[Fillip/Lawrince/Cari]

As Cari neared the park she heard a man's desperate screams - sounding
even over the dogs' barking. She focused on the direction and "jaunted" -
the matrix opened up only a yard from where two men struggled.

On the gravel path ahead an older man lay, entangled in thick roots,
struggling to keep a knife from piercing any vital organs. A cloaked and
hooded individual had his victim pinned beneath his knees, and was equally
determined on planting the blade somewhere.

Something caught the assailant's attention and he looked towards where
Cari was stepping free of her teleport.


[Lovvorn]

"Ooooo!"   said Lovvorn as he stepped from the bushes.  "A real life
murder!   Can I watch!"

The mage was alone, and his dim light globe bobbed drunkenly in
the air above his head.     He was slightly out of breath from his run,
but he quenched his thirst with a healthy drink from his tankard of ale.

He winked and smiled at the woman they had seen at the Golden
Griffon.

Meanwhile, a tall thin shape detatched itself from the shadows
behind the distracted assailant.   Eric Hood walked calmly and
quickly toward the man...almost as if he were about to tap him
on the shoulder and greet him with a firm handshake.  However,
the sharp  dagger in Eric's hand signified *other,* more sinister
intentions.

[Fillip/Cari/Lawrince]

At the sight of Lovvorn's appearance the coughing assailant hissed out a
word and vanished - leaving the entangling vines to shrink back to normal
flower roots. And Cari's containment matrix to activate around the vacated
space and vanish in a shimmering of broken light.

Lawrince Ournel lay on the gravel - staring wide eyed up at Eric Hood and
the dagger.

Cari kept her own dagger palmed and hurried over to the downed man, who
definitely fit the description of the man she'd been hunting. She eyed Mr.
Hood as she neared the downed man, and readied another teleport to take
she and her quarry clear - if so needed.

[Eric and Lovvorn]

"Oh, DARN!" cried Lovvorn as the man vanished.   He quickly
cast a tracking spell, but it fizzled at his fingertips when it
encountered the assailant's anti-tracking magic.

Eric approached with his knife in plain sight.   He looked down at the
supposed victim, and then up at his rescuer... the woman from the Inn.

"I'd step back if I was you,"  said Eric.  "This man is a murderer.  You'd
better let me take care of him before he surprises you."

[Lawrince/Cari]

"No," Lawrince said, trying to keep his voice from breaking, "I'm no
murderer."

::But he might have the answers to the murder,:: Cari sent so all three
could "hear." She had tried to scan the supposed victim's mind, but found
his thoughts shielded; not his own doing but put there by someone else.

She gave Lovvorn a quick smile, and added, ::In answer to your question,
my name is Batista Dyer.::

Lawrence Ournel knew better than to move, but without the presence of a
dagger about to cut his throat he could think more clearly. "I would say
that if you're looking for a murderer you might consider the man who
attacked me."

[Eric & Lovvorn]

"Lovvorn?"  said Eric.

"He was a slippery one... couldn't trace his  'port, but if he uses any
more magic while I'm around, I'll know it."

"Think you can break his anti-track?"

"Oh come ON, Eric!   Of COURSE I can break it... given enough time an
sufficient quantities of ale.   Espescially the ale..."

"Unfortunately we have neither."

Eric twirled his dagger around the tips of his fingers while he
thought.    He looked to the man that had been attacked.

"I'm not saying I believe you, but If you're not the killer then who the
Hell ARE you?"

[Lawrince/Cari]

The envoy knew he was rapidly running out of options - these people might
have just saved him from the real murderer, but he knew enough of Montfort
to know he might have just landed in the fire. "An acquaintance of the
victim....," he said slowly.

Cari looked at each of the three men and sent, ::May I recommend we
adjourn to someplace for a civil conversation - and maybe enough ale that
Mr. Lovvorn could break that anti-tracking spell?::

[Eric/Lovvorn]

"Yes!  Yes!"  said Lovvorn.   "More ale!"

"Friend of  the vic, eh?   And I suppose you have no idea who-"

"Eriiiiic.... the lady said something about ale..."

"Fine.   Back to the Griffon.   And you... I wouldn't get the urge to run
off while we're headed back.   You never know WHAT could
be lurking along these dark streets..."

As if on cue, something rustled loudly in the bushes.  The thing made
a sinister hissing noise and then fell silent.   Eric winked at Lovvorn,
and Lovvorn smiled.

[Lawrince/Cari]

"I'm getting too old to be running," Lawrince said with a groan as he
slowly got to his feet.

Cari glanced towards the bushes, but resisted the urge to scan. Instead
she smoothed her sash - slipping her dagger back into its hiding place -
and brushed imaginary dirt off her skirt. ::It is hard to say what is
lurking around this town,:: she agreed, gesturing the older gentleman
ahead of her.

[Eric & Lovvorn]

Lovvorn and Eric followed the woman back toward the Golden Griffon.
They kept a few paces pack, with Eric walking slightly in the shadow
of Lovvorn's light-globe.

"She's a telepath,"  said Eric.

"Noooo..... really?"  replied Lovvorn.  "I wonder what tipped you off..."

"She could get information out of this guy without all this bothering
with questions and answers.   And she could do it without letting
us know a thing.   She could be doing it right now..."

"This isn't a RACE, you know."  said Lovvorn.   He drained the last of his
ale and tossed the tankard into the bushes.

"Maybe.   But she's dragging this thing out.   Back there, I was going to
kill both of 'em and let N'Doki sort 'em out, but then SHE interferes... I
wonder what her stake is in this.

"Steak... mmmmm...."

[Lawrince/Cari]

The light from the Griffin made the older man's state more obvious - the
knees of his trousers had been torn in the gravel, and his hands had some
bloodied scraps. He tried to brush off some of the dirt from his clothing
before he entered, but that exercise was of little use.

Business at the inn had picked up and Cari headed for one of the
waitresses, who seemed surprised to see her back. After a couple of
minutes they were escorted to one of the finely-appointed alcoves and
their orders taken.

Once they had settled, Lawrince, who looked relieved to be in more
civilized surroundings, said, "If you can forgive my earlier lack of
manners, I do want to thank you all for your timely intervention."

Cari noted that his voice had taken on a more cultured tone. She took a
sip of water, and sent, ::It seems that quite a bit of help was in the
area tonight.::

She smiled and added, ::But it would help to at least know who just got
rescued?::

The moment of hesitation was only a fraction long and the gentleman said,
"Lawrince Ournel, at your service, good lady."

The young agent's expression did not change, though she felt like
grinning. Her life had just gotten _much_ easier, because she now had her
hands on the royal envoy. Or almost did....there were, of course, Mr. Hood
and Mr. Lovvorn to consider.

::Well,:: she sent, ::Since we're doing things a little more properly -
I'm Batista Dyer, and am more than happy to have been of help. Please
forgive the telepathy, but I'm mute - and this is a little faster than
writing.::

[Eric/Lovvorn]

Eric had no idea who Lawrince Ournel was, so he jumped right in
with his own questions...

"Who was the guy tryin' to kill you?   And what do you know about the
body in the river?"

Meanwhile,  Lovvorn ordered a large, juicy steak an a four tall glasses
of ale... all for him.   While he waited for his meal, he pulled a few
folded scraps of paper from his robe and began to sort through them

"hmmm....exploding runes... silencing rune...containment spell...
location spells...OH!  Here it is!"

He unfolded the paper and began studying the complex spells that
were written on it.    His lips moved silently as he brushed up on
his anti-anti-tracking magic.

[To be continued.]