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Description
Hunter and Hunted

Lana leaned back against the rought trunk of an oak tree. Around her, the forest was gloomy and filled with a soft rustling noise as the warm summer rain was dripping through the leaves. A couple of steps ahead, she could see Khelgar's and Sand's hooded figures peer through the undergrowth to the road in front of the Hart and Horn, waiting for Bishop to make his appearance. She herself had stayed back, because she would be of little use in the coming fight, besides giving the other two the advantage of faster movement.

It was the third day they were waiting. And Lana was getting impatient. Was the ranger coming here at all? Or had they been completely wrong about the Geas forcing him to come after her? She was sure he had gotten her message, telling him she would be waiting for him here. But he had not sent her a reply. The fact still was galling her.

Typical. No manners. Could at least have said... well, something!

She closed her eyes and let the warm rain hit her face, trying to relax a bit. Hopefully Bishop would turn up today at last. And the weather made sure there were not many wanderers underway, so chances were good they would be able to capture him without any witnesses or meddlers getting in the way...

Suddenly, a hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her backwards roughly, against a hard shoulder, and something cold and sharp pressed against her throat.

"Don't even twitch!" a very familiar voice whispered into her ear, his tone icy, but his breath warm and tickling her skin.

Lana shivered unvoluntarily, but kept still, her eyes flying open to look for the other two. Maybe they had heard...

But they had not, they still were concentrating on the road, their backs turned to her. Could not blame them, she herself had not heard a single sound when he approached.

Damned sneaky bastard.

"Nice little ambush, Captain", he continued, still in that very low whisper. "You really thought I would be stupid enough to walk right into your very obvious trap? I thought you knew me better."

Lana kept staring desperately at the backs of her companions, willing them to notice something was amiss, willing them to turn, but they just looked ahead, completely unaware of her predicament.

"Now", Bishop said, "we will move slowly and very quietly backwards. Don't try anything stupid, this dagger I have at your throat is very sharp, understood? Every clumsy movement might lead to a nasty cut."

He started to move, quietly and catlike, and pulled her with him. She looked wildly around while she had no choice but to follow, and saw Karnwyr standing just a few steps away, watching them with his ears flattened against his neck. He did not look like a happy wolf.

Then, after a few steps, she slipped on a root hidden under the leaves on the ground, slick with rain, and inhaled sharply as the blade indeed nicked her skin at the unexpected movement.

Before her, Sand and Khelgar turned at the sound, and Bishop cursed and started to drag her backwards more quickly.

"Tyr's right buttock!", Khelgar roared and lifted his impressive greataxe menacingly. "Sneaky bugger! Can't ye use the road like any reasonable person? Release her, scumbag, or I'll have yer hide!"

Sand said nothing, but his eyes narrowed as he seemed to ponder his options.

"Big words, runty", Bishop scoffed. "But if I were you, I'd stay very put. Especially you, elf. No muttering, no mumbling. In case you have not noticed, I hold a dagger to your Captain's throat. And you know me, I never bluff."

The dwarf let out another angry roar. "I'll tear ye apart if ye hurt her, ye son of a filthy whore!"

"Maybe", Bishop sneered. "But she would be just as dead."

Lana could hear Khelgars teeth gnashing even from the distance, but the dwarf stayed where he was. Sand was also standing still, just watching the slow retreat with a glimmer in his eye.

They can't do anything! I have to help myself!

Panicked, heart beating madly, Lana tried to think of anything while she was being dragged deeper into the dripping forest. She had to do something, could not let him simply catch her. The implications if he managed to bring her back to Jaluth...

No! No way!

But what could she do?

A soft, whining noise caught her attention, and her eyes snapped back to Karnwyr, who was following them some steps away, still looking extemely unhappy. She stared at him, hard, and he stared back, whining again.

Help me, she tried to tell him with her eyes.

He kept her gaze for some seconds, then disappeared from her field of view. Lana closed her eyes in defeat for a moment, but suddenly, there was a dull sound of impact, and wet grey fur grazed Lana's face as Karnwyr jumped his master, coming from the side. Bishop's grip on her loosened, while he cried out in surprise, cursed and tried to get his footing again. Another dull sound, and he yelled as he hit the ground.

Without looking, Lana ran back into the direction of Sand and Khelgar, who were running to catch up now. Khelgar charged and raced right past her.

Lana, hand at her injured throat, whirled around just in time to see the dwarf crashing into Bishop, just as he was trying to get to his feet again, spewing vile curses at his companion. Karnwyr was slinking away, his tail between his legs, looking miserable.

Sand, pushing past her too, stopped some steps further and started muttering an arcane formula, his hands weaving obscure patterns into the air. Bishop rolled nimbly to his feet, ducking under a halfhearted swing of Khelgar's greataxe. The dwarf did not really try to hit the ranger, just to keep him occupied.

"Hurry, bookworm!", he yelled.

Bishop jumped up and turned, preparing to run, knowing very well that he had not the slightest chance, fighting fight those three opponents at the same time.

"He's gettin' away!", Khelgar hollered.

"I hate people resisting my spells", Lana heard Sand mumble waspishly.

Time do do something – don't just stand around gawking!

Accompanied by the familiar whispering, Lana conjured up her powers, allowing her and her friends much faster movement. Suddenly, Khelgar had no problems catching up with Bishop, and with another roar, charged again, throwing the ranger forcefully against the massive trunk of a nearby tree.

Sand had moved a bit forward and started casting again, while Bishop shook himself, slightly dazed. Suddenly, he got very still. Sand closed the remaining distance, with Lana on his heels.

"At last", the dwarf said, turning to them. "What took ye so long, bookworm?"

Sand just threw Khelgar a poisonous glance, not deigning to answer.

Lana stepped up and looked at Bishop, who stood frozen, not able to move a muscle, held by the spell, but she shivered at the fury burning in his eyes. They promised murder – and they were fixed on her.

Guess he don't like me anymore.

"Khelgar, bind him", she said, quietly, turning her eyes away, wondering at the sudden ache in her heart. "Before the spell runs out."

Khelgar grumbled and started to rummage through his backpack, taking out a length of rope. Then he quickly and efficiently tied Bishop up.

Lana turned to Sand. "Let's find a place for that cottage of yours and start working", she said. "I want this over as quickly as possible."

Sand gave her a short, piercing glance, but then his eyes went soft, as if he had seen something on her face. He nodded.

"I'll do my best", he promised with a sigh.

Come nightfall, Lana was sitting on a cot in a surprisingly roomy cabin, with a couple of sleeping places, a table with jug and washing bowl, and a small fireplace with a crackling fire. She knew she would not be able to sleep, so she had volunteered for first watch.

Some steps away, Khelgar was lying on his back, snoring like a bear. Next to him, Sand was sleeping.

And next to the cot Lana was sitting on, Bishop was lying with his eyes closed, still tied up securely. Sand hat put a sleeping spell on him, and he had not moved since.

Lana stared at his face in the dim light of the fire and felt miserable like she had not for a long time. He looked so different asleep. Softer, the harsh, angry lines gone as his face relaxed, he seemed much younger, more innocent, and very vulnerable.

He looked like the man she had come to... like.

She felt tears rise, stinging the corners of her eyes, and blinked rapidly. Trying to make no noise, she slipped from the cot to kneel down next to the one he was lying on. She reached out with a trembling hand, stopping short from touching his cheek. Thinking better of it, she retracted her hand, but it seemed such a hard thing to do. She longed to touch him so much...

He'll wake. It's just a sleeping spell – he'll wake if you touch him.

She continued to stare at him, the shadows of the flickering fire dancing over his face, and her eyes followed the line of his muscular neck, over his throat, exposed in sleep, down to what little was visible of his chest through the loosened lacings of his shirt. They had removed his armour, to make him more comfortable, and now some mahogany locks could be seen, curling under the fabric...

She swallowed and ripped her eyes away, repressing the urge to run her hand through those short, wiry curls, forcing her gaze to return to the safer location of his face. His lips had parted slightly and he sighed in his sleep, and again she was reminded so forcefully of the gentler man she had known that it sent a stab of pain through her, so intense that she could not hold back her tears any longer, and the drops started running silently down her cheeks.

"Are you in there, somewhere?", she whispered,. "Is there anything left of you? Or are you really gone, lost to me forever?"

She wiped some tears away, her vision getting blurry. "I miss you", she said quietly, the sadness choking her voice. "I miss you so much."

Finally not able to stand it any longer, having him so close, but knowing that it was not him anymore, that the moment he woke, the anger and spite would be back in his eyes, erasing all resemblance with the man she missed, she got up and turned to the door, suddenly feeling like she was suffocating, needing fresh air.

She stepped outside as quietly as possible and sat down, ignoring the dampness that seeped through her clothes from the ground, leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

She would have to learn to deal with it. She had learned to deal with the loss of Casavir – well, sort of – so she certainly would be able to deal with the loss of Bishop. He was not the love of her life, after all. Just someone she had come to regard as a friend.

A rustling noise startled her and she jumped up, but relaxed when she saw it was only Karnwyr, approaching her, tail still between his legs, a picture of wolfy misery.

She sat down again and extended her hand to him. "Furface", she said, softly. "Come here."

He padded up to her, whining, and she stroked his head. "Don't worry", she said. "You did the right thing. We'll help him, you'll see. We will free him of that spell, and he will not be angry with you anymore. I promise."

The wolf made a snorting noise, as if expressing serious doubts, but laid down next to her, his head in her lap. She stroked his still slightly damp fur, smelling strongly and not entirely pleasantly of wet wolf, and was reminded of the countless times she had snuggled up to Karnwyr when they made camp for the night, burying her hands in his soft grey fur, while Bishop sat at the fire, watching them with a smile on his face.

Not able to repress it any longer, Lana put her face in her hands and cried.

Description
Hunter and Hunted

Lana leaned back against the rought trunk of an oak tree. Around her, the forest was gloomy and filled with a soft rustling noise as the warm summer rain was dripping through the leaves. A couple of steps ahead, she could see Khelgar's and Sand's hooded figures peer through the undergrowth to the road in front of the Hart and Horn, waiting for Bishop to make his appearance. She herself had stayed back, because she would be of little use in the coming fight, besides giving the other two the advantage of faster movement.

It was the third day they were waiting. And Lana was getting impatient. Was the ranger coming here at all? Or had they been completely wrong about the Geas forcing him to come after her? She was sure he had gotten her message, telling him she would be waiting for him here. But he had not sent her a reply. The fact still was galling her.

Typical. No manners. Could at least have said... well, something!

She closed her eyes and let the warm rain hit her face, trying to relax a bit. Hopefully Bishop would turn up today at last. And the weather made sure there were not many wanderers underway, so chances were good they would be able to capture him without any witnesses or meddlers getting in the way...

Suddenly, a hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her backwards roughly, against a hard shoulder, and something cold and sharp pressed against her throat.

"Don't even twitch!" a very familiar voice whispered into her ear, his tone icy, but his breath warm and tickling her skin.

Lana shivered unvoluntarily, but kept still, her eyes flying open to look for the other two. Maybe they had heard...

But they had not, they still were concentrating on the road, their backs turned to her. Could not blame them, she herself had not heard a single sound when he approached.

Damned sneaky bastard.

"Nice little ambush, Captain", he continued, still in that very low whisper. "You really thought I would be stupid enough to walk right into your very obvious trap? I thought you knew me better."

Lana kept staring desperately at the backs of her companions, willing them to notice something was amiss, willing them to turn, but they just looked ahead, completely unaware of her predicament.

"Now", Bishop said, "we will move slowly and very quietly backwards. Don't try anything stupid, this dagger I have at your throat is very sharp, understood? Every clumsy movement might lead to a nasty cut."

He started to move, quietly and catlike, and pulled her with him. She looked wildly around while she had no choice but to follow, and saw Karnwyr standing just a few steps away, watching them with his ears flattened against his neck. He did not look like a happy wolf.

Then, after a few steps, she slipped on a root hidden under the leaves on the ground, slick with rain, and inhaled sharply as the blade indeed nicked her skin at the unexpected movement.

Before her, Sand and Khelgar turned at the sound, and Bishop cursed and started to drag her backwards more quickly.

"Tyr's right buttock!", Khelgar roared and lifted his impressive greataxe menacingly. "Sneaky bugger! Can't ye use the road like any reasonable person? Release her, scumbag, or I'll have yer hide!"

Sand said nothing, but his eyes narrowed as he seemed to ponder his options.

"Big words, runty", Bishop scoffed. "But if I were you, I'd stay very put. Especially you, elf. No muttering, no mumbling. In case you have not noticed, I hold a dagger to your Captain's throat. And you know me, I never bluff."

The dwarf let out another angry roar. "I'll tear ye apart if ye hurt her, ye son of a filthy whore!"

"Maybe", Bishop sneered. "But she would be just as dead."

Lana could hear Khelgars teeth gnashing even from the distance, but the dwarf stayed where he was. Sand was also standing still, just watching the slow retreat with a glimmer in his eye.

They can't do anything! I have to help myself!

Panicked, heart beating madly, Lana tried to think of anything while she was being dragged deeper into the dripping forest. She had to do something, could not let him simply catch her. The implications if he managed to bring her back to Jaluth...

No! No way!

But what could she do?

A soft, whining noise caught her attention, and her eyes snapped back to Karnwyr, who was following them some steps away, still looking extemely unhappy. She stared at him, hard, and he stared back, whining again.

Help me, she tried to tell him with her eyes.

He kept her gaze for some seconds, then disappeared from her field of view. Lana closed her eyes in defeat for a moment, but suddenly, there was a dull sound of impact, and wet grey fur grazed Lana's face as Karnwyr jumped his master, coming from the side. Bishop's grip on her loosened, while he cried out in surprise, cursed and tried to get his footing again. Another dull sound, and he yelled as he hit the ground.

Without looking, Lana ran back into the direction of Sand and Khelgar, who were running to catch up now. Khelgar charged and raced right past her.

Lana, hand at her injured throat, whirled around just in time to see the dwarf crashing into Bishop, just as he was trying to get to his feet again, spewing vile curses at his companion. Karnwyr was slinking away, his tail between his legs, looking miserable.

Sand, pushing past her too, stopped some steps further and started muttering an arcane formula, his hands weaving obscure patterns into the air. Bishop rolled nimbly to his feet, ducking under a halfhearted swing of Khelgar's greataxe. The dwarf did not really try to hit the ranger, just to keep him occupied.

"Hurry, bookworm!", he yelled.

Bishop jumped up and turned, preparing to run, knowing very well that he had not the slightest chance, fighting fight those three opponents at the same time.

"He's gettin' away!", Khelgar hollered.

"I hate people resisting my spells", Lana heard Sand mumble waspishly.

Time do do something – don't just stand around gawking!

Accompanied by the familiar whispering, Lana conjured up her powers, allowing her and her friends much faster movement. Suddenly, Khelgar had no problems catching up with Bishop, and with another roar, charged again, throwing the ranger forcefully against the massive trunk of a nearby tree.

Sand had moved a bit forward and started casting again, while Bishop shook himself, slightly dazed. Suddenly, he got very still. Sand closed the remaining distance, with Lana on his heels.

"At last", the dwarf said, turning to them. "What took ye so long, bookworm?"

Sand just threw Khelgar a poisonous glance, not deigning to answer.

Lana stepped up and looked at Bishop, who stood frozen, not able to move a muscle, held by the spell, but she shivered at the fury burning in his eyes. They promised murder – and they were fixed on her.

Guess he don't like me anymore.

"Khelgar, bind him", she said, quietly, turning her eyes away, wondering at the sudden ache in her heart. "Before the spell runs out."

Khelgar grumbled and started to rummage through his backpack, taking out a length of rope. Then he quickly and efficiently tied Bishop up.

Lana turned to Sand. "Let's find a place for that cottage of yours and start working", she said. "I want this over as quickly as possible."

Sand gave her a short, piercing glance, but then his eyes went soft, as if he had seen something on her face. He nodded.

"I'll do my best", he promised with a sigh.

Come nightfall, Lana was sitting on a cot in a surprisingly roomy cabin, with a couple of sleeping places, a table with jug and washing bowl, and a small fireplace with a crackling fire. She knew she would not be able to sleep, so she had volunteered for first watch.

Some steps away, Khelgar was lying on his back, snoring like a bear. Next to him, Sand was sleeping.

And next to the cot Lana was sitting on, Bishop was lying with his eyes closed, still tied up securely. Sand hat put a sleeping spell on him, and he had not moved since.

Lana stared at his face in the dim light of the fire and felt miserable like she had not for a long time. He looked so different asleep. Softer, the harsh, angry lines gone as his face relaxed, he seemed much younger, more innocent, and very vulnerable.

He looked like the man she had come to... like.

She felt tears rise, stinging the corners of her eyes, and blinked rapidly. Trying to make no noise, she slipped from the cot to kneel down next to the one he was lying on. She reached out with a trembling hand, stopping short from touching his cheek. Thinking better of it, she retracted her hand, but it seemed such a hard thing to do. She longed to touch him so much...

He'll wake. It's just a sleeping spell – he'll wake if you touch him.

She continued to stare at him, the shadows of the flickering fire dancing over his face, and her eyes followed the line of his muscular neck, over his throat, exposed in sleep, down to what little was visible of his chest through the loosened lacings of his shirt. They had removed his armour, to make him more comfortable, and now some mahogany locks could be seen, curling under the fabric...

She swallowed and ripped her eyes away, repressing the urge to run her hand through those short, wiry curls, forcing her gaze to return to the safer location of his face. His lips had parted slightly and he sighed in his sleep, and again she was reminded so forcefully of the gentler man she had known that it sent a stab of pain through her, so intense that she could not hold back her tears any longer, and the drops started running silently down her cheeks.

"Are you in there, somewhere?", she whispered,. "Is there anything left of you? Or are you really gone, lost to me forever?"

She wiped some tears away, her vision getting blurry. "I miss you", she said quietly, the sadness choking her voice. "I miss you so much."

Finally not able to stand it any longer, having him so close, but knowing that it was not him anymore, that the moment he woke, the anger and spite would be back in his eyes, erasing all resemblance with the man she missed, she got up and turned to the door, suddenly feeling like she was suffocating, needing fresh air.

She stepped outside as quietly as possible and sat down, ignoring the dampness that seeped through her clothes from the ground, leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

She would have to learn to deal with it. She had learned to deal with the loss of Casavir – well, sort of – so she certainly would be able to deal with the loss of Bishop. He was not the love of her life, after all. Just someone she had come to regard as a friend.

A rustling noise startled her and she jumped up, but relaxed when she saw it was only Karnwyr, approaching her, tail still between his legs, a picture of wolfy misery.

She sat down again and extended her hand to him. "Furface", she said, softly. "Come here."

He padded up to her, whining, and she stroked his head. "Don't worry", she said. "You did the right thing. We'll help him, you'll see. We will free him of that spell, and he will not be angry with you anymore. I promise."

The wolf made a snorting noise, as if expressing serious doubts, but laid down next to her, his head in her lap. She stroked his still slightly damp fur, smelling strongly and not entirely pleasantly of wet wolf, and was reminded of the countless times she had snuggled up to Karnwyr when they made camp for the night, burying her hands in his soft grey fur, while Bishop sat at the fire, watching them with a smile on his face.

Not able to repress it any longer, Lana put her face in her hands and cried.