The long, grueling race across the plains had turned into a long, grueling race through low valleys and around foothills as those who hunted the Hunter slowly closed the distance to their quarry, and Kelendor Pass. The repetitive days rolled into weeks; the moons had either sped or crawled across the night sky as was their routine. Rains had come, falling gently or squalling with thunder and fury, the sun re-emerged to crack skin, hide, and leather under its blinding glare. Jardanth in particular had become quite worn as he expended his talents freely to keep the horses healthy, mending tiny nicks in tendons, bone and hoof bruises, straned muscles, and the dozens of other maladies and injuries that would have made the horse-kin unfit to continue. If it hadn't been for him, they'd have been forced to leave at least three of their horse-friends behind by this time. It closed the cycle of life and everyone knew it, but it didn't make the possibility of losing a friend any easier to bear.

Diago, Cady's preferred horse companion, was among Jardanth's many patients. The Emisarry was so distraught over his injury that she nearly cried. His insatiable spirit and desire to be near the lead had caused him to cover up his injury, but luckily Rhenn discovered it during one of his careful examinations. The healer and Rhenn tried to explain to her again how superior the Bak'Tiar horses were in intelligence to those that she was used to, but the concept was a hard one for her to grasp.

Duras spent much of the first week processing what had happened with the wyverns, with Rhenn... with himself. He became quieter, not entirely distant, but a bit more reserved. Only Mari could easily evoke responses from him on a regular basis. She did all she could to keep him connected with the rest of the group.

Mari matched Jardanth's work with her bardic gift of seeing into the past. Each campsite they discovered was a cause for her to stop and spend an hour or so sending her sight back in time, to look at how the Jackalbane women were being treated, at how the Hunter and his men were faring. Their horses had not been as fortunate as those which knew Jardanth's care -- the group had come across the carcasses of those too lame to continue. The women, at least, were holding up well. Since the escape attempt they were more closely guarded, but still not ill-treated so far as the bard could tell. Still -- it was difficult to watch, and familiarity didn't help her control the anger that seethed through her every time. Mari's nigh-indomitable strength of spirit did not permit her to succumb to despair. The visions she saw just seemed to make her more and more determined to rescue her sisters and exact justice for what had been done to them -- and to all of Bak'Tiar.

Always there for her, Duras held her when she needed, listened if she needed to talk, and did his best to take her mind off of things, if that's what she wanted from him.

Mari could feel their bond growing stronger. She appreciated his support so much.

The days, and weeks in the saddle for Rhenn, were much like he had lived his whole life. Even still, he was growing weary. Each passing day, he urged them to move farther, faster, take shorter breaks, and be on the trail earlier, and later. He was not insistent, but something seemed to be driving him. His attacks occured, sometimes knocking him from the saddle, sometimes waking him from a dead slumber, and with each one, he seemed more determined to overtake their quarry.

He had taken to making sure that Cady's steeds were as well taken care of as Senaia, and making sure her gear was in a good state of repair. When he wasn't outranging, searching for the signs of their quarry, he had taken to riding with her, sometimes in silence, others playfully jesting with her, at her darkening tan, and lightening hair. A month ago, he wouldn't have thought it possible, but she was getting even more beautiful.

Cady, rarely if ever spoke of her Cascadia any more. When it would come up, usually in response to one of Rhenn's curiosities, it was fairly evident that somewhere between here and Kum'al Kidret, she had become homesick.

If anything the arduous riding and living seemed to do much to humanize the Emissary and bring her down a few notches closer to her companions. Without a doubt, Khevar was to get the credit for most of this. He kept her up late into the night practicing with him on her skill with the bow, and by the time she collapsed into Rhenn's makeshift tent she rarely had much life left in her, but what she did have she gave to him freely. She complained frequently that Khevar was trying to kill her.

The Sun Yani had settled back into his comfortable role of quiet protector as the group moved across the land. Rhenn had returned to the role of commander, and Rael watched as everyone responded well. It would not have been good lose him. Or anyone, the monk thought one night as he sat apart fromn the group.

Khevar rode the trail as calmly and steadfastly as he did everything else. If it tired him, he gave no sign of it. He still worked Cady hard into the night, determined to make her an archer or break her, whichever came first. He didn't really like her any more than he used to, but he respected her willingness to keep going. She was proving valuable, and getting better.

Kassus rode quietly much of the time. Not that he avoided conversation; to the contrary, he made great effort to remain social and even amiable whenever his input was solicited. He retained a polite distance the rest of the time, however, occasionally chewing his lip or frowning in thought as they rode over the gently rolling hills.

The problem wasn’t the company he kept. At least, not specifically. His thoughts kept turning back to his being made delegate of his clan for the kum al kidret. Why had they chosen him? There were others with more experience of clan workings, with more knowledge of the summer gatherings and of the world at large. The more he mulled this over the more he was convinced that it was in large part because of his abilities. A user of wind magic was rare enough, but one who could also call fire was one to be respected…and feared.

So then why him? Why send someone they feared to the clan meeting? Perhaps, he thought, It is precisely because of my lack of experience that they sent me. It was that thought that he worried to a fray. He required experience of the world beyond the seas, and of the people. His was a fearful ability, one that could be very useful or very destructive. How would he have dealt with someone in a similar position? Teach them, of course, and do what you can to impart those lessons and values that are important to the clan’s way of life. At some point, however, you must let them run free before the wind, to take the halter off and allow them to steer their own course.

He was being tested. How he handled the meeting—and indeed, the entire journey—might very well decide his fate among the clan. He smiled at the thought. Very well. If this is another test then it is one I shall pass.

A quick mental review of his companions gave Kassus further pause, however. He had interacted poorly with them, intermingling almost juvenile eagerness with arrogant distance. They must think him some sort of simpleton, or worse, perhaps, a careless fop. As he glanced around at his chosen companions he made note of each, of their place in the group, and vowed he would rectify his inconsistent behavior. He would be Kassus—no more, no less—and if that wasn’t good enough for this group—or indeed, the kum al kidret, or even his clan—then it was better to know that now than not.

The smile on his face drifted off like smoke on the wind as the miles past, but anyone paying close attention would have noted that Kassus perhaps sat a bit easier on his mount, and perhaps a bit straighter.

Khevar and Rhenn knew the group was catching up with the kidnapped Jackalbane women slowly; they also knew that they'd reach the refugee settlement at the foot of Kelendor Pass long before this could happen. The Hunter's horses were weakening, not able to travel with the same endurance and speed as those who chased them. Remarkably, they also seemed not to know that they were being pursued -- Mari's visions and their examinations of the campsites agreed on this. What the plainsmen weren't discussing much was that even with all this, wind and weather were causing them to have to work harder and harder to stay on the Hunter's trail. By the time Rhenn figured they were a ten days away from the camp at Kelendor Pass, the trail-signs were few, infrequent, and questionable at best. A few days after that, they came across something neither expected: Another, different, fresher track, this one no more than a day or two old at most.

This one was made by three men, on foot. Their tracks cut across the horse-trail the group were currently following up the side of a hill. It was too difficult to tell in which direction the tracks where headed -- either around the hill and down into a ravine cut by a spring freshet, or on up the hill-face to an outcropping of rock some distance above.

After cussing and discussing it for a bit, they decided it would be most reasonable to see if Mari's bardic gifts could give them any clues. Rhen had to point out to her the scuffs on the rock and dislodged pebbles that indicated, to his experienced eyes, the bootprints of a humanoid-being. Nodding, Mari frowned, then relaxed as the scenes of this place through the otherwise peaceful days filled her mind.

Then three men in uniform came around the hillside, moving in her vision down and around toward the ravine. They were human. Their uniforms looked military -- in fact, they looked a lot like IMMC uniforms, not mercenary. She'd heard the IMMC no longer existed though -- they'd learned at the kum al-kidret that Cascadia and the other host nations had somehow turned the IMMC into their own national militaries. It caused her to stop her vision, and with the weeks of experience she'd gained, pushed it back in time and stepped in to take a closer look at the men and their gear.

On the pack of the second one in line was the umistakable seal of the kingdom of Cascadia. With a bard's exacting precision, Mari memorized the salient facts about the men in her bardic sight, running through it many times, from several angles, to make sure she could reproduce it exactly.

And then she did so, for them all -- but primarily for the Cascadian Emissary. Cady looked more like a woman of the plains than the pampered, spoiled Urilian hedonist who'd joined them so long ago, but her green eyes narrowed at what Mari showed them, and she nodded.

"Cascadian," she agreed. "They must have landed troops already. They're going to help the Bak'Tiar hold Kelendor Pass."

"How old are these tracks?" She looked towards Rhenn and Khevar before continuing. "They're on foot, so the headquarters must be close. I would guess that it's somewhere between here and the pass. This could mean some additional help for our mission."

Khevar looked over at Cady. "A day or two is my guess." He sat back on his heels, dusting his hands off. "I don't know if we want to divert that much. We're gaining on them, but not that fast. More help won't do us any good if we don't catch them."

As had become his habit when they stopped, Jardanth was working his way through the herd, speaking briefly with each one as he passed by, which gave him an opportunity to use his talent to check them over, inside and out. There was only one whiner in the band, and he'd learned to keep his mouth shut weeks ago -- albeit not before the band stallion bit him in the withers to shut him up. The rest of the band was tired and, like their human companions, ached in places they didn't even know existed. But they felt the sense of urgency and so, also like their human companions, soldiered on with them.

"We can catch them," the healer said finally, patting the last horse on the neck. He headed back to where Cady and Khevar were talking. "And beat them -- if we keep going. We're tired; so are they. But we're healthy and we have the ability to remain so. They're not, as the trail of dead horses amply illustrates. That's our edge."

“These men were looking for the enemy." Mari added. "They don’t seem to be as good of trackers as Khevar and Rhenn though. More than likely these were the first scouts, more troops should be following soon. Khevar is right, we don’t have time to wait for reinforcements. There is no telling how long it will take them to get here.”

Rhenn reached into his pocket, as he listened to the others, he held Senaia by the reins with his left hand, and with his right retrieved a salt cube, and held it under her muzzle. "We can catch them, aye. It would be better if we could get ahead of them, though." He scratched the steed right between her eyes, her favorite spot, as he continued. "The pass is narrow, and treacherous. A double handful of people could hold it against an Army, if they had the supplies, and the willpower. It would be better to use that terrain against our prey, than risk facing any guards he may leave behind, to watch his backtrail as he crosses."

Jardanth rubbed his nose thoughtfully. "You know," he smiled slyly. "If we could find these soldiers without losing time, maybe we could convince them to go directly to the pass and hole up there while we follow our track. They're on foot; they can move a lot faster than we can -- or our enemy."

“How do you suggest we do that?” Mari asked.

"Their tracks are fresh," he shrugged. "They'll be easier to follow than our enemy's. It's also quite possible that in their stomping around they've destroyed what little was left of the enemy's tracks. Anyway, easier means faster -- and we do have a couple of good trackers."

Mari shrugged back. She didn’t care how they got to The Hunter, as long as they got there. She left the decision of staying on his trail or finding back up to the rest of the party.

Cady's brow creased as she processed Jardanth's words. "Are you thinking we should split up? One group to follow the Cascadians and the other staying on this trail? If we do split up, I should go with the group to follow the men on foot."

"Would it be necessary?" He arched an eyebrow. "If those soldiers are trying to follow the same people we are, we're headed in the same direction -- and also probably tramping all over the trail we've been following while they're doing it," he added wryly.

Rael looked around at his companions as they spoke. "I do not like the idea of splitting us up. Your people," he said, "learned the value of their clan. Their unity. Their strength. Are not we our own clan upon the plain out for the hunt? Our unity is our strength."

Khevar had given his opinion earlier and felt little need to speak up. He nodded at Rael's words. The idea of splitting up didn't appeal to him. He trusted this group and didn't want to seperate it. The fight with the wyvern proved they were capable of great things together. Together they needed to stay.

“We definitely need to stay together. Let’s keep on after the hunter. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to run across the scouts as well.” Mari finally chipped in. Knowing how close they were getting was spurring her on. She could feel it, the tension in the air was growing.

The Emissary looked impatient, she hated democracy and waiting for a consensus before acting on things. She was used to working alone and following her gut, trusting in the divine to protect her and guide her. "The Hunter is the enemy of the Cascadians. And if he knows they're out here, which he likely does...then, he's going to be very careful. That means, he'll be more cautious and likely slow down his pace in order to not run into any of the enemy out posts. ...so catching them isn't likely going to be a problem." She paused for a second before continuing, ever aware that she was the outsider and that her opinion wasn't always welcome.

"And like Jardanth said, our horses are in much better condition than theirs. The thing that worries me, is that it doesn't matter how quickly we catch them, unless somebody has thought of a plan and hasn't mentioned it to me...we're out matched once we reach them. Perhaps we should do as Rhenn suggested, and race them to the pass and catch them there. I for one think it's a bad idea to let ourselves catch them too quickly without a plan. Passion alone can't win a battle."

"Perhaps not," Jardanth sighed tiredly, turning to swing back up into his saddle. "But a plan made without information is like performing surgery without a diagnosis. They're ahead of us by half a moon's age, and we're not getting any closer by standing here chewing our cuds. Shall we ride?"

Cady looked up at Jardanth, her eyes heavy with insolence. "I don't even know what that means." Barbarians. Moon age and chewing cud. She thought, as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited, unwilling to allow Jardanth to declare the discussion over unless the others agreed. Suddenly democracy was suiting her better.

Khevar grunted, "It means they're still ahead of us, and they're getting further away all the time. Before we can plan on how to stop them, we need to know where we are going to catch them and get a look at what's going on. So we need to ride now, talk later."

Rolling her eyes at the Cascadian Mari jumped onto Para and clicked for him to continue on down the trail. Great now the “Emmisary” is acting like a spoiled child.

Following the others, Duras mounted his horse. He didn't even bother rolling his eyes at The Emissary - his thoughts were back on Rayna. The closer they got, the more his sister preyed upon his mind.

Kassus mounted as well. Thus far he had said little, only nodding now and again to show he was paying attention. Considering his past inconsistencies he thought it best not to interject at this time. He had some ideas, but to voice them now would only reinforce whatever negative opinions they might have of him. Better to await a more opportune time to show his newfound sense of self.

Cady's stomach was twisting into uncomfortable knots of frustration. She was hesitant to bring up the Jackalbane Clan, she knew it was a raw subject and not one that the others needed reminded of, but it was a scene that she couldn't get out of her head. "Surely you guys haven't forgotten the slaughter! An entire clan of your brethren, ran down and killed or captured by the Hunter. We are eight! How many were they? Are we really to ride on towards that powerful lunatic when help can be found only a day away?" The frustration in her voice was evident.

"The Goddess has thrown us hope and power, thrown it right at our feet!" Cady gestured passionately at the tracks that Khevar and Rhenn were standing over, her green eyes shining with a divine light. "How can we not take advantage of that? I'll go. I'm obviously of no use to you guys anyway. Urilia will guide me and I will bring the power of the Cascadian army down on this hunter." The passion and skill of The Emissary was present in those words, the power of her voice heard clearly even by those that had began moving forward with their horses.

Duras nodded with Cady's outburst. Good, let her go... she may be right, and, well, we can do without her imbalances.

The rage boiled up in Mari, as she turned Para and galloped back to the Emissary. Her anger emanated from her, rivaling the zealous air of the other woman. As the horse came to a skidding halt next to Cady, Mari’s illusion took form.

the women of the Jackalbane clan huddled in front of the stubborn foreigner, dirty from weeks of traveling, their frightened brown eyes looking at her pleading for help. The focus was shifted to one woman who had a distinct bruise on her arm in the shape of man’s fingers, then fazed to another woman who mixed a concoction and handed it to her companion, who was hugging her belly and crying. Next, Mari showed Urilia’s chosen the body of a young girl, laying on the plains, it’s lower extremities ash, the torso burnt to a crisp, all that remained was the girl’s head and one arm as it reached out to the woman laying 3 feet in front of it.

The vision was both unexpected and assaulting, it came with no warning and because of that it took Cady several moments to recover from the attack. In a few heartbeats she realized it was one of Bard's illusions and she grabbed her head with both hands, trying to forcibly remove the apparition from her mind. Most of Mari's words that followed went unheard as she struggled to force the unsightly spirits away.

Even Kassus was discomfited by the vision. That level of injury, of purposeful violence, was not something he had much experience with, if any at all.

When she spoke Mari’s voice was raw with fury as she looked down. “No, Cady, we have not forgotten the slaughter. We live with it every day. Duras’s sister is among those traveling in front of us. We ride our horses almost to death each day so that we may catch them before they get beyond our reach, but we are not the only ones after The Hunter. The clans are working with the Cascadians to guard the pass. There is no reason to chase after two lone foot soldiers, when an entire army is waiting ahead. If you feel the desire to do so, go right ahead. I for one will be trying to reach the Hunter and take him by surprise.”

Cady's eyes, that were usually so alive with life went still and cold. Rhenn recognized her unusual expression as anger and he knew from personal experience just how cold and hard it could be. When she sprung into action it was too late for anyone to stop her. "Stay out of my head!"

Even as Cady screamed she was pulling Mari off of her horse, first by her leg and then by her long hair. Para sidestepped uneasily and unwittingly helped her with the task. First the bard and then the Emissary hit the ground, the green eyed assassin could feel the dagger sheathed under her arm burning into her skin, begging to be unleashed, but she had enough presence of mind left to push those horrible thoughts out of her head. It was not Urilia's wish for the Bard to be hurt, if anything, her chosen child knew that she should protect the first bard born in 300 years. ...but the stress of travel and her anger couldn't be contained any longer.

Duras blinked. For weeks now, Mari had been the one coaching him, helping him not to be so guided by his quick anger. Not to wear his heart as a medallion. Not to jump in without taking a moment. Breathing exercises, she was teaching him... This came as a bit of a surprise... and the Emissary's reaction, well, there was that imbalance.

Kassus pulled on the reins of Valyar, his mount, turning his horse away from the women. The bard’s illusion, her verbal assault, The Emissary’s scream, and now this. It was…unnerving. Kassus felt embarrassed, uncomfortable that he should witness such behavior from these two women. He was also angry that they should choose now to settle whatever issues they had between them. He cursed himself for not speaking up sooner, for not voicing his opinion. Perhaps it might’ve helped in avoiding this…

Mari had never been attacked by anyone she wasn’t sparing with in her entire life. The suddenness of Cady’s assault caught her completely off guard. Pain exploded in her head as the Emissary pulled her hair, and in her back when her hip hit the ground. The only thing she knew as fog enveloped her mind was that the woman on the ground next to her was an enemy at the moment, all of the fighting skills that she had been taught flew away. The Bard ignored the pain in her hip and grabbed the other woman’s hair as she rolled on top of her. She started yelling, words escaped her mouth in no particular semblance of order, things about haughty women, pampered elite, and murderers as she pulled her hair and slapped her face.

Cady allowed a slow predatory smile to fill her face as Mari slapped her, under different circumstances she could have enjoyed that. "Don't ever rape my mind again!". She reached up with one of her delicate hands, nails that were once perfectly manicured were now caked with dirt, but still sharp and effective as she reached for the simple tunic under her open leather vest. She pulled at it with surprising strength, causing it to rip, exposing one of the bard's breasts. The result made the Emissary's predatory smile turn into a leer as she resisted the urge to do something particularly violent to the woman on top of her. Instead her body became temporarily still as she took a moment to enjoy her predicament.

Jardanth watched the encounter with an arched eyebrow for a moment, then backed his mount down to one of the pack animals. He unstrung the flask of thesker from its usual place and took a pull. "I was about to suggest we pull them apart," he drawled. "But as the only healer present for us all, I'll have to advise not. It would be bad for moral." He eyed the two women rolling about in the dirt archly and tossed the flask to Khevar.

Khevar caught the flask and took a drink. His scars stood out as his face flamed red from the unexpected show. His annoyance at the noise and the time lost vanished, replaced by shock and embarrassment. Striving to appear non-plussed, he tossed the flask back and shrugged. "I just hope the two of them are fit to ride when they're done playing. We're losing time and light."

”Better now than when confronted with a more difficult choice,” Kassus added. He blinked, seemingly surprised that he’d spoken aloud. He offered a mild shrug and settled his mount again.

Rael had moved up to separate the two, but he realized that this was not going to become a lethal fight. He looked at the two women wrestling. To him they appeared like common street whores fighting over the next soldier. He shook his head, hoped that this would get whatever had been building within them out of their systems, and turned Swayback away from the fracas.

Torn between wanting to come to Mari's aid and letting the women sort this out on their own, Duras dismounted and stepped close, but hesitated, several feet away. His eyes flickered to the others, listening to their comments, watching Rael turn away.

The distinct sound of fabric ripping reached Mari’s ears, then the cool breeze on her chest alerted her brain to what had just happened. Her mind cleared and she looked down. The Emissaries’ hands were still on her blouse, and the look on her face was quite disturbing. Mari grabbed the hands that were attached to her clothing, and pulled them off, causing the fabric to rip even more. She used the leverage she had over the woman to push her arms to the ground above her head, resulting in their faces being only inches away from the other. Her eyes narrowed as she quietly spoke, “If you had wanted me so badly, all you had to do was ask.” She leaned in and pressed her mouth hard against Cady’s.

What is it with these people?! Every time I get in a knock down drag out fight with one of them, they end up kissing me. And Khevar claims I'm the imbalanced one. Despite her irritation she found it amusing, and the bard could feel her lips spread into a smile beneath her own. The last of her anger dissipated as she did what any red blooded Urilian would do when the first bard born in 300 years kissed her. She kissed her back.

When Cady’s lips pressed back against Mari’s her body reacted in a way that she wasn’t sure she was comfortable with. The Bard pulled back and sucked her breath in. She looked Cady in the eyes and with a friendly smile pushed herself up and off of her.

"Tease." Cady said as she pushed herself up, her eyes were serious and any hint of a smile had fallen off of her face. She took her time standing up, scanning her companions and stopping when they reached Khevar. She rolled her eyes at him when she saw his painfully embarrassed expression, before washing her hands of any misconduct. "She started it."

"The real question is, which one of you finished it first?" Jardanth chuckled, tossing the flask down to them. "But thanks for the show. I haven't seen a real cat fight since my sisters grew up. They never quit kissing, though," he said thoughtfully...

Mari looked at the men standing around watching and turned bright red, then jumped onto Para’s back, and headed up the trail again.

Without a word, Khevar shook his head and turned around. He climbed on his horse and headed out ahead of the group, scouting the path and watching for trouble. Women were weirder than he had ever imagined and the hunter found himself wondering if, in the entire history of the human race, any man had actually understood them.

Kassus sat blinking, thoroughly nonplussed. That…what he’d seen, it wasn’t something he had seen before. No, of course not. How could he? When and where had two beautifully women started out trying to kill each other but ended up nearly lovers? In what tale was that particular scene? He shook his head quickly, suddenly uncomfortable in the saddle. He glanced around at the others and gave a pointed look toward Mari and Khevar as they rode away.

”So,” he said, his voice a little gruff, “I guess we're going this way?” He clicked his tongue and gave Valyar a nudge, urging the horse to follow the others.

It became evident as that day (and those after) wore on that the Hunter was indeed aware that he had company in these hills. The trail-signs were easier to see, even the sudden stormy tempests couldn't wash away all of them. He was no longer making a bee-line for the Pass; his trail now wound more cautiously, keeping them off ridges, tending toward gullies and vales where their passage could go undetected by enemy scouts. There were plenty of tracks for them too, and the closer they got to the valley which led to the entrance to Kelendor Pass, the more frequent they became. In fact, they were so frequent that it became more and more difficult for Rhenn and Khevar to pick the track of the Hunter's party out of the various layers of trail sign they found.

The pursuers' opinions about how to proceed began fracturing, some wanting to stay on the trail of the Hunter since they could likely use his own caution against him, others advocating they should head directly for the trail into Kelendor Pass to attempt to cut him off. Both arguments had merit, both had risks. The discussions around the campfire turned heated on more than one occasion, with the suggestion being put forward once again to split up and try both ways . This fractured the group along different lines; without a clear leader or a consensus, they found themselves staying on the Hunter's trail by default and nobody really happy about it.

Until one night after dusk, when the horses milled restlessly in their cluster and the night owls led the chorus of sound under a much narrower night sky still full of stars. It was late, most of the Bak'Tiaran party had drifted off around the fire while Kassus and Rael kept careful watch from some distance away. Kassus, almost asleep himself from the long days of wearying travel, jerked wide awake between heartbeats. He'd heard something, but not with his outer ears. The young mage sat stock still, concentrating hard, willing the "sound" to recur, yet half-afraid it would. Moments later he heard it again, sounding something like silk parting over a sharp knife, the merest hiss -- of magic. Someone relatively nearby was using magic!

Kassus stood up slowly, eyeing the darkness around them and searching for the source of the 'sound'. He stepped carefully across the ground to Rael's side, eyes darting nervously around them.

"We have company," he said simply. Though he didn't whisper neither did he speak very loudly, yet his voice carried his growing sense of excitement and foreboding, both. He swallowed and wiped his hands on his trousers. "There is magic nearby." He looked at Rael directly. "Very close."

Rael did not bother to ask how the mage knew that there was sorcery about. The Sun Yanni casually moved to a position closer to Kassus and leaned in to him.

"Do you know in which direction the magic is coming?" he asked in a whisper.

He no sooner had the words from his mouth than he heard it again, something like the echoing scream of a hunting cat in the distance -- but of course it wasn't like that at all.

Again the mage cocked his head and turned it slightly, trying to pin down what he'd heard. "That way," he said, gesturing vaguely to the northwest. "I think. But..." he trailed off, his brows furrowing. "It's like..." He made a petulant sound. "I can't determine how far." He shot an apologetic look to Rael. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure how far away."

"Do not apologize, friend Kassus," the monk whispered in response. "You may have given us the advance time we needed. Now, carefully wake the others. Start with Duras and bring him quickly to speed. His skills could provide most useful. Wake the warriors next. I shall see what I find."

Rael then slipped into the darkness to find the source of the magic that vexed Kassus.

The SeaLord mage watched his companion disappear into the darkness, then nodded. With hurried steps he moved to where Duras and Mari shared a bedrool and knelt down. His hand paused on its way to Duras' shoulder. He seemed frozen for a moment, but quickly shook himself out of his reverie and touched the warrior lightly.

"Duras," he hissed, glancing at the supine form of Mari next to him. "Wake up!"

Mumbling, "What, again, Mari?" Duras swatted at Kassus' hand. A moment later, at Kassus' voice, and more importantly, the dire insistence in it, the young riverrunner was awake. "I don't think it's my watch tonight," he hissed quietly. "What's the problem?"

Once Kassus filled in Duras, he was ready to go; Mari, who had woken while Kassus was talking was instructed to help Kassus wake the others and prepare for anything. Daggers in hand, he stole a kiss from the lovely bard before heading in the direction Rael had gone (which Kassus had pointed out for him), albeit sweeping around from a side direction instead of following a straight line.

Mari woke when she heard Kassus hiss her lover’s name. She quickly threw on her clothes and watched with her heart in her throat as Duras moved away into the dark. When he disappeared she moved to help wake the others, and prepare for whatever came next.

Kassus then went to each of the others, waking them with similarly insistent touches and hushed words.. He hesitated slightly at the side of the Emissary, but the dark hid his expression. In short order he'd woken the entire party.

Cady was deep in slumber when she felt Kassus' urgent touch on her arm. Sleep was such a seductive mistress, she could make almost anything seem unimportant. It was with a great deal of difficulty, that the Emissary, pulled herself out of the most blessed state. A place where the aches in her body were almost absent, and pleasant visions and sensations danced freely through her mind. The raven haired beauty was still struggling to gain wakefulness as the mage began waking Rhenn.

Rhenn roused easily, and quietly. Giving a quick nod of understanding, he slid out from under his blanket, and without thought grabbed the Spear of the Silverplains. Then he remembered the hail of arrows the Hunter had conjured onto Jackalbane encampment, and started to Don the armor he had brought from Kum-al-Kidret.

Khevar woke quickly and quietly when Kassus touched him. He looked around, moving smoothly and slowly, then picked up his bow. "Thanks," he murmered as he carefully slipped away from the fire, looking for a vantage point to seek out their visitor.

"Yeah, thanks," Jardanth murmured. "I don't suppose you could convince the miscreants to wait until morning, could you?" He yawned. "Oh." He turned serious. "Heard any owls or wolves about tonight? Senses made for the dark would be useful, don't you think?"

”Um, no,” Kassus replied. He sat for a second, wondering if he should say more, before simply moving on.

Cady was still shouldering into her bandoleer as she rejoined Kassus. She looked off in the direction that he was staring and listened carefully to see if she could sense anything out of the ordinary.

By the time the rest of the group was awake and assembled, Rael, Duras, and Khevar had left. Their camp on the side of the mountain was the only relatively level space they'd found all day. The slopes were covered with loose rock and tree litter, tricky for the horses to navigate. It was not pitch dark, it was worse than pitch dark -- Thorian was high in the sky, shedding just enough pale light to deepen the shadows and trick human eyes into thinking they could see.

Somewhere out there, vaguely northwest of your camp, someone was using magic, Kassus was sure of that. But how far and what kind of magic it might be, or even if it was more than one? He couldn't say with certainty, nor had he been asked by any of the three who'd left.

The Bak'Tiar in the group agreed that daylight was about two hours away yet -- and with the mountains, it would be a little later than that before there was enough light for the horses to graze. A quick turn about the camp had told Rhenn and Jardanth that Khevar and Duras were positioned to watch the direction Kassus had said he'd heard the magic use (and the direction into which Rael had disappeared), but there'd been no sign of any activity yet. The horses couldn't sense anything and were mostly resentful at being awakened so early -- sleep was a precious commodity for them.

On his route around the camp, Jardanth did find a small owl who was willing to pause his nightly hunt to speak with him. The little one was unwilling to stray from his territory, but eventually agreed to circle the vicinity to see what he could see in exchange for the meat he'd miss by giving up his hunt.

Mari walked to Kassus, standing next to him where he faced northwest, she reached out her own senses, hoping to feel something, not even sure that it would work. “Do you think it is directed at us? Should we all go investigate? I hate waiting.” she said the last with a sigh as she looked at the darkness in front of them.

Kassus shrugged and shook his head, then thought that perhaps the gesture would be unseen in the dark. “I don’t know,” he said. “However,” he added after a moment. “There are three groups of travelers in this area—three that we know of,” he amended. “And none of their purposes seem to meet. I think it’s safe to say that whatever is happening, it is not friendly. We should be very careful not to stumble into something for which we are unprepared.”

"Walking through the mountains in the dark is suicide," Jardanth murmured to the foreigner. Then he turned to Kassus. "Can you give yourself and a couple of the warriors the Owl Sight?" He asked. "That would let you hunt for the source of this magic safely, and perhaps get to it before it gets to us -- if that is its intent.

"And in these mountains," he sighed, "it very well could be. Sound echoes, and only the deer can move silently."

Kassus winced, then shook his head at Jardanth’s request. He’d been afraid that they’d ask something beyond him, and he felt a knot in his stomach at having to disappoint his companions..

“I’m as yet unfamiliar with the incantation that would allow night vision,” the SeaLord mage said apologetically. “I can give a person the long sight, the ability to see great distances, but it is no better in darkness than their normal vision. Too, if I can hear the magic being used out there it is almost certain they could hear mine, and it’s still possible our position is unknown to them.”

"Then let us hope that the promise of a meal is suitable enticement for Mr. Owl. I wish we'd find a pack of timber wolves," he sighed. "Good companions in the mountains, they are."

Meanwhile, off in his little hiding spot, Duras waited to see what the night would bring... he waited, daggers in hand, ready to spring should the need arise.

Armed and armored, the group waited out the night with varying degrees of anxiety. The two on watch felt muscles stiffen and cramp in their unaccustomed positions, but stayed faithfully on watch as the blackness deepened in that nowhere hour just before dawn. Nothing was moving. The insects and nightbirds kept up their musical chorus, undisturbed. Thorian westered until he disappeared behind a nearby mountain.

Nothing, nothing.

Jardanth's little owl friend returned and babbled about voles and moles and mice and the other place of *____ ______ _ __ ______* -- a phrase that was mostly untranslatable, but to the animal-friend's trained ears, definitely bespoke another large camp of horses and humans. After another few minutes of warbling, the plainsman gathered the general direction -- north-northwest. Distance? He manage to derive that it no less than two kilometers, more than five -- not a far distance on the plains, but definitely a trek to consider in these mountains.

Cady sat with her arms wrapped tightly against her knees and her cheek resting lightly against the fabric of her pants. She had taken Kassus' warning quite seriously, but as the time passed without incident she had slid into her more restful position. Rhenn's imposing figure stood nearby and she was confident that between him and the two on watch that no one was going to sneak up on them.

The mountains to the east had become limned with the first signs of grey when the night music hushed to the northwest of Khevar and Duras. With no way to warn the others, the two readied their weapons and waited, using peripheral vision to scan the downslope rather than direct vision, which was unreliable in the low light.

* * * * *