Well, it looks like it took me longer than I expected to finish this installment, but here it is.
There’s also a little gift at the end, an interlude that focuses on a specific character. I’m sure that at least some readers will appreciate it. (Or at least I hope. 
)
Chapter 5: The Shapeshifter and the Rider of the Steppes
**************
“Gods above! How long will this farce last?!” Azeneth complained, out of her patience. “Why are we agreeing to let them treat us like prisoners?!”
“Because we are wearing the clothes of Pakal soldiers. They have every reason to be wary of us.” Yuka angrily retorted. “We know nothing of the area, I want to wait before making enemies out of these people. Plus, it was the only way to convince them to heal Yisüi, so keep quiet! You’re NOT helping us!”
Her tone of voice was sharp.
Azeneth bit her lower lip when her friend snapped at her, but complied.
Jinora was keeping quiet. Her expression was sombre.
Yuka could indeed use her powers to try to escape. Their captors didn’t know she was a shapeshifter. She could just change change her size to have a smaller stature, which would allow her to free her wrists. However, such an action would label them as enemies and spies, and she wanted to solve things diplomatically for once.
The Gengis riders who captured them were probably from a region south to Yisüi’s homeland. While their skin was almost as light as hers, their hair were reddish blond and their eyes were grey.
Yuka, Azeneth, and Jinora were currently held prisoners in one of the yurts of the settlement. They were tied in a circle to a pole at the center of the yurt, with their wrists bound behind their back with ropes. Their ankles were also tied with ropes.
They had been separated from Coulter and Yisüi since the riders brought them to their settlement. They didn’t know what happened to them. They didn't know how much time passed.
They didn’t even know if their friends were still alive.
And they were tired to wait.
**************
Time passed.
Azeneth was getting more and more restless. She kept moving and stirring, testing the strength of her bonds, but without being able to release her tied wrists. Their captors knew how to make strong knots. Jinora was staying calm, but she was looking downcast.
Yuka was tempted to forget about diplomacy, to release herself, and to see if Yisüi was fine. She couldn't stand not knowing!
Suddenly, they heard noise outside.
The three friends raised their heads when a group of reddish-blond-haired warriors entered the yurt.
They were escorting Yisüi. The blonde had been healed, and her wounds had closed up. Yuka wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that some magic had been at work. The Gengis shamans were no slouch, and if their powers hadn’t directly been tied to the lands of the Great Steppes, they would probably have been able to better resist the Empire by waging war directly on its soil.
However, their relief was short-lived. Yuka, Azeneth and Jinora quickly realized that something was off. The warriors weren’t escorting Yisüi as if she was a comrade.
They were escorting her as if she was their prisoner.
“I’m sorry…” Yisüi weakly said to her friends. “We’re in trouble because of me…”
The warriors were led by a woman.
Just like most of the other people of her settlement, she had reddish blond hair tied into a shoulder-long ponytail, a light skin, and grey eyes. She was taller than any of her warriors, athletic-looking, and with the profile of a bird of prey: sharp angular face and hooked nose. Her thighs were thick and her hands were calloused.
The woman was wearing a blue long horseman jacket with loose sleeves over a white tunic, and practical brown baggy trousers. A black cloth sash was tied around her waist. On a leather belt, she was carrying a sabre. She was wearing a conical hat made from felt and fur, with flaps for the ears and an upturned brim at the front. Her hat was adorned with a long black feather to show the fact that she had a high status in the settlement.
The woman smiled mockingly, and towered over the three bound women. She started to talk while using the language of the Vassal Kingdoms. Her accent was thick, but they could understand her.
“Greetings, strangers. My name is Börte Qamil. I lead the mounted archers of my khanate. And you are now mine.”
“What do you want from us?!” Azeneth retorted.
“All will be explained to you in due time. But first...”
Börte grabbed Yisüi’s chin.
“… I want something from you, little Baj.”
She was now speaking in her people’s language, but luckily Yuka could still understand it. As a shapeshifter, she was able to learn other languages with ease. As they were among potential allies, Rashid insisted that she learned the rudiments of the Gengis language.
Yisüi glared daggers at Börte and moved her head to release her chin. “I won’t give you anything!” she retorted defiantly.
Börte took a step back, pretending to be offended.
“We nursed you back to health, right? I want you to show me your thanks. I want you to kneel before me.”
“I’d sooner die than bow my head to a Makenmyr!” Yisüi barked.
Yuka, Azeneth and Jinora were surprised to hear so much venom in her voice. Their friend was usually so quiet and polite. But for some reason, she seemed to hate this group of her people as much as the Mages themselves.
“I recognize here the ungratefulness of the Baj…” Börte shrugged. “Oh well! Then I guess that I will take one of your friends’ head instead, as payment.”
Two of her men grabbed Jinora, cut her bonds, and forced her to get up. The black-haired woman yelped.
"Leave her alone!"
Yuka and Azeneth tried to intervene, but they were still trussed up to the pole. Two burly warriors immobilized each of them, as a safety precaution.
Yisüi immediately stopped being defiant.
“Wait! I-”
The blonde bit her lip, then she got on her knees and bowed her head.
Börte smiled cruelly, relishing the humiliation. “Lower.” she instructed.
Yisüi winced, but complied, until her forehead was touching the floor.
“Would you look at that? She’s actually well-behaved!” Börte exclaimed.
Her warriors laughed.
She added: “I’m almost tempted to keep you as my servant, little Baj... I need someone to clean my latrine and serve me food.”
“Careful! She might try to poison you!” another armed woman joked.
“Of course! That would make things more interesting. Though it means I would also keep one of her friends to taste my plates…” Börte looked at Jinora and slapped her butt, making the black-haired woman shriek. “Maybe this one! I like them quiet…”
Azeneth looked at Yuka, and whispered through gritted teeth. “Yu’… I don’t know what your escape plan is, but it better involves this bitch… Because there’s no way I’m letting her get away with what she did!”
**************
The warriors bound Jinora to the pole once more, then Yisüi was also tied with them. Finally, after one last smutty joke, Börte and the guards left the yurt.
The blonde remained silent and dignified as long as their jailers were inside the yurt. However, after they left, she broke down.
“I’m sorry… This is all my fault…”
“Of course not! This is the fault of this bitch.” Azeneth softly retorted. “But trust me, I won’t let her get away with it!”
“But because of my people… Because of me… We-”
“You saved my life.” Jinora interrupted her. “I thank you for that.”
The blonde frowned. “Uh?”
“You didn’t hesitate to humiliate yourself to save me. I thought this was very brave of you.” Jinora said.
“Yisü’… I don’t understand… Why are they treating you like a prisoner?” Yuka intervened, interrupting their moment.
The blonde took a deep breath. “Southerners often have a hard time realizing it, but we Gengis are NOT a united people. We’re divided into…” She shook her head. “There’s no way to correctly translate the concept. The closest thing I can think of is ‘clans’, a bit like the Charioteer clans. Most of my people are nomads, they follow the big herds or they lead their cattle from one pasture to another, from one harvest site to another. They sometimes live several months at the same place, but rarely more than half-a-year. Southerners think that ‘khanates’ are the names of our principalities, but in truth they are more the names of our clans. I come from the Baj khanate. My people control a good chunk of the northern coast between Jöchi and Ogodeï.”
“And these people...”
“These people are Makenmyr. Their khanate is the sworn enemy of mine. In the past, they often conducted raids to plunder our settlements.”
“I thought you were all allies in the war against Pakal and the Vassal Kingdoms.” Jinora commented.
“The khans of all the major khanates have agreed to unite against the Empire, but we all know that rules are meant to be broken, especially so far away from the southern border. In practice, the ban means that rival khanates agree to not fight each other on sight when they’re sent to defend the border or to take part in a raid, but that’s it…”
“Then why did they heal you?” Yuka asked.
“Our wars are very codified. Killing your enemy is fine, but there’s no profit in doing that. On the contrary, it invites your opponent to retaliate to avenge the death. It’s best to take your enemy hostage if you can, especially the young women and the children.” Yisüi explained. “Life in the steppes is hard, and death comes easily. Women and children are the future of a settlement. If you capture them, you compromise that future.”
Yuka started to understand. “They want to use you as a hostage… as a bargaining chip...”
“Yes. Or they will…” Yisüi hesitated. “They will make me bear one of their children. If they do, I’ll become part of their khanate forever.”
“It’s terrible!” Azeneth exclaimed.
“Life in the Great Steppes is harsh and cruel, Az’. Food and water are scarce. It’s not fair, but it’s how we do things...”
“Well don’t worry, we won’t let them do that to you!” the metis exclaimed.
Yisüi shook her head. “We can’t escape.” the blonde said.
“Why? These morons don’t know anything about Yuka’s powers!” Azeneth retorted.
“I’m not talking about escaping this yurt, or even about escaping the settlement. I’m talking about what comes after.”
“After?”
“There are no hiding spots in the Great Steppes. Only miles and miles of flat grassland plains." Yisüi explained. "Our best course of action would be to cross the river south of here to reach Jöchi’s lands, but we won’t be able to reach our destination before they mount an expedition to hunt us down. The only way to escape a pursuer here is to ride your horse faster than them. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“I know the rudiments...” Azeneth said.
Jinora shook her head. “I don’t!”
Yuka grimaced. “Horses don’t get along very well with shapeshifters. Just like dogs, they sense that something is off with us.”
Yisüi lowered her head. “You see the problem then. These people started to learn to ride at the same time they learned to walk. Only elite cavaliers could lose them in a pursuit…” She was sounding dejected.
There was a short moment of silence.
“There may be a way…” Yuka intervened. “If we can’t lose them in a pursuit, then our only chance is to make sure they don’t pursue us.”
“How?”
“By taking one of them with us as leverage. We simply need the right hostage. Such as the leader of their mounted archers.”
Azeneth smiled. “I think I like where this is going, Yu’...”
**************
Yisüi had been able to get a glimpse of the surroundings while she was escorted to the yurt. Thanks to her, they knew that it was the very beginning of the afternoon. A perfect moment to strike according to her, as it meant that a good chunk of the warriors were hunting and the non-combatants were either working to forage for food or to craft items.
The prisoners were also very interested to learn that most of the guards left to watch the settlement were women, including the one watching their yurt.
Their plan was simple. However, given the fact that the Gengis were a straight-forward people who used direct confrontation to solve their conflicts and NOT infiltration, Yuka had good hopes that it would work.
Yisüi would pretend that her wounds had reopened, which would allow them to lure the guard inside the yurt. Yuka would take things from here.
The shapeshifter took a breath, and changed the shape of her wrists, making them thinner. Therefore, she easily freed her arms and untied her ankles. Then, she released her friends, though while also making sure that they still appeared to be tied up.
Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi shared a glance. Yuka and Azeneth smiled ferociously. They got into position.
“Guard!” the shapeshifter then called while using the Gengis language. “Guard!”
The woman entered the yurt. While not as tall as Börte, she was still tall and athletic-looking; with shapely legs, thighs, and arms. Her reddish blond hair were braided, her eyes were grey and her skin was light. She had a pointy chin and a tall nose.
The warrior was wearing a grey and brown conical hat made from felt and fur, a brown leather light armour over a grey tunic made of felt and fur, thick brown trousers and thick brown boots that were laced up. On the leather belt tied around her waist, there was a dagger.
“What do you want?” the guard asked with a harsh tone of voice.
Yisüi was playing the part of the agonizing woman. She was overdoing it a little, but the guard wasn’t smart enough to realize it.
“My friend is sick! I think her wounds have reopened!” Yuka lied.
“And why would I care?”
“You think a dead hostage is useful?” the shapeshifter retorted.
The warrior glared daggers at her, but the argument convinced her to do something.
“You move, you die.” she warned the prisoners.
The guard approached Yisüi, and bent forward to check her wounds.
“Come here, pipsqueak. Look at me!”
Faster than a serpent, Yuka clamped a hand over the woman’s mouth.
“Wh-hhhtttt?!”
“You don’t have many experts in infiltration in these here parts, do you?” the shapeshifter commented.
Her palm glowed.
The warrior’s eyes widened, then rolled back. She let out a muffled moan, then collapsed on the ground with a dull ‘thud’.
Yuka and her friends immediately got up.
Azeneth, Yisüi, and Jinora stripped the woman of her clothes, leaving her clad in a faded green sleeveless undetunic and a dark red piece of cloth wrapped around her lower private parts.
At the same time, Yuka was searching the yurt.
This specific yurt was apparently designed to hold the prisoners and the hostages of the settlement, as there were numerous coils of rope, thick rags to gag and blindfold a noisy prisoner, and even jute bags to cover the head.
“Redress her with my clothes, tie her to the pole and put that bag over her head…” Yuka instructed her friends. “I’ll take her appearance.”
They swiftly complied. The shapeshifter took a deep breath and modified her physical appearance until she looked like a true woman of the Makenmyr khanate.
“This feels weird.” Azeneth commented while putting the Pakal soldier uniform tunic on the reddish-blond-haired warrior, while Jinora was dressing her with the trousers.
Once the woman was fully dressed, they tightly gagged the guard with a thick piece of cloth, to make sure that she wouldn’t be able to expose the switch. They put the bag over her head to conceal her face, and bound her to the pole with the ropes that were used to truss up Yuka. They also tied the woman’s ankles.
“I’ll try to bring a few women for you to impersonate.” Yuka said to her friends. “Remember to play your part. You’re supposed to still be tied up to the pole. I simply chose to teach a lesson to one of you, hence why she has a bag on her head.”
**************
Yuka came back soon afterwards.
She was followed by three women who weren’t warriors. They were part of the workers who stayed in the settlement to deal with the everyday tasks: preparing the food, cleaning the clothes… Calling them ‘servants’ would be a little far-fetched, given the fact that this social class didn’t exist among the Gengis, but it was their closest equivalent in the southern countries.
One servant had the same reddish blond hair, light skin and grey eyes as Börte and the other Makenmyr. Her hair were tied up into two ponytails in the back. She was tall, but less athletic-looking and pudgier around the waist than a warrior, with large hips. The other two servants were most likely from another khanate given their physical appearance, though Yuka couldn’t tell if they were former captives or part of an inter-marriage with an allied khanate. They had a white skin, black hair and small brown eyes. Their hair were tied into two braids. They were shorter than the first servant, with stockier bodies.
Each servant was wearing a deel: a one-piece long jacket folded over and closed on the left side with 6 clasps to hold the top flap in place: one below the armpit, three at the shoulder, and two at the neckline. The three women’s deels were similar-looking: dark beige, with white edges. Each woman was also wearing a large blue sash wrapped around the waist, a white tunic under the deel, dark beige trousers, and brown leather boots. Each woman’s head was covered by a beige and white conical hat made from felt and fur with flaps for the ears and an upturned brim at the front.
“Hurry up. Börte wants them cleaned up before they are brought to her.” Yuka said to them while using the guard’s voice. “Though don’t touch the one with the bag on her head. This one’s punished.”
The women approached the prisoners.
Yuka closed the flaps of the yurt.
Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisui jumped the three unsuspecting servants.
A few hand-gags were swiftly applied.
There were a few short-lived struggles, but these specific women were not part of the warrior caste and were therefore easily overpowered and subdued, especially with Yuka’s help.
**************
They stripped the three unconscious servants down to their undergarments: They were wearing the same sort of white short-sleeved undertunic and matching thigh-long underpants.
Yuka Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi redressed the servants with their own Pakal soldier clothes. (“It still feels weird.” the metis commented.) Then, they gagged the women with thick pieces of cloth, put a bag over their head, bound their ankles with the ropes that were previously restraining them, and tied the servants to the pole.
“Will they be able to breathe?” Yisüi asked.
“There shouldn’t be any problem. These things are designed to be put on a prisoner’s head.” Yuka answered.
“Why do you care?”
“Ever since the war with the Empire began, the khanates agreed on some rules. Our rivalries must be settled with as few deaths as possible.” the blonde explained.
“Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible.” Yuka intervened. “The gags and the bags will muffle them, but I’d prefer us to be on our way when they wake up.”
Her three friends nodded.
They put on the disguises. Luckily, the conical hats were going to help them conceal their hair and their faces.
“First, we have to find Coulter. Do you know where she is?” Yuka asked Yisüi while the three friends were disguising themselves.
Yisüi nodded. “They’re keeping her in the shaman’s yurt.” she informed them.
"Perfect. Take a few bags, rags and coils of rope. I have the hunch that we will still find some use for them."
**************
The settlement was rather big, but as Yisüi predicted most of the people were either absent or busy with their work.
The shaman’s yurt, in which they were hoping to find Coulter, was richly decorated. It was also isolated from the rest of the settlement...
The four friends discreetly glanced inside the yurt.
Luckily, the shaman himself wasn’t here currently. There was only his apprentice. She was a tall young woman with a pale skin, blue eyes and reddish blond hair. The sides of her head were shaved and she had a shoulder-long high ponytail. Her ponytail was adorned with several black feathers.
She was wearing black fur trousers, and brown leather boots. Her hooded coat was made of black fur and adorned with red and green gemstones, as well as horsehair. The collar of her beige tunic was adorned with horsehair. There were blue lines tattooed on her forearms.
Currently, the apprentice was looking at the various catalysts that Coulter found in the ruins.
The redhead was sitting in a corner with a sulky expression. Her hands were tied behind her back. Apparently, she wasn’t appreciating the fact that someone was rummaging through her belongings.
“Hey! Don’t touch that!” she exclaimed when the apprentice grabbed a catalyst shaped like a bracelet.
The Gengis young woman rolled her eyes and ignored the redhead’s outburst. She couldn’t understand Coulter anyway. She grabbed another catalyst, shaped like a ring.
“Don’t touch that either!”
Yuka could perfectly picture these two arguing ever since the shaman had left.
The four friends shared a glance, nodded, then entered the yurt.
The apprentice heard their arrival.
“What do you want?” she asked, fooled by Yuka’s appearance and her three friends’ clothes.
Yuka approached her, playing her part perfectly. “Börte wants me to show you something.”
“What?”
Yuka approached her, and grabbed her cheeks with one hand. Her palm glowed while she gently squeezed them.
“Ah oh uh ih oh uh aaaaahhhh...
aaaaahhhhh...”
The apprentice let out a couple of muffled moans, then went still. She was out cold.
“A shapeshifter in action.” Yuka answered to the unconscious woman. She laid her on the floor.
Yisüi untied Coulter’s hands.
“Finally!” the redhead exclaimed. “Took you long enough!”
“Well, rescuing you is always a pleasure. You are the sunshine of our lives.” Azeneth dryly commented.
“I have a headache, okay?”
“We don’t have the time for an argument.” Yuka interrupted them. “Both of you, knock it off.”
Once again, her harsh tone made her friends stop talking.
Yisüi and Jinora were removing the clothes of the shaman’s apprentice. As undergarments, she was wearing a black strip of cloth wrapped around the breast and back, and a red strip of cloth wrapped around her private parts.
“Can you use your magic?” Yuka asked Coulter.
“Yes. But with the energies imbuing the steppes, my powers are as likely to work as to blow up in my face.” the redhead answered.
“Try, please. Just a small illusion to hide your face. Take the apprentice’s appearance. Your hair and your skin stand out way too much in this country.”
Coulter took a deep breath and moved her hands. The air around her face blurred. However, Yuka could clearly see that something was hampering the redhead’s powers. It was as if the land itself was trying to prevent her from using her magic.
It took the mage-woman more than one minute to finally cast her illusion, something that usually took her a few seconds.
Once she was done, Coulter took a few deep breaths. “Well… That certainly was harder than expected…” she commented.
“The further we are in the steppes, the harder it is to use sun magic.” Yisüi explained. “And we are in the Northern Khanates. Granted, at the southernmost part, but still...”
“Let’s remain positive. At least your magic didn’t blow up in our face…” Azeneth commented. She gave Coulter the discarded clothes of the shaman apprentice. “Here, time to give yourself a promotion. Or is it a demotion?”
“It’s dumb clothes.” Coulter retorted.
“Geez… How can someone get so cranky because of a mere headache?” the metis complained.
One glare from Yuka was enough to stop her.
While the red-haired mage-woman was putting on her clothes, Yuka, Azeneth, Yisüi, and Jinora bound and gagged the shaman apprentice. They used ropes to tie her wrists, elbows, shoulders, thighs, knees, and wrists. They stuff-gagged and cleave-gagged her.
They laid the woman’s unconscious body on the yurt’s sleeping rug, and covered her with fur sheets to conceal her.
Before they left, Coulter avidly grabbed all her discarded catalysts.
The other women looked at her and rolled their eyes.
“What? Better not let our adventure in the ruins go to waste! I certainly don’t want our annoying world-jumping high-jinks to have been for nothing!”
**************
With Coulter impersonating the shaman’s apprentice, nobody questioned them when they approached Börte’s yurt.
A quick glance inside allowed them to see that their target seemed alone.
Yuka and Coulter entered first, to hide Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi behind them.
Börte looked at the newcomers, and mistook them for one of her guards, the shaman’s apprentice, and three workers.
“What do you want? I’m busy.” she asked them.
With a satisfied expression, Azeneth closed the flap of the yurt.
Yuka took a step aside to clear the way. The metis took a step forward.
Börte’s eyes widened when she recognized her. “You?!”
Azeneth smiled. “Surprise.”
Börte didn’t waste time asking questions. She jumped to grab a weapon.
The metis was faster than her. She struck Börte halfway and punched her hard in the temple. The warrior groaned and fell on the floor of the yurt. Out cold.
“Over already?” Azeneth disdainfully commented. “I expected better...”
“Az’! Careful, behind you!” Yisüi exclaimed.
The metis quickly turned to face her new foe, and dodged the slash of a knife.
“What the-?!”
Her new opponent was a girl, who wasn’t older than eight and shared an uncanny resemblance with Börte. She flailed her arm, slashing the air with her small steel knife.
However, since Azeneth’s arms were longer than the girl’s, the metis had an easy time keeping her foe away after putting a hand on her forehead.
The kid roared. “I’ll kill you until you’re dead!”
Azeneth looked awkwardly at her friends. “A little help, please?”
Yuka took the knife out of the kid’s hand.
The girl tried to punch Azeneth with her bare fists,
“Come on!” the metis complained. “We’ve disarmed you! We won!”
“No! A true warrior never surrenders!”
“Yu’…”
Yuka gently touched the girl’s neck. The kid fell asleep.
Azeneth let out a ‘Phew!’ “Thanks… That was a close one!”
Yuka gently laid the kid on a sleeping rug. “In what regards?”
The metis had rarely looked as embarrassed as right now. “Well, I certainly wasn’t going to fight a kid…”
Coulter rolled her eyes.
“You sure she’s not going to wake up while we’re-” Jinora started to ask.
“She’s going to sleep for a few hours.” Yuka answered.
“Good. What we do isn’t suitable for children.” Azeneth commented with a nod.
They removed Börte’s clothes: the blue long horseman jacket with loose sleeves, the white tunic, the practical brown baggy trousers, the black cloth sash tied around her waist, the leather belt onto which was strapped a sabre, and the grey conical hat made from felt and fur adorned with a long black feather to show the fact that she had a high status in the settlement.
Börte was left wearing a brown piece of cloth wrapped over her breasts and knotted behind her back, and strips of brown clothes tied around her lower private parts.
Yuka changed shape for the second time, this time adopting Börte’s appearance.
Yisüi lightly pushed the unconscious motionless body with the tip of her foot. “So. How do we smuggle her out of the settlement?” she asked.
Yuka thought for a moment, then said: “Bind her arms and gag her, but leave her in her undergarments. I have an idea.”
The shapeshifter slipped into Börte’s clothes.
At the same time, Azeneth and Yisüi grabbed a few ropes, crossed Börte’s wrists behind her back, and bound them together. Then they wrapped ropes around upper-body above and below the breasts to restrain the arms. Finally, they shoved a thick piece of rag between her teeth and cleave-gagged her. They shared a very satisfied smile.
Yuka covered Börte’s head with a jute bag that they brought with them.
With Azeneth’s and Yisüi’s help, she then put the half-conscious prisoner on her feet. Jinora and Coulter followed them.
They exited the yurt.
Yuka got in character.
“Move!” she said loudly while pushing Börte on the back, with Azeneth and Yisüi still holding her.
The prisoner was coming to her senses. She tried to call for help. Unfortunately for her, her face was concealed by the bag and her attempts to call her comrades were muffled by her gag.
"Mhhh... MHHH!"
Therefore, the few people of the settlement that came across her only saw a scantily-clad bound prisoner. And since a transformed Yuka was standing next to her, they had no reason to suspect that the roles had been exchanged.
“Where are you going?” a warrior asked the woman whom she thought was her commander.
Yuka mimicked Börte’s behaviour. “Taking this prisoner with me. I’m going to teach her a little lesson in an isolated spot, if you see what I mean...”
The other warrior laughed.
“Mhhh! Gmmhh! Fhhhh!” Börte tried to shout.
“Well, she looks feisty all of the sudden.” the guard commented. “I trust you to show her who’s in charge!”
Yuka smiled. “Don’t worry. I will.”
**************
They went to the part of the settlement where most of the horses were kept. A quick touch of Yuka ‘convinced’ the young reddish-blond-haired woman watching the mounts to take a nap. One rope to tie her wrists, another for the ankles, a thick cloth for a quick gag, and the horse-tender was tucked in out of sight, concealed under saddle clothes.
At least she was allowed to keep her clothes...
Yisüi gave them instructions: Jinora would ride with Azeneth and Yuka would ride with her. Thankfully, as a Charioteer, Coulter knew enough about equitation to be able to ride on her own horse without falling.
They tightly bound Börte to the back of a fourth horse, to make sure that she wouldn’t fall even with her arms restrained, then tied that horse to Yisüi’s. Börte was groaning angrily, but the gag and the bag were muffling her insults.
The fugitives then fled the settlement with their stolen horses.
**************
As Yuka expected, the other riders didn’t dare attacking the fugitives because of their hostage. However, they still mounted a hunting party.
“They are following us from afar.” Yisüi commented during one of their halts. “They probably won’t try to approach us further as long as we have our hostage, but I think we should send them a warning…”
Azeneth nodded. “I have an idea...”
The metis jumped from her horse and approached Börte.
The prisoner was still bound to her horse, though they had removed the bag covering her head. Since the weather was cold, her captors wrapped and tied a blanket around her body to keep her warm, but they refused to untie her.
“Whht?” Börte asked while glaring daggers at her captor.
Azeneth lifted the blanket wrapped around Börte’s bound body.
“Hhhy!” the latter shrieked.
Azeneth cut the strap of cloth wrapped around Börte’s breasts and back.
“NNNHHHHH! MMMHHHH!!!” the woman protested.
Azeneth threw the undergarment on the grass.
“This should get our message across. The closer they approach us, the more clothes we will remove.”
“We won’t have many clothes to remove…” Jinora remarked.
“Then we’ll continue with the ears.” Azeneth coldly commented.
Börte’s eyes widened.
“NHHH!!! GMHHHH! GHHHHH!”
**************
The strip of undergarment was enough to convince their pursuers to follow them from further afar. The fugitives didn’t even have to remove the lower part to make their point.
During their next halt, Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, Yisüi, and Coulter all shared a goatskin to drink some water.
“Mhhhh! Gmmhhhh!” Börte was groaning in her gag.
“Looks like she wants some too.” Yuka commented.
She removed the gag.
Börte glared daggers at them. “Where is my sister?! What did you do to her?!”
“She’s unharmed. We left her in the yurt.” Yuka answered.
Börte stared at her in bewilderment.
“I don’t care if you believe me or not. I know I’m telling the truth.” the shapeshifter added. “Now, you want some water or not?”
The prisoner nodded.
Yuka allowed her to drink.
“Why are you strangers even helping that Baj?” Börte finally asked while looking at Yisüi with scorn. “This is not your business!”
“This became our business when you threatened our friend.” Azeneth retorted.
Börte snarled. “I bet her people begged you to help them. They are too cowardly to face us! Spineless worms who renounced the ways of their ancestors…”
“And for that you think you’re justified in raiding them?” Azeneth shouted at her.
“Oh! So you think they’re innocent victims? That’s how they tricked you?” Börte laughed mockingly. “Just ask her about how HER people raided our settlements four years ago. They took two of my sisters as trophies. And they made them bear their children, so now I can’t even try to get them back!”
She spat at Yisüi’s face.
Azeneth put the thick piece of cloth back into Börte’s mouth and tightly tied it behind her neck to gag her again.
“That’s enough of you!” she shouted, and was tempted to slap her.
“She wasn’t lying.” Yuka coldly commented.
There was a short moment of silence.
Yisüi looked uncomfortable.
The shapeshifter raised her hand when she tried to talk.
“No need to explain yourself, Yisü’. No need to justify yourself. I get it. This is how your people do things. You didn’t choose that. Things were already that way long before you were born.” Yuka shook her head. “But Yisü’… Do not ask me to understand. And do NOT ask me to accept it. I will never be able to accept… THAT kind of thing.”
Yisüi bit her lower lip, but nodded with a solemn expression.
**************
The rest of the travel was spent in uncomfortable silence, until they reached the river that was the southern border of the Northern Khanate.
“Across the river, we’ll be in the territory of Jöchi. Hopefully, we’ll find a boat heading south there.” Yisüi announced. She then explained: “Jöchi’s a free port city-state and a neutral ground where khanates can trade. They aren’t allowed to fight each other here.”
“Then I suppose we can’t walk these lands while parading a bound prisoner.” Coulter dryly intervened.
“Indeed.”
Azeneth looked at Börte.
“The question is: What do we do with her now that we’ don’t need her anymore?”
The prisoner glared defiantly at her.
“She led several raids against my khanate.” Yisüi started to say.
“I know where this is going, and I don’t like it.” Yuka intervened.
“Well, I think some sort of punishment would serve her well…” Azeneth said to defend the blonde.
“Yes. And then, in ten years, her sister will mount a raid against Yisüi’s khanate out of revenge!” Yuka harshly retorted. “Then, another Baj kid will dedicate their life for revenge, and the cycle will go on forever!”
“You-” the metis tried to say.
“I what?!” Yuka snapped. “What were you going to say? That I don’t understand how the cycle of revenge work?! That’s what you were going to say?!”
“No, I-”
“I perpetuated one, remember?!” She turned towards Yisüi. “Give me the lounge of her horse.” she instructed her. Her tone allowed no question.
The blonde complied. She was looking a little scared.
Yuka led the horse carrying Börte away from the river, and turned it to face the direction of the steppes, where their pursuers were.
“You can ride without your hands?” the shapeshifter asked the bound prisoner.
“Yhs.” Börte answered with a nod.
“Then good riddance.”
Yuka slapped the horse’s behind. The mount immediately started running, carrying the prisoner in the direction of her people.
“MHHHHHH!”
“And you better remember what you owe my mercy!” Yuka shouted at her.
The shapeshifter watched the horse leave, then turned to face her friends. They were looking at her with a mixture of surprise, shock, and a little fear. Even Coulter seemed a little uneasy.
They weren’t used to see her snap at them like that.
Yuka suddenly felt ashamed and looked at Azeneth and Yisüi. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
Azeneth approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“What’s the problem Yu’?” she asked. “The REAL problem.”
Yuka took a deep breath.
“I can’t get what you said about Tsuki out of my head, Az’…”
“I was angry when I said I’d kill her. I didn’t want to hurt you by-”
“Tsu’ is at a point where she’s ready to kill people just to have me for herself.” Yuka interrupted her. “She’s losing it. The Black Star is corrupting her more and more every day. I’m afraid, Az’... I’m afraid that she’s gone too far. I’m afraid that the only way to stop her… will be to kill her…” The shapeshifter took a long shaky breath. “I’m terrified…”
Azeneth didn’t answer. She simply tightened her grip on Yuka’s shoulder to show her support. Jinora and Yisüi did the same and embraced her.
Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi looked at Coulter who was once more trying to stay away.
The redhead looked a little embarrassed. “We should really go.”
“Come here.” Azeneth instructed her.
Coulter frowned, grimaced, but warily approached them. She put a hand on Yuka’s shoulder. “I will not give you empty promises, but I will help you.” she said.
Yuka smiled.
“Thank you, girls.”
Yuka cleared her throat.
“Now, let’s go find ourselves a boat!”
**************
END OF CHAPTER 5
Of course the heroines would show up in a random story and completely ruin its serious plot by nonchalantly thwarting a villainess' plan. The Star Wars scene came in the nick of time: I wanted a third world before returning to the core of the story. And indeed, this cute girl deserved a more detailed scene. Though the post being on Star Wars Day was a huge coincidence. (I'm more on the 'Lord of the Rings' side of things, if you see what I mean. 
Though she's aware that this bond is only for life... Till death do them part.)
