title: a pause for breath
author: teri, stana
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 21:34:16 EDT

There was a rush of euphoria as Clip bounded out of
the side of the mountain, carrying Stana and the group
away from the battling armies. The rush of joy from
his rider coursed through his body, singing along his
nerves until he lost himself in it.

Then he made the mistake of looking back. His gait
slowed and Stana looked over her shoulder, neck
craning to see waht he was seeing. Mortality. He felt
the human go cold and lifeliss, hands clenching in his
mane.

It felt like a part of him chilled too, and he
contained his shudder in a defiant whistle, galloping
away from the armies and after teh still escaping
group.

Clip kept running, holding himself in check because he
knew that Stana would not be able to hold on at full
speed, nor the other animals keep up.  He was winded
only slightly, that from too much ease of living the
past few months. But his breathing remained tolerably
fast, and his gait remained staedy even as the other
mounts began to show signs of exhaustion.

They were slowing, Teri noted. The horse's sides were
heaving, and her arms were slick with his sweat. She
realized that she could barely move, and kept her
cheek  pressed to the stallion's bloodred neck. A few
minutes ago the anger had drained from her, and she
had begun to shake.  Reaching into her pack for
tylenol hadn't been an option at the tilt they had
been moving- and now she was almost too shaken to do
it.

She had no idea why.  As the sounds of battle had
dissapeared behind her, a battle she was ultimately able to burn from
her thoughts, her limbs had begun to ache.  A little at first, as the first
trees began covering the group's backs.

Cramping pain had tightened her stomach and caused her to shake; she curled
up as much as she could against the back of the stallion.  She wanted to get
down. SHe wanted medicine from her own world, she wanted to escape the
constant backwash of Stana's emotions as she wanted to escape the eerie,
bitter calm of the reedy man behind her.

Another spasm of pain- she clenched her jaw.  What was happening? She could
taste sour bile in the back of her throat, and closed her eyes tight. When
were they going to stop?

Seeming to sense the growing exhaustion of the party,  Elainas pulled them
all up, gathering the horse with the ease of long practice. Agni immediately
followed
suit, snorting out his exhaustion and shking his head, froth flying at the
motion.

"Where are we?" Stana asked abruptly.

"We've gone too far North." The Ambassador said finally. "we'll need to
circle wide and retrace our path. From a different direction though, as there
may
be pursuit."

"Alot of people were dying." Sana said, her voice getting thin. "Its more
than possible that the Skaen army was bypassed. Glorious litle war isnt it?"

"No war is glorious" Elainas said smoothly "no death un mourned."

"Beautiful sentiment." she sneered "lets go back and tell their families
that."

"Let it go Stana." Teri said, suprised to hear the words leaving her mouth
even as she fumbled in her pack for her bottle of tylenol. "We're out, and we
need to keep moving."

"A good suggestion."  the Ambassador said, sliding in between the animosity
with ease of practice. "Let us continue North, and we can shift directions in
a few
miles."

Teri popped the pills, trying to ignore bruised feeling in her ribs and back.
Was it the ride that made her sides tender and her breath painful? Maybe she
had been hit and hadn't noticed... or maybe she was just reacting to the fear
filling the air at their escape. She felt Agni shifting beneath her shaking
legs and clasped the reigns as firmly as possible.  She needed a hot bath,
and some coffee. The stress must be getting to her...

Stana turned her head, Clip picking the direction unhurridly. She passed by
Audion without a word, not feeling his gaze lingering on her for a moment more
than neccessary.