Escape from the Witch Hunters

“Oh no.” Ryia sat up and stretched. “I slept in.” she twisted her stiff body and got out of the hollow.

“Gillian?” she looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. “Gillian?” she called again, more urgently this time. Where had he gone? Had he been captured?

Calm down, Ryia. He’s probably just out hunting, she took a deep breath. Why would he be hunting in such an odd hour?

His bedroll was strewn on the ground, the fire just a pile of ashes, his horse still tied to a tree branch.

There was no sign of a struggle, but they could have just knocked him out in his sleep…

“Ah! I see you’re awake!” Gillian marched cheerfully into their makeshift camp.

Ryia sat down on the ground a breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t scare me like that again!”

Gillian’s eyebrows shot up. “Like what? What did I do?”

“You were gone when I woke up!” she rested her head against the hollow tree. “I didn’t know if you were captured or if you had died or-”

“I won’t ever get captured.” Gillian set a small bunny on the ground. Don’t touch her, do not touch her, Gillian. he sighed and sat down next to Ryia. “You don’t ever have to worry about me getting captured. Ever.”

So he had gone out hunting. Ryia studied the poor creature that would fill her stomach.

He was met with silence. “How’s your back feel?”

Ryia shrugged her shoulders before realizing her mistake and winced. “It’s alright. It isn’t as bad as yesterday.”

Gillian looked at her skeptically. “Are you well enough to travel?”

“I should be.” she nodded.

“We’ll need to go to a village soon. I need another knife, mine blade just broke off, the dumb thing.” he started to roll up his bedroll. “But I don’t want people to see you and your back and start thinking that I’m beating you.”

“Oh.” she paused. “You could just go by yourself and I could stay here.”

Gillian frowned. “No.”

“Gillian!” she protested. “I hate hindering you from doing what you need to do! I’m tired of being a bother!”

“No.” he crossed his arms. “You are not staying in the woods by yourself.” a snigger escaped his lips. “Driving me from my home isn’t exactly the definition of not being a bother.”

She flinched before frowning. “You could just quickly go, and be back soon, and you wouldn’t have to worry abou-”

“Nope.” he shook his head. “You are not staying anywhere by yourself for that long, and that is final.”

“Gillian!” she whined.

He raised his eyebrow, challenging her to challenge him.

“Fine.” she huffed.

Gillian smiled.

The judge growled. There were no Raiders. Just that cursed courier who looked strangely like the dark figure who threatened him the night before. And the little witch was gone as well.

“Guards!” he called, even though they were standing right next to him.

“Yes, Judge?” one of the higher ranked officers answered.

“I want you to go track down that girl. And the courier who took her.” he glared. He wasn’t going to let that courier to fool him.

“But we don’t even know which direction they headed!” one of them complained.

He turned to focus his glare on that impudent guard. “I do not care!” he seethed. “Track them down! And when you do, kill the courier and bring the witch back to me.”

He got out of his chair, his stomach fat making it quite difficult to squeeze out of the chair’s arm rests.

One of the guards pushed the chair down as the Judge sat up, keeping the chair legs on the ground.

The Judge glared even more. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go! After them!”

Most of the guards hurried out of the Judge’s chambers, leaving only one guard with the Judge.

“I’m going to go take a bath.” the Judge sighed wearily. “Inform me if you get any information about the girl and courier.”

The guard nodded. “Understood.”

The Judge sighed and opened one of the doors that led into his bathing room. “Servants! Why is my bath not ready?”

Two maids entered through a different door with wide eyes. “You didn’t ask for a bath, sir.”

“Yes I did! Don’t tell me what I did or didn’t do! I want this ready in five minutes!” he turned back to the guard. “Well what are you looking at? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The guard looked at the Judge with an unamused look. No one could draw a bath in five minutes. He was being unrealistic. “I’m guarding you. Remember? I can go find something better to do if you wish, sir.” he was tempted to sneer, only he valued his position and job too much.

The Judge turned red and scrambled for words before stuttering. “Uh, um, oh. uh, no, you may stay. Just don’t look at me like that.” he frowned.

The guard subtly rolled his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

Ryia leaned against a tree wearily. They had been riding hard for the better part of the day and even though she hadn’t done much except hold on, she was exhausted.

“Tired?” Gillian untied a bundle from his horse and set it on the ground. “Good horse.” he patted the horse.

Ryia nodded her head. “Why do you call him ‘horse’?”

Gillian looked at her for a moment, then he looked at his horse. “I don’t know. I just suppose I’ve never bothered to name him.”

“A horse as nice as that deserves a name.” she concluded.

Gillian looked back at his horse. “Are you sure?” he looked back at her.

She nodded encouragingly.

“Red.” he patted his horse’s slightly crimson coat. “That’s what I’ll call you.”

Ryia sighed. It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. But at least it was a name. “Very, um, creative.” she gave him a weak smile.

Gillian smiled back. “Thank you. I think I like the name. Red.” he tested the name. “Red.”

Ryia shook her head but a smile crept onto her face all the same.

Gillian looked back at Ryia. “I’m going to go hunting. I won’t be far. If you see or hear anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to call for me.”

Ryia nodded wearily.

“Oh. I forgot.” he walked to the other side of Red and untied one more of the many bundles. “Here,” he handed it over to her, “I brought it with me.”

Ryia looked up at him uncertainly. “What is it?”

“Open it up, silly.” he laughed.

She untied the rope that bound the items inside. “My dresses!” a grin made its way onto her face, lighting up her eyes. “Thank you, Gillian!”

In the bundle lay the scarlet dress and the ivory colored one.

Gillian scratched the back of his neck. “You’re welcome. And I-uh, I’m going to go hunting. Just call if you’re in danger.”

She nodded cheerfully. “I will.”

Gillian walked silently through the trees, leaving Ryia alone with her thoughts.

She quickly pulled the material out and the needle with thread. If she worked hard, she could have it half done before morning.

She stuck the needle through the fabric, piercing the soft material and binding it together.

She kept working until the sun turned an almost purple-ish color in the sleepy sky. “I wonder when Gillian will be getting back.” she mused and pulled the needle through.

The leaves rustled.

Ryia tensed.

She heard a twig snap. Her head whipped towards the sound. She quickly scampered into the shelter of the the almost summer foliage, bring Red back with her.

Please don’t make a noise, Red. she held her breath.

A man appeared through the trees with a hunting bow. He had dark hair, peppered with gray here and there, he was short and stalky, not excessively overweight, but enough to look like he enjoyed his wife’s meals quite a bit. He looked as if he were hunting animals. Not her.

She let out her breath but stayed hidden. It was possible that he would know of the reward for her and capture her.

A hand clamped over her mouth.

She tried to let out a scream, but the hand only pressed down harder on her mouth.

“Shh,” a voice whispered in her ear, “it’s me, Gillian.”

Ryia relaxed against his hold. When had he gotten behind her?

The man continued on his way through the woods.

After a good five minutes had passed Gillian released her. “I saw that man headed in this direction and hurried back as fast as I could.”

“Who was he?” she asked.

“I’m assuming just an oblivious farmer or hunter, or something.” he shrugged. “He wasn’t after you if that’s what you mean.”

She nodded. “Think he’ll come back?”

Gillian shook his head. “Not tonight anyway, it looked as if he were heading home for the day. I would be too if I had a home.”

Ryia twitched.

“He didn’t see you, did he?” Gillian inquired.

Ryia shook her head. “I don’t think he did. Red and I got out of sight just in time.”

“Good.” Gillian nodded in approval and looked down at his empty hand. “I wasn’t able to shoot anything worth while. There was a baby squirrel, but I didn’t really have the heart to shoot it or its mother.”

Ryia smiled. “That’s fine. I’m not terribly hungry anyway.”

“We have a bit of dried meat.” he offered.

She shrugged.

“When I was out hunting I saw a road not terribly far off, and it probably means that there is a village nearby.” he grinned cheekily. “And I was thinking maybe once you’re done with your dress, we’ll go to town and sleep in some actual beds for once.”

She looked up at him, pure bliss on her face. “Really and truly?” Ryia almost jumped up and down. “I can have my scarlet dress done by midday tomorrow if we ride tomorrow.”

“That’s fine.” he led Red back out from the foliage. “Tomorrow it is. And we’ll have some real food.”

Ryia beamed. “I’ll need to fit the dress though.”

Gillian raised an eyebrow. “What’s that mean?” he had an idea, but didn’t want it to be what he thought it was.

“I’ll need you to put it on for me so I can sew it correctly.” her smile didn’t faltered.

Gillian however began to furrow his eyebrows. “Is that completely necessary?”

“Absolutely.” she tried not to enjoy his discomfort too much.

“I won’t. I will not wear a dress.” he frowned.

“Hold still, Gillian! I can’t sew right with you fidgeting like that!” she poked the needle through the material.

Gillian growled. “Are you almost done?”

“I would be if you held still.” she pulled the thread through.

Gillian grumbled something else. The dress was rather small on his broad figure, the opening being his only escape from the dress.

Ryia smiled to herself when he wasn’t looking.