Crowley's P.O.V

'I'm gonna kill him,' I think as Halt and I approach the area the arrows came from. I'm furious and more than a little scared of this threat to the Rangers and, ultimately, the kingdom.

Halt and I find the place the assassin had sat while firing at us, but we can't find any trail. After about thirty minutes of fruitless searching, I motion to Halt, and start heading back to the cabin. When we're out of the forest, Halt asks me, "Are you going to cancel the Gathering?" I take a deep breath and consider how to answer.

"I don't think I can. I need to gather the Rangers to decide what to do about this assassin and the Gathering is the best opportunity."

Halt nods, understanding. He was probably expecting that answer.

As we ascend the stairs, Gilan glances at us, then returns his attention to the two arrows he pulled out of the wall.

"They're completely black," he states, though we can all clearly see that. From arrow tip to notch, it was all black.

'Clearly meant for concealment,' I think.

We stand there a few more minutes, before Halt breaks the silence, "Who wants more coffee?"

Susan P.O.V

I run. I run for my life, for my brothers life. I run until I see the village. Only then do I stop and retreat into the woods again.

'Stay out of sight,' I think. 'Stay out of sight and kill the Ranger. That is your mission. If you fail-'. I don't allow myself to finish that thought. I cannot afford to even consider failure. I will succeed.

"I will succeed." I say it in a whisper, letting it blend in with the quiet hush of the wind.

I look around and consider. I can't go back and try to kill him again now that he's on edge. He's watching for me and I can't take the risk that he, or his apprentice, will catch a glimpse of me.

I'll have to get him at the Gathering, I decide.

I pull a small paper map of Araluen and my compass out of a pocket on the inside of my cloak and find the direction I have to travel to reach Araluen fief.

***********Time Skip*************

I travel until the sun is dipping into the horizon. As I search for a place to rest for the night, I find a bush full of berries. After verifying that the berries are safe to eat, I eat just enough to fill me up.

I find a tree with low lying branches forming a sort of shelter. It's not as much concealment as I would have liked, but with my black cloak I should be safe for a night. I crawl underneath the branches, careful to move any dry twigs out of the way. As I curl up and wrap my cloak around me, I think of my father.