Mar was not sure if he heard a war cry or a horrible scream, but whatever came out of Moraine was followed by a body slam onto the archer. The archer stumbled only a little, but before he could raise his arm to defend himself, Moraine flexed her paw, extended her claws and threw her arm at him. Fur was literally ripped from the archer's face and he responded by launching his fangs at her neck. The two rolled onto the floor as Mar stood, stunned to the whole event.
As the two fought, Mar began to realize that his feet were getting warm. He was standing on the old fire pit Cunner extinguished a few hours ago. Mar backed up, still watching the struggle between Moraine and the archer. The archer landed a blow under Moraine's chin. Her ears were bent back so far that they were impossible to distinguish against her black fur.
As Moraine poised herself for another strike, a flame flickered from the pit. Just as Mar noticed it, the flame grew into a fire. Within seconds, that fire shot up to the ceiling. It happened so fast that the wind it produced nearly toppled him over. The two battling furres stopped suddenly, astonished by the quick change.
"Are you two done?" Mar heard a woman say.
The three looked to the ladder, only to see a silhouette. The fire was too great to see who it was. Between the flickers, Mar could only conclude that the stranger was not a feline. However, the archer must have recognized her, as he backed away from Moraine. He smiled and bowed to Mar's companion.
"You're an excellent fighter," he said.
"You killed my mate!" Moraine shouted.
"Moraine," the stranger said gently, "We did not kill Gelae. We came to set you free."
Moraine was still puffing from the fight. She looked at the two, as if contemplating the new information. Her eyes rested on the stranger. She stared at her blankly at first, then puzzled. It was still and silent, with exception to the now dying fire. The stranger became easier to distinguish.
"I know you," Moraine frowned, "You're that strange bartender from Slen. The one who gave us a room for the night."
"Espio," the stranger nodded, "And this is my friend Nemet."
"Your friend was the one who captured us in the first place," Mar told her.
"I was told you were vamp hunters," Nemet answered, "Are you?"
"Not really," Mar sighed as looked to the ground, "I almost became one."
"But you aren't now?" Espio asked, "What changed your mind?"
"I ... wait a minute," Mar said, shaking his head, "What are you doing here? Are you a vamp too?"
Espio nodded, "For now."
"What did you do to the fire, Espio?" Moraine asked.
"We're running out of time," she replied as she cocked her left eyebrow, "Almasta and her people will be down here soon. We have to get back to Ropire and Gorian. Get your gear."
The canine turned to the ladder and started to climb. Moraine looked back to Nemet. The archer gestured her to follow Espio. The black feline hesitated, but she reluctantly grabbed her bag and complied. Mar retrieved his crossbow and bag and watched Moraine ascend out of the dungeon.
"You too Markliam," Nemet said, "I'll take the rear."
As Mar climbed the long ladder, he felt something nag at him. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but it occupied his mind as the four walked through the dark wooded hallways. Eventually Espio reached one of the doors at the side of one of the halls and opened it. As the canine held the door, Moraine and Mar entered the room. They were greeted by an elderly equine sitting by a blue feline on a bed.
"Markliam!" Gorian called weakly. He smiled and waved, but it was obvious that he was exhausted. Mar could not help but chuckle, but as the torches in the room bounced off his friend, Mar noticed something strange.
"Gorian," he gasped, "You're a different colour!"
"Yeah," Gorian laughed, "I was going for a new blue ... I think."
"I think I could see a little green in there-"
"This is Gelae's jacket," Moraine said suddenly as she approached Gorian, "Where is he?"
"No one has seen Gelae," Espio said.
"Then he could still be alive!"
"Someone told us he and Cyiet were dead," Nemet answered.
"We saw them with a winged furre who called herself Exavia," Mar replied, "Cunner was with them too. He was the one who set us free."
"Exavia?" Espio whispered.
"Do you know her?" Nemet asked.
"Almasta will be looking for you three soon," she told them instead, "You have to leave now. Someone named Damoxte told us to make sure you bring the shield with you. Nemet had a few of his people take it outside, near the Lavender Creek-"
"I'm not going without Gelae," Moraine announced, "And I'm not going with Mar and Gorian. They led us to an ambush."
"If you stay, you die," Nemet told her, "Its that simple. Alive or not, Gelae is not here."
"Follow the creek westward," Espio continued, "Eventually you'll meet up a friend of mine. She's a musteline named Uusha. She has a hut nearby. From there, Moraine, you can go wherever you please. Come back here for all I care. Just leave now."
"How do we find Uusha?" Mar asked.
"She'll find you."
* * *
Mar was the first to spot the shield. It was not well hidden and Mar thought they were lucky no one found it before they did. He bent to pick it up, but his fingers were unable to lift it off the ground. He gestured Moraine to help him. She snarled at him and took the opposite end.
Gorian was able to walk on his own, though he had difficulty in the large red outfit specifically made for Gelae. Plus he was in no condition to carry heavy objects. It was a quiet trip westward, following the stream as Espio instructed. It was a time for deep thought and Mar was full of thoughts. Moraine was correct, he did lead them into an ambush. It was no secret that he was a vamp hunter, even in Slen. Someone was bound to find out and alert the vamps. And now her mate and Cyiet were dead.
Mar sighed. He liked Cyiet. It was strange to think that he was gone. The poet only recently purchased an instrument from a young girl and he was only beginning to master it. Mar cracked his jaw and he decided he should have stayed home with Kaelin.
Mar's ears twitched, but he ignored them. It was not until Moraine stopped that Mar realized that he was hearing something approaching.
"What is that?" Gorian asked.
"I don't know," Moraine answered, "But its fast."
"Could it be Uusha?"
Mar heard a metallic clank between himself and Moraine. All three looked at the shield, wondering what made contact with it. Gorian pointed at the side closest to him. There was a black hand-like object holding onto the shield. Attached to the 'wrist' was a long thin branch. The branch suddenly tightened and the hand ripped the shield from Moraine's paws.
But Mar was still attached to it. He instinctively refused to let go, but the thin branch pulled so fast, it pulled Mar off his feet. The hand was taking the shield and dragging Mar behind it.
Mar heard shouts behind him. He was about to respond but the shield bounced off the ground, knocking the wind out of him. They flew in the air, twirling. Mar landed hard and decided that he had better let go. However as he looked up, he realized that he was inside the shield, being dragged backwards. Mar realized that letting go of the shield would injure him. He spotted Gorian and Moraine trying to catch up, but the shield's velocity was no match for them.
Suddenly the shield stopped, flying Mar onto his back. He squinted as he felt pain shoot up every muscle on him. He opened his eyes to find an orange musteline smiling from above.
"Hi!" she said.
"Hi," Mar coughed, "You must be Uusha."
"I am! Welcome to my hut, noble stranger!"