I did Chapter eight a little diferently...A split scene. You'll see as you read that some of it overlaps...

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Raine walked through the snow amongst four others, in the dead of night when every single person was inside, sleeping. Only a few lights were on around the town, and these were simply streetlights, casting shadows everywhere. Deryn liked these shadows, they were perfect places to hide from the woman's point of view.

But the Half-Elf wasn't really paying attention to this. She was trying to think, trying to come up with some sort of plan to get herself out of this, to find Regal, and to show him that nothing had happened short of a disgusting case of kidnapping. Unfortunately, nothing at all realistic came to mind.

"Keep moving," hissed Deryn, suddenly beside her. Amidst her ponderings, Raine had subconciously slowed. Now she snapped out of her trance, and took a look around on reflex. They were passing in an alleyway near the inn, and her current position gave her a clear view of the door.

Her eyes widened as she spotted a figure standing right outside, a man. He was holding something, but that wasn't important. What was, however, was the long hair, pronounced build. "Regal!" she shouted on impulse.

"Shut her up!" cried Deryn, softly enough so only their group could hear. Imediately David's closed around her mouth, the other around her throat, and he dragged her into another shadow, the other three following. "Foolish woman! She could have woken the blasted town up!" growled the blonde.

Raine gave her a glare that plainly said that it had been her intent to get someone's attention, at least. However, as she was having to focus very intently upon getting enough oxygen through the hold the man had on her throat, and as his other hand was covering her mouth, she didn't reply. She simply glared, hoping Regal had heard her.

If he hadn't, well...Things would get that much worse. "Now be-have, Half-Elf," Deryn snapped. "I'm not afraid to make the rumors of your death true, and get another hostage."

Raine elbowed David in the chest, causing him to let go. Coughing and taking deep breaths, she managed, "Is that...so?"

Deryn made a face. "You don't want to test it, woman. Pull another stunt like that one just there, and you'll wish you'd never opened that mouth of yours." She looked up at the men. "Alright...We can't waste any more time here. In case he heard her. Let's go."

Flicking out her own black cloak, and lifting the hood up over her features, she set off. Eric and Matthew each took one of her arms and started leading her off again; David was still winded from her surprisingly fierce blow.

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Regal stood in front of the Inn's door, holding the cloak at his side. He didn't mind the cold, it helped him to stay awake, to think. To pay attention. It wasn't right to sleep, he couldn't rest yet. Not until he'd decided what his next move would be. The rest of their old group needed to know about the latest events, of course, but he had no doubt they would know soon enough. It's hard to keep a secret in a world this small...

He shook his head, looking downward; he really had no idea where to begin with this detective work. But it couldn't be hopeless, he wouldn't give up on it that easily. He had made a promise, had he not? As he turned to retreat back to the warmth of the inn, a voice caught his attention.

"Regal!"

He spun swiftly to face it, his eyes darting around, his heart racing. Aside from the initial shock of having someone shout his name in the still darkness, there was something more that bothered him. It had been Raine's voice from that direction, Raine's voice that cried out to him, Raine's voice he had heard. "Raine," he murmerred.

But that impossible. She was dead...She had been killed - she could not be talking to him. Regal stood there for a moment, glancing feverishly back and forth, scanning the alleyway. But it was too dark, he couldn't see, and no matter how hard he listened he could hear nothing else aside from the barking of a dog somewhere in the town.

Some would say he had hallucinated, that his guilt had created the illusion of her voice, because he was mulling so deeply over it, but he didn't know what to think. After Alicia's death, he'd heard her voice many times, but only in his troubled dreams, and never that clearly. When she had spoken, it had been a distant voice she used, not alarmed, and she had always been right there. In front of him. Visible.

So what, then, had he really heard? His eyes strayed to the cloak in his left hand, and his stomach tightened a bit. It had to have been his guilt - blood did not lie. It was a horrible testimony to worse happenings, and there it was. The streetlight nearby mixed with his present state of mind, made the read stains stand out all too well. It was a curious thing, though. He felt nearly ill every time he thought of it, everytime reality made itself painfully clear. Perhaps it was just what came with a friend's death...

But it felt like just a little more.

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Well, there goes one hope for Raine's rescue. And, alas, lookie there. A little bit more, eh? What do you suppose...