Dead to rights

Rebecca agreed, then broke into her shop. Most of the magical supplies were things she could actually get in any town- what she needed right now was hard cash. Most was in a drawer by the counter, which the guards had looted with presumed glee, but her more valuable coins were in an enchanted lockbox. It wasn't much- half a dozen silver crowns and two hard-earned gold dragons- but aside from the clothes on her back, it was all she had. Now, as she ran to the burned out tree to begin her flight with Iliya, a tear crawled down her cheek. Things might have turned sour this night, but Willowby was still her home.
 
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Iliya was waiting right where she said she would be, a small backpack and sword were new additions to her outfit.
"Ahh, you didn't get caught... That's good, I am not sure I'd be able to escape if the guards were on alert... Now... Before we even think of a specific destination, I suggest hiding in the woods, it will give us a chance to take stock and r..recover..."
She stumbled over the last word, a hand reaching up to her head.
Though... Now that there was time to think, Iliya was a little wobbly, with a barely concealed look of pain on her face, the guards must have really worked her over.
 
Rebecca helped Iliya to her feet, then led her deeper into the forest, away from prying eyes. The witch looked at her companion's head- the wound wasn't bleeding anymore, but it still looked ugly. "Iliya, there's a spell I know that could heal you in seconds. A life transferal, to be precise. Problem is, if I cast it, there will be a lot of decaying plant life here in short order. Could alert the guards to which way we've gone, if they find it. Do you want me to use it, or should we just soldier on?"
 
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Iliya's balance didn't seem to be getting much worse at least, presuming she had time to rest everything would heal up okay with nothing but a scar hidden by her hair.
The elf seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head.
"As appealing as that is... Even at full health I doubt I could fight off the guards, and they will do a LOT worse than this if they find us".
She wasn't wrong... There wasn't a huge positive sentiment for elves in the country so Iliya would probably be beaten to death, and as a dangerous, escaped mage Rebecca would be killed on sight and incinerated, their best hope was finding their way to a border.
 
Rebecca nodded. "Then let's not dally. The more distance we can put between ourselves and our pursuers, the better. We can either try to stay close to the road down to Blackford, or cut across the forest to the coast. The former makes us more visible, but we know where we're going. If we try to go through the woods, we might get lost and be praying for the guards to put us out of our misery. My vote goes to the road, but I want your input."
 
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Iliya seemed to think about it for a minute before replying.
"I think the forest, civilised or not I am still an elf, and we know our way around trees, also I retrieved my map of the local woods And a compass so either way we're good".
 
"That's good- I have no sense of direction whatsoever." Rebecca looked at Iliya closely. "You're the one with the map and the compass- point me in the direction we need to go, and let's get on the move. The longer we stay close to Willowby, the more likely we're caught."
 
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Upon closer inspection she was clearly having trouble keeping steady and focused, but seemed to be stubbornly holding out.
Fortunately the forest wasn't too far, at most a half hour's brisk walk.
Pretty soon after entering the tree line Iliya collapsed, and threw up bile.
 
Rebecca looked at Iliya's grave condition. Fuck it. The necromancer dragged her new companion over by a large tree, then started channeling the plant's life force into the elf. The tree began to wither, and the grass around them began to rot and putrefy. Hopefully, Iliya would be back up and ready to run in a minute or so- the pair would need to move even faster now.
 
A few minutes after the healing Iliya seemed at least mostly recovered.
"Shit... Sorry... I guess they hit me harder than I thought... They really wanted my accomplice... Despite, you know, not having done anything..."
She complained, standing up to continue with far less wobbling and the dazed look completely gone, she looked sharp and alert, ears twitching at every sound in case it was the clink of armour or drawing of a blade rather than just wind.
 
Of course they did. Rebecca shook her head, then looked at the sky. The sun was starting to barely creep over the horizon. "Alright. We want to be heading north, and the sun rises in the west, so..." She turned and started heading through the woods- completely oblivious, of course, to the fact that she was actually going due south.
 
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Iliya sighed deeply and shook her head as she grabbed Rebecca's arm to stop her.
"Wrong way genius... Let me handle navigation okay?"
She requested, before starting to walk north, the compass and her own senses a usually flawless combination, and today seemed no different, especially now that she was actually healed.
"Hey... Do think they'll accuse me of apostasy now too?"
She asked after a little while.
 
"Yes, I think they will, sadly. They'll have accused us of everything up to and including murdering the Baron, the fact that he's currently alive notwithstanding." Rebecca smiled sadly- these were not times to jest, yet they had to keep their spirits up somehow. Eventually, they'd get to a place where they weren't being hunted, and could rebuild what was left of their lives. They just needed to keep moving.
 
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"Heh, now I'm tempted to actually do something criminal... Then again my conscience might kick in and screw me over".
It was hard to tell if she was joking or not, and if she was, then what part was the joke?
"So... Did you have somewhere in mind to cross the bordet at? Iron cliffs would be easiest, there are no border guards there, I might be able to get us into the Union cities... But also maybe not".
 
Once again, Rebecca had reason to question her traveling partner. Still, it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter- the necromancer would be lucky to last a day by herself out in the wilds. She thought for just a second, then decided to trust Iliya's judgement. "We've need a roof over our heads sooner rather than later. If you think you can get us into the Union Cities, then let's go for it. I've got some ideas as to what we can we do to earn our keep once we get there."
 
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"Alright... It's been a while since I've been home, but we tend to have long memories so I'll be fine, you might struggle a bit if they have gotten out any wanted posters before we get there though".
Iliya warned, looking at her map for a minute before starting to walk.
"We're close to the border already but won't arrive today for certain".
 
Rebecca nods. "Sounds like tomorrow, then. We push on as far as we can, then make camp for the night. Tomorrow morning, we make a dash for it. Being tired inside there beats being dead outside it." The crimson-haired witch thought for a moment. "I haven't seen you work any spells yet, Iliya. Do you practice magic at all?"
 
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"Yeah, likely tomorrow afternoon if we keep our current pace and get an early morning, I know I'll not be able to sleep in on the dirt ground..."
Well that wasn't the most stereotypical thing an elf could say! In fact Iliya kept brushing leaves and dirt off of her clothing.
"Hmm? Well I'm not the greatest mage in the world but I'm decent at Minor illusions, a lot of my clan is actually... Things like this".
She held up her hand and chanted in an Elvish dialect, descended from demon speak and very old human language it was a complex and powerful language.
When she was done a tiny dragon flew in circles over her hand as a bead of sweat appeared on her face.
 
The dragon was incredibly detailed- Rebecca was duly impressed. It took amazing attention to detail to conjure such a realistic illusion, and impressive focus to keep it from wavering. "You're a better witch than I am, Iliya- your talents will take you far."

The sun slowly grew lower in the sky, and Rebecca's legs started feeling like the were made of iron. "I don't have much left in me, Iliya. Let's make camp, before I fall asleep where I stand."
 
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"Heh... You think so? The thing is illusions are all I can do, and they're pretty common among my clan, besides, it's much harder to go into detail on larger things, a full sized dragon would likely resemble a crude drawing more than a terrifying beast!"
She downplayed her talent, though sounded as if she honestly wasn't too proud of it.

Iliya herself seemed pretty tired by the time they made camp, sinking the ground with a groan as she rested her now sore legs.
"Hahh... I was hoping to find a comfy log cabin or something... Though at least it's warm this time of year...".
She mumbled.
 
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