By The Fountain

Glancing around, her green eyes caught sight of Alcuin. That grinning evil face. Her heart raced, her throat got suddenly dry.

Then all she could see was then men stepping in front of her to help the injured man. By the time they moved, the bounty hunter was gone.

It has only been a glimpse, was it really him? Maybe, her mind was playing tricks on her. With everything else going on at the moment both externally and internally it was possible she had just imagined him but then again...

Searching the crowd, she suddenly felt an urgency to try to spot the guard.

Islana could see Shalia's guard running off in the distance.

Islana was quick but much more used to moving around easily in the woods than a crowded market place. If she ran towards the guard could she catch up with him before she lost him in the crowd? Or would she just get herself in even more trouble for the effort?

It wasn't a decision the woman had much time to make. She didn't see Alcuin again, maybe it hadn't been real, after all.

Running after the guard didn't seem reasonable, she did however move a little to the side to get out of the way and debated moving towards the fountain to get some water.

A few people moved closer to Islana, trying to speak to her, gesticulating wildly. It all felt a bit too much. A bit too overwhelming. As she moved closer to the fountain, high above her flacon let out a loud screech.

Islana didn't know what to do, she looked up at Kaithak as the falcon seemed to let out a warning.

Was the bird upset because she was overwhelmed by all of this? Could it sense her feelings? Was it something else?

She tried to move away from the people who were trying to talk to her. This could be something more than her hair but there was no way for the young woman to tell.

Not really knowing what else to do, Islana got closer to the fountain but tried to keep an eye out in case the falcon was warning her about danger.

Malacost looked at Islana from behind one of the stalls as the young woman approached the fountain. He couldn't really make a move in front of all these people, especially in a land that he hardly understood what these savages were saying.

He had her now in his cross hairs. She wouldn't get away again. All he needed to do was bid his time.

Islana got some water and started sipping it. People were still trying to talk to her or just stare at her. It was rather uncomfortable but at least here she could see the guard when he returned.

The thought to make her way back to the room crossed her mind but that seemed like a worse idea than staying here. Really, it didn't seem like there was much more to do than wait.

The man with the broken nose and finger walked over to the fountain and washed bloody face. The running crystal clear water turned scarlet for a few seconds as tendrils of blood and mucous spread through the fountain.

The young man glared at Islana.

Islana winced when she saw the man. Wishing she had any idea on how to say, "I'm sorry" in his language.

What had happened wasn't her fault but she still felt terrible about it.

It was clear from the glare shot her way the young man thought it was completely her fault. Maybe, she should have chased after the guard. A sigh left her, maybe one day she would figure out the correct decisions to make.

For now, she moved slightly away from the man and looked again to see if the guard was anywhere to be spotted. With her luck, Alcuin would be who she spotted again and it wouldn't have been be an illusion.