We make better time than expected. Only a few hours after breaking for lunch, we can see Gorum. We pause on the crest of one of the many hills surrounding the town so Liv can study one of her maps. I watch her from the corner of my eye as hers flick between the town, map, and her compass.

"It will probably take a week to get to the next town," she comments, slipping the compass back into her pack so she can begin folding her map. "We can start veering northeast now, put some distance between us and Gorum before the sunsets."

"Works for me," Clyde says as Liv slides the map into her pack. "Let's get moving before someone from the town notices us out here." He nudges his horse into motion and we follow.

We don't stop riding until the sun is about an hour from setting. Even with distance between us and Gorum, there's no hunting tonight; better to be safe than sorry. We're settling down when I hear it. One glance at Clyde confirms it's not just me. When a few minutes later Liv seems to notice, I know it's getting closer.

Liv sits up, head swiveling about. "What is that?"

"A horse and a cart," Clyde comments, eyes fixated in the direction the sound is coming from.

We all sit tensed, ready to spring into action as it draws closer. It finally comes into view. It's a simple wagon, made for transporting goods, but small enough to be pulled by one horse. A man sits on the bench, holding the reins, a petite woman next to him, crossbow laying across her lap.

The woman waves calling out to us, "Hello travelers!"

The man doesn't pull the horse to a stop until they're close enough that they don't need to shout. "We say your fire from afar. Thought we'd swing by."

"Quite the risk so close to Gorum," Clyde remarks calmly.

The woman pats the crossbow on her lap and I notice it's loaded. "We're taking precautions of course, but we figured the risk might be worth it considering you yourselves chose not to stay in the city."

"What do you want?" Liv demands, fingers wrapped firmly around her dagger's hilt.

"Safety in numbers," the woman replies easily.

"And why should we trust you?"

"We're traveling merchants. It's in our best interest to avoid Gorum as well."

The wind shifts ever so slightly and I take a deep breath, hoping to catch their scents. One scent is familiar, the other very similar to it.

"Just a moment."

Liv stands, moving towards Clyde, signaling me to come. I stand and follow her to Clyde who stands to meet us.

"One is a puka, the other is a werewolf," I comment as we close in our small huddle.

"Noted," Liv replies looking to Clyde. "I don't trust them."

"Not that you trust anyone," Clyde points out, "But I agree."

"Good. We tell them to leave."

I catch her arm before she can turn. "I'm not saying I don't agree, but we can't just tell them to leave."

"Yes, we can."

"I have to agree with Bash this time," Clyde says, earning a scathing glare from Liv. "They're up to something. We need to proceed with caution."

"We have a bow," Liv points out. "There's three of us and two of them. We hold the advantage."

"That doesn't mean you can throw caution to the wind. We don't know that they're alone."

"He has a point," I put in.

Liv yanks her arm from my hand. "Fine. What do we do then?"

"Well-"

"Ow!" I exclaim in surprise, hand flying up to my neck.

My fingers find the base of a dart, pulling it from my neck as Liv exclaims. My eyes land on the small dart on her neck seconds before her fingers.

Clyde curses, dropping to the ground, lunging for the bow.

I can feel cold slowly spreading out from the now numb landing mark on my neck. If it was working this fast on me. . . I look at Liv.

Liv blinks rapidly, swaying slightly. Her slowly clouding eyes find mine. "This. . . isn't good."

"Drop it," the woman calls.

I turn my head to find her holding the crossbow up.

"We don't want to kill you," she says calmly, crossbow not wavering, "But you're not as valuable as your friends. We don't mind losing you."

"Clyde, no," I warn him, struggling to find the ability to move.

Liv falls to her knees, eyes now completely clouded over. How much longer did I have before I joined her on the ground?

I can feel myself tipping backward, legs stumbling back trying to keep me upright.

Clyde hisses, arrow flying far off target. He's been hit with a dart. I look at him in time to see another one hit him as he works to string another arrow. Liv hits the ground, now out cold as my knees fail to support my own weight.

"Bash," Clyde reaches for me in concern, bow forgotten.

Another dart slams into him and he slumps over, lost to whatever drug was on the darts.

I force my arms to brace me as I begin slumping forward. I had to stay up.

"What a noble little elf," the woman croons, boots stopping in the corner of my vision to my side. "Just join your friends already." Her foot comes up, kicking me over.

My eyes flicker shut as I stare up at the stars.

xXxXx

I'm not surprised that I'm the first one to wake up. I don't appreciate finding myself so tightly bound. That's the first thing my mind registers as I wake up: the pinch of the rope around my wrist holding my arms behind my back, only slightly less annoying than the gag. Oddly enough, my legs are free though.

I'm on my stomach, head angled towards the back of the cart. I can see Clyde laying nearby and our horses following, their reins tied to the back of the cart. I begin trying to twist my hands in the rope. Maybe I can get it undone or loosen it.

"Now, now," the man's voice chides, "Why don't you just sit still?"

I lift my head so I can turn it towards him. He sits on a box in the back with us twirling a reed pipe in a hand, stash of darts in his lap. I have no doubt he could have one out and loaded before I could do anything. At his feet is a still unconscious Liv.

The man smiles easily at me. "Don't worry, we'll reach our destination soon enough. I'm sure your friends will be awake by then." He tilts his head in consideration, "Not that they need to be though. As long as they're alive, the Collector will pay for them. Well, at least this one."

He reaches down, stroking a hand over Liv's head. I react on instinct. My muscles contract and extend as they work in unison in an unsurprisingly unsuccessful attempt to get myself onto my feet. In a second his hand is back at his lap, fingers ready to free a dart to load into the reed pipe.

"You gonna calm yourself down or do you need another dose?"

He watches me carefully as my muscles slowly relax. Yet he still waits a few more seconds before withdrawing his hand from the darts.

"Good boy."

Liv suddenly starts as if her body were trying to kickstart itself into action. Her eyes fly open as her arms struggle against her bonds. She goes still as the man plants a foot in the center of her back.

"I just got your friend here settled down. I don't need you riling him back up. Then I'll have to give both of ya another dose," he warns.

Liv's eyes finally settle on mine. I shake my head slightly, trying to warn her against doing anything. She doesn't seem happy with that idea, but she remains still.

The cart stops and the woman announces that we've arrived. The man nods but doesn't move.

I can hear voices, but my concern and focus are the noises coming from behind me. Liv's eyes move, tracking their source. They widen a second before the hands land on my arms. I'm yanked to the back of the cart before I can react.

For a second, I'm suspended in the air. My legs move quickly, landing to brace me. I don't get the chance to recover as the hands on me continue to pull, now also shoving me about. I can see Clyde being supported by two men. The commotion appears to be pulling him from his slumber, albeit very slowly. When I try to fight, they force me to my knees, not bothering to be gentle.

The woman appears, walking calmly beside a tall, wiry man, dressed very finely. Everything about him seems hard and angular, though he walks with grace. When I see his ears, I know we're in trouble. They were pointed like mine, but much longer. He was fae.

Beside me, Liv hits the ground on her knees, hard. I wince sympathetically, as she hisses around the gag.

The fae's eyes flicker over us. "I take it the horses were theirs?"

The woman nods. "Yes."

He nods. "I'll take the horses. Such fine ones are hard to come by in these areas. And I'll take whatever goods they still have on them."

The woman nods happily. "Of course. It will cost extra though."

He waves a hand. "That is of no consequence. Now, what else have you to offer me?"

The woman moves forward, the fae trailing behind her. She stops a few feet away, but the fae continues forward, stopping before Clyde, who does his best to snarl at him despite the gag and still not being fully conscious.

"A werewolf," the woman says calmly as the fae studies Clyde. "He does have a bit of a temper, but he's no more than a guard dog."

The fae hm's, tilting his head thoughtfully. "I can always use more wolves, but I'm not sure if I want to deal with untraining one." He reaches out a hand, grabbing Clyde's chin, forcing his head from side to side. "He doesn't appear too old to train. . . I'll think on it."

He releases Clyde, stepping over to me, ignoring my glare. "An elf!" He exclaims, reaching out to finger the tip of one of my ears. I yank my head away. He merely chuckles. "How touchy. Not ideal, but I do need an elf to replace the one I just lost. A most unfortunate accident." He grabs a fist of my hair before I can react, painfully forcing me to look up. "I'm sure you'll adjust nicely." His smile is dark, eyes bright with greed as he forces my head about. "Yes, you'll make an excellent addition."

His hand slides from my head as he moves to Liv.

"Not sure what that one is," the woman comments casually, "Figured you would though."

While it gives me an odd sense of comfort that they had no idea they had caught a human, the way the fae studies Liv does not give me that same comfort.

He slowly lowers himself to his heels so his eyes are on the same level as Liv. She glares at him, eyes bright with rage.

He slowly tilts his head. "What a curious beauty you are." He rises to his feet, an odd light in his eyes. "Get her on her feet," he orders the man standing guard beside her.

They silently obey as he begins to circle around her, eyes running over her. He suddenly stops behind her, stepping close, one hand planting on her shoulder, the other wrapping around to claim her chin, forcing her head up and to the side. His head drops down, pressing his face into her neck, breathing in her scent.

By the time Liv reacts, he's already stepped away. He moves back around to face her, a broad smile on his face. "What a magnificent find. I'll take this one as well." His eyes flick back across us in consideration. "I'll take them all." His eyes move to those holding us. "Take my new pets inside while I see to the payment. See them to their rooms and prepare them for the welcoming meal." His eyes flick back to Liv. "We're going to have so much fun together."