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[howandwhy99]

“Stay here”, Rose told Ormand. “I must go back and tell the others what I’ve found out. Make sure you hide and tell me if anything happens. Okay?” Ormond nodded dumbly. Rose flitted out the stable door and out into the street. As she skipped along a sharp point poked into her back. “Your money or your life!” growled a voice behind her. She could feel the metal of the blade irritating her skin already. As she stood there the voice behind her started snigering as if it was some kind of joke. Feeling desperate Rose bolted forward hoping to catch the man off guard. It did not work. The blade slid under her jerkin and into her back. Purple blood spurted out of the wound and the horses inside the stable whinnied. Rose ran as fast as she could. Heavy footsteps followed her, but she quickly outpaced them. She had learned to outrun many an animal in the woods with the Elves. She did not dare turn back until she reached The Wyvern’s entrance.

It was unlocked. Inside the common room Grog was snoring. Several people were milling about as Rose swooned in place. Purple blood had fully drenched the backside of her clothes. She could feel the metal poisoning burn as it ran through her veins. “Help!” she gasped feebly. No one even gave her a second glance. Blindly she stumbled to the stairs and crawled upwards. “Help!” Darius came out from his room seconds later.

Back in the stables Ormond listened to the horses kicking and neighing. From his hiding spot up above he saw a short, enshrouded figure enter through the main door. It moved slowly over to the stall of the horse Rose had called ‘Pixie’. By its size and shape he guessed it was one of Grog’s blue friends. The figure bent over and examined the footprints inside the stall. Then it began neighing to the horse like Rose had. Ormand suddenly felt emboldened to help her. Staying as silent as possible he let the horse noises cover his movement. Carefully he stepped off the loft built above the rear half of the stables and inched his way atop the front stall walls using the rafters for support. When he made it to Pixie’s stall Ormand could see the small figure inside at least ten feet below.

Darius lifted Rose up like a leaf and brought her into his room. He kicked the three sleepers inside awake and deposited Rose in a bed. She protested. “The floor,” she said faintly. He decided to do as she asked. He picked her up again and called upon the power of Thor to heal her weakened body. As Rose’s wounds healed, a torrent of words gushed forth. She rapidly explained what she had learned from the horse in the stable. “I believed it is Livinia’s. She is with several others. We must buy fruit and sugar tomorrow. Ormand the Redd watches the white horse. The blue man group is here. Svarf Svarf!” Rose passed out. Darius started barking commands. “Wake the others! Get your weapons, then follow me!” He set Rose down on the floor.

Ormond watched patiently. While perched above, the little cloaked man continued to neigh at the horse. Several minutes went by and he could feel his legs cramping. The figure looked angry. It gesticulated with its arms and grunted loudly. The horse barely answered. When the man started to leave Ormand put his plan into action. In his mind he had already determined out how to stop him. He would bend down, grab the bar above the stall door, and swing down on top of the little man. Only it when he tried it Ormond’s fingers slipped. FLOP! He landed face first on the stone floor. The blue man darted forward and stabbed him with its dagger. Ormand groaned in pain. Shaking himself he got up and swung wildly with his sword. The man stabbed again and tried to slip past, but Ormond kicked him back in into the horse’s stall. Pixie began to rear. The other horses started neighing again. Feinting to one side the blue man rolled forward between Ormand’s legs. Ormand tried to grab him but missed. The blue man ran out the door and Ormand took off after him.

Darius and Pax ran down to the street as the others were putting on their armor. They hurried towards the stables and Darius saw a small figure run out into the darkness. A few seconds later, Ormand ran out after it. “Follow me,” he told Pax. The chase progressed into an alley. Ormond ran for all he was worth, but the little blue man was faster than he appeared. They turned left and right zigzagging through small, darkened alleyways. The passersby paid them little attention. As Ormond turned another corner, he saw the Xvart duck under a cloak and slip into a hole in the street. The cloak dropped back covering the hole. It was hard to tell, but it was almost as if it was torn from the creature’s back. Ormand ran forward and pulled back the cloak. Pax and Darius caught up and saw him crouched over the hole. It was barely a foot across.

“What is a hole doing in the middle of the street?” howled Darius angrily. Pax observed that he had seen several of them since entering the city. Only this one had no grating like the others. Darius tried to enter, but he was far too thick. The Xvarts had ridiculously thin bodies with large, bulbous heads planted atop. The creature had simply dropped inside. They dropped a lit torch down the hole, but it went out after a few feet. “I’m sorry Darius,” said Ormond. “I’m always in the right place at the right time, but I can never seem to help out.” Darius remembered the thin man back in Custler and reassured him. “You’re a good man, Ormand the Redd.” Pax pointed out that Urkwin might somehow be related to the Xvarts. The four tall blue men who were dead in Orlaine had bluish-grey skin too. “Perhaps he was a half-breed like so many are around here?” said Pax. Darius nodded. Kayla had been calling Urkwin a skulk in private with him.

Darius picked up the cloak and examined it. It felt strange in his hands and was hard to look at. He had always seen through shadows, but this cloak’s blackness had a depth he could not focus on. They made their way back to the Wyvern. Everyone was gathered in one room. Kayla was given the cloak to inspect, while Darius, Rose, and Ormand told everyone what transpired. Afterwards, Kayla told the team the cloak was a fine, oiled, animal’s fur and very well made. She had tested it for magic. And while it was not magical in itself, it could be used for magics. However the only person it fit was little Rose, so it was given into her care..

It was very late, so the whole team went to the stable to inspect it. All the horses were still there, even Pixie. Rose spoke with the horse and confirmed it said nothing to the little blue man. Pax was left with Ormond and Rose to keep watch. His sheer size would likely scare away any other attackers. As he nursed his bruised and battered body, Ormond lamented the fact that all his heroic actions had done were to bring a massive he-man between he and Rose. “Perhaps it’s not meant to be?” he thought before drifting to sleep.