The Road Home

[As the trump contact breaks], Robin is brought back to the present with four tied-up prisoners looking at her, wide eyed.

Robin blinks for a moment, then stoops and picks up her dropped gauntlet. As she stands she looks over the four.

"Any of you speak Thari?" She asks. Just for fun.

"No," they don't actually say. It comes out more like that gibberish that the centaurs were gibbering.

"I do," says a voice, low but definitely feminine, from behind her.

'Verde,' Robin mutters soto-voice. She puts away her card case with a sigh. Pulling on her gauntlet, the Ranger turns with a neutral yet pleasant expression on her face.

"If I understand correctly, you're my cousin, and a goddess of my Father's lineage." A young woman with a pale face stands at the edge of the trees, a moonbeam casting light and shadow across her face. "I am Lalal."

[OOC - Moonbeam? I'm a little disoriented. I thought it was afternoon when Robin was talking via Trump to Reid. Is it suddenly night? Or is Lalal wearing a moonbeam in the daylight? Or has it been night for a while and Leslie didn't notice? :) ]

[Upon review, I can't find anything other than "some hours after she left the battlefield" to travel in shadow following the trail she found a campsite with a fire. Let's make it evening, so the moonbeam makes sense. Lalal is a goddess of night and moon, historically.]

"Pleased to meet you Lalal. I am Robin." The Ranger nods in acknowledgement.

"You have any objection to me letting these go?" She gestures to the bound figures.

"I do not, although they should not be encouraged to stay here. Are they your allies?"

"Nope. Just don't want them attracting scavengers."

Robin strides over to the bound prisoners and starts untying one. Theeennn, it penetrates. "'My Father's lineage?'"

She nods. "Our line is older, from when my father was Warden of Arden. Before there was an Arcadia."

"Dung." Robin chuckles under her breath as she finishes untying the first wildperson and shooes them off into the forest. She dusts off her hands and grins over at Lalal. "Every time I leave Arden I seem to step in a mess of more cousins."

The Ranger shakes her head, still chuckling ruefully and starts working on the bounds of a second prisoner.

"We feel the same way about the saplings of our father's brothers' lines sometimes," Lalal replies, but her tone is jesting. "There are many of you: Artemis' litter, Calliste's litter, and those from the mountain, like yourself. But it is of the White Rider I would ask you, cousin."

Robin finds herself in complete agreement with the 'saplings' line, and nods with another chuckle. But her ears perk and her eyes narrow slightly at the words 'Calliste's litter.'

Here Lalal's tone turns serious. "Now that the dragon is free again, does he ride against her as he did many years ago?"

"Well, that depends." Robin shooes the second prisoner off and begins working on the third.

"It depends on whether I'm talking to a potential ally. Or at best an interested neutral. Or whether I'm leaking intel to an enemy." The Ranger's green eyes dart to Lalal's, equally serious.

Lalal's eyes are dark and large and placid.

"That it might be possible to provide knowledge to an enemy answers the question effectively enough. I have lived when my mother was bound by my Father's will and when Artemis bound her further. I do not fear freedom, but I will not risk disaster to achieve it. I choose your term, then. You are talking to an interested neutral."

She looks at Robin and then in the direction where the prisoners ran. "This fighting is a burden to us all. I am curious how your people will want to have things in the new realm. Do you intend to war eternally, or do you intend to make peace with the creatures and people who came from Arcardia?"

Robin sends the third prisoner off after the first two and starts on the fourth.

"I'm not a voice for my people. Just for me." She says firmly. "But I don't have any beef with most of the critters and folks of Arcadia. Just with some overly protective mothers and a certain slitherer who have killed my friends."

The Ranger licks her lips as the faces of Fortune, Foresight and Breeze drift across her mind and amends her earlier statement. "Can't say I particularly care for what's happening to home and its people either. I get to the root of that and I'm not likely to be a polite person." She shrugs one shoulder.

"'New realm' got anything to do with that?"

She nods, slowly. "Old barriers are falling, and there are those who say there is no Arden and no Arcadia any more. It is as it once was, when Arden was a more magical place, before things were locked into Arcadia."

"When last this happened, your father warred with my mother, and both nearly vanquished each other. Your father and my sister came up with a solution, which perfectly pleased none, but quieted things for a long while. I enjoyed peace, even at the price it cost. My sister was not so happy." She looks down.

"Tell your father that re-binding the dragon will be harder this time, for she remembers how she was tricked and burns with anger over it."

"Uh-hunh." Robin takes the one pretty seriously. Then gets her fingers moving again to release the fourth prisoner and send them off.

Finished, she stands dusting her hands off and looks to Lalal. "How well are you getting along with the formerly not perfectly pleased sister? Uh," Robin has to think a little about the way they talk here, "the mother of my brother?"

"Will you tell your father? Good. Calliste wars openly on Artemis, who as always uses her power to protect her position. Britomartis and Arianrod look for solutions, each for her own reasons, and I have not been swayed to any of the factions, except that I do not wish my mother to be freed completely.

"As he will know, Arcadia has stopped being the barrier it was in days gone by and lurches into Arden, as it was in the past. The peoples of Arcadia are divided, as are their goddesses, and they war upon each other.

"While we normally are united in some things, we are being driven to extremes." She looks into the fire. "Is that what you wished to know, cousin?"

"Every little bit helps." Robin shrugs.

"Mostly I'm looking to get a message to Artemis." The Ranger figures that since Lalal said the name first, they can't get too much more fried for her repeating it.

Lalal raises her eyebrows. "Do you want me to deliver it, do you want me to summon her, or are you looking for directions?"

"In order of preference? 2, 3, 1. That is if having you around for number 2 will stunt the snatch and grab instinct." Robin cocks her lips wryly.

"You...wish to kidnap my sister? Are you going to kill her?"

"Unicorn, no!" bursts out of Robin before thought. Then comes thought and the Ranger tilts her head, toying internally with the idea of kidnapping or killing Artemis. Eventually, she wrinkles her nose and confirms her initial words with a rueful headshake. "No. I'm worried about her trying either of those on me.

"Buuuuuttt...." she just can't resist adding, "if there's kidnapping in the wind... 'Calliste's litter'? Would that be my brother and sister?"

She nods. "Your father's youngest. They grow fangs and claws for their mother." She pauses, then adds, "if you wish to parley with Artemis, I can arrange it."

"Not so much on the parley," Robin shrugs wryly. That'd be thinking and talking stuff, not her strong points. "Just getting her the message. I'd appreciate your help though, ma'am."

"Fur and fangs for their mother, huhn?" Robin rubs her chin in thought. "Any possibility of liberating them from Mommy?" Boy, she knows she's asking for trouble there. Princes of Amber against their will equals bad things. But still..

Again, [Lalal's] eyebrows raise in surprise. "I... I do not know. They roam the edges of the wild wood, hunting, They are strong, already."

She looks around. "As I am an interested neutral party, I shall not inform their mother of your query. What, precisely, do you wish me to tell her? I would like your words, so that my thoughts will not color them. I would not be responsible for a misunderstanding if I can avoid it."

"Thank you, Lalal." Robin bows formally.

"If you could, would you tell Artemis that," she thinks about it, making sure that the message is clear of Robin-isms, "I, Robin daughter of Julian and sister of Daeon send her the greetings of her son. That he conveys his love and devotion to her and that he holds intelligence concerning her mother and sisters as well as the latter's stated commitment to a negotiated settlement.

"He wishes to advise her that he has conferred discretely with Julian and myself as to method and that he is about the duty she laid upon him. He concludes by reassuring her that her son still recalls the taste."

Robin wrinkles her nose at the end. Daeon-speak, so unlike her own whimsical butchering of Thari.

Lalal nods, gravely. "I will tell her so." She adds, "If you hunt for Callistae's twins, do not hunt alone. They are fierce, and cunning when cornered."

The Ranger returns Lalal's grave nod. "I hear you.

"Thank you for your time, your words and your help, Lalal. I appreciate it." Robin bows once more.

[Lalal] bows and slips back into the forest. She's out of sight before Robin can blink.

The ranger stands alone.

She blows out of puff of breath, lifting the ragged bangs from her forehead.

Well, okay. Still breathing. Now to get her self out of here.

The Ranger looks around herself at the darkening wood. Yep, it's a great time to be aboard. Still, Robin finds herself recalling her brother's words about her presence here.

So she sets her trail as best as she can for the margin between wood and meadow. Heading for home by letting her heart lead her feet toward Arden.

Robin sets out. She doesn't seem to be able to make any progress leaving Arcadia and moving to Arden. It's as if she's not able to identify the differences between the two.

"Aw, shit," the Ranger murmurs to herself sadly.

Robin finds a place where the moonlight streams down brightly enough to see well by and pulls out her card case once more. She takes off her gauntlet and runs a loving finger over the image of her father. And Calls.

"Who?" her father's voice answers.

"It's me, Dad." Robin answers. "I'm done here, but having trouble finding my way back. Can I get a lift?"

"Come," Julian says, and offers her his white-gauntleted hand.

It's with a great sense of relief that Robin takes her father's hand and steps away from the Arcadian night.

When she steps through, she finds herself in a clearing with Julian and Totter and their mounts. It is evening, and Totter is tending a rabbit on a spit over a fire. The stars overhead, what she can see of them, are Arden's.

The girl's green eyes go skyward and she blows a puff of pent up air at the sight of the familiar stars. And no goddesses about.

"Thank you, sir." She says releasing the Warden's hand.

"You're welcome," Julian says formally. "Have you eaten? Our dinner is almost ready, and you can offer your report over it." He gestures toward the fire.

Totter raises a friendly hand in greeting, and returns to turning the rabbit. It looks close to done, and smells delicious.

Robin nods and grins to Totter. The man is a whiz for finding food, cooks well too. The Ranger's glad he's one of theirs.

Green eyes turn to the Warden. "Still on task, sir. Can I make a quick call before reporting?" Robin knows that's unusual. But now that she's gotten herself out of Arcadia, she needs to check on the bewildered Breeze and Reid's strange behavior earlier.

Julian says, "Of course." He nods and moves back toward the fire to give Robin privacy for the call if she wishes it.

The Ranger returns his nod. Pulling off her gauntlet, she retrieves her card case yet again. An unconscious tchh of the girl's tongue reveals her perturbation at having to use the darn cards so much, but no help for it.

Opening the case, she runs her thumb over Reid's card, calling to him as she does so.

After a few moments, Robin snorts and shakes her head. 'Bout what she expected, she's at less than a 50 percent success-ratio with these things. Tucking the card back into her case, she moves to join Julian at the fire.

"Ready, sir.

"I backtracked myself into Arcadia. On the way, me and Daeon had a much better behaved chat." A one-shoulder shrug indicates that Robin isn't about to set a lot of future store on that, once burned you know.

"Skirted a couple sentries and a lot of horse-sign near Daeon's and my original meeting point. Few hours later I came upon the remains of a serious fracas. Casualties included wildmen, horsemen, centaurs, and ex-Garnath citizens." Robin's eyes get very grim, "The corpses had been left rotting for about two days.

"Further wildmen tracks led me to an ambush in the making. Breeze and two others on the make, two centaurs four prisoners on the take. I intervened and snagged Breeze out of the situation. He...wasn't right, sir. Distracted, twitching... answering someone else's call." Her eyes flicker significantly to Julian's.

Julian nods, but does not interrupt Robin.

"I Trumped him out of there to Reid. But there was some event on Reid's side and I lost contact. I can't get a status from him at this time though he knew that I wanted to get Breeze to the Castle.

"After that, one Lalal - moon-type Goddess - showed up. When pressed, she referred to herself as an interested neutral. Her message for you, sir, was 'Tell your father that re-binding the dragon will be harder this time, for she remembers how she was tricked and burns with anger over it.'

"She also made mention that Calliste's litter, her most recent one, 'grow fur and fangs for their mother' and hunt the forest's edges. She recommended that maybe I get help before I try to snag 'em. Lalal was also offered to help me parlay with Artemis." A wrinkled nose shows what Robin thinks of herself as a parlayer.

"But I figured my job was to get my big ol' footprints out of there fastest. So I tried walking my way out... Didn't work." Is Robin's unhappy conclusion.

Julian frowns. "You were still in Arden, the Arden of old. The paths were unsure and the ground was much more dangerous then. When Corwin was Warden, he and I patrolled almost alone, because there were so few who could travel in Arden safely. The boundaries have broken down, Robin." He shakes his head.

The Ranger purses her lips as she nods and drops her gaze to the ground. Seems a lot of people have been telling her that lately.

She cocks her head as she looks back up to her father with liquid green eyes. Time to go forward. If the Arden she has known for her entire life is going, what comes next? "Sooo, what do we build in their place, sir?"

"I do not yet know," Julian confesses. "When I was young, I thought I could pacify Arden. I took the bargain the Dragon's daughter offered, and it bought us these last few centuries of peace. But Dione is dead and the binding is broken, and as Lalal says, it will not be remade so easily. I must find another way to ensure the safety of Arden, and of Amber."

The Warden glances over the fire, where Totter is carving off part of the rabbit. "But let us consider these matters on a full stomach. After dinner I will tell you of our parley with Britomartis."

Robin nods, eating first - talking later. That suits her just fine. The Ranger slides out of her backpack and settles herself down on the ground, resting back against a tree trunk. She blows out a breath as she stretches her tired legs out in front of her. Smiling over at Totter, the girl removes her gauntlets and starts working her right hand to ease the stiffness out of it.

Eating happens without much conversation but with much appreciation.

After dinner, while Totter cleans up the plates, Julian tells Robin the story of his encounter with Britomartis: "I met the goddess in the appointed place, near Jones Fall. Totter was with me, but the precaution was unnecessary. It was a parley, not an ambush as your brother feared."

Robin nods with an understanding quirk to her lips. Jovian could get... jumpy sometimes. Though she sure wasn't the one to throw that particular rock too hard.

"We had what my brother Bleys might call 'a free and frank exchange of views'. Britomartis believes that Arden cannot survive without Arcadia, and she points out, quite correctly, that Arcadia is the Dragon. I could buy time for a new order in Arden by slaying the Dragon, which would give us another few centuries, but I told Britomartis that I am inclined toward peace if such is possible." Julian smiles thinly.

"I asked Britomartis how much help I might expect from her sisters if I moved to bind the dragon anew. She believes her sisters will see the reason in that proposal, but unless they are sure that the binding will succeed, they will be unable to join. We concluded that it was early enough that such details are negotiable. War, however, will harden our hearts and our resolves, and if we wait too long to strike a bargain, peace will be difficult."

He concludes: "It was long on talk, but short on content, as all such dealings with Arcadia are. Now I am faced with the question of how to bind the dragon without further binding myself, as I did before."

The Ranger snorts in agreement concerning Arcadian loquaciousness. And here she thought she talked a lot.

"Weellll," Robin rubs her chin in thought, "I suppose it's something that they might just stay out of the way while we try something stupid and dangerous. Do the ever-so-yappy Goddesses have any suggestions for a binding that would involve other things than..." the girl hand-waves herself past a subject that she's still a little uncomfortable with.

"They are from Arcadia. To them, sex and death are the foundations of the universe."

A flat wry line presses Robin's lips as she shakes her head.

Julian strokes his chin thoughtfully. "There are other ways. It would take what the ignorant and credulous call the power of a god to do it. If I could be spared, I would go back to the Isles and learn what I could there; it is the sort of place that understands the mythic symbolism by which I might bind the dragon."

"How long do you think you'll need?" Robin clamps her lips shut before any of the other thoughts whirling in her head can escape.

"More time than I can be spared," Julian says, and presses his lips together in a flat line. "But let us sleep on that question. Perhaps rest will bring us better answers to it. But now you must tell me of yourself. I have had the bones of your parley--but how are you, Robin?"

"Confused, Dad." The Ranger sighs.

"There are so many things to take into account. And it seems like no matter what I do or choose, I'm going to be wrong. By my own lights." An unhappy frown pulls the corners of the girl's mouth down.

"I know that's the way the world is. But I don't like it." Robin finishes grumpily.

"I don't like it either, Robin." Julian takes her hand and squeezes it. "I have made enough--questionable decisions--in my own life to understand whereof you speak. And even those decisions which seem clearly right at the time can have unforeseeable consequences. All we can do is the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time, and live as honorably as we can with the results of our deeds. I know this is cold comfort, but I will not offer you soft lies. I have found from bitter experience that the truth is better with our nearest and dearest."

"Thanks, Dad." She bumps him comfortingly with her shoulder as she returns his hand squeeze. "I prefer it that way too.

"I-I guess... I'm worried that my... fears about all the consequences, about being wrong, are going to paralyze me. Make me unable to make decisions when I need too. Any advice on that one?" Robin looks up into her father's eyes with a faltering smile and green eyes swimming with love.

"Only this: there are moments where hesitation in deciding can be fatal. When all your choices are bad, none of them are worth your life. Even if you regret the consequences of your choice, it is better to live and mend them than it is to die with the work undone, passing the choice to others who may heed those consequences less than you. It is a thought that has consoled me more than once as I have worked to cure the ills my own folly has created," Julian says. There's a trace of lightness in his tone, but he is serious.

"Yeah." Robin nods, the faint hint of a smile crooking the corner of her mouth. "I can see that. I... earlier, when I was facing Vianis, I thought to myself, 'If I kill this bitch, I'm going to set off who knows how many deadman traps. But she won't be around to direct them. And after all the fireworks all down, she won't be around to start any new issues.

"I guess that kind of works in reverse too, doesn't it? If I stay alive, I'll hopefully have a better handle on whatever fires I started, right? Instead of leaving of legacy of yuck to some other poor bastard." The girl cocks an eyebrow to her father to make sure she's understanding.

"It is a thought that has kept me alive more than once," Julian answers. "I cannot give up my duties so easily."

He glances up to the stars overhead. "But this is dark talk for a beautiful night in Arden. Let us speak of lighter things, or perhaps there is a whistle in Totter's gear." He arches his eyebrows invitingly at his daughter.

"Deal." Robin says with a firm nod and a smile, putting her fears behind her for at least this night.

"Hey Totter! You up for a duel?" The Ranger laughs. Pursing her lips, Robin lifts a trilling coruscant of high-spirited notes up to the tree tops in friendly challenge.

Whistled notes come back, and soon Robin and Totter are engaged in making music. Occasionally Julian joins them, adding his voice to the duo.

The road continues and Reid adds and subtracts as necessary. The path rises and the air becomes colder, as if a late spring cold snap was in the offing. After some time, Reid spies some of the small clues he has been looking for. The long valley, the mountain ridges, the tall red-peaked tower.

Unless he's very much mistaken, this is Clervaux. Other than the tower, he see no sign that people live here.

Reid tries to navigate to where his home had been, using the tower as reference, and begins a search for any signs of what has happened here.

It's hard to tell that it's the same valley. Where Reid remembers villages and towns, there is nothing. It seems that only on the rocky heights are there signs of human habitation.

Maybe Reid is not quite back. This place looks as if a thousand years have passed since anyone lived here.

"Well, it's either explore the tower or keep shifting. For now, since we're here, might as well try the tower," Reid thinks. So upwards it is. They get the wagon as close to the rocks as they can and begin the ascent.

The wagons take Reid and Papillon above the snow line and they stop in a natural clearing some way up the ridge. It takes some climbing to reach the octagonal tower Reid saw from the valley, but soon the ridgetop building comes into view. The building is made of brick, and it has a high, peaked roof. It looks like it was attached to a larger complex in the past. It shows signs of having burned in the past.

Reid would have said it hadn't been visited in many years, but then he sees the hoofprints in the snow.

Reid tries to determine the direction the hoofed beast was traveling, namely to or from the tower. During this investigation he also keeps an eye out for any path or entrance to the tower itself.

Beasts. Probably two to four. They came, they left, and did so since the last snowfall, if the bits of trail are accurate.

The trail disappears in an oddly familiar way.

Before Reid goes off on any wild cousin chases, he'll check out the tower.

The tower is octagonal, and the bottom is in ruins. There's a staircase along the inside (in ruins for about the bottom third) turning up the outer wall. It circles to the top where it ends in an open door.

There are footprints in here. Humans in boots.

If this is Clervaux, that would be a drum loft or a signal tower, depending on if they were communicating with drums or lights. Reid could climb up to it, but it would take effort to get past the initial rubble.

Recognizing the signal tower brings back a flood of memories of the Signalers Guild. The mystique of their secret codes used to communicate; his friends at the academy who had dreamed of apprenticeship within the guild and who would bring meals to those on duty in hopes of getting in their good graces; the allure of life on the frontier and being on the first line of defense for the city-state of learners. In his youth Reid hadn't spent much time in this shadow outside of the valley but now he could picture the links in the communication web. Similarly built fortified towers spreading in all directions with fail-safes and redundancies.

Reid remembers that any signal tower would keep a log, both of their shifts and observations, and most likely plaintext of the messages they received. "Papillon, stay here. I'm going up." he says before beginning to traverse the rubble in the most stable path to the interior.

"I'll guard the wagon," Papillon agrees.

Reid explores the tower, taking several hours to search the rooms. He notes evidence that the place has been turned before, but with his knowledge of the Signalers, he is able to find the stone that secretes the logbook. It is ancient, and the pages may crumble when he touches them, but at least part of it is intact and Reid suspects he will be able to read it if it survives being opened.

Reid does a quick survey of any drafts that might be blowing through the tower. (ie, how many open windows or partially destroyed walls might cause him grief. If there's a reasonably wind-free area within the tower walls, he'll attempt to examine the book there. If that doesn't seem feasible, he'll bundle it in his cloak and try to look at it inside the wagon when they've gotten off the mountain.

The openings in the side of the tower are large and the mountain winds are high. Reid isn't confident that he can shield the book with his body. He feels he might do it in the wagon once they come to a sheltered spot, or better yet, in an intact building, one not left in ruins.

Reid has searched long enough that much of the day has passed, and he and Papillon need to decide whether to camp the night or go on.

When Reid returns to the wagon he reports his findings to Papillon and suggests that they camp for the night and get a fresh start on following the tracks with the morning light.

The wind continues to blow harshly all night, and Papillon huddles with Reid for warmth.

In the morning, Reid and Papillon gather their things and prepare to follow the tracks. As Reid was sure they would, they lead into another shadow through the ridgetops. The weather grows warmer, and the winds turn gentle.

The tracks eventually lead Reid over a hilltop and into a sparse woods, and thence onto a road that leads to a town or perhaps a small city. The tracks continue onto a road and probably across the bridge into town.

Prior to approaching the town proper, Reid pulls the wagon over to the side of the road so he can finally get a look at the signaller's logbook.

It's not in very good shape, and Reid is acutely aware that any careless touch or unexpected breeze could lose him the very information he wishes to find. Papillon cares for the horses while Reid is at his task. Clervaux was centered on a grand valley, but it had long tendrils that required communication with the far frontiers.

The early traffic seems entirely commercial and boring, although there does seem to be a lot of trade in weapons and horses. There was good horse country to the East, Reid recalls.

There's ceremonial stuff that seems unfamiliar, as if a new religion grew up after Reid left.

The logbook breaks for a while, and a later entry suggests that the signal tower at Lamarque's Peak was rededicated to the Gods in a ceremony of purification and a monastary established.

The hand of this entry is new, and the entries after this point are almost exclusively about religion or war. There are barbarian incursions, still, but the ones who overran the head of the valley are driven into the sea. There is much fighting and no understanding of what is driving the hordes.

The last section is in a less precise hand, and there are only two entries. It's not a regular entry at all.

"The Lord of the Horn's men attacked us here again last night. I have sent a signal for help, urgently. I hope my message was clear enough. If we are not relieved, we will die here. The enemy has many men, if men indeed they are. They are more like Gods, strong and tall, and with strange hair and horses straight from Hell. Brother Beade says he saw their Lord catch an arrow that had been fired at him."

The second entry is shorter. "Eleven men have arrived from the frontier. We've sent Daily as a runner. The Father is a good man. The boy stands more of a chance than we do."

"We don't know what they want. It's not like they've called on us to surrender."

The last page has sooty fingerprints on it.

Reid carefully secures the book and joins Papillon for lunch. After they have rested and are well fed, he suggest that they continue on into town to see what's what.

Papillon agrees with Reid's suggestion, and they prepare the wagon and come into town.

At the gate, they pay the entry fees and the tariff-man inspects the wagon. He asks them what their business in Abford is. Papillon lets Reid handle that question.

"We are but weary travellers passing through. We might stay for a day or so to rest before continuing onward." Reid replies.

After he finishes speaking, Reid feels the familiar telltale questioning that will resolve itself into a trump call if he lets it.

Reid is really not in a position to answer any calls at this time. He'll block, though not in an unpleasant way, as much as he's tempted to be unpleasant with the interrupter.

The pressure in Reid's mind goes away.

"What's your destination?" the guard asks. It seems more than a casual question.

"Well, if you MUST know," Reid whispers conspiratorially, "we're on the trail of an odd group of foreigners who stiffed me on a wager. Maybe you saw them. Rider and steed alike would be unlike what you'd normally find in these parts. I don't know about you... I can stomach many things, but someone who welches on a friendly bet is pretty low in my book."

Reid eyes the guard appraisingly. "If we can catch up and settle the score, I could count you in..."

The guard looks at him curiously. "My brother keeps an inn in town. Stay with him and I will see you tonight. If you stiff me, it will go hard on you. It's the Red-Fingered Man. You can't miss it."

"A fine meal and a warm bed, or, for that matter, a warm meal and a fine bed, would be most welcome! We'll make our lodgings straight away, and I'll speak with you this evening." Reid replies.

With that, they head into town...

Reid and Papillon find a stable that can keep the horses and wagon with no difficulty. The Red-Fingered Man is nearby, and they go in to find a room for the night.