouth, and then he could call for his human friend. He only hoped she was still chasing after him.
The wagon was lead by a third man, purposefully uninvolved in the original kidnapping. With a snap of the reigns, the horses were off for the western gate at a steady pace. The man who had loaded the Zerdani drew his blade now, and went off to investigate the alley where he left the dragonrider and his comrade.
Kit touched down with a growl, scattering civilians . Kiara barely wasted a moment to make sure Perryn was on his back before she swung up herself. "Can you get his scent."
The dragon snorted and gave a sharp nod- he could try.
Shortsword in hand, the second of the two men quickly maneuvered through the crowd towards the square. He came to a halting stop as the dragon came down. It was her dragon. They had been warned about this, and were smart enough to know not to challenge the woman once the dragon showed up. He scrambled backwards away from it, hoping the dragonrider had not identified him before. Even if she had, the man hoped that he had not exposed himself long enough for her to identify him. He retreated, clumsily barreling through the chaos as quick as he was able.
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They had been moving for while now. Trying to free himself had been in vain, and succeeded only to tire the Zerdani out. In desperation, Eihmo'tei resorted to body slamming the sides of the giant wooden box. This only warranted pounding from outside, as the driver became annoyed with his captive's antics. The Zerdani became fatigued, but continued regardless. Over time, the thumping from inside died down more and more.
Kit wasn't looking for the man- he scented for the Zerdani, sifting through all the human scents to find Eihmo'tei.
With a sudden snarl he lunged forward, bounding through the streets on the trail of the scent.
The man's scrambling became less and less coordinated as the dragon got closer. He began tripping over himself, increasingly desperate to get away from it. He truly believed that it was chasing him. What he did not realize was that he had gotten the Zerdani's scent on himself whilst restraining and carrying him.
The chaos had reached the ears of the local authorities. Fully armed soldiers surged forward to find, and eliminate, the cause of the disturbance. Everything changed when one called
"DRAGON!"
It was apparent that the guards were not prepared against such a threat. At least, not yet.
Oh great.
The guards.
Kiar raised her hands as Kit bounded over a group of them and called, "We're not here to hurt anyone, we're just looking for our friend!"
The line of armored men recoiled as the dragon leaped over them. A commander was on the scene now, and responded to her in his loudest voice.
"Command your beast to halt, and dismount with your hands up!"
His tone was strict, and had an annoyed tone. More soldiers armed with spears were swarming around, trying (most likely in vain) to surround and entrap the dragon.
The force of the dragon hitting the ground again shook the earth. The man, already having a poor center of gravity, was toppled to the ground. With nothing else he could do, he scrambled for his shortsword, trying to draw it before the colossal creature was upon him.
Kit snarled and simply veered to the side.
Kiara laughed, making sure her body blocked Perryn from danger. "Or what?" she challenged. "Look, the sooner we find our friend, the sooner we're out of your city, alright?"
The commander saw the child, cursing under his breath that he had not seen them before. The situation just became more... delicate. He would not risk harming the child, but neither was he about to let this madness continue. Al least the dragon stopped charging through the streets...
"Miss, this is Cirenis! We have ways of taking down a dragon!" he called.
It was obvious from his tone that this man did not respond well to challenges of his authority.
"This chaos ends now! You and the kid come down here now. We will discuss this "friend" situation once your beast has left my town!"
The sound of wooden wheels could be heard approaching. Three wagon-mounted ballistae, as well as their crews, rolled up from three separate directions. Already loaded, the tips of the bolts were tipped with steel bodkins. It was obvious what they were for...
Kiara's eyes narrowed, snapping fire. She lifted a hand and a flame flickered to life in her palm.
"I'm not interested in involving the whole damn town, but if you don't let me pass, I will start burning things."
Every civilian had fled by now, leaving only guards in the clearing.
The ballistae rolled into the square, flanking the dragon on three sides. The crews got to work adjusting them, setting the sights on the black scaled dragon. Spears formed a wall that surrounded the trio. The commander slowly and confidently raised an open hand in the air.
"Archers!"
At his command, several men armed with longbows emerged from the alleyways. They stood on either side of their commander and knocked their weapons.
"Last chance!" he cried.
Kit growled and Kiara wrapped her arms around Perryn. "Hold onto his spikes, okay?" she whispered.
A soft tap of her heels and Kit launched himself into the air, soaring easily a hundred feet into the air with one massive beat of his wings.
The spearmen were sent flying backwards from the sheer force of the wind. Those who were left standing watched in both fear and awe as the dragon took to the air. The crews on the ballistae were at a loss on how to proceed. When one man asked, his commander cried out,
"Keep an eye on them men! Fire only if they mean to come back!"
The kidnapper got the distance he needed. He rose, sheathed his sword, and disappeared into the town. He could blend easily amongst the still-frantic townspeople that ran for the safety of their homes.
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Eihmo'tei woke up, still bound and trapped inside the wagon. He rose slowly. Dizziness from constant movement flooded over him. He fell back down on his rear in response. It took a few minutes, but the Zerdani was able to recollect himself. Standing up again, he looked around for anything he could use to see outside.
Light was penetrating from only a single crack in the wooden box. A tiny slit, between two planks. Pressing his face up against it with some difficulty, Eihmo'tei was able to see outside. There was no longer any town left. Stone floors, human dwellings, even other humans were all gone. Now, there was only grass and trees.
The Zerdani panicked, listening around desperately for any sign that Kiara or Kit were close. Tears formed when he heard nothing. He scrambled around, unable to think clearly through the panic. He clumsily and haphazardly threw himself into the sides. All that happened was a mix of angry words and banging coming from the other side of the front wall. Eihmo'tei collapsed to the floor, weeping with hopelessness...
Once they were far enough away from the town Kiara urge Kit to land, pulling Perryn to the ground when she could to check the child for injury.
"We need to figure something out," she said to her dragon once she was satisfied he was none the worse for wear. "A plan."
Cerenis was far behind now. The wagon containing the Zerdani converged with the three others of its trade caravan. With the four-wagon train united again, they began on their journey back to Essyrn.
A man came galloping up to join them. At his side was the shortsword he thought he needed back in town.
"There you are!" the driver called out, once he saw his comrade. "What happened to Omar?"
"Dead, I imagine. He stood in the dragonrider's way to buy us time." the rider responded with a sullen tone.
Eihmo'tei lay on the floor of the wagon, up against one of its walls. There was nothing he could do. His bindings were too tight, and Kiara was gone. All he could do was weep as they went along. The Zerdani had no idea where they were taking him, or what they would do to him once they got there...
They couldn't find him.
They'd searched for days. And they couldn't find them. Kiara was crushed, but she brought Perryn back to his home, and then she and Kit continued their search of Serenity.
A futile search.