Crouching in the grass... hoping none of the guards found her... hoping no more bloodshed came of this day. Bloodshed... she was used to it, being of the northern tribes, but that was you against an enemy, and maybe the enemy's family. Not these hired killers... not these cruel men that had only one goal, to capture and torture, then drag to "justice" for a proper killing, maybe after more torture.
She nervously bit her lip as a guard walked noisily passed, almost near enough for her to touch. Eyes wide, she huddled deeper into her hiding spot, as his flame red hair caught the sun and shone brightly... he was one of her original captors... she had to stay away from him....
I need to get out of here, away from these... men. Before I collapse. Before I give in to terror and break cover like some idiot baby rabbit. I should fly... but no, he knows that trick. They've all got bows, I saw that much before I had to go to ground. Come on, Kit, mighty Kithariani, fearless phoenix lady, think of a way out of here.
Only problem was, she couldn't. What he had done had left most of her mind twisting in fear and revulsion, and she felt the feeling of shock slowly settling into her. It was with an effort that she beat it off, time enough to acknowledge what happened later, now was the time for escape.
Fire-hair fell then, soundlessly, as a human female seemed to rise out of the ground behind him and slammed the pommel of a dagger into his head. She turned then and beckoned to Kit, setting off at a swift lope away from the area.
Kit stood and bolted after the woman, trying to ignore how the few garments she was wearing clung to her body. Time enough to get back into decent clothing again later.
Leave it to Estia to prove that she can do anything. I'm just glad she came... too close, much too close... within inches of death willing myself. And then she shows, and gives me a dagger... and free reign to do whatever I wanted to the bastard. He'll never force himself on anyone again.
A fierce smile, more a baring of teeth than a true smile, slid across her face, then vanished. She knew what a mess she was, bruises covering most of her body, only a few filmy pieces of material as clothing, her long hair dirty and tangled. No... Foraldenter wasn't a kind man, at least to his slaves.
Estia slowed to a stop near a small house, and cracked open the door enough to slide in, then gestured for Kit to follow her. Pressing her lips together into a thin line, she followed Estia hesitatingly, after all, it could be a trap...
Stop it, fool, this is no more a trap than you're a dragon. Estia wouldn't lead you from one cage to another.
She forced herself to look around, as Estia closed the door behind her. The room they were in was small, with little furniture and nothing on the walls, but a doorway led into another room in the back, and it was from there that an older woman walked calmly out.
Kit tensed, waiting for her to yell or something, but all she did was look Kit over then shake her head then remark, in a rather motherly manner, "Tisk, so you're another runaway from the Baron, hmm?"
Estia nodded, "I got her loose not long ago, Mother Kayres." She smiled grimly, "And I don't think there'll be many more runaways. Forald bit off more than he could chew when he decided to capture one of the Firebird clan."
Mother Kayres raised an eyebrow speculatively, "Ah, so he been unmanned finally, hmm? About time the man got taught a lesson." She looked Kit over once more, "So, I'm guessing that the clothing and weaponry you brought over before was for her, hmm? Well, first things first, lets get you cleaned up."
With a firm hand she reached out and took Kit's shoulder, leading her away deeper into the house to where a warm bath was prepared, the tub large enough for even six foot tall Kithariani to lay out in it.
Kayres clucked softly under her breath as she eased Kit out of her clothing and helped her slide into the water. She turned away for a bit, then brought over some soaps, simple ones, but still soaps, and also another sort of soap to wash her hair clean with.
Who is this woman? The house is small, pointing at poor, but no poor person could afford a tub like this, or that hair soap.
She allowed Kayres to wash her like a child, since that's what the woman seemed bent on doing anyway, no matter how much she protested... and besides, she didn't think she had enough energy to really wash herself much. The woman was gentle too and...
Kit glanced at her sharply, as she realized some of the pain was fading away, only to confront the woman's soft, calming smile. This strange woman was an earth witch of some sort probably. Maybe one of some skill, able to afford something like the tub, or maybe it was a gift from a powerful person.
"So, you are an interesting person," Mother Kayres said softly as she began untangling and washing Kit's long hair, "Like Estia, yet not, and yet not the human you appear."
What? How did she know? How did she guess? What do I tell her, that I'm a human-phoenix? How much would she believe?
"Well..." Kit shifted slightly, sending the water sloshing against the side, suddenly nervous again, who knew what this woman was trying to find out, and maybe if she knew what she had on her hands, she'd turn her over to the guards... no, she had said that she was glad someone had taught the Baron a lesson, "I... don't really know where to start..."
"Then start at the beginning, and don't worry about my throwing you out," Kayres responded softly, gently, "I've had odder shelter beneath my roof on many occasions."
Kit sighed, then closed her eyes, she knew what this woman was doing now, trying to keep her focused on things other than what had happened... well, she was perfectly willing to go along with that, "Among the northern clans there is a... not-clan I guess you could say. Firebird is, yet is not, a clan. We're individual nomads, all linked by one thing. We've all been born... different. Phoenix and human are we, commanding fire magic, as well as some healing. With training and practice... some can even allow the phoenix soul to take over and change into a phoenix."
Kayres gently washed the soap out of her hair, then started to soap it once more, to get the final bit of dirt out of it. "And I take it that you're one of those who can change, yes?"
"Yeah... but its not like, shapeshifter changing. When we're born, and we can be born of any clan, its just whoever the lost phoenix soul is drawn to, a phoenix soul merges with ours, to take refuge from hunters in our body. The clans long ago promised the phoenixes that if any of them felt the need, they could take refuge inside any of their children. That's what started the Firebird clan, except that those first ones got lessons from the Phoenix Lady herself."
Kit let herself relax, as Mother Kayres finished with her hair and began weaving healing magic again, focusing on the deepest bruises, as well as the cuts and other injuries.
"So, who, then, taught you? Since by your words I am assuming that few true phoenixes exist anymore outside of a human."
"Few, very few remain, hunters come year after year to find and catch the phoenixes, and more and more have to escape by merging with one of the clans people. I was found and trained by one of the strangest Firebirds of all, one who goes by the name of Shaar."
"Oh? And how is this Shaar strange?"
Kithariani compressed her lips, moving a bit, and then watched the water lap at the sides for a few seconds before continuing, "Shaar... looks neither male nor female, or maybe both. It took me three years of living with Shaar to figure out that she was a female, and even then it took all my skill to figure it out. She's a lovely teacher, though, has an answer for everything about the phoenixes, and most answers to everything about the clans."
Mother Kayres smiled, as she helped Kit to rise out of the tub, then handed her a large towel. "Here, dry yourself off as I grab the clothes that Estia brought here."
She complied, looking at all the now-faded bruises as she dried herself off. I'm... going to have to ask my phoenix half to make sure I don't have any kids from this, that's the absolute last thing I need. Her mind whirled slightly, touching the edges of the memories gingerly then backing off quickly as they rose to try to consume her again. No and no and no, it's over! It's over, nothing can change it, just gotta... move on.
Frowning, she wrapped the towel around as much of her body as she could, then stood there waiting for Kayres to return, which she quickly did, holding out some silver and black clothing.
My clothing! Phoenix Lady! I never thought I'd see any of it again!
She grabbed the clothing quickly, pulling the underclothes on quickly, then slipping on the pale silver top and the darker silver pants. Oh but they felt lovely against her skin! The typical garb of a Firebird they were, of material made by magic that resisted heat and fire, sheltered against cold and frost, and were warm or cool depending upon the need. And then the jacket...
Black that turns a dark silver in the right light, tooled on each shoulder with a silver and red phoenix. Made as an emblem for every Firebird, so that no normal clans-people can accidentally mistake us for someone involved in their feuds and kill us. Certainly no one else is stupid enough to wear black in a land of ice and snow.
As she settled the jacket comfortably onto her shoulders, she felt that something was missing. Her hand went to her throat, that was supposed to be covered by a choker resembling the jacket, black leather with a phoenix in silver and red tooled into it...
"Here, this fell out when you picked up the jacket," Kayres offered her the choker, and she quickly picked it up and fitted it around her neck, holding her hand over the slash that the hunters had made when they had ripped it from her neck. The leather flowed together, sealing up the slash seamlessly, to once again become a seamless circle of leather, with no obvious way to take it off.
There... I feel... normal again. Tired though...
Unknowing how tired she truly was, she almost fell over before Mother Kayres could come support her, then lead her slowly to a bed in a closed off corner of the room and let her collapse onto the bed, pulling the covers over Kit's tall form. Kayres stood for a few seconds, watching Kit curl up into a ball on the bed, then turned and walked into the front room.
The wind howled about her, blowing snow into her face, the crystals feeling like daggers. This was one of those storms that no sane clansman would find him or herself caught out in if they wanted to live, but then again, those of Firebird were never considered fully sane in the best of times.
She had asked her phoenix half to warm her against the storm-chill, and she was a nice, comfortable temperature, as if she was curled up in front of a fire instead of pacing through the howling wind.
Strangely enough, despite the howl of the wind, and the strange rustling sound of ice crystals sliding past one another, it was calm out, a strange peacefulness that many of the Firebirds enjoyed more than anything, even flight. She breathed in the harsh, cold air, feeling it being warmed gently by her phoenix half as it entered her body, letting the calm and peacefulness settle into her, storing it up against a time when it was needed.
Kit sat up with a start, her eyes darting around the room before she labeled it safe and allowed herself to relax.
That was not what I expected to dream of, not the peace-calm of storm walking, I was expecting more along the lines of what happened... mm... well, maybe...
She closed her eyes, drawing her awareness inwards, cautiously probing the memories again... to find them dulled and distant, as if from time. A slow smile spread across her face at that, for it was unlikely that she would have to face that again in anything except dimly remembered nightmares, and she had her phoenix side to thank for that. On the other hand, though...
On the other hand, nothing could be done about her emotions, not when her phoenix side mirrored them almost exactly. Fear and hate of males... it was probable she'd never get very friendly with a male ever again.
Not that that's a big problem... as long as I can control myself enough not to kill every male who even looks at me. She sighed and rose, settling the jacket firmly on herself. Time and past to leave, she didn't trust being this close to the Baron no matter what shape he was in, or who her protectors were.
The only one she really trusted was herself.
Time to blow this place.
A soft gleam of metal on a table made her narrow her eyes in thought, and, when she came up to it, a slow smile flickered across her face. Things were actually looking up.
Her sword, the one that was longer by an inch or so than she was tall, still in its harness, and beside it were her daggers, and their sheathes, as well as her belt. Perfect.
It took only a few minutes to slip her belt on and check to make sure that all the daggers were held in place with the modified peace knots that would give at a single sharp tug, and then only a few minutes after that to shrug into her sword harness, to feel the comforting weight of the sword settle onto her back.
Her bare toes brushed against leather, and she quickly bent down and felt in the shadows for what she had touched. The boots she drew out into the moonlight where exactly what she had been hoping for, leather of the same material of her jacket, except tougher, and with a special sole to increase traction, a thing needed in a land of ice and snow. Reaching into them, Kit pulled out the padded foot covers and drew them over her feet before settling the boots comfortably onto her feet as well.
There, now it was time to leave.
Without a backwards glance she pushed the front door open a little ways, then slipped herself through and shut the door firmly behind her, before slipping off into the night.
Days and weeks passed by, turning into months that faded into years before she even realized it. Her body was slowly adjusting to these warm southlands, but winter was still her favorite time. Killing blizzards were few and far between, though, and she found herself stretching thin over the hottest months of summer, patience stretched near to breaking with everyone, male or female.
Not that she typically got along with these southerners, their way of life was so... different. So unlike hers.
She took jobs as a mercenary, but rarely to males, and slowly her fame grew, of the untamable wild barbar from the northlands, who wielded a sword longer than she was tall in one hand, and never paid any more attention to males than one would pay attention to a fence post.
Until, that is, they tried for her. Then they were lucky to come out of that confrontation intact, and not a few got away with bleeding wounds that would leave scars on them for a few years at least, if not longer.
And then she met someone she felt very much at ease with...