[mary/patrick save a girl]
Del would not need to rip out her heart, because they would not fail. This was what Patrick believed to be true.
He had spent the time while Del slept with the druids. It was soothing for him, and he had returned with a bag filled with supplies that might be useful on their quest. He had also ridden, because riding was something he could not do in Repose, and he had changed into appropriate clothing for this world that he considered home. The stones were out of the chron and in the leather satchel he wore around his neck and tucked into his shirt, and his sword was sheathed at his hip. The past two years had taught him many things about war. They had taught him to wield a sword, and they had taught him to use the blue elfstones in the way they had intended. Seeking stones, they were called, and his mom had used their inherent power to find whatever was desired in order to power the chron. Outside of the device, they were strongly defensive and offensive against magical beings, and Patrick suspected they might come in most handy on this endeavor. He was much better suited to this fight than when he had promised Del he would bring home the huntsman's daughter. Now, the dude had no doubt they would succeed.
Dressed, and having bid the druids and his horse goodbye, he made his way to the hut where Mary slept. When he did not find her there, he assumed she had gone to see the huntsman, who was now housed in a comfortable hut of his own..
Patrick intercepted her midway, and he fell into easy step beside her. "He is two trees north now," he informed her, and he glanced back at the squirrel she had just provided a feast for. "Does he say will succeed in our quest, my girl?" He glanced at her clothing, but he was not surprised by it. It was much more like the clothing worn by the humans here than like anything worn back in Repose, and he appreciated the bow she carried more than he had when she had first used it in front of him. Elves were, as a rule, good bowmen. He had never trained in using the bow, but it was a most precise skill.