-----."I don't have my knife," Richard said, still winded from the earlier run. The pine needles on the forest floor cushioned his footfalls.
-----."You can handle it. Just think about what you're going to say to her when we get to the fork," Katrina responded with labored breaths of her own. The fork would be a while yet. It was actually more of a cutoff from Hawker's Trail, the path that ran along Trunt Lake. The cutoff would be a right somewhere, leading them toward the town of Hartland, toward help. If they were quick, Richard could hide their tracks.
-----.Richard kept a sharp eye out for the cutoff. He had decided to run faster, to get to the cutoff before the woman and the men stalking her did. He decided it would be better than running or fighting, both of which he was too exerted to do now that his breathing came in ragged gasps. Katrina was somehow able to keep up with his strides, even to her own surprise. Just before a sharp bend to the right, they came at last to the cutoff. Richard scanned for tracks and saw none. He seized the opportunity to catch his breath. He bent over his knees a bit and held a stitch in his side. Katrina stood beside him, a hand gently squeezing his shoulder.
-----.When they both looked up, their eyes met the woman in white. Her dress was cut square at the neck, boldly simple and the fabric practically glistened. There was no lace nor sequins. The white of the dress was only interrupted by a tan belt at her waist. When the woman stopped, her dress gathered about her legs. Her long hair accentuated her figure. Her green eyes were calm, her brows as regal as a raptor in flight.
-----.Richard stepped forward, leaving three steps between her and him, so as not to appear threatening. His eyes pleaded with hers, trying to make her see that he only wanted to help. Her expression relaxed. "I was up there," Richard pointed to where the trail above the lake was, "and I saw you." The woman looked and Richard did too, then dumbly dropped his arm when he realized he was pointing at a tangle of branches. He tried again.
-----."I was up there, on a hill above the lake. I saw you walking on a path by the shore. There are some men following you." Richard had kept his voice low. They needed to hurry.
-----."How many?" The woman asked, her face betraying no emotion.
-----.Richard thought the question was odd, but answered it anyway. "Four."
-----.The color drained from the woman's face. She turned to scan the shadows in the woods behind her briefly, then turned back and fixed her green eyes on Richard's grey ones. "Do you choose to help me?"
-----.Katrina stepped forward. "We do."
-----.The woman regarded Katrina for only a moment, her countenance softened. "What would you have us do?"
-----."There's a small trail that turns off here. If we take it, and they stay on the main one, we can be away."
-----."And if they don't? If they follow our trail?"
-----."I'll hide our tracks." Richard was trying to reassure her. "Look, they won't follow. There's no time..."
-----."If they do?" She cut him off. "Then what is your plan?"
-----.Richard studied her unreadable face for a moment. "Are they dangerous?"
-----."Very." She stiffened.
-----.Richard could swear he saw a flash of terror in her eyes. The way she said it gave him pause. He had to tell himself to breathe again. Katrina gently squeezed his arm. "We must be quick. They may not be able to surround us on the trail, but we're unarmed. Let's move." The superiority in her voice threw even her off.
o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>
-----.Once the decision had been made, everyone was quiet. Richard motioned the woman to go first, then Katrina while he concealed their tracks. Neither hesitated. As they traveled, young evergreen trees of the Ven pressed tightly at their sides, forcing them to hike single-file along the trail. The path was a dark green walled route that cut through the brush and branches. They couldn't see anything around them. Richard occasionally looked back. He couldn't see very far, but of what he could see, it was clear.
-----.After a while, they came upon some ground that was rockier and started inclining. The trees began to thin out and made way for the hardwood trees, mostly white birch. The birches' black spots on their white trunks made it feel like hundreds of eyes were watching the three pass. Other than the raucous of some ravens, it was a very quiet and peaceful place.
-----.At the base of the granite wall that the path followed, Richard pulled Katrina and the woman close, using his hands and making movements to suggest that they had to be quiet and step on the rocks, but to mind their footing because the moss would be slippery. They both nodded their understanding. Katrina looked like she already knew what Richard was saying, but she was just happy to be there. However, she looked nervous and that threw Richard off. He shook off the foreboding feeling he had and explained with gestures that sound would be carried for miles before they nodded again and hurried along, stepping on the rocks and avoiding leafy patches.
-----.The woman had smiled to him. Katrina smiled to herself as they hiked along the path. The woman led the way, often turning to Richard to make sure she was going the right way. The path had several false trails leading off of it, making it difficult to navigate, but Richard knew every trail in and around Hartland. It was his job as a woods guide.
-----.As the path grew rockier, there were fewer trees, with the exception of a few gnarled ones that could only root in the crevices between rocks. They were adamant to keeping their place and not giving up to the wind. They made their way out onto some ledges east of the trail. If the men were following them, they'd have to look into the sun to see them. Richard looked back, unable to see the men. The trees had thinned out enough that they would be clearly seen. The men had followed Hawkers Trail and would be hours away by now. The closer to town and the further from the boundary they got, the better he felt. His plan had worked.
-----.Seeing no sign that they were being followed, Richard wished they would take a break. His hand throbbed something fierce. He remembered the look on the woman's face when he asked about the men. She didn't look like she needed nor wanted to stop. He rejected his thoughts about stopping.
-----.The day wore on, awfully warm for this late in the year. Katrina felt her dress sticking to her legs. She was definitely going to make adjustments to it when she got the chance. As she thought about it, her dress began changing. Armored plates cupped her hips, ran up her belly and around her chest, then over her shoulders. Her dress shortened out and slits ran from both legs, long flaps of thicker fabric and leather ran down the front and back. Then, something else surprised her. She could feel an energy powering its way through her. She smiled inwardly, having an idea of what it was.
-----.Richard stared. The woman heard them both stop moving and turned around only to let her expression be readable. She was shocked. Then, Katrina allowed her face to draw into shock. She wasn't looking at the woman, she was looking ahead. Where the trail was once clear stood two of the men. The three of them turned around, but from ropes above, the other two men entered, blocking the path. Richard was bigger than most men, but these men were bigger than him. They were intimidating with weapons at their sides and spikes on bands on their arms. One of them stepped forward.
-----."You may pass, boy. Our business is with the girl." He then looked at Katrina. "We'll take that one, too." The man's voice was deep, almost friendly, but it was clear that it was a threat as sharp as a blade. Richard had never been in a situation like this before. He'd always managed to sidestep trouble and he never gave way to his temper. He turned to the woman. Her eyes were that of a proud woman beseeching his help.
-----.He kept his voice low, but firm. "I won't leave you."
-----.Relief washed over her. She muttered some things to him, but he barely understood. He heard what she said, but it didn't make sense. Katrina stood on one side of Richard and the woman on the other.
-----.The man took off his gloves and placed them in his belt. "Be on your way, boy. Last time offered."
-----."We will all be passing." His voice sounded sure, but it was clear he was nervous.
-----."Not today." The leader said with finality. He pulled a curved knife from his side. The sounds of other men pulling swords free rang in the air. The one next to the leader ran his sword on the inside of his forearm, giving the blade a taste of blood. Richard was paralyzed. It was all happening too fast. They had no chance. None.
-----."Back off." Katrina said, low and clear. The quad stopped moving for them. The leader stared at her.
-----."You serious? You think we're gonna back off because a little girl told us to?" His imposing gait faltered for a moment, seeing the rage building in her eyes. She raised a fist in front of herself, facing him.
-----."Yes. I repeat: back-" she opened her hand. A shock wave released, sending the leader and the man behind him reeling over the side of Blunt Cliff. "-off." The other half of the quad took the opportunity to advance.
-----.When Katrina turned to see how the others were doing, she felt pain in every joint in her body. Leaves moved away from something like another shock wave. There was a hard clap in the air, like a thunder without sound. Richard was collapsed against the wall, his head bleeding a little. One of the men was fighting another and the woman was doing her best to stay away. The fourth man was knocked over the cliff before Richard's head met the wall. Katrina went to Richard's side and held a hand over his head. A little light poured into his skull, healing the wound and helping him fight the blackout. There were no men left on the cliff wall. All had gone over the edge.
-----."I was so scared that I didn't even ask your name," the woman said to Richard. "I didn't want them to find us."
-----."I'm Richard Cypher," he said. The woman's green eyes held his. It almost took his breath away. She was attractive and intelligent.
-----."You are a very rare person, Richard Cypher. Not many would have stood with me." The woman looked over at Katrina, then back to Richard.
-----."I am Kahlan. My family name is Amnell."
-----."You, too, are a very rare person, Kahlan Amnell. There are not many who would have stood as you did." Kahlan gave him a smile. It was small, with no teeth showing, but her eyes glittered with confidence. It was a special sort of smile.
-----."I'm Katrina. My last name isn't important. You can call me Katy, if you like." Katrina helped them both up. She knew their relationship was just starting to develop and hadn't wanted to interfere. Richard looked at her. Her battle dress had extended back out and become the normal travel dress she was wearing before. He dismissed the questions he had for the time being and turned back to Kahlan.
-----."Well, Kahlan, my friend, could you tell me how it is we're alive and those four aren't?"
-----."Do you mean that?"
-----."Mean what?"
-----."Friend."
-----."Sure. I just stood with you. That's the sort of thing a friend does, isn't it?" He gave her a smile.
-----.Katrina decided to leave them alone for the time being. They had a conversation to have and she wanted to get to Hartland to see it. Reading about everything and actually seeing everything were completely different concepts. She was excited. She continued down the trail that she knew led toward Hartland. It wasn't long before the other two caught up to her.
This is not an original story. This is a fan-fiction based off of the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. I do not own any of the characters or places or anything part of the series. Katrina is my character.
