Chapter One- "The Letter"- Part Three

[Ílarolén'yliás (Drustai)]

"I don't know, where Altario is right now," the girl said, "for he wanted to search for Ryk or somebody who knew something for himself. But he might come back to the inn where he stays and I know which one it is. Do you know the Seashaol's Inn? Right at the harbour lane? I'll show you, if you wish so? May I?"

The Seashaol's Inn? Drustai had passed by the inn some days before, but she didn't know exactly where it was. Still, she figured she could find it easily enough on her own, and she would rather not have this child with her, who might still lead her into a trap. An inn was a fairly safe place for a meeting, considering all of the other individuals there, but the path that the girl used would have made the difference.

Although if she didn't go with her, then she would not be able to identify this Altario when she got there.

"Maybe his friend Garret is there, I can show him to you too," the girl continued.

Drustai nodded, though that name did not mean anything to her. She was still considering the girl's suggestion when she mentioned that she was hungry and needed to go home.

Drustai pursed her lips, then nodded. "If you need to go home, then maybe you can tell me what this Altario looks like, and I can meet him myself." She would have preferred that to following the girl. "I can find the inn on my own, but I would not know Altario."

[Lili the Elfcat]

The grown-up began to speak. While it explained why it was sorry, Lili watched in fascination how its big teeth bobbed up and down. What kind of person was this? Lili frowned as her three-year-old memory was fishing for an answer. From the shallow sea of her mind, stories floated up – stories her mother had told her, and stories she had overheard her uncle tell, who used to visit her parent's house and sit by the fireside. Stories of swamp wyrms who swallowed children in one gulp; of bears that could bite a man’s head off; of giant men who couldn’t talk, and who hunted the Kuglimz. Yet one word gleamed brightest among the wriggling mass of memories: “monster”. This grown-up, Lili concluded, must be a monster.

Yet this was a most talkative monster. So many words! Most of them were grown-up words, and Lili soaked them up eagerly. A few of them she even understood. “Pretty” was a nice one, and Lili smiled. The monster suggested going somewhere together, and spoke of hanging something, and of a "dead posh". Lili didn't know what a "posh" was. Was it good or bad that the posh was dead? An image lit up in Lili's mind: her father returning home from a hunt, with a dead nul'tum hanging over his shoulder on a string. This monster - did it want to go on a hunt?

Needless to say, Lili wouldn't want to miss out on that,  if she could help it. Her parents had never allowed her to join a hunt. She had to grow a little yet, they had insisted. Lili could almost hear her father’s voice, as she remembered what he used to say when he shouldered his bow and prepared to leave the house: “Wait ‘til you are a big girl”. Well, Lili felt like a big girl now. After all, she was talking to a monster all by herself, wasn’t she? And anyway, her parents were not here, and couldn’t forbid anything.

The monster's grin looked friendly, in a monsterly sort of way. Those were really creepy teeth! In such company, Lili thought she’d be as safe as a roast boar at a wedding feast. (This was an expression of her father’s, which never failed to make Lili laugh, although she always wondered how a roast boar would defend itself.) Lili smiled back. Maybe, if she went on a hunt with the monster, she would be allowed to have a look at whatever was in its pockets.

”Are we going to hunt poshes?” she asked.

[Damien Scar]

Tyrr

Tyrr stood several peds away and behind Grallen while Quar went on ahead to the alley to await their quarry. Gres was a few peds in front of Grallen to make sure she did not change her mind and try to run. Tyrr was very strict in detalis and Grallen was taking just a bit longer than he had planned for. Each blink could bring disaster down upon his plan. One of their quarry's friends could show up. A city guard could come by and wonder about Grallen and start making inquires. There was too much that could go wrong if you waited just blinks of time.

He edged closer until he was behind Grallen. He heard their quarry askl "Are we going to hunt posh's?" Hunt posh's? What in Bavara's name was she talking about and what did Grallen say that would cause that response? he thought. But he did notice that their quarry's voice had changed to that sounding like a little girl and so did her mannerisms. It did not matter they needed to move and move now.

"What is the problem? Time we do not have. Get the woman over to the alley now or I will do it myself," Tyrr whispered in Grallens left ear with a slight jab in her back with his daggar for emphasis. He was deadly serious and he needed to have Grallen know it as well.

With the way their quarry was acting Tyrr was sure he could lure her into Quar's waiting grasp. But he wanted to give Grallen a chance, but not much of one, blinks were ticking away.

[grallen gast]

”Are we going to hunt poshes?”
Grallen blinked at Lili. What was she playing at?! Did she think it was funny to put on a childish voice and act so stupidly!? She hadn’t struck the orc as the kind of woman who thought feeble jokes like that were funny, but her behaviour was inexplicable. Grallen had always relied on being able to read people, and Lili, the person she remembered thinking only yesterday was the most reliable person of the small number she’d met here, was leaving her floundering, desperate and on the edge of panic. And as always, the hard-earned survival instincts that kept Grallen alive were transforming fear and confusion into anger, by the white hot alchemy of desperation.

Earnest squirmed uncomfortably in her pocket – the biggest one, on the outside of the jacket, but even he could feel her trembling with the need to run. Her hand went to the pocket as he poked a green head out, and pushed him gently back in. We need to go. She reached out for Lili’s arm, ready to pull her along the ground if needs be-

A sharp, cold pressure in the small of her back. Grallen stiffened, but had already masked the shock when Tyrr’s whisper sounded in her ear:

“...Get the woman over to the alley now or I will do it myself."

She bit back the snarl that rose in her throat at the sound of his voice, the feel of his breath. They call us monsters. Forcing herself not to glare, not to change her carefully blank expression, she nodded, shrugged away from him as best he would let her. When she spoke to Lili her voice was strangely soft, almost plaintive.

“ye- yeah, we’re gonna go hunting, jus’ you and me... c’mon, we have t’be quick or they’ll all have gone home fer the night.”

She reached for the woman’s hand, looking at that strange, blithely unaware face. She hadn’t really registered it before, but Lili was scarred – a long, thick mark on the left cheek. Why had she not noticed before? She supposed, turning and leading the human away, into the alley Tyrr indicated, into what seemed like the darkest place on the disk, that she had seen so many scars before, so much bloodshed and violence, that she’d stopped noticing things like that.

[Lili the Elfcat]

”I see  you!”

A man had sneaked up behind the monster. Lili thought he wanted to hide from her. She was only a little girl, but she was clever. Her mother had always said so, and her mother knew lots of things. Lili pointed at the man with her finger. (Her outstretched arm, long and muscular, touched Grallen’s coat.) That should teach him.

The monster did not seem to mind the man. It said:

“ye- yeah, we’re gonna go hunting, jus’ you and me... c’mon, we have t’be quick or they’ll all have gone home fer the night.”

Lili took the monster’s hand, and let it lead her along the street. She eagerly followed. In fact, once it was clear which direction the monster was taking, Lili tried to pull it along a little. This was her very first hunting trip! She didn’t want to arrive too late to catch the poshes. If mother could see how grown-up she was, walking with a monster all by herself, she’d be proud of her Lili.

By this time, Lili had forgotten about the sneaky man. She was busy looking for poshes. What may they look like? She spied left and she spied right, hoping to be the first to spot one.

When the monster and Lili had almost reached a little dark side-alley, a little animal scampered across the street and disappeared into a hole near the door of a house. Lili gave a little scream of excitement, and looked at her hunting companion. Had it seen the animal, too?

But what was that! The monster’s coat itself had moved. There was something in that big bulging pocket - the one that had fascinated Lili earlier. Suddenly, Lili stood stock-still. Her eyes focused on the place where she had seen the movement. The hunt had begun. The monster’s coat itself was the hunting ground, and the quarry was closer than Lili had thought.

Lili didn’t quite dare to reach into the monster’s pocket, though. That’s not what a good girl would do, to just grab things from a friendly monster’s clothing. A good girl would ask first. There remained the difficulty of how to properly address a monster. Lili made do with the first formulation that came into her little mind:

”What has it got in its pocket?”

She wouldn’t take one further step until she had found out.

[Lori Lo]

"If you need to go home, then maybe you can tell me what this Altario looks like, and I can meet him myself. I can find the inn on my own, but I would not know Altario."

„Oh no, I‘ll bring you to the Sea Shoal first, I promised Altario to help him. If you would follow me, it is not too far, just over there!“ and she pointed with her arm to the east.

Lori had nearly lost  the fear of the tall woman which had occupied her whole mind only a few minutes back. Actually, she would have preferred to be in company, for now it was quite dark and she had not been here for two years and didn‘t know, which new dangers might wait for her in the darkness. Could well be, that Kaltoora was around and had harm in mind. But her pride forbid her to say so. It would be safer, if they did not part, she thought - for the elven woman for she, Lori, knew the way and for Lori, for in the company of the elven woman Kaltoora would  not try to harm her!

„It is dark now and we should not part. It is safer to be together than to be alone. Don‘t you think so? The path is dangerous here, but I still know it well. We could go in the direction to the Beauty and then to the left, or along the wall to the southern Gate and then down to the sea. What would you prefer?“

And a little dirty hand searched for a big one, hesitantly, and eyes risking to trust looked up  to the tall elf.

[Ílarolén'yliás (Drustai)]

"Oh no, I‘ll bring you to the Sea Shoal first, I promised Altario to help him. If you would follow me, it is not too far, just over there!"

For a moment, Drustai frowned, but then she nodded at the child. "Alright," she said.

She turned her head to follow the girl's outstretched hand as it pointed towards the east, though she already knew the general location and area of where the inn was at. She still did not trust the girl, but her behaviour implied that she was telling the truth, and she would be more inclined to trust the outwards behaviour of a child than of an adult, who were more easily able to hide their emotions. But, of course, the girl did not want to travel alone, as it was dark.

"It is dark now and we should not part," the girl continued, "It is safer to be together than to be alone. Don't you think so?" No, Drustai did not think so. Being alone meant only having to watch out for one's self, and not having to worry about the well-being of another, who surely could not defend themselves. "The path is dangerous here, but I still know it well. We could go in the direction to the Beauty and then to the left, or along the wall to the southern Gate and then down to the sea. What would you prefer?"

She thought for a moment, about which was the safer, but quickly decided on the direction of the Beauty. She knew that way, and it lead into the city's boundaries quicker than the route along the wall. If she were alone, she would have preferred to path along the wall, but not with someone else in tow.

Drustai stood back up to her full height as she looked out towards the Beauty. When she looked back down, she noticed the girl had reached a hand up towards hers. She looked to the side for a moment, then lightly gripped the girl's hand, and turned it towards the direction of the Beauty, then slipped her fingers free and pulled them back. She folded her arms over her chest.

"We will go that way, and then east." she said. She began walking towards the Beauty, expecting the girl to quickly follow her.

[Lori Lo]

Lori stumbled after the woman. She was relieved and a bit disturbed at the same time. Relieved, that the elf had agreed to go with her and had her not left alone behind, though she would have found her way back home alone, if necessary. They went in the direction of the „Beauty“ and that was in order as well, though the chance, that Kaltoora would see her, was slimmer. Well, that lazy bun would sleep by now anyway, or sit in a safe place and have some cookies.

But there was something else, which busied Lori‘s young mind. It was the reaction of the woman, when she had reached out for her hand.  She had taken it for a blink, but only to pull Lori in the direction, she wanted to go. As if not words would have been enough. She could have rejected her hand, or just pretended, that she had not seen it. Lori wondered, if something was wrong with her hand, but she couldn‘t find anything by touching it alone, and it was too dark to see something. Strange. And after touching her so shortly the woman had crossed her arms over her chest as if she wanted to ... to keep something to herself. That gesture puzzled Lori so much, that she couldn‘t put her mind of it. It was, as if she had detected a vulnerability in that strong person, which she couldn‘t believe, nor explain.

It didn‘t take long and they were not far away from the „Beauty“ before the path would take them to the east. Suddenly Lori remembered, what she had overheard in the oasis on their way to Strata. Altario had told Garret, that he was looking for the „Beauty of the South“. Abruptly she stopped, and said to the elf who was still walking with a quick step before her.

„Wait, maybe we should have a look in the Beauty first. It could be, that Altario is there!“

Not waiting for a response, she started running towards the inn. The lights were bright and greeted her and she was heading towards the door, wondering, if they would allow a girl in. A sharp stop shortly before the door followed, for suddenly, when seeing the broad man who watched the door,  she thought it might be better to slip in through a less prominent opening. A right turn and running along the wall, she  tripped on something which was soft and hard at the same time and she fell lengthwise on the ground. A thief has learned not to listen to the pain which such a fall might have inflicted. And so Lori was quicker on her feet again, then it had taken to fall down, at least nearly. She dared to look, over what she had stumbled and to her amazement, relief and joy (in this order), she saw Altario sitting on the ground, clamping his leg. A broad grin from ear to ear made her face lighten up and, being so happy, that she had found him, she more fell over him, than hugged him, throwing her two arms around his neck. That he sat on the ground made it for her easier as well.

„Altario, Altario, imagine, I have found somebody who knows Ryk!“ she cried out. Only then she remembered her companion of the dark path and looked back, if the elf had followed her.

[Ílarolén'yliás (Drustai)]

Drustai made her way in the direction of the Beauty. She knew the way of course, for she had been staying there and most of her things were in one of the rooms. That this entrance to the underground passageways was so close was only a coincidental convenience. A convenience that she needed to change, now that her comings and goings had been observed. She didn't like it when others knew her secrets--it was dangerous.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure the human child was following her. Though the girl had a quick and active mouth, she seemed quiet now. Drustai turned back to look straight ahead. Her fingers curled up into an idle fist momentarily, and then relaxed. Perhaps this Altario would be the key to getting herself out of this mess. Though, she did not think it would be so easily. If Altario was looking for Denrykmar, then he was likely in no better position than she. But, it gave her muscle, especially if this Altario traveled with others.

Shortly, they arrived near the Beauty. Drustai considered stopping the girl for a moment and going in to change quickly, but suddenly the footsteps behind her stopped. Drustai was already about to stop and turn around when the child called out from behind her.

"Wait, maybe we should have a look in the Beauty first. It could be, that Altario is there!"

Drustai spun on her heels and looked after the girl as she began running towards the inn. Altario here? Why? Had he known that she was staying here? She should have assumed as much, if this girl was working for Altario then he must have also known. Drustai reasoned that she must probably change where she was staying now as well, if that were the case.

She began following the child, but only at a walk. She watched as the girl stopped short of the door, and then turned to run along the wall to the side-entrance. A man was sitting there, one of his legs outstretched, and Drustai had expected the girl to just hop over him. Instead, she saw the girl's feet slip out from under her and she toppled forward. Drustai growled to herself and sped up her pace slightly--though still not a run--as she watched the girl quickly pick herself back up and look at the man. Then, she dropped down and hugged him.

"Altario, Altario, imagine, I have found somebody who knows Ryk!" she cried out.

Drustai slowed her pace down once more as she walked up to the two, and looked down at them. Denrykmar's brother was not young, judging from the lines of gray at the rim of his long black hair. He was not an impressively muscular man, though the creases at the edge of his eyes betrayed his experience. Drustai's gray eyes locked on to his own, the same shade as hers, as the man looked up at her. She remained silent.

[Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin]

Altario sat there a moment, his life suddenly looking like one giant failure, against the wall of the Beauty of the South.  Another dead end; another lead that went nowhere.  His thoughts, his heart, was back in Remusia for the first time in a long time.  For the first time since leaving his estate of Urimpaar, he regretted this lonely road he travelled.  He was lost; floundering in a world that he did not belong.

He tipped his head back, ignoring the small rap of his skull against the wall, to stare up at the night sky and the endless stars that blinked down at him.  Oh, Nechya, I have strayed so far.  Show me a sign; lead this lost soul back to your fold.

Before the goddess could answer, as if she planned to, Altario heard a scuffle, then someone kicked him in his bad knee.  He grimaced and cursed, as the oaf who stepped on him went sprawling onto the ground.  Altario reached out and grabbed at his leg, as pain coursed through it, turning his head to berate the fool laying on the ground near him.  But, his anger quickly dispersed as he recognized Lori, who immediately threw herself into his arms.  The pain abated as he held her, her body simply quaking with excitement.

"Altario, Altario, imagine, I have found somebody who knows Ryk!“

His heart jumped.  "Ryk?  You found Ryk?"  He could scarcely believe his ears.  This was an answer from Nechya.  A gift from the gods.  "Where?  Where is he?"

Lori looked back and a figure approached from the shadows; someone who was more like the shadows themselves.  "Ryk?"  A moment of doubt made Altario pull himself to his feet, pulling Lori close to him, as if to protect her.  This person was not Ryk.  In the shadows, he had to wonder if this entity belonged to the living.  Pallid skin, dark hair and grey eyes, he looked more like a living dead.

Altario paused.  No, she looked more like a living dead.  Whoever she was, Altario got a troubled feeling about her.  "Who are you?  What have you to do with my brother?"

[Airyn]

Airyn jumped slightly when Damien approached the seat beside her. She hadn’t expected him to recognize her after the last night. It was a welcome surprise. “Hi Airyn, I ..um..had some trouble and I think my bandages need changing. Hyram is out of town and I was just wondering..if perhaps you would be willing to help me?"

The elf stared slightly wide-eyed as he lifted his shirt to reveal a large stain of crimson on his shirt. She pushed the glass aside, nearly spilling it onto the bar, and jumped down from her stool. “Damien, of course. We should probably go back upstairs, I’m not sure that you would be comfortable in front of everyone here.” She fretfully pulled his sleeve aside gently, examining his shirt, worrying that something had gone wrong when she and Hyram had seen to him. “And there is no need for a charge,” she added hastily, “I would just be satisfied to see you better and then we will see what happens.” Airyn had no need for payment, but added that last remark in the hopes of making him smile.

Suddenly, Altario’s younger friend seated himself in the stool on the other side of her. His greeting made her swing around sharply, throwing herself a little off balance. Airyn struggled for a moment to remember his name but smiled gently anyway. “Evening,” Garret! “Evening Garret.”

She surveyed Garret for a second, taking in his appearance. He had tried to smile, but even the widest of grins could not hide the shadows of uncertainty in his eyes. The elfess was about to ask Garret if she could help him with anything, but he had begun to speak to Pagran and seemed a little too lost in his imagination. I can relate, she thought grimly. It seemed that everyone here had something to wonder about.
With all her daydreaming, Airyn had forgotten that Damien was standing behind her. Flipping her messy hair back behind her shoulders, she assumed her most professional face and tugged down the waist of her dress. Airyn bit her lip gently and gestured around the room. “Is there any specific place you would like to do this? I apologise, I don’t know this place. You might have to show me around.”

Glancing back at Garret, she lowered her eyebrows apologetically. “I’m sorry Garret, but I have to help Damien here with something. I will be back soon, though.”

[Damien Scar]

“Damien, of course. We should probably go back upstairs, I’m not sure that you would be comfortable in front of everyone here.” She fretfully pulled his sleeve aside gently, examining his shirt, worrying that something had gone wrong when she and Hyram had seen to him. “And there is no need for a charge,” she added hastily, “I would just be satisfied to see you better and then we will see what happens.”

Damien gave her a wane smile as the loss of blood was taking its toll. "We shall barter, later..."

Damien was interrupted when another man sat down opposite of Airyn and spoke to her politely, even to the point of knowing her. Damien searched his mind and could not recall seeing the man with Altario or the two women either. He frowned as turned, faced the man and paused. Damien did not know if Airyn was in any danger, but he was taking no chances and was slowly pulling out his throwing knives when Airyn replied. "Evening Garret."

The man's name was Garret. He knew Airyn, which means that he must also know Altario and Lili, interesting. Damien put his knives away and was glad he did so for two things happened. One, Garret had a pet, an Ashmarian wolf to be exact! The wolf reminded Damien so much of home, that a tear ran down his cheek following his scar's trail. Two, Airyn turned back around quickly after greeting Garret.

“Is there any specific place you would like to do this? I apologise, I don’t know this place. You might have to show me around.”

Glancing back at Garret, she lowered her eyebrows apologetically. “I’m sorry Garret, but I have to help Damien here with something. I will be back soon, though.”

"I think your first suggestion would be best," Damien replied as he slowly rose. "That is a very handsome Ashmarian wolf you have there. I have not seen one since I left home. I am from Voldar. Perhaps after Airyn takes care of my wound, we could talk some. If you are still around. This should not take too long, I hope," Damien said looking at Airyn for confirmation.

Quar

Quar was waiting in the alley for what seemed liked moons but was really only about quarter of an hour. He had a heavy black cudgel in his left hand and kept on smacking it against his right until he noticed that the sound might attract attention and worse his his right hand was begininng to hurt. Tyrr had said that no harm come to their quarry and if you hit a person on the head hard enough with one of these things you could kill him or her as the case may be.

Quar chuckled as he thought of how the bar whore's head caved in when he hit her from behind after he got all of the information out of her that he wanted, and took advantage of her, even paid her afterwards, before killing her and then taking all of her money, wrapped her naked in the dirty rug that was in their hiding place and just carried her down, out of the backway of the inn, to a deserted place on the shore where he knew black crabs congregated. Why not, he had fed them before this way several times, but they had been men, this would be the first time he fed them a woman, he had thought and chuckled again.

Suddenly he heard voices coming his way. It was the orc and the woman, but the woman was talking like a child. Quar could see that Tyrr was close behind the orc and he saw his brother coming up fast. Quar stepped farther back into the shadows raising the cudgel over his head, the woman was taller than he was. Suddenly she screamed. A girlish type of scream, but a scream nonetheless and it made Quar almost jump out of his skin. Why did she scream? Had they been seen? Worse yet, did anyone hear? Of course someone had to have heard. Her scream echoed down the alley, but there was a lot of screaming and yelling out on the wharf area from vendors and such as well. Quar dared not take a peek. His hand quivered and sweat poured from it and his face as he waited...

Tyrr

Tyrr standing behind Grallen stood stock still when the woman pointed her finger at him and said, "I see you," af is she was playing a game with him. Then Grallen told the woman they were going hunting and the woman who actually seemed to be pulling Grallen along toward the alley and where Quar was waiting. Tyrr was thinking what "going hunting" meant when he heard the woman scream like a little girl. This was crazy. What made her scream. He closed in, when the woman stopped right before the alley's entrance, She looked at Grallen and asked "What it has in its pocket?" And it seemed she was not going to move unless she got an answer.

Tyrr was sweating now. His eyes darting everywhere to see if they could see any danger. It seemed liked the scream had gone unnoticed, except by him and he could guess by Quar. He hoped Quar did not do anything stupid. Grallen and the woman were just too much in the lighted wharf to something. So they would have to give Grallen and the woman some room until Grallen got the woman into the alley. Tyrr backed off just a ped or two to give Grallen some breathing room, but not enough for her to run, which Tyrr doubted she would, but just in case.

So now it was up to Grallen and she better hurry, he thought, blinks were ticking away.

[grallen gast]

The men had nearly jumped out of their skins when Lili had squealed – they can’t have spent much time around kids if they’re worried by that childish sound. But then they’re probably keen not to be noticed. Grallen watched Lili carefully. Just when she was starting to believe this inexplicable regression was out of the human’s control, she did this – could it really be an elaborate ruse, to land these duscur in the trouble they desperately deserved?

Grallen tugged halfheartedly on Lili’s hand, but really she wanted to anchor her to the ground where she stood. Not another step. Tyrr had backed off – could she- no. Between him, and Quar, she was still trapped. More so than before, seeing as both were now out of arms reach, and she in their plain sight. She’d never wished that she knew “honourable warrior” type fighting, but right now she had to admit it’d be useful to be able to draw her sword and cut these men down like a disciplined warrior. Instead, she was trapped, with the only shadows yawning like the maw of a great creature, and Quar waiting inside. Her yellow eyes flashed as she glanced into the darkness.

She realised Lili had asked her something. Pockets? Oh, Earnest. Well, he knows how to pick his damned moments, doesn’t he? She smiled, despite herself, a grim, hollow smile with as much terror and guilt in it as she felt. She swallowed it, staring at her feet, her hair masking her as she answered Lili with forced indifference;

“I’ll gie ye three guesses, or you c’n ask him yersel’ – he seems eager enough to see you.”

She pulled once more on her hand, but with even less spirit than before. Some things even Earnest couldn’t help her out of.

[Lili the Elfcat]

”Fish!” Lili cried.

She had spotted the head of an animal sticking out of the monster's coat pocket. The animal was nice and slimy. And what could be nicer and slimier than fish? Lili clapped her hands in excitement, letting go of the monster’s hand in the process. Then she had a new idea.

”You guess where I run!” she squealed ...

... and off she was! With two big steps, Lili reached the dark alley. A quick look behind – the monster was still there. Lili giggled as she changed direction and thrust herself into the dark alley, pushing off with her left leg as strongly as she could. She would find a dark corner to hide herself, and the monster would think she had gone invisible. That would be fun!

Lili’s movements were clumsy and wasteful like a child’s, but her muscles were those of a grown-up, well-trained highwaywoman. And thus it came that there was an awful smashing noise when her body, at full speed, collided with that of Quar.

Ouch! Lili hadn’t expected this. Something had hit her just below her throat, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Through a thin film of tears, Lili looked at the shadowy figure that had stopped her run. She didn’t understand how the world could be so mean. Suddenly, everything was pain. There was no monster, no fish, no guesses, and no hide-and-seek. Even Lili was no more. Only pain. Lili opened her mouth, and with all the abandon of a three year-old child, yet all the vocal strength of a grown woman, she let out a howl of anguish that echoed from the high walls of Strata as if a whole pack of mithral wolves and their children had invaded the city to pay their respects to the moon.

For Kassandra, meanwhile, the sudden impact of Lili’s collision had been the last feather. She wouldn’t sit on this bobbing, fitful, capricious walking-tree of hers for one blink longer. Imitating Lili’s scream of excitement of a minute ago (when Lili had seen the rat scurrying across the street), she fluttered up from the pink hat. The evening was dark already, and Kassandra found it difficult to navigate. So she was lucky to find a piece of metal hanging in the air that reflected the shine of a lantern and was just visible above the shadows. It was a shop sign, advertising a butcher's at about three peds height. There Kassandra sat down, clasping her claws around a metal rod from which there dangled a picture of an unusually fat pig. Secure on her stable perch, she listened with equal measures of surprise and fascination as her walking-tree gave off a completely new song: a song of a kind which Kassandra had never heard from her.

”Krrroa’haxpattl,” she contributed.

Yet we suspect that her efforts were wasted, as far as their chances of reaching the general public were concerned - for they were all but drowned out by Lili’s unrestrained wail.

[Lili the Elfcat]

Tyrr

Tyrr couldn’t believe it. He was just a ped behind that dirty greenskin, practically close enough to cut her ever-twitching ears off – and the brute let the quarry run! One jump, and he was at Grallen's side. With one hand, he grabbed her coat. The other held his knife, and he set it at Grallen's throat.

”What are you playing at?” he growled.

If Grallen gave a reply, Tyrr never heard it. For at that moment, there was a loud bang in the alley into which the quarry had run, and where Quar had been waiting for her. Quar, the chucklehead! He hadn’t let his cudgel down on her and dented her pretty head, had he? If she had a wound, that would take at least five silverbards off the price! And if she was badly hurt, they’d have to feed her and buy medicine and all that malarkey before they could sell her. That would ruin the whole beautiful plan!

Hot liquid anger rose into Tyrr's throat. His fingers clenched even harder around Grallen’s coat, and he hurled himself forward towards the little alley, dragging the orc with him, always holding the knife close to the place in her throat where the thickest veins are. Oh, how Tyrr wished to kill. Someone sure had to pay for this mess!

As Tyrr turned the corner and looked into the alley, a wave of ear-cracking, brain-blasting sound hit him in the face. Howling, wailing, clamouring! It rose up the shabby walls of the crooked houses. What was that about?

Tyrr’s eyes took a blink to get used to the darker light in the alley. At last he saw who was making the noise: it was the quarry, blurping like a child. And Quar? He was sitting on the floor, rubbing his temple! By the thirteen dancing demons! Did nobody here know how to do a clean job? Tyrr couldn’t restrain himself any longer.

”You dumb bonehead fish!” he shouted at his brother. ”I should have made crab food out of you long ago!”

After this outburst, Tyrr felt a little better. His anger sunk down, and his head went clear. Think, Tyrr!  he told himself. Think!

The situation was bad. That stupid wench didn’t stop bawling, and would surely attract attention soon: a nosy passer-by could ruin everything. And then there was the nuisance guard! What should Tyrr do?

Well, certainly Quar was no help: he was just starting to scramble back up onto his legs again. He looked rather dazed and confused. Maybe his head had hit something when he had fallen? But at least the quarry was still here. She hadn’t run away. In fact, she was just within reach.

The orc! The orc must do something. She got us into this mess!

Tyrr had maintained his grip on Grallen's coat. Now he brought his mouth close to her ear.

”Do something,” he hissed, and waved his knife through the air in front of her face.

”Make her go quiet! Or I’ll cut your hairy ears off!”

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