The horses were hitched to trees around the cold camp, darkness grew quickly as the former officers discussed their path. Raith fell to sleep from the exhaustion of severe pain leaving Talora, Jerricho, and Berrick sitting on their bedding. Talora spoke softly so as not to disturb her sleeping partner. “I would ask you to stay with us as we travel east to find Erghall”. Jerricho and Berrick showed no emotion on their faces as she spoke. “But I won’t hold you to this, we’ve faced far worse odds than any of us imagined when we set out to free our peoples”. Talora couldn’t find the confidence to speak as if she knew what was going to come of this, but she needed to find some way to get the words out anyway.

The silence stretched as the officers shared meaningful glances between one another, until Berrick finally spoke. “Damn fool, when I took you into my home we became kin, blood doesn’t leave blood to fend for themselves in the wilds of the east”.

Jerricho looked down and said “You’d never be able to get rid of me Tal, you know that”. The weight on Talora felt as if it would crumble her into a useless ball as the words fell on her. ‘Did they know it would be easier if they would just go? Just abandon her to find her own way forward without the weight of their lives hanging on every decision she makes. This day marked a close call for her sanity and her hope for the future, if Raith had been killed by that horsemen the sun would lose its color and the whole world would go dark and gray for Talora. She would crumble into herself and might never rise again, to afraid to face the sights and smells that brought back his face and his voice to her mind. She just wanted to cling to Raith and run away from him at the same time, if she was alone he wouldn’t be pulled into life and death struggles every day. And what of Berrick and Jerricho? Jerricho has always looked to Raith on the dark days, the days where he just couldn’t find his feet and carry on. Berrick would pretend he could handle it and try to comfort me, but to lose your only true son would be a pain unlike any he’s ever had to face before. How can I tell them that I need them, how could I possibly ask this much of all of them?’ Talora didn’t notice Berrick and Jerricho speaking quietly to eachother, lost in a vortex as she was.

Berrick leaned in close to Jerricho and said softly “I think we should let Talora sleep all through his night, she’s got that look in her eye again”

Jerricho nodded and replied “I’ll take first watch, I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight anyway”

Berrick smiled back at him fondly and said “thank you my boy, wake me up in a few hours and we can switch”.

Jerricho stood up and pulled his halberd cut in the short fashion for his archers, then grabbed his bow and strung it up. Berrick stood and walked to Talora, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I think it’s time for a rest Tal, get some sleep and we can talk more about it with clearer minds”. Talora startled somewhat and looked around, seeing Jerricho walking into the tree’s she just laid on the ground next to Raith, not unrolling her bedding just using it as a pillow. Berrick watched her for a time until she had fallen asleep, then lay his own bedding over her and leaning on a fallen tree near the fire. Berrick dreamed this night, dreamed of home. A home he had before King Larnian raised taxes, a home before he lost his wife Anodeah, and a time before his son fell in love.

Talora awoke to Berrick shaking her shoulders. “Time to go now, Jerri spotted smoke not but a mile away so we need to keep ahead of the army”. With a half-lucid gait Talora walked to her horse and pulled on her equipment, then moved to help Raith. Raiths shoulder is a deep purple in the center and an angry red color along the collarbone. He winces and lets out a harsh groan as the chain shirt slips back over him. Then with uncertain footing he steps himself into the stirrup and onto the back of the shared horse.

As everyone mounted Talora and Raith began to converse about their next course of action. “We need to lose them before we make east again, if they figure out what direction we need to go in we’ll never get them off our arse”.

Raith said as he was leaning his head on Talora's back still recovering from donning his chain mail.

“But how should we do it? If we take the time to cover our movements through the forest they could catch up”. Talora said, leaning forward to give a flatter platform for Raith.

Stolen story; please report.

Raith settling against Talora’s back replied “Right; Jerri, how do you suppose we get lost”?

Jerricho standing by his horse rubbing his face with his palms, he speaks slightly muffled “If we walk in the river it will cover our tracks for a time, we can break out before we reach Lanton”.

Talora nodded along and said to Berrick “what do you think Berrick”?

Berrick was rifling through a satchel looking for some dried meat “If we do that the horses will get worn out fast, they might not last to the border if we ride them so hard”. He said as he pulled out a slab of dried venison.

Talora shrugged and said “We should sell the horses before we hit the border anyway, too many questions would come from the three mercenaries walking into Ga’Ul’Shire on expensive horses”.

Raith pulled back a bit and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear “Baron Erlich doesn’t treat deserters well, ‘man of unshakeable honor’ and all that nonsense”.

The group was silent for a moment after this. Berrick looked from face to face and said “we need to dump our equipment then as well, make ourselves look like refugees rather than soldiers”. Conversation died out there as everyone considered the ramifications of leaving their armaments behind, and they began to move along the river.

As noon came and went they made it to five miles outside of Lanton, a small town in the middle of multiple larger cities. They broke out of the river and dismounted their horses. Berrick turned to the group and said“Stryderri is damn beat now, we’re gonna have to give him a rest before we head into Lanton”.

Talora signaled to the group to move into a nearby grouping of trees. Once they were all stopped and settled the horses, Talora spoke. “I’m gonna take Raith into town with me, I’m gonna see about a friend who trades through this way and see if we can’t trade for a ride to Ga’Ul”. Jerricho sat down and unstrung his bow. Berrick tied the horses to tree’s and settled down next to him.

Berrick replied “Right I'm fine sitting on me arse but be quick, first place that army comes is Lanton after they figure out we lost them”. Talora nods and moves to take off Raith’s chain shirt. As she does, tears begin to run down his cheeks while silent sobs break out, she gives him a concerned look.

“Has the pain gotten worse”? She says, worry apparent in her voice. Jerricho and Berrick give each other a grim look. “Come on love, I’ll take it off when we get closer to town.” Talora grabs an oil bag and carries it with her as she takes Raith by the right hand. They move off through the trees and as soon as they are out of ear shot, Raith begins openly sobbing. Talora feels a growing grip of anxiety in her chest as they keep moving. “I need to have a look as soon as you can stomach the pain” Talora says to Raith. Raith knods solemnly, biting down on his lips to keep from howling. Almost an hour passes as they walk towards town, Raith has stopped actively sobbing but he looks bad, large bags have formed under his eyes and color has drained from his cheeks.

He suddenly stops and looks at Talora as he says “you just have to take it off now, this is as close as we can get without stashing our more obvious equipment”. Talora nods and takes off the belt holding her longsword, she proceeds to hand it to Raith to bite down on. He bunched up the belt and bit down on it, Talora moved in and grabbed his arm. In one motion she pulled his one free arm toward her as he leaned down, a groan escaped Raiths throat as he bit down on the belt hard. Talora didn't waste time and grabbed the shirt by the collar, yanking it off and onto the grass. Raith recoiled and growled as he stepped back, getting his footing. Talora moved in and pulled his Tunic collar aside to get a better look.

Raiths shoulder was a heart wrenching sight, bone pushed on the skin in awkward spots and the bruising hadn’t changed color at all. Still a deep purple in the center but now most of his chest was a painful red color in stark contrast to his pale abdomen and tanned arms. “Fuck!” escaped Talora's lips before her brain had time to catch up. Raith just looked at the sky as the tears began running down his cheeks again. “That’s not good Raith, the bone is in the wrong spot now. It must have worked itself out of place while we were riding today”. Raith sat solemn, no sound came from his mouth as he spit out the belt.

Talora squatted next to him and touched his cheek as he began to speak “What are we gonna do Tally? I’m fucked, I can’t fight like this”.

Talora’s frown reached her eyes as worry overtook her and she said. “Gods chan’tan’hi we’re in it worse than we’ve been since the capital. We’re gonna have to put you on a wagon if you’re gonna have any hope of recovering at all”.

Raith laid on his back, as the searing pain began to settle back down he replied “That cuts our options significantly. Do you think we could even manage to convince anyone to take us over”?

Talora laid down next to Raith before she spoke. “I know someone that comes through here, she can help us if she’s here but I don’t know her schedule”. Another silence fell over them as they just sat in the grass and contemplated how they could get out of this mess.