Her sleep had been dreamless. Whatever they had used to drug her, it had put her out in a way that was oddly restful. She stirred to the sound of voices and at first instinct, she opened her eyes and looked for Maleki and Tommen. It took little more than a few seconds for her to remember what had happened. Her bag was in a heap next to her, the bandits seemed to have already go through it and deemed her belongings largely worthless.  What need would they have of herbs and bandages?<br/><br/>"You think he'll let us have a go at her?  She's fair, to be sure?" One of the guards said, as he motioned toward Aleksandra.  She closed her eyes before his gaze hit her fully, no need for them to realize she was awake.<br/><br/>"Only if the ransom isn't paid. What father is gonna pay full price for a daughter you've ravished?" The other guard all but grunted.  They were at a table, playing some kind of card game.  "If you touch her before then, you do so at your own risk."<br/><br/>Even with the warning, Aleksandra could almost feel the eyes of the guard on her. It was not the first time, she doubted it would be the last, that a man desired her and thought he could simply impose his will over her.  She waited until the conversation turned back to their game, before she opened her eyes and shifted her body again.  She was on her side, her arms tied in front her. Apparently, they had not felt any sort of need to tie her legs, likely assuming she was not much of a threat to them, even if she managed to regain consciousness. Slowly, she began to twist her wrists against the ropes, attempting to stretch the fabric enough to give her some slack.  They were not going to come super loose, but she could manage some slack she might be able to catch the rope with her teeth and free her hands over time.<br/><br/>After several minutes, she was able to bite one part of the rope and pull it up over her fist, and then another strand directly after that. It was enough to give her some slack, so she could free both of her hands.  Aleksandra still kept them close against her though, in case one of the guards looked over.<br/><br/>The yelling began shortly after that, as if someone knew she needed a distraction.  The guards put their cards down and one stood up from the table to head toward the door.<br/><br/>"Get her up, I will look into it..." The man near the door growled, his hand already going for the sword sheathed at his waist.  He exited and the two men stalked towards her.<br/><br/>The only positive of this worrisome situation was the fact that she had rested peacefully for a few hours. With Maleki in her tent, Aleksandra had not slept much in the last few nights due either to concern for his wellbeing or because she was anxious about his anger towards her. Storka had gone on and on about how she needed her rest, how it was the only way to really replenish her mana.  Had the men not drugged her, she would have been at a larger disadvantage.<br/><br/>The man that had talked about using her body was the first to approach, and he did not seem to notice that the ropes were no longer around her wrists, just placed on top of them.  Aleksandra took her chance and revealed the fact that she was awake, her eyes looked up at the man with an expression of fear, a look that would surely keep his gaze on her face and not on how her hands moved as he pulled her up off the ground to stand.  Her palms were cupped together and she had already conjured a small orb of rose-colored energy between her hands.  Once she was on her feet she released it. It was not battle magic, Storka had taught her surprisingly little to defend herself.  Instead, she had used a spell that she had learned to sedate those that might be in extreme pain.  The orb flew from her hands slowly and hit the man in the face, dissipating like a puff of smoke against his nostrils as he inhaled it and immediately fell to the ground.<br/><br/>It took a moment for the other guard to register what had just happened.  He might have thought his companion had stumbled for a moment, but he quickly caught sight of the fact that Aleksandra's hands were free now.  She had already moved toward the table and reached for a mostly full bottle of wine by the time he could put together the danger he was in. There was not time for more magic, so she used what was available to her and swung hard with the bottle, bringing it down on where the guard's neck met his shoulder.  It hit him with a thunk and shattered, the glass was thick but cheap.  The man stumbled for a moment and then fell right beside his companion.<br/><br/>That was the moment the door burst open and Aleksandra whirled to face it, the broken bottle still in her hand, she gripped the neck tightly, ready to defend herself with the jagged edges of glass.<br/><br/>The very second her eyes met Maleki's, she let what was left of the bottle fall of her hand.  It shattered between them.  She did not move toward him, at first, but relief flooded her.  Whatever had happened, he had come for her.  Her eyes looked between him, the two slumped men on the floor and her bag.  She grabbed the bag and noticed Tommen peek from behind Maleki.<br/><br/>"They...they aren't dead." She moved toward Maleki, clearly pleased the two men were here.  "They thought I was his daughter...Barnstorm, is he okay?"<br/><br/>She was ready to move, to leave this place, as soon as Maleki was ready to lead her out of it.