Pursuit

'I wish I hade been wrong, I wish I had been wrong!' Shiro screamed inside as the latest disaster descended upon them.

They had made good time out of the Holy Kingdom despite having to avoid the roads during normal travel times, that was all the luck they had. As they neared to river that marked the northern border patrols had increased until now they had finally been sighted by a group of mounted soldier.

Hassium had scooped up Ewan ungracefully and despite his loud protests in the common words he had been learning, while Lorna had jumped up on Aspen's back when Willow's attempt to magically discourage the horses from follow the party had been met with just as much blood lust from the horses as the men.

Shiro had gone to reach for Coral to help her up for the chase, but all Shiro had caught was a blur of color as Coral tumbled into the river and then disappeared to the east. Reminding Shiro as she went of a fish being returned to a pond after being unhooked.

A whizzing dagger of ice snapped Shiro back to focus and she whipped a barrier up.

This was going to be tricky, Willow was already pulling the biggest creatures from the river that she could but was not getting anything much bigger than a snapping turtle in lands this civilized.

Ezma was trying to keep everyone moving as quick as possible while not presenting limbs as targets for the spell slingers.

The spell slingers who happened to be trying to get ranges for trick shots to curve projectiles around Shiro's barrier.

'Damn' thought Shiro 'just when I think I have the hang of placing the barrier in the best spot something happens and it might as well not be there.'

Just as she thought that one of the casters on the shore slammed a small boulder into the dead center of the barrier, reminding her that the barrier was not not doing nothing.

As the non-mage soldiers started urging their horses into the water Shiro risked a glance at the shore they were counting so much on reaching and was not encouraged. Featureless grasslands spread to the foot of a distant mountain making it look a lot closer than the dozen or so days she had been told several times it would take to reach.

More importantly there was no way to hide from their pursuers, and Shiro's money was on the calvary winning this if it came down to a race.

What she would not give for a ranged fighter or two right now to at least pick off enough foes to slow them down. A distant part of her brain wondered why the Holy Kingdom got to use actual horses on the north instead of the weird bird things she had ridden to Dawnwall.

Willow cracked her whip through brief holes in Shiro's barrier, like they had been practicing since Ezma had started dance lessons, trying to keep the melee fighters on the back foot as Shiro attempted to catch up with the rest of the party now reaching the bank.

Soaked Shiro and Willow got to the bank in time to hear Ezma shout "Scatter!" as the mages launched streams of fire from the middle of the river, missing Shiro's barrier completely and igniting the grass that up close was six feet or more tall.

There was nothing for it, they scattered like frightened rabbits.

                                                               ***

Major Henry Riverborn sighed in exasperation as his squad caught up with the corporal in charge of the advance squad.

After receiving word of fugitives on the run from Grainhold the major had repositioned his units to watch any approach to the fords shallow enough to cross on foot.

What he had not counted on was his people getting excited and burning the grassland.

"Who gave the order to light this lovely bonfire?" The Major asked with enough false mirth in his voice that the corporal relaxed, "Me sir!" he replied with enthusiasm "We will smoke them out right quick and be home for dinner."

The Major almost felt bad as he smacked the man clean out of his saddle, he did not feel bad as he loomed over him with thinly controlled rage in his eyes,

"Tell me lad,' no rank here to emphasis the upcoming demotion 'What made you think the cats would ignore your toasty campfire eh?"

"Cat sir?" The soldier replied

The major pinched the bridge of his nose, that was the problem with education these days, all talk of glory and combat and nothing about the nature of the Holy Kingdom's neighbors.

As the Major opened his mouth to explain how badly the locals take to having their land torched, a crack of thunder rolled in from the north west where storm clouds had gathered with the hazardous speed these lands were known for.

'Strange' thought the major 'why is that corporal upside down?'

The answer came as one of the spotted catfolk of the plains stepped around the Major's horse to dispatch the corporal, bits of the rank insignia from the major's lapel still in its claws as it dispatched the pleading corporal.

                                                                       ***

Shiro could not see and could barely breath as she stumbled away from the heat, hopefully in a direction of safety.

The smoke cleared enough for a second that she could see there was no safe way out. Somehow the fire had ringed her in.

A chirruping meow pierced the crackling of flames, Shiro blinked in disbelief at seeing a black spotted tan cat sharing in her demise.

Or was it?

With a yawn and a stretch it stood up and disappeared down a hole Shiro had not seen before.

Not entirely sure of the wisdom but seeing no other way to a void becoming an other world BBQ Shiro followed down the hole, feeling like she was chasing a white rabbit.

The exit to the hole was not visible as dark storm clouds had rolled in making it just as dark outside as in, but the rain pouring down to wash the stinging soot from Shiro's body felt Life saving.

In the dark and comforting wet, Ezma's hand found Shiro's