The turbak was heavy in her arms, but Aghet knew she probably wouldn't be able to hold her power mark for much longer, so stuck through it. It had covered itself completely with the cloak wrapped around it, so only a tuft of black hair could be seen peeking from the top. A lazily waving arm poked out from time to time, pointing Aghet in the right direction, and this went on for some time.

Aghet knew she had to hurry, as most would be looking for her now that Frud was spreading the word. The border wasn't far, as her tribe's village was the closest of all other Rixit towns. It was why Aghet and Qrev were to be such prominent war leaders, as many soldiers tended to filter through. 

The early morning air was thick and humid, making Aghet sweat and her hair stick to her neck. The turbak was helping a little. It's body was freezing, even through the cloak wrapped around it. Wildlife sang around her, small fae mice darting between the bushes all around her, crunching on the hard shells of the nuts that had fallen from them. They discarded the insides, leaving them in small pockets left in the dirt. Nymphs and other fae would dig these pockets up, usually leaving a trail that elves searched for. It led them straight to the fairies, who would promptly be killed and taken back to an elven village to eat. 

Aghet had attempted to talk several times to the nymphs, but they didn't seem to want to communicate. Perhaps because they were being hunted like animals.

She could actually see one as she ran past. She was hunched behind a bush, digging in the ground and tearing some berries from a blackberry bush to her right. She watched as Aghet passed, getting to her feet, probably to follow. Aghet was glad. If worse came to worse, the nymph could be persuaded to help. Many times, lost Rixit had been led back to the village by unseen forces. A venomous animal, killed by a single toxin dagger.

Aghet had been the lost Rixit many times. 

It seemed the nymphs operated on their own whims, not leaning to any side but fiercely combative when it came to the elves, which came to no surprise. 

So Aghet didn't try to shake it, and kept going straight toward the mountain pass she could see peeking through the trees. As she did, she felt her traveler's mark twinge, and she knew Qrev was probably awake, looking for her. It stung a bit, which meant that several others were, as well. Had she been gone that long?

A harsh squeeze on her shoulders made Aghet stop in her tracks, and she looked down at the turbak, who had lifted it's head and was staring at the rocky ledge Aghet had stopped just shy of walking on. She crouched behind a thick tangle of bushes, feeling a few beetles crawl over her bare feet as she did so. She searched for the turbak shown to her by the one in her arms, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

As she was thinking about just pushing the child over the border for a turbak patrol to find, a hand dropped on her shoulder, making Aghet jump, turning swiftly to grab the wrist of whoever had startled her. 

The nymph woman stilled, gaze curious and only for the turbak in Aghet's arms. She used her shoulder as a way to push herself forward, and the nymph circled Aghet, coming to a stop at her side and releasing her. 

"Don't touch it." Aghet told her, and the woman paused as she was about to do just that, hand outstretched and ready to rest on the turbak's head. It still wasn't paying attention to anything, just staring ahead. Perhaps waiting. It was strange to see a nymph so interested in something.

As she felt another twinge in her traveler's mark, Aghet began to think that something was wrong. The connection was too strong. It wasn't a curious search as to where she was, it was a desperate need to find her. Aghet's chest tightened, and her head began to pound crazily as she began to panic. The only thing that she would connect that to was if there was an attack.

Getting to her feet, Aghet came out into the open, setting the turbak down onto the stone and looking around, seeing nothing. She was standing right at the border, so much so that she could see the beginning of the dark stone that housed turbak settlements in the distance. Towers stretched high into the early morning sky, and every one of them was lit. 

Aghet felt her breath leave her as something rammed into her back, and she stumbled forward, hearing a heavy object land onto the stone and spinning around, seizing the nymph woman who had pushed her and dragging her out of the way as the newcomer ran forward. 

Quickly running a finger down her forearm, Aghet threw up both arms to block the blow as her defense mark activated. The chain wrapped itself around them, and began to squeeze.

Through hazy vision as her strength waned, Aghet stared up at the turbak in front of her, seeing that it was indeed the one the child shown her. His face was twisted in a mask of pure fury, and Aghet pulled away from the chain, feeling her legs begin to give out. She couldn't keep her mark up for long. 

"Release me!" She yelled up at him, straining to draw a finger down her power mark. It was a last resort, but she had no choice. Aghet's vision went dark for a couple of seconds as she surged backward, swinging the turbak around and sending him stumbling as his heels met the edge of a cliff, forcing him to take away the chain.

Aghet nearly toppled over, but caught herself, quickly getting rid of both marks' effects and retreating backward a few more feet. She kept a finger on her fire mark in her palm, making sure the turbak saw the child, who she had placed between them as a peace offering. It hadn't made a sound, or made a move. It was just watching the male turbak with the same wide eyes as always.

"I am returning your child, there's no need to fight. It's unharmed."

"Where's Kari?" He spat out, chain coiling like a snake caught by the tail in his grip. It glowed the same gold as the veins that had popped up in his skin, and was unlike anything Aghet had seen a turbak carry before. 

"If you mean the woman it was with, I don't know. She was injured, I-"

Aghet cut herself off as the chain whipped toward her again, and sprang backward, barely dodging it. It made a harsh, resounding clang that made her ears ring. 

"I will kill you where you stand, Rixit. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you. Just put your weapon down, let's talk." Aghet said, her body aching terribly from the strain of the past few minutes. The nymph was nowhere in sight, thankfully. Aghet would be upset if she had gotten hurt.

The turbak paused, and Aghet relaxed a bit as he lowered his arm, still angry but not as aggressive. 

"Tell me who you are." He growled, and Aghet took a breath, keeping two fingers on her defense mark as she straightened, replying.

"My name isn't important. Take your child and go, I came to return it to you. Perhaps you should be thankful you didn't stray too far from borders." Aghet continued, the threat in her voice prominent.

"I am not leaving without Kari." 

"She is dead." Aghet told him,"She had a terrible chest wound when I found her, and when I woke up she was gone. I haven't seen her since."

The turbak furrowed his brow, confusion making his temper flare as he glowered at her, kneeling next to the child and wrenching it around to face him. Aghet watched as his eyes searched for something in the child's face, and when he found it, an expression of pure horror wiped his face clean of any previous confusion.

His fist clenched around the chain once more, and Aghet backed away  as she drew two fingers down her traveler's mark, signaling those who were trying to find her.

The chain snapped out, and Aghet was too slow in moving out of the way. It laced around her arm, burning into her shoulder where her traveler's mark was placed. 

A terrible burning lashed outward from the contact, and Aghet screamed, collapsing to her knees, throat growing raw as her yells grew in volume with the mounting pain. It felt like someone had put a branding iron on her flesh, even if no physical wound could be seen. Her traveler's mark was ablaze with the contact to the chain, and Aghet felt her skin bruising as it squeezed tighter and tighter.

Her arm jerked in it's socket as she wrenched at his hold, eyes rolling back into her head as she nearly lost consciousness, and she drooped, hanging from the chain's grip like a doll in a child's hand as the connection to her traveler's mark was abruptly cut off.

A horrible, empty feeling rushed through her, and Aghet stopped fighting as the burning gradually weakened. Only the ache of her bruised arm remained, but Aghet was not relieved. She couldn't feel the pull from the others anymore. She couldn't see the mark on her skin, all was left was a mottled mess of ink.

Aghet saw the child suddenly turn, and it started to sprint away from them, into turbak territory. 

"What have you done?" She breathed, voice hoarse as he relinquished the chain's hold on her, wrapping a hand around her arm and wrenching Aghet to a standing position, keeping an eye on the child and swearing under his breath. 

"I made sure there wasn't going to be any followers." He replied.

A harsh wave of cold hit Aghet's face as a blast of ice smashed into the turbak's shoulder, and he released her, grabbing his stump arm as his face twisted in pain. 

"Too late." Rin said, hand still outstretched toward him as four others emerged from the trees, rushing toward them with hands reaching for their marks. 

The turbak didn't waste time, turning and leaping straight off the cliff's edge, skipping the steep slope the child was trecking and landing in front of it, scooping it into his arm and continuing to run. 

"Let him go!" Aghet called, voice cracking as she stopped the rest of the patrol from going after the turbak. She didn't want them going after him, especially in enemy territory, and with the chain he held. She could barely move, but forced herself to rise to her feet, gathering her robe around her and grabbing Rin's hand for support.

"Aghet, are you-?"

"Take me back." Aghet interrupted her, taking a deep breath and looking out over the border at the turbak's retreating form. The child was peering over his shoulder straight at them.

"Take me back." She repeated in the uneasy silence that followed, hanging on to Rin's arm as she headed back toward the village.

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