About an hour before sunrise, Ranloo, Lindhinin, and Dylnan left the party. The night wrapped everything in darkness and only the lesser moon and the stars winked in the sky. Most of the street lanterns had burned out and every window lay dark and quiet. The elves ambled up the empty streets, talking and laughing.

´You're drunk,` Dylnan commented with a wide smile as Ranloo stumbled on the cobbles.

´Not too much,` he replied and walked backwards to see his friend as he talked.

´You're going to fall if you do that,` Dylnan explained to him.

Ranloo grinned and shook his head, walking almost straight along the road.

´It was a nice party, wasn't it?` Lindhinin commented. ´Much better than I had expected.` Ranloo smiled and Dylnan nodded his agreement.

´It was about as fun as I had imagined,` Ranloo said. ´Fun, good food and wine, and –`

´And lots of attention from everyone,` Lindhinin interrupted.

Ranloo nodded, then realizing what he had agreed to, shook his head. ´No, that's not what I meant!`

Dylnan laughed. ´Yes, it is.`

´I mean it!` he argued back, putting on a shocked expression.

´Yeah, we all saw how wildly you protested as the ladies wanted to dance and the young men praised your skills,` Dylnan commented drily.

Ranloo grinned guiltily. ´You don't know what you're talking about,` he retorted, one hand over his heart. ´You're hurting my feelings!`

Lindhinin huffed and pushed Ranloo on the shoulder dismissively. He laughed and spun about.

In front of them, half-hidden by shadows, a man stood quietly waiting. Instinctively, Ranloo stopped and was bumped into.

´Hey! Don't stop like that,` Lindhinin scolded. Getting no answer, he followed Ranloo's gaze and focused on the stranger. All three paused, uncertain. The man stood very still, like a statue, blocking their way. Suddenly nervous, the elves sobered up a bit. Dylnan put a hand on his sword hilt.

´Hey, who are you?` Ranloo asked, sounding as important as any tipsy person might.

The man didn't respond but a bright smile flashed in the shadows, the only thing they saw of his face in the faint moonlight.

Ranloo shrugged. ´Come on.` He started walking, beckoning the others to follow.

´Ranloo, stop,` Dylnan ordered.

Ranloo didn't quite register the warning in his voice and turned about, a question hanging in the air. Dylnan gave a surprised yell. Strong hands grabbed Ranloo from behind. He gasped as he was lifted clear off his feet. The world turned. A stonewall connected with his back and shoulders, followed by the solid ground.

Disoriented, Ranloo grunted as pain flashed through his back. The scraping of a sword drawn from its sheath and Lindhinin screaming brought him back to his senses. He lurched onto his feet, wincing. The stranger had Lindhinin pinned under his foot as he fought off Dylnan. Ranloo drew his sword and charged, stumbling and swinging.

The man, easily dodging his clumsy attacks and laughing as he did, infuriated Ranloo. What was he doing?

Dylnan swiped his sword towards the man, but he reached inside the strike, grabbed his wrist and twisted. Dylnan went down screaming, his sword crashing to the ground. Lindhinin rolled away as the man moved and scampered back up. Panting, he pulled out his bow and notched an arrow. The stranger didn't seem to notice. He dodged another swing from Ranloo's sword, then promptly hit him in the chest with an open palm, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Ranloo backpedalled, flailing his arms. Coughing, he struggled to get his breath back. A thin whistle followed by a thud told of an arrow hitting its mark. Lindhinin. Ranloo had never seen him miss his target.

The man grunted and turned to the young elf, pulled the arrow from his side, and dropped it to the ground.

Ranloo stared at the bloodied tip. You don't just pull them out like that. That hurts!

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Lindhinin readied another arrow and fired as the man came at him. Somehow, impossibly fast, he dodged the arrow. It streaked past, the fletching licking Ranloo's forehead. He jerked back, blood draining from his face as he tottered on his heels.

Dylnan was back up and had retrieved his sword. Ranloo shook off the near-death experience, feeling a bit faint, and rushed to be at his side. Meanwhile, the man had closed in on Lindhinin who abandoned his bow for close combat. He drew his dagger and stabbed at the man. He laughed and swatted it aside, grabbed Lindhinin by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

Dylnan and Ranloo shouted in unison as they charged the man's back. Lindhinin held on to the man's arms and struggled for breath, kicking wildly. The elves' swords hit nothing. The man was gone. Dizzy and confused, Ranloo spun around with the force of the slash. The man landed in front of the elves from an impossibly high jump. He tossed Lindhinin to the ground with a heavy thud.

Wheezing and groaning, he tried to get back up. The man grabbed Lindhinin's hair, forced his head back and, in front of their horrified eyes, sliced the young elf's throat with his own dagger. Lindhinin's blue eyes widened as he clutched at his throat with his hands. Blood spilled over his chest and seeped out of his mouth as he fell shaking to the ground. A sound Ranloo had never heard before shook him to the core. Dylnan. A desperate, terrified scream. His own voice joined in as dread and anger paralysed him.

Dylnan charged, swinging his sword wildly. Before Ranloo's dazed eyes, the black shadow with his pale face and short dark hair dodged again, laughing. Mocking their clumsy, slow movements. He danced and toyed with them. They had no chance.

All-consuming rage narrowed Ranloo's vision until only the stranger remained. He charged, leading with his sword. Hacking and slashing without finesse, he hit nothing and stumbled. He roared at the top of his lungs.

A heavy blow to the side of his head staggered him. Confused, Ranloo saw the cobbles come up to meet him. He hit them hard and for a few breaths couldn't do anything but grovel, feeling the cold stones against his face.

Head spinning, Ranloo tried to get back to his feet when strong arms hoisted him up. He blinked and saw Dylnan run at him, one hand stretched out as if to grab for something, his mouth open, yelling. The ground fell back. He flew, lifted to the height of the rooftops. His stomach churned by the sudden change in elevation. They landed with a sudden jerk on one of the roofs. Bile burned in the back of Ranloo's throat. His body protested; too much wine, too much fear, and too many jarring hits.

The man loped across the rooftops, carrying Ranloo on his shoulder. Through the fogginess, he noticed something heavy in his hand. His sword. With a surge of energy he swung it at the man, and had it wrenched from his grasp. He tried to kick and squirm his way down, but it had no effect. He called out to Dylnan.

He was going to die. Panic gave Ranloo strength and he finally managed to twist around to kick the man in his face. He was dropped, crashed on his side and rolled down the slanting roof tiles. Flailing his arms, he managed to get a hold of the edge of the roof before falling off. He panted, his heart nearly bursting from his chest, desperately clinging to the edge. His fingers bled from the friction against the tiles.

The man sauntered back and stopped before Ranloo. He bent forward and studied him hanging from the roof, smiled, and held out his hands.

Ranloo stared at him. He couldn't let go, he'd fall and break his bones. But neither did he want to get helped up by this creature.

The man hunched down, his pale face contrasting against his dark hair and eyes and his black clothes. ´So strong and wilful,` he commented.´You will fall and die if you don't come back up. That'd be such a waste.`

Without further ado, he reached out, grabbed Ranloo's forearms, and pulled him up.

Ranloo crouched down immediately, afraid of falling. He didn't know what to do. ´What are you?´ he yelled, voice shaking.

The man smiled. ´I'm an artist!` He bowed with a flourish. ´And you are going to be my finest masterpiece.`

Ranloo blanched and backed away from the crazy man. Nauseous, he edged to the short end of the roof. He felt with his hands for the edge, not daring to look away. Finding it, he dared a quick glance down and spotted another lower roof sticking out from the side of the house. Maybe he could jump? It was worth the risk. He moved his feet over the edge and, belly down against the roof, slid over the edge. He extended his arms fully and let go. After a short drop, he landed heavily on the second roof.

´Why are you trying to leave?` the man asked from above.

Ranloo didn't answer, grimly trying to get down from the lower roof. In his heart, he knew it was impossible to get away, but he tried anyway. Hanging off the edge, he dropped back down to the street. The rough landing on the hard cobbles hurt his feet and knees, but he stood on the ground. A whoosh and a thud startled him.

The man had jumped from the rooftop.

Ranloo backed off, holding up a hand as if to ward him off. ´What do you want?` He remembered his bow and quickly drew it out, fitting an arrow to the string. He drew back to fire.

The man blurred, his fist smashing into Ranloo's stomach. Doubling over, unable to breathe, his eyes watered. The bow dropped from his nerveless fingers. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

´I don't like getting shot,` the man said mildly in his ear.

Then, a wonderful sound reached him. Dylnan's voice calling his name and running footsteps. He almost smiled, turned his head and opened his mouth to call out when the man roughly grabbed and lifted him up on his shoulder again. Ranloo protested as much as he could, hoping Dylnan would catch up. He called out and his friend answered.

For a moment, hope shone brightly. Then, the man tired of his squirming and let him down. Ranloo made a desperate run for it but the man moved up beside him, grabbed his shoulder, and forced him around. Stumbling, Ranloo swung at his face but missed. The man snorted, then his fist connected with Ranloo's jaw. He fell like a log.

* * * * *

What had happened then? Ranloo rubbed his temples, frustrated that his memories refused to cooperate. At least Dylnan hadn't been taken. Maybe he was still in the city? Unless something had happened he didn't know about. He'd have to try and find out as soon as he and Sern had sorted out their more pressing problems.