Just as Valeria's fingers were about to release, Mela's hand shot out and pushed the bow down.

"What are you doing?" Mela said. Her voice was a low hiss. "Mother said to bring them back alive."

Valeria lowered her bow without a word, her face the same as always.

Liesa landed on the branch next to them without a sound. "She's right, Val. Mother will be angry if you kill the human. She wants answers." Liesa smirked at Mela. "And besides, Mela wants to see her 'hot human' up close."

Mela's face got red. "Shut up, Liesa. We have a mission."

They looked back down at the cave. The human was still kneeling by the Sun Elf. He finished re-wrapping the bandage on her ankle. He said something to her that the sisters couldn't hear.

The elf smiled at him. It was a real smile, not a polite one. The human looked surprised for a second, then he smiled back.

"Look at that," Liesa whispered. "He's taking care of her. He must be her slave. I told you."

"He does not act like a slave," Mela said, her eyes narrowed. "And she does not act like a master. Sun Elves hate humans. They would never smile at one like that."

"Maybe she's just stupid," Liesa said with a shrug. "Who cares? This is boring. Let's just go down there and grab them." She put her hands on the hilts of her short swords.

"No," Mela said. "We wait. Something is not right here. The human… he is a fighter. I can tell. But he is also a protector. It does not make sense." She couldn't take her eyes off him. She watched him stand up and put more wood on the fire. He moved with a confidence that was not like a slave at all.

"The elf is the stronger one," Valeria said.

Liesa turned to her. "What? The one with the broken ankle? She can't even walk."

"Her energy is higher," Valeria stated simply.

Mela nodded. "Valeria is right. The elf is powerful, even if she is hurt. And the human is an unknown. We cannot just rush in." She looked at her two sisters. "We need a plan."

"I have a plan," Liesa said, her smile returning. "I jump down and fight the human. You and Valeria grab the princess. Easy."

"No," Mela said firmly. "We will use the sleep darts. We will capture them without a fight." She looked at Liesa. "And that means no stabbing. Mother wants them unharmed."

Liesa sighed, a dramatic, annoyed sound. "Fine. Darts it is. But if it goes wrong, I'm stabbing him."

"It won't go wrong," Mela said. She readied her own blowgun. "We move on my signal. Get ready."

Liesa and Valeria both nodded, pulling out their own small blowguns. They moved to better positions in the high branches, their dark forms hidden by the thick leaves. Mela watched the two people below. The human was now sitting across the fire from the elf, and they were talking quietly.

She raised her blowgun to her lips. She took a silent breath, ready to give the signal.

Down below, the human suddenly stopped talking. He went completely still. Then he lifted his head and looked directly up at the tree where Mela was hiding. His eyes seemed to lock right onto her position.

Mela froze, the blowgun still at her lips.

"We're being watched." He said.

He was looking right at her. His eyes were cold, and they felt like they saw everything.

"He saw us," Liesa whispered. She sounded excited. "Good. Now the fun can start." She drew her two short swords, her smile sharp.

Valeria did not wait. Her face was blank as her fingers released the bowstring. The arrow flew from the bow with a quiet hiss. It was a perfect shot, aimed right at the human's head.

"Valeria, no!" Mela screamed, but it was too late. The arrow was already gone.

Down by the fire, Nox moved. He didn't duck or jump away. He just lifted his hand. The arrow, which should have hit him in the head, was now caught between his fingers. He had snatched it right out of the air.

Liesa's smile vanished. "What the hell?" she said, her voice dropping.

He looked at the arrow in his hand, then his cold eyes went back up to the tree where the sisters were hiding.

"My turn," he said, his voice quiet but it carried up to them.

He threw the arrow. It was not a normal throw. The arrow shot back with twice the speed, screaming through the air.

"Get down!" Mela yelled.

Liesa tried to jump to another branch, but she was too slow. The arrow slammed into the tree right next to her head. It went through the loose sleeve of her tunic, pinning her arm to the thick bark. She was stuck.

"He missed," Liesa said, but her voice was shaking a little. She tried to pull her arm free, but the arrow held her fast.

"He didn't miss," Mela said, her own heart beating fast. "He was aiming for your arm."

He looked up at them, his face unreadable in the firelight. Serian was trying to stand up behind him, using the cave wall for support.

"You have one chance," he called up to them. "Come down now, or I'll come up there and get you."

"There's three of us and one of him," Liesa growled, still struggling with the arrow. "We can take him."

"We cannot," Valeria said. It was the first time she had spoken. She was looking at Nox with a new expression on her face. "His physical capabilities are beyond normal human parameters. Our initial assessment was incorrect."

He did not wait for them to decide. He took a single step back and looked up at the thick branch they were standing on.

"Fine," he said. "Have it your way."

He lifted his free hand and made a slashing motion in the air. Mela didn't see him throw anything, but she heard a strange sound, like the air itself was being cut.

The branch they were standing on just split in two.

Mela screamed as the thick branch gave way beneath her feet. Liesa cried out in surprise, her arm still pinned to the falling part of the tree.

They were falling.