The woman jogged down streets, bypassed through trails, and finally made it to the edge of town. She kept a firm grip on the object clutched in her fist, and seemed to be pulling back on it, much like a person walking a large dog. Her arm began to tire as she continually fought against the strain. Often, she was unable to walk exactly in the direction she was pulled by the object. At these times, she staggered to the side as the off-setting pull threw off her balance. When she reached the city wall, she had to go in the complete wrong direction to the gate, then back track toward the source.<br/><br/>By the time Caedrin reached the end of the trail, the sky overhead was beginning to darken. This was both a positive and a negative in his eyes; because of the cover of darkness, the thief might be more likely to let their guard down.. but if they didn't, things might get tricky. After a close examination of the blood, which seemed much more recent than it did at the start, he stepped back out onto the main street, sweeping the vicinity with his gaze. If the thief was walking in plain sight, he could possibly pick them out by the way they carried themselves; a wound like that would likely interfere with their posture in some way. Who he found was far from what he expected, however. After searching for a while, he noticed the 'innocent' market girl from earlier, holding something he could not quite make out and making her way towards the gate. He watched her warily for a minute, before deciding she probably had not noticed him. He decided he would tail her as long he could, and followed after her, tying his horse to the nearest suitable location as to make less noise.<br/><br/>The girl paused outside the gate and peered ahead into the trees. The pull against her hand was getting stronger the farther she went, and she didn't know how long she could keep it back. This sort of spell was always risky, and she didn't want anyone to get hurt, not even a thief. Looking down, she saw that the shapeless mass had indeed begun to take shape as it rotated and struggled inside the circle. Nodding to herself, she smiled, noting that the shape appeared humanoid, and female. Clenching her hand tighter, she made sure there was no way it could possibly slip free, and began walking again. Following the direction exactly now, she made faster progress toward the source, and the pull against her got stronger. She had to lean back against it to keep from tipping forward. Finally, she began to feel that she would need to go the rest of the way unaided, but fought against that thought. She didn't want to risk being seen and losing the trail. Stubbornly, she pressed on.<br/><br/>As Caedrin continued to follow the girl, he noticed her movement was rather odd. The way she held herself, in particular one of her arms, seemed unusual; almost strained. He realized this was the hand that was holding the small object he couldn't see, and found his curiosity as to what it was increasing rapidly. Regardless, he stayed focused on his objective as best he could, pushing the feelings of curiosity into the back of his mind. There was a time and place for that, and now was not it. Rather than approach the girl he continued his tactic of quietly following her, hoping she would lead him right where he wanted. She was only proven innocent of direct possession of the merchant's goods, after all.<br/><br/>The slant of the landscape increased as she walked down the hill. She stumbled and tripped, nearly losing her balance repeatedly. Finally, when she at last fell to her knees, she gave in. Panting, she began to chant in the same dark tongue as before. She struggled for breath, and focused on enunciating each word. The chant took her a few moments, but finally, she completed it. The circle in her hand, and the shape it contained suddenly burst into flame. As they did, she noticed something that made her instantly regret doing so. The shape had changed. It was no longer the human shape it had been forming earlier. How was that possible? Gasping out a curse, she threw away the ashes of her spell and fought catch her breath.<br/><br/>Caedrin raised his eyebrow at the mention of blood. "The only kind of magic I've ever known to use blood is.. not exactly the most honorable type. Pray tell me, how did you come across such powers..?"<br/><br/>She stood her ground, facing him squarely, and spoke in an even tone with no emotion. "Shall we stand here and discuss my past, or would you rather find the thief?"<br/><br/>"You've made your point. But know that I don't intend to let you out my sight," he responded, in the same calm, collected tone he usually spoke in. He didn't like working with anybody using blood magic, but at the moment it was his best lead. "You alluded that the pull was becoming very strong. I assume this means the thief is nearby, then?"<br/><br/>"Yes, that means she was close when i destroyed the spell, but... just before I did, something wierd happened. The form it was taking was not that of a human. I only got a brief glimpse before it vanished. I am not sure what it means. We should be wary."<br/><br/>Caedrin simply nodded in response, though in his mind he could not help wondering how many unusual people he would meet today. Their encounter now over, he took the time to look around the immediate area, keeping his eyes and ears on high alert; should the woman try anything sneaky, he would be prepared, but now was the time to focus.<br/><br/>She nodded in response and turned to continue in the direction she had been heading before disabling the spell. "Keep your eyes peeled. I do not know what to expect here."<br/><br/>Aware that the girl knew the general direction the thief was in recently, Caedrin followed after her rather than taking the lead. She had a better idea of where they were going, and this gave him an opportunity to keep his eye on her, anyway. The thought crossed his mind that he was being led into a trap, and he kept his hand on his sword hilt just in case.<br/><br/>After they had walked for a while with no sign, Caedrin sighed to himself. "I don't suppose your 'blood' magic told you exactly how far away the thief was?" he asked, putting extra emphasis on 'blood' to express his distaste.<br/><br/>She frowned a t the tone in his voice, pausing to peer around into the night, searching for sign of movement. "if you think you can do better, please do so before she gets away. I told you there were limitations to the spell. I do what o can with what i know."<br/><br/>Without saying a word, Caedrin stepped past her, holding up a hand above his head as he did so. Within a few moments, an aura of light built up around it, illuminating the surrounding area in a soft, warm glow. Caedrin swept the area with his gaze, taking his time as he did so, as to not miss any details. Once his eyes reached ground level, he noticed something particularly odd. There was a hawk standing in the clearing ahead of him. Normally a creature of that sort would fly off in this proximity, or at least retreat to a higher elevation, but it just stood there, almost as if it were watching them.