Chapter 13: The Hunt Ends!

The Seventh of Greentide, D.Y. 500

-----Just before the moon reaches the top of the sky, dim twilight begins to come ahead of them in the east. There appears to be more trees here along each side of the river.
-----Lovan stretches and stands quickly checking the location of the boat ahead of them. Seeing the distant craft, the storm priest then scans the other horizons with his eyes. Looking off toward the southwest, he suddenly yells with excitement, "Ha! The Rager shall be with us this day!" His excitement awakens Rinda and Sarah while drawing an angry 'hush' from Romney and Garrison.
-----The woodsman looks for any reaction to the fleeing craft. "They probably know we're here anyway," the woodsman says.
-----As everyone looks in the direction the seemingly mad priest points, they can see huge reddish clouds gathering and slowly making their way toward the northeast.
-----Rinda quickly rises and makes her way to one side of the boat giving praises to the Great Hunter. As Sarah places her owl inside its magical cage, Lovan raises his warhammer skyward. He then begins filling the air with excited chants and yells, some almost incoherent.
-----Romney and Garrison look at each other and shake their heads. The river vessel ahead of them seems to make no other movement than to continue toward the pre-dawn light.
-----Sol makes no other preparations other than to continue rowing. He has a determined look on his face, and his stare is focused forwards. Raven also focuses on rowing.
-----Sarah glances at the ruby clouds. "Red dawn at morning...sailors take warning." She chants, and glances towards the other keel, trying to gauge the difference. "Did we get any closer?" She asks those who were awake.
-----"No," Garrison says looking at the boat as it sails beneath the angry looking sky, "but it's not any farther."
-----Everyone quiets except for the two priests. Sol continues rowing.
-----"How long do we have until the storm comes?" Sarah asks. She squints her eyes at the boat, wondering if she can see any better in the light, she tries to see how many people are on the boat, what they're doing, and if any of them could be Krondor.
-----Lovan waits until his chanting has stopped before he answers the young mage. "It could be anytime. As long as there are clouds in the sky, the Rager's fury can be called down." He then flashes Sarah an excited smile.
-----The forms in the escaping boat remain little more than dark figures revealing little about the occupants.
-----As the sun finally dawns on the new day, its rays reach across the sky enhancing the scarlet color of the clouds. For a moment, the river takes on the appearance of blood as the keelboat moves along.
-----The boat ahead of them never slows its pace. At one point, it is apparent that someone has shot an arrow from the fleeing boat. The arrow, however, falls short of its target and splashes into the water just a few yards from the keelboat.
-----The tinge of excitement in the air threatens to die down as the morning grows with each hour. A slight breeze still rustles the sail and Sol, Raven, Garrison, and Romney quickly begin rowing in unison. More than one pair of oars is also seen along each side of the boat ahead.
-----To both sides of the river now are seen large areas of marsh interspersed with trees. Occasionally this gives way to larger clumps of forests. Here the forests seem unoccupied as no living souls are seen.
-----Finally, as the sun nearly is at the high point of the now cloudy sky, Lovan suddenly cries out from the tiller, "Ha! They make for land!" As everyone turns to follow the pointing of the storm priest, they can see the distant keelboat turning to the right making for a small exposed rocky bank beneath the treeline.
-----"Silvergard it is," Garrison murmurs as he turns back to his oar and lays into the rowing stride.
-----Sarah casts a simple, familiar spell and points at a figure she can make out on the boat. "Stop rowing..." she mutters under her breath, not to the people rowing the keel she is in, but to the target of her spell.
-----Sol grumbles as he hears Sarah's spell and then says, "Call it to us, when we need t'turn, Lovan. Rinda, as soon as ye think we're in range, ye'd better return fire. Target there, archers. Raven and Garrison, if we come under heavy fire, ye may have t'leave Romney and I t'get us t'th' bank so that ye can use yer bows too."

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