((OOC: Boe, I just realized that I TOTALLY forgot to reply to Micah's question to Telwyn!! Somehow, in going back to make sure I remembered everything that happened, I missed your post. I'm so sorry! *headdesk* I'll answer in this post... ))

Grace dipped her head and smiled coolly, "Very well, sir. Is there anything else you would like to examine? Or perhaps you would like to take a moment and relax with a mug of ale before moving on?" She moved down the stairs as she asked, tossing the words over her shoulder. When she turned to watch her steps, she caught sight of Jack standing behind the counter. She glared at him for his impudence in helping himself and did not at first take much notice of the paper clutched in his hands.

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Telwyn cast her bright eyes around the group as they supped, laughing silently to herself. A quick movement later and she was seated on the ground beside Micah. "Referring to your question: Yes, I think we can. Technically, and if we were on level straight ground with no obstacles, they are much faster than we can ever hope to be." Her voice was soft and low, barely audible to even Micah but certainly completely inaudible to anyone else. "However, we have the advantage of choosing our own way. They have the job of either following us, or guessing where we are headed and trying to cut us off. So the way we choose must be with both these options in mind." She smiled and that oddly fierce look came into her smile again. "It is a game of cat and mouse and we are the mice. Let us hope that we prove the craftier." For a moment, her expression was dark and ominous, despite the smile, then the clouds rolled away and she jumped up with a laugh.
"Alright folks! Time to move on again! We'll pass the spring in about 20 minutes worth of walking, if we move steadily." She jerked at something from beneath her cloak, then withdrew a leather bag and began to fill it with the half dried meat. A few moments later she was done and burying the remains of the fire.
As soon as she finished she was striding away into the canopy of the forest again. "The faster we move the faster we can all lave our greasy hands and wet our dry mouths in the cool clear water of the spring." She laughed cheerily.

"Then I shall make a fool of myself!" Snapped Vincent, sweeping a hot gaze over Evewen. "It will bring shame on no one but me, if something happens!"

"But I need you as a mate, here!" Roared William, frustrated at Vincent's determination.

"Franz, second mate, has a agreed to take over my duties. I think you can do without me for awhile. Anyway, it will be nice to return to the mainland for a time." Vincent said, setting his jaw and looking back and forth between daughter and Father.

*

Susanne sighed, reluctantly standing up from her spot on the ground. Her leg un-cramped and she winced, stepping on it gingerly as she hurried to follow their guide. The food had tasted very good after being hungry for some time, and she was grateful Telwyn had found the animal. They appeared to be following a little traveled trail, at times, they would even step off of it and into the under-brush. Wherever their guide went they followed, or attempted.

As they ducked off into the forest, Susanne lost sight of the guide. She took a breath and ran a step forward, but became entangled in the branches of a tree. She yanked herself free from them, but gasped as a thorn on one of the branches scraped through the thin fabric on her sleeve and cut her arm. She put a hand over the scratched and sighed, falling back into the line behind Telwyn, who had stopped to wait for them.

*

Jack knew this was his only chance to unmask Grace's lies. The letter he now clutched in his hand was clear evidence that Liam had been in love with
Grace, and, might have told her where he was going. He watched the soldiers as they came down the stairs. He returned Grace's glare, and then suddenly, as if it was destined to be, he had an idea. He inched his way behind the counter and stood there, a small smile on his face, waiting for Grace to prepare the tray of drinks. I'll get her....

Evewen glared at him, her arms crossed against her abdomen. She sniffed haughtily and said, "I doubt you will find the mainland very appealing..."

~~~

Lady Shyanne walked along, a sigh escaping her pink lips. She caught up to Micah and touched his elbow. "Micah, you know...my father will be very grateful for all you've done..."

She smiled up at him, her blue eyes large and bright.

Viris inclined his head to Grace, "Thank you Ma'am, that would be very kind of you... anything you have on hand will do." he nodded and left her side, crossing to one of the tables in the middle of the room. His lieutenant and another soldier sat, and they conversed in low tones.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jarien and Adi stopped with all of them to eat, enjoying the rich Venison. They were no strangers to the meat, as it was something that Jarien often brought home to eat. After they were done, they followed Telwyn as she continued to lead them to Dravon.

Grace smiled at the officer and dipped a curtsy towards him, then turned towards the counter. Her eye fell on Jack and she drew her brows down in a scowl as she slid behind the sturdy wood and pulled out a tray. "Jack, get out of here." She scanned the area in front of him to see if there was any evidence of what he had taken, but saw no empty bottles or dirty mugs. Shocking, that. What on earth was he doing? And why was his face looking so evil?
Trying to shake off the sudden feeling that something was about to go wrong, Grace began to fill the mugs with the amber liquid and the white froth threatened to spill enticingly down the sides. As she set them on the tray, she cast an icy glare towards Jack, who was still standing behind the counter. "Jack, I mean it. Get. Out." She didn't raise her voice, but the unusual and rare anger in her tone gave it an amazingly sharp edge and her eyes flashed dangerously at him. Grace may not be quick to anger, but Jack had pushed the lines far too much.

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"Ahh, here we are!" Telwyn bounded onto the grassy bank of a gushing little stream. With a long, slim finger she pointed upstream, "See up there? That bubbling coming out of the rocky hillside? That's the spring. Straight from the bowels of the earth to your neighborhood!" She laughed heartily but silently at her joke. Someone made a move for the stream and she put out her hand in a sudden halt motion. "Just something to note: If you want to wash your hands and face, I suggest you move downstream a little ways. That way, the dirty water that drips off you will be swept away from you with the current. Anyone who wants to drink can be above you and get the freshest, most unspoiled water to soothe their throats." She grinned cheerily and flicked a wisp of warm brown hair from her face with a toss of her head, "It doesn't really matter all that much, but like I said, just something to note." Dropping her hand, she pounced towards the stream, slightly to their right and downstream, and without further ado, plunged her hands into the swirling eddies with a blissful sigh.

"I'm sure there are many appealing things there." Vincent said, taking a breath. "Captain, I do hope you won't mind that I borrow one of your maps."

The Captain grumbled. "I suppose..."

"Thank you." Vincent smiled. He walked toward the cabin, but stopped near Evewen. "Evewen....if I do find Isla out there....and marry her." he whispered to her. "I hope you won't be too upset for missing the wedding"

********
Jack's face broke into a grin and he slid around, even closer to Grace. "Alright, honey" he said bitterly. "I'll leave." All the while, as he spoke to her, his hands worked to fit the letter under the edge of one of the mugs. He managed to stuff it quickly under one of the large tankers, and then bow away, glancing at it as he did, to assure it was securely under the drink glasses.

Something in his twisted mind was alighted when he saw it was there, right where he had wished it. Now they'll see...

He noticed Grace's eyes on him and chuckled. "Goodbye Grace." he caught her hand and kissed it roughly before chuckling and striding out.

Grace jerked her hand indignantly away from Jack's grasp and gave him a withering look. Don't "honey" me, you snake, she thought to herself but did not say aloud. She yanked the tray off of the counter with a good deal more force then was necessary- and was made to deal with the heavily sloshing liquid because of it. Happily, she managed to get it under control again and brought it to the table with only a little tiny bit spilled.
She smiled in a surprisingly mild way at the soldiers considering her roiling temper and set the mugs down in front of the men. Perhaps, had she been less angry and intent on trying to not look angry, she would have noticed the little white paper caught on the underside of the glass she slid towards the highest ranking officer...

Viris and his men where quietly whispering, his Lieutenant was saying, "Personally, I find it hard to believe that this woman had anything to do with the fugitive... That man on the other hand is acting very suspicious."

Viris nodded, "You speak my mind... perhaps we should question him more thoroughly in a moment..." He paused as Grace came over and set the tray down, sliding the tankards to his men. He took his gratefully from her, thanking her and then looking down at where it had been. Sitting on the table was a white piece of paper. "What's this?" He asked out loud, picking it up and setting his glass down.

He opened it and his eyes flicked back and forth over the words emblazoned there, accusing the girl with every stroke. He sighed and passed it to his Lieutenant, then stood, "Ma'am... I'm afraid that I must put you under arrest, in the name of the King."

Grace froze and the tray dropped from her suddenly senseless fingers when she saw the note. She watched in horror as the officer read the note, his face darkening ever so slightly.

"Wha... What? Arrest me? But why? That note is from a man I know who is not the same man on your posters! It is private and doesn't concern you or your business!" She was hyperventilating and the world was beginning to spin on her. With a grope of her hands, she clutched a chair from another table and swallowed heavily. She wasn't sure how much longer she could put on a front of innocence, but perhaps it didn't matter anymore anyway...

Viris shook his head, "Ma'am... i'm afraid this note is only too clear. It is signed with the name of the man we are looking for, it also mentions his companion, when we know the fugitive is traveling with one. To top it, he requests that you tell no one of his presence, especially guards such as myself."

He sighed, "I'm sorry ma'am, but this man is a killer, he and his companion murdered another squad of guards that tried to apprehend him. We must take any and all leads that we find. If you are, indeed, innocent, I will ensure that you are returned here and compensated for your time... but for now you must come with us."

All the color drained out of Grace's face. At about the same time her legs gave out from beneath her and she dropped to her knees, her head hanging as the blonde hair cascaded down over her shoulders and partly obscured her face. Drat you Liam! No, no... Not drat Liam... It's not his fault... It's...

Viris's lieutenant had gotten to his feet while his captain talked to the woman. When she fell to her knees, he came forward and gently took her by the arms, "Ma'am please..."

Viris was there as well, assisting her like a gentleman, "Ma'am, we have an extra horse, and if you promise to come along without a struggle we shall not bind you in any way."

Grace leaned into the arms of the lieutenant without realizing it, her mind whirling with a mixture of shock, horror and rage towards the person she now knew was entirely responsible.
At the captain's offer, she lifted her head and looked at him dazedly for a moment, then flicked her eyes around the room. When they fell on Jack... Well, if he thought she was looking daggers at him before, she was giving him a look of death now. For a moment, she held him in her gaze, then turned back towards the officer. All the fire seemed to drop from her eyes and her body drooped.
"I won't struggle, sir," she whispered and tried to get to her feet. But her legs just would not straighten and she fell back again. To her horror, she found tears trying to spill out of her eyes and blinked them back hurriedly. Why the tears? Was she really that afraid? If so, who was she more afraid for? Herself? Or for Liam?

[[OOC: Wow, it's been forever since I've posted. Sorry guys.]]

Micah smiled politely and nodded in response to Shyanne. "I've only done what any gentleman would... but honestly, I doubt your father will be very grateful at all. Do you forget our last meeting? He doesn't like me much." He chuckled softly.

They arrived at a stream, and Micah moved toward it but stopped abruptly at Telwyn's sudden gesture. She suggested they wash further downstream, which was a perfectly logical and reasonable suggestion. Moving downstream a little, Micah knelt on the soft mossy bank and dipped his hands into the water. It was very chilly as moving water usually is, and crystal clear. He rubbed his hands together beneath the current and layers of dirt and grime washed away. After his face and hands were satisfactorily clean, he moved further upstream and enjoyed a long draught of the cool fresh water.

Micah stood and absently watched the others drinking and washing. His eyes lingered on Susanne, and to his surprise he noticed a tear in her sleeve and what looked like some blood on her arm. "Susanne, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

Jack, who had lingered just inside the door of the establishment, began to laugh now, seeing the defeated look upon Grace's face. He quieted his sound of cruel mirth, for he knew if the guards detected him chuckling they would indeed turn on him with suspicion.

His plan had worked. Grace was going to get what was coming to her for betraying him and running around with that...that....fugitive fellow. She'd regret ever shunning him. If she had only listened to him and taken his advances things might had turned out better. He grinned in a devious way, his eyes locking with hers which were burning a look of death in his direction. He ignored the expression of hate, and instead laughed, slipping out of the inn, doing his best to hide his smirks. He didn't need to see the rest; he knew what would happen now. He crossed the street and hid in the shadow of the tavern, waiting for the guards to drag her out. I don't need to see it, but I shall....Grace will realize now had very wrong it is to slight me...

*****

Susanne looked up, surprised slightly by Micah's voice, and his question. She glanced down at her arm, and then put a hand over it, shaking her head. "I'm fine." she said softly, but only halfheartedly, bending down to the stream and cupping her hand in the water. She brought the cold liquid up to bathe the scratch and winced, as it seeped into the bloody slit. She sighed, and knelt down beside the stream, repeating what she had just done in attempt to clean it.