Micah grinned at Jarien's remark. "I believe it. This pit doesn't look at all welcoming. Thanks for leaving the message, by the way," he added, unsure of whether Jarien or Adi carved it. He then withdrew their knives from his belt, where he had stashed them before leaving the cave earlier. "Here, you probably want these back."

Susanne mounted the ladder and was assisted by Micah then Edmund. When she reached the top she too saw Evewen, but had heard her words to Shyanne as she had come up, so didn't not jump away. She eyed the other woman suspiciously, but said nothing, and went to stand near Shyanne. The cold night wind blew against her cheek and she shivered, drawing in a long breath. She hoped that their escape would go without awaking the bandits, knowing if it didn't, that people could get hurt, and they might be returned to the pit or worse.

Jarien nodded, "That was Adi." and his girlfriend smiled, "I had only a second, since I was last, but i hoped it got the message across."

Jarien took both of the knives from Micah and handed Adi hers, at which point, they sheathed them, again, in unison. With a parting pat on the shoulder, Jarien headed for the exit, climbing the ladder first, then helping Adi up.

Once everyone had clambered up the ladder and out of the pit, Micah finally climbed out himself. He was hit with excitement from the success they had had so far, yet a new sense of urgency came with the second half of the escape: getting away from the camp, and leaving no trail for the bandits to follow later. He knew Telwyn would be able to help with this.

"Head that way, into the woods. A woman named Telwyn is waiting there; she is an expert at woodcraft, so she should be able to find us the most inconspicuous trail possible." Micah turned to Evewen. "What about their weapons and such? Do you think we can get them back?"

Evewen looked at Micah. "Tell your friend to lead you to the river and if you can, cross it. You'll be safer on the other side. I will get your belongings, but you need to hurry."

Once everyone was out of the pit, she rolled the ladder up and with the help of Micah, she quietly closed the pit, arranging the leather straps to appear unbroken.

"Go, now." Evewen said, glancing toward her camp. "I will find you and we will make the final trade." It was obvious that she was talking about the ring.

~~~

Shyanne shivered in the cold. Her thin silk dress wasn't enough to shield her from the sudden drop in temperature.

She watched as the bandit removed her thick cloak and handed it to her. "We wouldn't want the daughter of Lord Henrik to freeze, would we?" The bandit said as Shyanne tied the cloak around her neck.

Evewen looked at Susanne, "I believe there is an extra blanket tied to the horse's saddle." She pointed to where Telwyn stood with the horse. "You may take it if you want."

Evewen wasn't sure why she was being so nice to them, but she pushed the thought from her mind. Perhaps it was just the expectation of the ring that caused her personality to be on the soft side, despite the fact that she had been trained well to act on the opposite.

Micah nodded. "Alright, meet us in the woods, and I will give you your payment." Then he turned toward the others, and motioned for them to follow silently as he returned to the woods, where Telwyn was waiting. The wind began to rustle the branches of the trees, further covering any sound of their movements but bringing with it a biting chill.

"Evewen says we should make for the river," he told Telwyn, "She'll meet us on the other side with the weapons and valuables that the bandits stole. You assured me earlier that you are highly skilled at moving through the woods without leaving a trace; if you can find us a hidden trail, your worth may be proved." He knew moving such a large group through the forest and leaving absolutely no trail would be nearly impossible, but he hoped Telwyn could at least provide a little help in that respect.

Evewen watched as they walked away toward the woods. When they were out of sight, she strode toward Tristan's tent. She knew their belongings would be there; Sephora hadn't dealt with them yet.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, she moved the tent flap to the side and stepped in. Evewen moved toward the small, covered cage in the corner. Tristan hid the key inside the cage of the small canary; it was a way to keep the key safe and the bird acted as an alarm. When disturbed the bird would make whistling noises and Tristan would know that someone was trying to take the key.

Evewen uncovered the bird's cage and thought to herself, Please don't make any noises... The bird remained sleep until she opened the cage and reached in. The bird began whistling, but she grabbed the key anyway. "Shh, shh!"

Turning quickly, she looked at Tristan, to see if he was still asleep.

~~~

Shyanne followed Micah and the others. She was afraid, but somehow she knew she would be alright.

Tristan was caught in a light slumber, but the familiar noise of his canary brought him quickly out of it. His eyes shot open, and the fog of sleep was expelled from his mind at the sight he awoke to. Evewen was there, holding the key to the plunder chest and staring at him like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Tristan sat up quickly and grabbed one of his knives, which was resting near his bed for just this occasion. It wasn't the first time a bandit tried to steal loot before Sephora divided it up; but it was the first time Evewen had.

"Well now, this is a strange predicament," Tristan said, his lips curving into a humored grin. "I could have sworn you rode off this afternoon to find Lord Henrik. Change your mind, did you?"

He thought he had a fair idea of what she was really up to. "Let me guess. You're finally fed up with your mother, so you've decided to leave the clan for good. You snuck back here tonight to steal as much loot as you can before you leave, and then you'll be off." He chuckled dryly. "I must say, it's a fairly good plan. Sephora expects you to be gone for a few weeks anyway, so you won't be suspected for nearly a month. That's quite a head start."

Evewen steadied her breathing, clenching the key in her hand. She smiled sweetly in the darkness. "You know, it's a shame you became a bandit. You could have done well for yourself in a more honorable trade."

As she spoke she took a step toward the trunk. "Unfortunately, I was born to two thieving parents and gold is what I live for. I know a man who would pay very good money for some of those weapons and the lady's jewels."

Tristan chuckled at her presumptuous response, as though thoroughly enjoying the situation. When she took a step toward the trunk, however, he moved very quickly, standing between her and the chest with his knife pointed casually in her direction, though not quite threatening yet. "Whoa, hold it Evie. I'm not going to just let you take this stuff. That will make me look bad, see?" He grinned, thinking the situation over.

"This really is an interesting position you've put me in. On the one hand, I could - and probably should - turn you in right now. Sephora will be very mad with you, and very glad with me. But, I'd hate for it to be said that Tristan of Roweton isn't a man of second chances..." He let the implication hang in the air between them for her to grasp and think about, and then delved further. "Listen. I may be able to ignore this little case of trespassing, and let you take your stuff and make a new life for yourself. But, I'll require some payment."

Oh, the joys of blackmail! Tristan thought. It's been much too long since I've committed a good extortion.

Isla stood and walked toward the window that was situated at the front of the house. A figure outside caught her attention and as it got closer, she realized it was Tabitha’s husband, Ezra. She went to the door and held it open. He looked up, surprised.

“Isla? What are you doing here?” He asked as he entered his own house.

“Falcon and I found ourselves in town as the temperatures dropped. Tabitha has showed us wonderful hospitality. She’s asleep in your room.” Isla explained.

“And, why aren’t you asleep?” Ezra asked, removing his boots and coat.

“I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking.”

“About?” Ezra stood and moved toward the banked fire. Despite the fact that the flames no longer danced, heat still emanated from the coals.

“About who I am.” Isla said, getting him a cup of tea. She had known Tabitha and her husband for quite some time; she considered them family and they thought the same for her and Falcon. “I seem to remember mostly everything.”

He took the offered cup. “Mostly?”

Isla gave a nod and went to her pack. She pulled the letter from the outer pocket and handed it to him. “The man who wrote this letter. I don’t know who he is, but it’s obvious he cared about me.”

Ezra took a few minutes to read what was left of the letter. “Have you gone to the sea to find out?”

“No, I have not. I don’t know why, either. The sea was always so far and I was always so busy and Falcon told me not to worry about the letter so much. He said it distracted me from my training.” Isla said, pulling a chair out and sitting in it. “I will go. Tomorrow. Whether or not Falcon advises it.”

Ezra smiled and stood from his chair. He handed the letter to her. “I hope you will find what you are looking for. For now, a good night’s rest is waiting for me. I’ve had a long day and tomorrow will be just as long, if not longer.”

He walked toward the hall that led to the bedroom. When he was gone, Isla curled up on the large chair by the fire and continued to think.

~~~

Evewen glanced at the knife, clenching her jaw. It was the second time tonight that a knife had been pointed at her. However, she remained cool and collected. Her hand was still clenched around the key as she looked up at him with dark eyes. "Payment? What sort of payment?"

Tristan wagged the knife through the air a bit, as if playing with it. "Payment worth my trouble, of course. Here's my proposition; you continue with your plan, visit some of the other tents and get as much loot as you can, and then leave. However, you bury exactly one half of your takings at the north side of Deadman's Rock; you know the place. I'll go there and dig it up later, and in return I'll say nothing of what I know about this. However, if I go to Deadman's Rock and the loot is not there..." His face became very serious, and he flicked his knife up suddenly so the point rested inches from Evewen's nose. "My tongue will be much looser about certain things."

He held a threatening gaze only for a few moments, before a grin overtook it. He swung the knife away from her face. "So you see? My way, everyone's happy. Except for Sephora; she'll search this place up and down for the loot, and all of us who stay will be suspected. Which is why I have to add one more term to our agreement." Here, he swung the knife down and pointed it directly at the chest. "The plunder in this chest stays. I don't want Sephora punishing me for not keeping it safe, understand? Anything else in the camp is freely yours." He switched his knife over to his left hand, and extended his right to shake. A look of pure delight plastered his face. "Do you agree to these terms, or should I take you back to your Mommy right now?"

Evewen listened to him. His plan wouldn't work at all, considering that all she wanted was inside the locked chest. She nodded as he spoke, though, to give the appearance that she liked the idea. Her eyes landed on a candlestick resting on the top of the chest. Acting nonchalant, she stepped toward the chest and turned her back on it.

"I agree," Evewen said, extending her hand. They shook on the agreement. However, before they let go, Evewen grabbed the candlestick that rested on top of the trunk with her left hand and quickly swung it toward the side of his head.

Tristan was overjoyed that she accepted his proposal; so happy, that he didn't react fast enough when she grabbed the candlestick. In fact, his mind didn't even register what she was doing with it until it was soaring toward his head. Before he could dodge or block the blow, the candlestick smashed squarely into the side of his head. He reeled with the blow as his mind rang with pain, and then his eyes began to darken as he succumbed to unconsciousness. Then he passed out cold, falling backward and landing halfway on his bedroll.

Evewen dropped the candlestick and knelt down by the chest. She shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it. Unclasping the locks, she lifted the lid and examined the contents.

Tristan had wrapped them in a protective blanket. She lifted it and stood. Evewen held them tightly and left the tent. Slinking towards her horse, she strapped them toward the horse and made sure they were secure.