They catch her

But Ciri doesn't get far. After just a few minutes, she hears the cracking of twigs behind her. Her senses are on high alert. She has no time to lose. She spins around quickly, too late. All she sees is a fluid motion darting towards her. The girl is so fast that Ciri has no time to dodge. One moment her sword is knocked from her hand, and the next she lies with a dagger at her throat on the forest floor. Straddling her is a girl no older than twenty with short black hair and piercing blue eyes. "Make one wrong move, and your blood will soak the forest floor," she hisses at Ciri seriously.

Ciri is so shocked by the rapid development of the situation that she is momentarily speechless. "What were you doing near our camp?" the girl asks, her face stern. "Are you a thief?" Ciri takes a deep breath and responds calmly, "My supplies are running low, I wanted to trade." The girl regards Ciri suspiciously. Her eyes narrow as she scrutinizes Ciri intensely. "I think you're a thief," she states matter-of-factly and reaches into her pocket to pull out a rope.

"Hands," she commands in a firm voice. Faced with the dagger at her throat, Ciri has **** but to comply. With a swift motion, she wraps the rope around Ciri's wrists and mutters a few words. Suddenly, the rope tightens as if alive. "Come with me," the girl demands. "No sudden movements, or else…" Her voice becomes dangerously quiet, and the knife presses a little harder against Ciri's throat. Ciri has no other option but to follow her. She's bound and disarmed, and she knows she's in a precarious situation.