Ties That Bind

Carnivorous pt. 1

Ofelia's been traveling with Yaghed for about two moons (about two moons since her family was killed) when they run into the witch woman. Her hair is curly and a dark brown. Her skin is tan and she has the tail of a possum. She is tall, though not as tall as Yaghed, and has delicate features. Her lips are painted the color of berries and she wears a lavish dress of oranges, pinks and yellows, decorated with gold brocade. Her eyes are the color of blood.

"And who do you have with you?" the woman asks, voice dripping with curiosity. Her accent is gravelly and growly. Ofelia's never quite heard an accent like that before.

"She's not for sale, Shelagh. Not to you," Yaghed tells her, looking particularly displeased. She had been the one to approach him on the streets and followed them all the way back to the tavern, insistent. "Is there something else you want or are you just here to fuck with me?"

"Fuck with you? No, I would never." Shelagh smiles at him, then smiles at her. "It's been many years since we've met, Yaghed of Higorath. Who am I to pass up a chance to have a drink with an old friend?"

"We aren't friends."

"It's been twenty years. I suppose I'll have to wait twenty more to earn that title." The way she says it is mocking and Yaghed's look turns murderous, prompting her to smile again as she shrugs her curls over her shoulder. "Where are you headed? Perhaps I will accompany you."

"Delegan."

"Hmm. How perfectly vague. You've never been much of a conversationalist- I don't know what I expected."

"Piss off, Shelagh. Go stick your nose in someone else's business. I don't have the drive to deal with you."

"Drive? You don't need that. I'll talk to the girl instead. Perhaps she'll be more interesting." Shelagh turns her intense gaze onto Ofelia, who sinks into the bar stool. "What's your name? I am Shelagh of Tal Moori."

"Liz," Ofelia says.

"Liz," Shelagh echoes, smiling. She leans closer until Ofelia can smell the sweetness of her breath and Ofelia's first instinct is to get away, then suddenly Shelagh's hands are cupped around her face.

All at once, it feels as if her mind gets loud. Shelagh's eyes meet hers and Ofelia squirms in her seat, trying to jerk out of the woman's grasp. It feels like there's ants in her head, like there's something crawling around in there. Shelagh gasps, delighted, then in the same instant, Yaghed jams the but of his axe into her stomach and flings her across the room.

The whole tavern goes silent.

Ofelia's face burns and she feels like she can't breathe. She looks at Yaghed, then to Shelagh, who's collapsed on the floor, mouth twisted in a scowl. The bartender begins walking over and Yaghed stands and jerks Ofelia up off her seat by the hair.

"Come on. We're going."

He turns and stalks out of the room. Ofelia scurries after him. Only once she's left the room do the musicians start blaring music again, the jaunty songs following her out the door. Yaghed walks quickly and she has to jog to keep up with him.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Out of this fucking town," he says.

Yaghed doesn't elaborate, as per usual. They head out of town, heading whichever way he's taking to get to Delegan. They could be going wherever for all Ofelia knows. The thought starts to worry her. She doesn't know what to do and her head hurts.

She nearly convinces herself to ask him if they can stop for rest. In the end, she talks herself out of it, so the two of them continue down the road until sunset, when they search for a place to camp. They eat the foods they got in town that will spoil first. Once it's too dark for her to do anything (Yaghed has better night vision than she does) she curls up on the forest floor and sleeps.