Lokin sets off after the group. He knows he's going in the right direction because the merchant is still grumbling and the children are still cheering.
Not long after turning the corner, he comes in sight of a number of the adventurers from the Inn, who are coming towards him. They are led by the elf Taelythenihel, who is striding along, disgust evident on her fine features. Then comes Valdaris, looking resigned, and the druid and the other mage confusedly bring up the rear.
Meanwhile Kol is keeping pace with the wretched fellow. Even though he can't catch up, he notices that the runner is beginning to weave a little, occasionally staggering. Still, his pace doesn't slacken.
They turn onto Grand Way, where the traffic is heavier, and the two men must dodge and duck and weave through the crowd. Still the messenger doesn't falter but heads unerringly towards ...
... a large wain which turns out into the Way just ahead of him. There's a heavy knot of pedestrians on the other side. It seems that he must stop - there's no room to get past. Just at that moment ...
Payne continues doggedly on her way. Had the youth turned to the left? Well, she's about to find out.
Swinging out onto the Way, she looks to her right and sees ... yes! ... there's the fellow running towards her, with Kol making good time behind him. No sign of the others - at least, not that she can see in this crowd.
Both men seem to fly forward, dodging past intervening pedestrians, picking up in little spurts of speed when the road is clear. She has scant moments before they get to her. Looking around, she assesses the ground. Wide road, with a narrow alley which she's just exited, another just past her position on the other side to the left, and beyond that, the Way opens into one of the little squares which punctuate its length.
Looking back, she sees that they're very close now. All of a sudden, an enormous wain pulls out - directly in the way of the two runners. Surely the youth is trapped now. There's no way he can get past it. She watches ...
Kol would chuckle to himself, if he could spare the breath. He reaches out in anticipation of catching the runner. The young man sees the wain, hesitates a moment in confusion, and then, incredibly, seems to accelerate towards it. He seems on a breakneck collision course when, at the last moment ...
... he veers to the side and angles up the wall which the wain's tarpaulin cover is scraping. Without breaking stride he dashes past the slow-moving obstacle, leaning at an impossible angle off the brickwork of the building, then disappears down in front of it ...
... landing not 20 feet from the waiting rogue.