Tass was quiet the whole morning. While this was pleasant for Rynere, it made her wonder what was going on.

She started asking questions.

"What did you mean last night? About the wedding -and you? You can't mean you'd be the groom."

He snickered, but didn't answer.

"What exactly did you do to Kyndran?"

Silence.

Eventually she kicked Tass in the back.

"What is going on?"

He glanced up at her, grinned, then kept walking. Until she kicked him again.

"Why aren't you trying to talk my ear off today?"

Tass shrugged. And grinned again.

"What is wrong with you?"

"We recognize his voice here far too easily is the problem," a man said, stepping out from the trees directly in front of them. Rynere gave a small scream of surprise. The man smiled.

"Now, missy, we're not here to hurt you. We'll take you home ...after we've done what we want with you. We're here to hurt this, eh, friend of yourn."

 "Why?" Rynere asked impulsively.

"Why," the man said, almost mockingly. "Dear girl, he's just been trespassin' our land for years. Around here, a man's land is his land, and no one so much as touches it without his compliance."

"Aaaaand ...it just so happens that I'm not from around here. They're acting like I'd know," Tass returned, cocking his head. He looked at the man thoughtfully, then shook his head almost despairingly. "They never learn. I almost feel sorry for them."

About six more men appeared from the woods, surrounding them.

Tass rolled his eyes and sighed.

"All of you are way too thickheaded to learn anything. Did you know that?"

The next thing she knew, Rynere was being dragged from her horse by the first man. The other six were swarming Tass. She couldn't see him.

"C'mere, darlin'," the first man smiled unpleasantly. "Trust me, I'll treat you to a better life than anything that addlepated fool friend of yours can give."

Rynere didn't waste her time with a retort. She was biting, kicking, slapping, and screaming -in her captor's ear -as loud as she could.

It wasn't working. He slung her over his shoulder and darted into the woods. From where she was, Rynere could barely see Tass. He was wielding some long weapon. And he was winning the fight.

Eventually, when they were a safe distance away from the miniature battle, Rynere's captor set her down, shoving some nasty-tasting wool into her mouth and tying a strip of cloth around it.

 She kept kicking and hitting, but to no avail. It only made her captor tie her hands and feet. He shoved her up against a tree.

"It'll be okay, missy. You really don't want to associate with that fellow anyway. It's bad for one's reputation. Makes one think that you're actually with him. And that's a dangerous thing hereabouts and further on."

Rynere could only glare at him.

He smiled, and got down on one knee in front of her.

"Don't worry. We'll marry, settle down -that'll keep you out of trouble with -"

Something hit him in the side of the head and he fell over -unconscious, if not dead.

Rynere glanced up.

She would have screamed again if the gag hadn't blocked the sound.