Darin nodded at Ridahne’s instructions. She could understand the logic behind getting her out of the way. She just hoped that Talbot agreed to it. Darin bent down over the horse’s neck to rub as far down as she could reach. Talbot nodded, and she hopped that meant he agreed with the Elf. Well, she didn’t have time to wonder if the plan was something that everyone agreed on because they were soon surrounded. Darin looked at the Eluri members of the so-called Red Hand. Had Mark been part of the Red Hand? Darin didn’t know, and that bothered her. Still, there was nothing for it now. The only thing that worried Darin was that there was no telling how many people across Astra actually knew who she was. She was starting to wonder if there was actually a point to trying to keep her identity a secret.

She didn’t have time to think about that, because at Ridahne’s barked order Talbot took off in a full gallop. Darin hadn’t even needed to react. The human just wrapped her hands and arms in the reins and did her best to not fall off. That was not something she could afford to do right now. They practically flew by the rest of the group surrounding them. Soon there were off the path and the trees started growing closer together. An arrow whizzed by her ear. Darin turned to see that the archer was following them on a horse Darin hadn’t spotted before. She guessed it had been hidden away. The horse looked like it was built for speed and not endurance like Talbot. Talbot flicked his ears at her. This wasn’t good. The enemy would soon catch up. Without really thinking about what she was doing, or home much it would hurt if she failed, Darin found herself moving to stand on top of Talbot’s back. It was a good thing he was so big, or she might have lost her balance. Then with a grunt she reached out to grab a branch and pulled herself into the canopy. 

She looked down to see the archer stare up at her in shock. She made eye contact, but after that brief pause, she was moving again. She moved from tree to tree with an ease that surprised even herself. She leapt from branch and soon came to a tree that seemed bigger than the others. Darin climbed a few branched before pressing herself next to the trunk. She kept her eyes darting around to keep an eye out for the archer or any other enemies. She didn’t want to be caught off guard. That would not be a good thing. She didn’t want to let Talbot, or worse, Ridahne, down. She had to survive this. There was no other option at this point.

A voice called out in a language Darin knew to be a branch of Elurian, “Well, that was certainly impressive Seed-Bearer. I didn’t expect that from someone who looked at you.”

Darin called out, clumsily matching the language, “What did you expect?”

The other speaker seemed surprised, “You speak Elurian? Very impressive for a someone that looks like a farm boy.”

Darin laughed, “That’s basically all I am. That’s all I’ll ever be. I don’t know what else you expected from someone called The Seed-Bearer.”

He didn’t hesitate, “A warrior.”

He didn’t get a chance to continued as Darin burst out laughing, “Me! A warrior! What next? A ruler? A noble? Farmers and gardeners deal with seeds. That is all I will ever be.”

As Darin spoke, she removed her sickle from its sheath. Then she started moving towards the sound of her enemy. She was careful to move slow, so she didn’t rustle any leaves. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself. The Eluri was still speaking, and Darin used that to try and find them. Other than that she ignored them. Soon she had the Elf in her sights. Darin couldn’t believe that she was planning this. That didn’t mean she could back down. She needed answers. She wasn’t sure she had another way to get them. Darin carefully lowered herself behind the horse. It was just bad timing that the Eluri looked down right that moment. Darin’s eyes went wide as she lashed out with her sickle. She managed to get the archer’s leg. At that moment something crashed into the man’s horse. Darin let out a screech as she quickly scurried backwards. It was Talbot. The other horse spooked and tossed their rider. Darin was quickly on top of the enemy. Her sickle made contact with their arm. There was blood everywhere and most of it was the Elf’s, but Darin was certain she had ripped at least one set of stiches. The archer reached for their bow, but Darin was faster. She grabbed the bow and tossed it away. Talbot was on top of it in a moment to break it. Darin let out another scream as she attacked the other shoulder. The Elf managed to push her off, but, as he moved to grab his knife Talbot stepped in between the Elf and the human. Then the horse threw the Elf into the nearest tree. Darin was only shock for a moment before she scurried up. She hurried to grab the rope from her pack on Talbot’s saddle. She stumbled a little bit, but soon the enemy was tied to the tree.

The Elf spat at her, “Do you think this will hold me for long, you pathetic farm boy?”

Darin was sure, “It doesn’t have to hold you for long.” She probably over tied the Elf with the strongest knots she knew, “It just has to hold you long enough for my associate to get here.”