My heart slammed against my chest. If I could break his grasp, I could still loose an arrow and hit one of the men on the road. I bit the hand across my mouth.
The man behind me sucked in a breath but kept his hand across my mouth. "I said, don't. If they see you, they'll try to take you too." He spoke low and quiet, emphasizing his words with a painful squeeze on my hand and jerk of my head. "Drop your bow."
I did as told, and he slipped his arm, the one still holding my hand, across my abdomen. Then he pulled me away from the road, away from Eluena.
Was this man with the others? If he was, then why try to hide me from them? But he could be trying to fool me, leading me like a cow to the slaughter.
I couldn't chance it. Split decision made, I rammed back with my elbow, satisfied when I heard an "oof." His arms, though, didn't release me. I struggled against his grasp, a new panic setting in.
I bit down hard again on the hand over my mouth. His fingers were browned and rough with dirt in the creases, but I didn't care. He yanked his hand away and my head jerked with the force of his pull. One hand down, one more to go. Before I knew what was happening, I could feel rough tree bark digging into my shoulder. My quiver protecting me from having my whole back massacred, I was now captured between man and tree.
He gripped my upper arms as he gave me a shake. "I'm not here to hurt you, but if you don't calm down, I'll tie you to this tree and gag you." He took a quick look over his shoulder back towards where the men had been. "Noise will bring them over here, especially if they hear a woman," he whispered. The road held his attention now, allowing me a chance to reach into my satchel and hide my knife behind my leg.
He turned back towards me, and I searched in vain to see his face, a hooded cloak preventing me from knowing my adversary.
My chest heaved in panic, but otherwise, I remained still. I gulped at the cooling air as I tried to calm myself. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was watching me. What he had said about noise made sense. Though whether I could trust him or not was still undecided.
"Please. Let me go," I said in between gasps. Those men took Eluena further and further from me with every passing minute.
"My camp is nearby. Come with me. I promise I am not here to hurt you."
I shook my head, my hair catching in the bark and the back of my head abrading against the rough surface. "Just let me go. I need to go find my friend." I nodded my head towards the road.
"I can't let you do that."
I whimpered in desperation. The man with Eluena had disappeared. "She's my best friend, I need to go help her."
So far, I hadn't struggled against him since he had flipped me around to face him, but I could feel his grasp on my arms slackening. My chance to break his grasp could be soon. I dropped my head, chin to chest in what I hoped might be a sign of surrender.
His forearms were bare. The skin tanned and taut. Without seeing his face, I couldn't be sure of his age, but those were not the arms of an older man, not like the others. Even knowing that, I still needed to distract him. Maybe I could get him to remove one of his hands.
I lifted my head, staring into the shadows of his cloak. "Show me your face. You want me to trust someone I can't see?" I put as much gumption behind my words as I could. A strand of my hair was in my eyes, so I blew it away. As I had hoped, he released one of my arms, so he could reach towards his head and push back the cloak. Lucky me, it was also the same arm that held my knife. My hands knew the blade well and held it ready. But I wasn't prepared for his counter-distraction.
Before me was both the oddest and most fascinating man I had ever seen. His dark hair was cropped close to the sides of his head, but at the crown, it was longer and curled in the most enticing way. Most men I knew had longer hair, the process of cutting often seen as unnecessary. Steel blue eyes observed my reaction, and a breathy gasp passed my lips followed by a flaming heat in my cheeks. Dark stubble peppered his cheeks, chin, and upper lip. Pushing the hood of his cloak back more, he drew my attention to his clothing which was strange indeed.
His cloak wasn't a cloak at all but some sort of hooded shirt. At first glance, everything looked like rags, but upon closer inspection, they weren't. Everything was a light, gauzy material, wrapped around him. I couldn't tell how much was tailored and how much was just wrappings. Maybe it was functional to keep the sun off and let his skin breathe. But it all gave him away as someone not from Chernibden or the surrounding villages.
"Who are you?" I breathed out in bemusement as if my gasp and blushing weren't embarrassing enough.
"Tobin. My name's Tobin, but I gather you mean a lot more than that." He flashed a smile to put me at ease, but it made my insides clench up. I needed to get out of here, away from this beautifully frightening man. My gut was telling me he may not be the same as those other men, but he had a danger all his own.
I gave him a half smile. He had never returned his hand to my arm, leaving it off to the side, hand out in an "I mean you no harm" gesture. Again, he was trying to persuade me that he was not a threat. Bad move.
Using my hunting instincts taught by my Dad, I raised my arm towards the one holding me and slashed down with my knife. The force not enough to do major damage but enough to draw blood. He let my arm go, hissing in pain as he grasped his bleeding wound. I didn't stick around. I blew past him, my shoulder clipping his side as I ran towards where I had left my pack. I could survive without it, but it would be a rough go. My mind raced as I plotted where to go once I grabbed my pack. I didn't want to cross the road where those other men had been, but I had to lose Tobin.
My pack was just ahead. I leaned over, preparing to grab the strap and fling it over my back. My arm reached out and my hand grazed the strap, but I was tackled from behind.
My body hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of me. I could feel the weight of Tobin on top of me. I couldn't breathe with my chest smashed into the dirt, and I flailed my arms and legs while my heart raced. His weight disappeared briefly before he flipped me over, so we were now face to face. He clamped his dirt-covered hand over my mouth again and held his other hand to his ear.
My nostrils flared as breathing through my mouth was no longer an option. I got his message. He wouldn't hurt me, and my breathing became easier.
Shouting rang out. Men's voices. Whatever commotion I had caused had not gone unnoticed. Had I screamed? I couldn't remember. Tobin looked at me, removed his hand from my mouth, and placed one finger to his lips, our noses almost touching. I nodded. I wasn't sure of him, but I knew where I stood with the other men.
Then Tobin spread out some of the gauzy material wrapped around him, and he covered me as much as he could. Smart. The browns, greys, and greens of his garb would stand out far less than my blue shirt. I looked at my bag which was a few feet away. Though worn and dirty, it was still red. He reached into a pocket on his chest and removed another piece of material similar to what he was wearing. In a deft maneuver, he flung it over the pack, covering most of it.
The men were much closer now. I couldn't see anything except Tobin, his blue eyes searching mine and his chest heaving as much as mine. Footsteps crunched in the rock and gravel along the broken road. Too close.
"Do you see anything, Will?" a man shouted from several feet away. I wasn't sure if I felt my heart hammering against my chest or Tobin's. He sprawled across me, and his cheek hovered just above my nose and lips as he listened to the men. I squeezed my eyes down tight. Please don't see us.
More footsteps crunched on the road, moving closer. The sound changed, more muffled, which meant whoever it was had walked off the road towards us. I didn't dare move, and my breathing was hard to control. I hadn't realized that my hands were holding Tobin's waist until I clamped down causing him to grunt.
The man near us stopped. So did my heart.
"Must'a been an animal, Rick!" The shout was close, only a few feet away. A sound of agreement came from someone North, near the shelter.
Then the man by us moved North, his pace faster than before, and I let out a sigh of relief. We remained still until sounds of movement were gone. Tobin raised his head and looked around before turning towards me.
"Let's wait here for a few minutes just in case they are still watching the area. We only have a few more minutes of daylight."
I nodded my agreement until the realization of Tobin laying on top of me hit me. I turned my head to the side and looked towards my bag on the ground. Meeting his eyes was too much at the moment. He must have recognized my discomfort as he muttered an apology and rolled onto his back next to me.
Cool air washed across the front of me as the heat of his body disappeared. He hadn't hurt me, but Eluena was gone. I spent the next few minutes staring up at the sky in silence, as I waited for him to give the ok. What now?
After longer than I had thought he had meant, he spoke, "Ok. We're both going to get on our hands and knees. I can grab your pack. You looked like you knew what you were doing with that bow and arrow, so you hang on to that. Be ready to use it. We'll crawl due-east" —he motioned his hand in that direction— "When I think we are far enough, we can get up and then we will hightail it to my camp."
Earlier I had protested following him to his camp. Now, this was a fantastic idea. He, obviously, didn't want to be seen by those other men, and he hadn't hurt me besides a few brusies in our struggle. At least I could trust in that.
When he moved, I followed his lead on hands and knees. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, trying to crawl and hold my bow so as not to damage it. When we got about as far away as I had run earlier, he muttered, "All right."
We both stood, and he swung my pack onto his back. Was he being chivalrous or manipulative? I pursed my lips and adjusted my bow in my hands, nocking an arrow. He moved with speed and deftness through the woods, and I kept up with ease.
After we had traveled for several minutes, I dared to speak. We had to be out of their sights and hearing by now, and the night had set in. I wasn't dumb and all too aware of how sound could carry out here under the right conditions. "How far?"
"Into the foothills. About an hour now." He had turned towards me, judging by the clarity of his voice.
Silently, we agreed to slow our pace to a brisk walk. The going became harder as we reached the foothills, the terrain more rugged, gravel rolling underneath our feet.
He led me into a ravine with copious amounts of trees. Once within the trees, I had a hard time making things out, and my nerves got the better of me. Was I doing the right thing? I was following a strange man, not much older than I into a ravine.
My heart pounded again. Could I pull away from him without him noticing? I slowed my pace, putting distance between the two of us. He had my pack, but between surviving without it and being murdered at his camp with it beside me was an easy choice.
After a few moments, he turned his head. "It's just up ahead. C'mon. Let's get some food." He quickened his pace, and I lost him in the darkness until I heard boots on wood. A door creaked and more boots clomped.
A glow started inside the ramshackle cabin. I could make out the doorway now. No windows or, at least, the windows could be covered. His figure darkened the doorway. "What are you waiting for? We should get inside, so the light isn't visible."
Smart.
I fingered my knife in my satchel. My body ached. The tumbles I had taken earlier manifested themselves as bruises and sore muscles. My stomach rumbled, overriding my earlier hesitation. I'd find out who he was, eat, rest, and then move on tomorrow. If he wanted to harm me, he had had ample opportunity to do so. Eluena was my main concern. I needed to find her, but I was in no shape to do that at the moment.