Spies of the Holdless (Sorlen, Jarshan)

[HG]

The time had come. Geoff and Sorlen left the Weyr on their own because they had been paired up by the group to go a certain direction. Eventually finding the Weyr each pairing would looke around their portion of the Weyr and search for any defensive weaknesses. It took them a few days to reach Refuge Weyr but reach it they did. They were not out of the jungle yet but the trees had begun to thin. Geoff found even his small slight body having trouble hiding amidst the more sparse landscape.

He took in the look of the trees and slowed his pace. Geoff said nothing to Sorlen but pointed. There were tracks in front of him. Human tracks but they could be from anyone. They would have to see how fresh the tracks were. Something Sorlen was no doubt better at than himself. "Bare feet?" He asked in a whisper. No one at the Weyr would have bare feet walking around with all the rain they had been having. Strange.

There were other tracks too, seemed many people had been in the area recently. "Do you think we should move further in now or wait till nightfall?" Dragons could not see well in the dark. Geoff for one would prefer to look around with that small fact backing him up. So far though it seemed like anyone could approach the Weyr from this distance. Further in, he doubted that would be the case.

[Ise]

Sorlen moved through the forest with Geoff, keeping a little distance between the two of them but making sure that he was still close enough that they could talk without having to yell and risk bringing attention to themselves. A lot of people had been tromping around through the trees, recently from what Sorlen could tell. Bent and broken branches, trampled grasses, and other signs showed where they had carelessly walked. Shield members wouldn’t be this careless and Sorlen couldn’t think why so many people would have been out this far from the Weyr.

The tracks that Geoff pointed out only made him more confused. He knelt down next to them, looking them over. They were the tracks of bare feet, small feet too. Maybe a teenager or someone who was just short.
“Yeah, bare feet. Not too old either, some one made these maybe half a day after those rains stopped. They weren’t moving very fast either, most of these foot steps are pretty close together.”
He scratched the back of his head, trying to make sense of what he was looking at. Someone heading towards the Weyr slowly with no shoes on.

He was lost in his own thoughts when Geoff spoke to him and it took him a moment to answer. Waiting until nightfall to get closer to the Weyr would be smart. They might not be able to see as much as Riverton wanted them to see but it would be safer then dragons and guards noticing them.
“We should wait. I don’t feel like getting caught just so I can tell Riverton how many people were standing around outside the Weyr picking their noses.”
The young man frowned a bit as he looked around, shaking his head slightly. He didn’t like being in an area that had seen so many people recently but without doing a lot of backtracking Sorlen didn’t think they could do much about it.
“Lets try and find a place that gives us a little more cover.”

[HG]

Geoff was in complete agreement with the older youth. To go anywhere near the Weyr in the daylight was folly. He would rather have Sorlen lead than be leader. If something went wrong he could always lay the blame on the other young man. His family was out of favor at the moment anyway. A smirk came to the green-eyed boys face. Searching for cover would be easier for him than for Sorlen. First off he was much smaller and secondly he was better at staying quiet. The other was seething from who knows what but it was easy to see he was angry about something. A something that had nothing to do with Geoff but it meant the other would be easily annoyed by things around them and cause some sort of noise.

“You don’t suppose there are Shielders around here do you?” Geoff asked in earnest. They might be known to patrol at night but he kind of wondered if they split shifts and patrolled all day and all night. They had the advantage of knowing the territory and being so well trained that no one fought them and lived to tell the tale. He was not afraid of them but more…in awe of their accomplishments. Despite being affiliated with dragons the group was something of legend on the Southern Continent already. He would like to capture one…he must capture one. He was compelled by by such a strong feeling that he knew he could not and would not let it go.

“Look there.” He spoke in his quiet child like voice, “Its perfect.” The foliage was dense and would keep them covered. There were also some larger rocks around the area. They were both wearing clothes that would blend in with the area around them. Geoff might even take a nap while they waited. Why stay awake all day and all night? The young boy walked towards the spot indicated, quickly hiding himself in the undergrowth. He barely made a sound, but he did make a sound. Where a Shield member would never be so clumsy.

[Ise]

“Let’s just assume the Shield are around and try not to catch their attention.”
Sorlen figured the Shield were bound to be some where in the forest around them. Probably not all of them but they would be fools if they didn’t have some sort of patrol going on around the Weyr at all times. At least with all the foot prints around they couldn’t leave tracks that were too noticeable. And while the forest was quiet, there were still the natural sounds of birds and insects to help hide some of the noise they were making.

Sorlen hoped that they wouldn’t run into any of the Shield people. While being able to capture one and bring them back to the camp might earn him enough honor and respect to have people forget about his sister, he’d rather not bring them back alive. All those Shield people were tricky, if they let themselves get caught it was likely just a way to trick them into revealing where the Holdless camp was. It would be much safer if they could just kill the Shield member and bring them back like that. It wasn’t like the elite guards of the Weyr were going to give up any secrets. And really, being able to kill one would be just as good as bringing back a live one.

The young man scowled a little as Geoff spoke, now paranoid that one of the Shield would be hiding behind a tree just waiting to hear them and kill them. He looked to where Geoff was pointing, thinking about it before nodding. At least the kid was right, it would make a good hiding spot for them. Sorlen took a quick look behind them, making sure they hadn’t left any obvious foot prints before he followed Geoff into the foliage to hide until nightfall.

[Marnark]

A lace had busted.

Annoying as that was, it was the truth. How and why it busted was anyone's guess. It wasn't like the leather hadn't been any less well-tended than anything else in her gear. But, it was the way of the world. Things got worn, things broke. Unfortunately, laces were a tad harder to cope with.

It was something that probably wouldn't have bothered or even been noticed by a normal person on normal duties. It was just a lace after all. But, because that spot wasn't properly secured in just the right tension, the rest of the leather of her outfit wasn't sitting just right. In riding off, the leather would occasionally make a stray sound. Soft, almost unnoticeable, but sound nonetheless. It wouldn't do. It was all the sound a feline would need to know that she was stalking up on it. Which could spell her own life or death.

So, in the middle of her patrol, Jarshan had taken up residence in a tree. Her normal patrol route was executed in the trees naturally, as it was her preferred method of travel. Up in the branches from tree to tree. But now, she merely sat on a branch, legs pulled up to her with her feet on the branch itself. Ready to spring in any direction at any moment, she rested a shoulder against the trunk while she fiddled with the busted lace. It was easy enough to fix temporarily. It just involved shifting the entire lace to one side, feeding it through all the grommets until it was evened out again to allow for a small, but secure knot once more. A new lace would be required once she got back, obviously.

It was in her stillness of working the lace that she first heard and then saw the two youths approaching her position. They never did get very close, but they didn't have to for her to hear every word they uttered, and to recognize that they were not Weyr natives. Indeed, given their reluctance to be seen ... especially by the Shield ... she was quite convinced they were holdless. Random new Expeditioners wouldn't know about the Shield. That, and their Southern accent proved they weren't new Northerners.

Fastening the lace off where it was, even if the knot was in a funky spot, Jarshan coiled where she was as she watched them. Above her, Torc was just as silent.

They were casing the Weyr ... why, she didn't know. But neither did she care. It was irrelevant data at the moment. A flash of an idea to her flitter, and the flitter was moving, flashing between and out of immediate existence. The boys were moving ... and really that's all they were. Boys. Not even men yet. As they moved, she slipped soundlessly down the backside of the tree, out of their line of sight. Dropping to the ground, she slid through the underbrush after them, never taking her eyes off of them as they made their way (clumsily in her opinion) toward their own cover.

And then as she approached, one of them made a comment on not garnering Shield attention. At that, she really couldn't resist herself, making the final approach.

"That's probably a very good plan, but a failed one at that." She quipped, slipping out of the brush up behind the big one. Even as her words and voice registered on their consciousness, she already had one arm under one of his and back up around the back of his neck, cranking his head far enough forward to send shooting pains down his entire spine. A little farther and his neck would break in two. A small knife that could easily be thrown was in her other hand, pressed to the side of his neck that wasn't covered by her other hand. "Don't move and you might live." She whispered.

"You there! What is your name and what is your business here." Jarshan demanded of the smaller one. If they proved to be difficult, she was completely prepared to slay one to catch the other before he got away. Or at least knock him out to be brought to Eriol for questioning later. Killing would be more fun, but she already knew that Eriol would want to question at least one of them.

Bummer.

"Run and your friend dies and then you do too." She warned, in case he got the bright idea to just dash away. He might be a young lad and spry, but he couldn't out run a throwing blade.

But she had to be sure these were actual Holdless boys before she killed or mutilated them. They might only be a Holder's boy's pretending to be Holdless while their father or uncle delivered goods to the Weyr. That ... would be very bad press.

[HG]

Just as soon as he had settled himself in the brush he heard the voice of the woman, who grabbed Sorlen before either of them had time to react. This was not going to be good for them. He was sworn to keep his mouth shut. Even as he stood slowly, he noted that the woman must be part of the Dragon Shield.

Still he needn't tell her anything yet. Running meant death, talking meant death, being silent probably meant torture then possibly death. All there was to decide at this point was how he wanted to die. Well he certainly wasn't going to run and look like a coward. Talking would be foolish and weak. Geoff decided to say nothing about what they were doing here. He might not say anything at all.

His green eyes met Sorlen's for a brief moment. He knew what happened to Holdless who opened their mouths. If the Shield did not kill them, Riverton would. So it mattered little what he did at this point when thinking of himself. However adding family reputation to the picture meant he would need to take the third option. Be silent, perhaps tortured because of it. He stood in front of the Shield woman, not saying a word. A defiant look in his eye.

His death would only further the Holdless belief that the Dragonriders were evil. He would probably even have songs composed in his name. The idea they stood for would live on after their death and so would make them immortal in a sense. No Geoff was not going to say a word. He had a care for his legacy.

[Ise]

Sorlen barely heard what Jarshan said as his head was painfully whipped forward and he found a knife at his throat. His body tensed up and he thought of trying to fight back before Jarshan whispered her warning. Aw shards. Not only had they been found by Shield but by one of their man-hating, lesbian women.

He looked over at Geoff as he was threatened if the younger boy ran. Sorlen clenched his jaw as he watched Geoff, half expecting the other to try and make a run for it. If this had been a normal guard then Geoff might have had a chance in running away. Thankfully the kid was smarter then that, and smart enough to not say anything.

Of course their silence met the woman was going to kill them anyways. Sorlen shut his eyes, trying to think of something. Their death might bring them honor but probably not. If neither of them escaped then everyone else would just see them as stupid boys who had been foolish enough to get caught and killed without doing anything to help out the rest of the Holdless.

Damn his sister! If Laure hadn’t run off he would never have been forced to come this close to the Weyr!

His eyes snapped opened, his head jerking back the way they had come, forgetting for a moment that there was a knife at his throat. He let out a slight hiss of pain but ignored the small cut he received from his sudden movement. His sister. The little witch had never worn shoes. And maybe, maybe he could actually make use for her now.

He licked his lips as he let out a shaky breath before speaking in a soft voice.
“Please. We, we were just looking for my sister. She ran away. We just wanted to find her before something happened to her.”
He looked over at Geoff, hoping that the kid would play along. It was a long shot but maybe they could fool the Shield woman. Even more so now that he had a feeling he knew where his sister was. Maybe there was a chance she had survived her trip through the forest. Sorlen hoped so, he wanted to be the one to kill that little wench for all of this.

[Marnark]

The little one was just standing there like he'd been turned to wood. Ignorant boy, at least he hadn't run away and forced her hand into slaying him. But the frightened leafhopper look wasn't very becoming either. He wasn't answering anything she'd asked ... for that matter, he hadn't said a single whimper. Frustrating, that. Surely he had something to say?

It would be a real bummer if these two really were Holdboys pretending at being Holdless.

The one she had a hold of suddenly jerked and she reflexively tightened her hold on him, forcing his head closer to his chest to hold him in place. Lucky for him, she hadn't had her blade next to his jugular, or that jerk could have cost him his life. The nick he had garnered was minor, but would certainly need looked at if he didn't lose his life first. "I said hold still!" Jarshan snapped.

Sister? Jarshan had to think fast now. They were two, just boys, but still two. Two was harder to keep a hold of, simply because they were in different locations with different minds and feet. But now a third? She considered the possibilities quickly, all in a flash. There might be a third. There might not be a third, it might just be a ruse. There might be a third and they really were looking for a sister. There might be a third and it was just excuse. There might not be a third and he was just trying to trick her.

Simply too many possibilities to run through. In any event, she didn't want to be surprised by an extra person and kept her senses peeled for it. But sister or no sister, she had to remember what had gotten her attention drawn to them in the first place. No ... this was no harmless looking for a sister jaunt. It didn't line up. Hold boys missing a sister wouldn't be playing holdless and sneaking about and hiding in the bushes. Holdless wouldn't be so near the Weyr looking for a sister. It was a story, and they were Holdless. There was no doubt in her mind now. That, and if some Hold boys had actually lost a sister, chances were good that the Shield would be the FIRST people they'd contact about it. Not the last. Finding people was what the Shield did best after all.

"Right." She answered, before suddenly launching into motion. She wouldn't kill them ... not unless they forced her hand. There was a reason these two were scoping out the Weyr, and she needed to know it. But that didn't mean she couldn't hurt them a little. Fear was her biggest weapon, and she knew it.

So it was that she yanked sideways on the big one's neck, lurching him down and to the side. At the same time, she reversed her blade and smacked it into his thigh with all of her considerable force. The blunt end of the weapon dug a nice divot into his leg, traumatizing a nerve cluster there that would send the entire leg into spasmodic fits, rendering it a painful, useless limb that would weigh him down in place. It would recover in a few hours, but until then she might as well have cut his whole leg off.

Dropping him onto the ground to writhe however he saw fit, she launched across the short distance toward the smaller one. She had to catch that one, too, lest he get away and report back to the other Holdless that were doubtlessly in the area. She had to catch them both, and remove the threat they posed ... and then she would question them.

But, despite how she looked like she was alone, she wasn't. She had two very well trained companions. Torc was already angling in a fast decent behind the small one, headed straight for his head. In the bushes beyond, Naraja was just waiting for the command to move. For the moment, she was hidden and just watching with all the intensity that felines had. Jarshan's ace in the hole, as it were. Jarshan didn't anticipate needing the feline's assistance, but she was also prone to always having a back up plan.

Just in case.

[HG]

His decision to do nothing seemed to have no affect on the situation. Sorlen's lie, seemed to be their only way out. Except they had no proof they were looking for his sister. And the only reason Geoff cared where that little bitch had gone was because he'd like to be the one to drag her back to the Holdless camp so Riverton could make an example of her. Unfortunately for him there was no way out of the situation they were currently in. The Shield woman seemed to be thinking over what to do with them.

When these crazy Shield people made up their minds they made them up fast. The green eyed boy watched as she injured Sorlen to the point where he could not move his leg. Knowing he would be next, he decided, even if running would be futile he stood even less of a chance fighting her off than he did running.

What about Sorlen? Well, lets just say there is no honor amongst thieves and Geoff is no exception to the saying. As soon as he had made up his mind to run she was on his tail. Geoff was fast but these people trained harder than anyone else on the Southern Continent. All he could do was run. HE focused only on taking in breaths and dodging roots and thick foliage. In the back of his mind though, he knew he stood no chance.

[Ise]

Sorlen suddenly found himself being tossed to the ground before a blinding pain shot through his leg. He let out a few curses as he crumpled to the ground. He tried to get back up but leg couldn’t hold any of his weight, not even enough to let him crawl away from the crazy woman. The only way he’d be getting away was if he dragged himself out of the forest on his elbows. Yeah, he wasn’t going to make much of a get away doing that.

So instead he stayed right where he was, like he had much of a choice. He managed not to curse at Jarshan any and tried to behave himself. The Shield were on edge after the Haven attack, he should have expected her to do something like this even if they had a reason for being there. He dragged himself over to a near by tree and used it to help pull himself up so he could at least be sitting up. He shifted around a bit so he could try to watch the chace between Geoff and Jarshan. Sorlen hoped that the little rat was taken down in an equally painful way, it would make him feel a little better at least. Not that he had been surprised at Geoff taking off, really he felt pretty good that the kid hadn’t done that when Jarshan had first surprised him.

[Marnark]

The little tree rat was fast. Especially for being just a kid. A bit faster than she had anticipated. But even that wasn't fast enough. It only took a breath or two longer than predicted to catch up to the kid, reaching out to snatch him up by his throat. Yanking up and back with all the strength in that arm, Jarshan twisted with her entire core to slam him down onto his back in the tree litter.

Grinning in a fashion that could only be described as evil, Jarshan loomed over him. Despite being a smallish woman herself, she was more than big enough in personality to intimidate a boy-child. "I know you can talk. I heard you." She said. "So, if you don't talk now, I will only be justified in hurting you until you do. Get me?" Sinking her fingers into the meat of his neck, she yanked him to his feet again, bringing her knife around with her other hand just far enough to make a point to him.

If he fought, he was going to regret it. Not letting up on the painful pressure she had on the muscles of his neck, Jarshan marched him back toward where the other oaf was crawling around moaning in the foliage.

"You! Hold still." She ordered him again, not even bothering to threaten him with a specific action. If he had any sense in his head after what she'd just done to his leg, he knew she was willing to hurt him. Throwing her current captive to the ground again, Jarshan landed on him, digging a leather clad knee into the front of his shoulder. Flipping the knife over, she whipped it toward his chest.

But instead of plunging it into the meat of his body, all she did was strip his shirt in two, exposing his bare chest to the sky. "Now then. Are we still playing mute today?" She asked, reversing the blade in her hand again, lowering the point toward one of his nipples in a very clear threat.

[HG]

Fast as he might think he was, he was not nearly quick enough. The Shield woman caught up to him faster than he would have expected. Next thing the young boy knew was the ground and he became very well acquainted with it. No matter how intimidating the woman was Geoff was not going to say a word. He was committed to his cause (also called brainwashed). The only thing that might make him talk was the assurance that he would not be killed if he spoke up.

The situation being what it was, he doubted highly that he would be avoiding death. He was knocking on the door of death today and he was pretty sure death was at home. So as scary as the woman was he held firm to his own belief that he would rather die having kept his mouth shut than as a blabbermouth. The pain in his neck was excruciating. He felt his teeth clench together as he avoided making any sound of pain.

She was threatening him with death after bringing him back toward Sorlen. The other guy was in a great deal of pain as well. It was written plainly on his features. Maybe she would let them go if he said anything… he doubted it. What reason did he have to trust her? None. Even if she swore not to kill him and Sorlen, he could not trust what she said. However, it might delay her.

The boy stood as defiant as before. All he said was, “Just because I can talk, doesn’t mean I have to. You’ve no right to treat us like this. We deserve to be taken to your leader immediately. I won’t say another word till you do.” Then the young boy’s mouth closed and he made no other sound. Not a groan or cry from the pain. The green-eyed youth refused to be gotten the better of by someone like this.

[Ise]

Sorlen finished pushing himself up and leaned back against the tree. He gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut at Jarshan’s unspoken threat. He wasn’t going to lay there in the dirt while she went running after Geoff. Not that he would have been waiting there for long, she dragged the young boy back pretty quickly. And even Sorlen was a bit surprised when Jarshan cut open Geoff’s shirt. Yep. Shield women were crazy, man-hating, lesbian witches. At least this one was more interested in Geoff then in him.

Sorlen almost felt a pang of guilt at letting the younger boy go through this. Almost. Or maybe he was just hungry. It was hard for Sorlen to feel sorry for anyone else, pity was a useless emotion after all.
“Neither of us are going to tell you anything. Might as well just save yourself some time and take us to your leader.”
He glanced off to where they had seen the foot prints.
“Heh might want to hurry too. I bet she’s already in your Weyr and you don’t even know it. How embarrassing. The might Dragon Shield went and missed some scrappy little girl sneaking into their home.”

He laughed a little before his laugh turned into a groan of pain. He didn’t know if those had been his sisters prints or not, but making the Shield and the rest of the Weyr paranoid that they were some Holdless girl among them couldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe then the Weyr were spend more of its time trying to find Laure instead of watching its borders.

[Marnark]

He was talking, finally, but not what she wanted him to say. Some part of her was sad, mostly because this meant she wasn't being effectively scary. The other part was thrilled ... that meant she got to play with them a little! She leaned down toward the boy's face slightly, and grinned a very evil looking grin. "You're quite right, you know. You don't have to talk. But until you do, you are mine boy. I am not going to take you anywhere until I know that you know something worth bothering my leaders for. Understand me? This means you get to talk to me first. No jumping the line."

Just to make her point, she rested the tip of her knife against his skin right above said threatened nipple, and then dragged it downward, neatly bisecting the nub in two. Very slowly. Lucky for him, it was both a sharp and a clean knife. It would heal, maybe even with minimal scarring. It also wasn't as painful as it could have been, had she used a dull knife.

Lifting the bloodied knife up, she didn't let the pressure off of him that kept him pinned to the ground as her gaze flicked to the other one, leaning helplessly on the tree. Again, she grinned. "You only think you can threaten me like that. How do you know that your little friend hasn't already been caught, hm?" Jarshan queried. Straightening a bit, she flicked the knife at the smaller boy, splattering him with droplets of his own blood. "Oh, and by the way. If he doesn't talk, and dies first? You're next. Unless you care to tell me something interesting enough to bother taking you to someone else first? It would save you and him both a world of hurt." She informed him. Maybe the big one would talk?

He'd already felt the flavor of her blade, even if he'd been lucky enough to come away without a cut to show for it. Maybe he would dream up all the horrible stuff she would do if he didn't talk. Pain was her friend, and she loved indulging said friend.

[HG]

Geoff winced in pain as the knife cut into tender flesh. He fought back a few tears that wanted to come to his eyes, which made them appear glossy. He knew he was bleeding, felt the throbbing where her knife had laid open his flesh. The younger boy knew better than to try to move. She'd only kill them faster. He did not desire to die but he had no choice now.

No matter what he was going to die. He had made up his mind on the subject already. So while she continued to threaten him and Sorlen, Geoff's attitude did not change. She was a frightening woman and quite probably insane. No wonder she was torturing them. The woman was sick in the head, one with Riverton there. Who decides to hate a whole bunch of people for no apparent reason and then seeks to destroy all affiliated with them? A crazy person.

Apparently it did not matter whose side you were on, you'd be dealing with a bunch of crazies. If he talked he would be killed, if not by her by Riverton. It made little difference at this point. Damn crazy morons running the world. Geoff had a feeling that Sorlen was thinking the same thing. A world full of mad people who were ridiculous and wanted to kill. All Geoff wanted to do was make his family proud. He was an unwanted son with no real skills outside of thieving and running. Both of which were doing him no good at the moment.

Screw Riverton and his frigging plans which Geoff had never been privy to. Even if he spoke what would he say. "Why should we divulge information to you? You are going to kill us either way. And if you don't someone else will. I'd rather die an honorable death." And for a thirteen Turn old, that was about as loyal and idiotic as it could get.