Chapter 3: The First Day of Hunting!

The Second of Greentide, D.Y. 500

-----The next morning, the sky begins gray and overcast. A gentle breeze ushers through the open windows and though it feels refreshing it is as if something is amiss or unsettled in the air. Somewhere the sound of birds is heard but not many are seen except for those that crouch on the rooftops or up high in the towers.
-----As the four adventurers rise to the early morning, the moods of the previous night washes over them as they reflect on all that has transpired. The beginning of the evening could have been described no less than magical with the formal attire and the friendship bestowed by the Court of Oakwood. That had changed later with the tense and angry words at the meeting with the former companions. Now the beginning of the day feels comfortable although the dreariness hangs over them in the sky.
-----As everyone dresses, a knock comes once again on their doors. This time it is not one of their own that calls for a meeting together, but a messenger from Sir Greene himself. As the four gather together and come into the Great Hall, they notice there appears to be a lot of activity going on with a tenseness especially among the guards.
-----Sir Greene stands before the party with an apologetic look and behind him are two guards and a stable boy. Sir Greene addresses them all first, "Forgive me if I summoned you before you were fully ready to rise. However a most unusual situation occurred last night."
-----Sir Greene then turns toward Sol and asks, "Sol, I have to ask. Did you go to the stables late last night?" His tone still holds a regretful tone. The two guards and the stable boy behind Sir Greene stare intensely at the young warrior.
-----Sol replies calmly, seemingly oblivious to the residing mood, "Yes, I did. I visited Thunder, my horse, and retrieved my saddlebags. Was there some curfew I broke?" The stare that the warrior returns to Sir Greene is inquisitive.
-----Raven seems to be puzzled by Sir Greene's odd tone, but Raven holds his tongue.
-----"Oh Destine, no..." Sarah says, raising a hand to her mouth, hoping that what she saw in her dream had not come true.
-----Sir Greene smiles and waves his arms in a reassuring way. "No, no, my friend," he replies to Sol, "no curfew was broken. It is just that you were seen as you said retrieving your saddle bags and then entering the keep."
-----The smile remains on his face as he continues, "Now only a few moments later, someone approached these two guards and our stable boy," here he points at the three behind him, "who they identified as looking similar to you. This person demanded that the horses be saddled and prepared to be taken to the Holy Temple of Joren. The person claimed that he received a message of urgency from the Curate."
-----Sir Greene begins to pace further explaining, "The guards became suspicious because the person referred to the Curate by the wrong title and name. Secondly the guards at the gate had received no messenger in urgent haste from the temple. When the suspicious person was approached inside the stables, the two guards and the stable boy were cast unconscious as if by some spell."
-----One of the guards behind Sir Greene looks at Sol and speaks up, "It sure looked like him. The other guard mutters as he narrows his eyes at the young warrior, "I . . . can't be sure." The stable boy steps forward after shooting the two guards an annoyed look. "Well, I'm sure," he says as he points at Sol, "It wasn't him. He talks differently than the one last night." Sir Greene smiles reassuringly at Sol.
-----"Someone who looked like me?" Sol asks in some confusion. He frowns a little and asks hesitantly, "How many horses were asked t'be saddled?"
-----Raven looks over at Sol and says, "Sounds like dark magic at work." Raven asks the guards, "Did the stranger want our horses?"
-----Sir Greene turns and raises his eyebrows at the stable boy. The young lad answers, "Yes, at first he asked for the four horses to be saddled with full tack and a pack beast as well. After they were saddled he asked for the rest of the horses in the stables to be readied." The boy casts an annoyed look at the thought and adds, "There are over twenty horses there!"
-----"I think I know exactly who it was that stole the horses." Sarah says darkly. "Someone looked like you because they used a spell they stole from my spellbook while I was knocked out. That bastard Sethanales. Who else but those idiots would refer to the curate by the wrong name in their attempt to steal our horses? Probably felt pissed off that we didn't feel like letting them harass us for the next year and a half. We should hunt them down and slaughter them." Sarah finishes angrily.

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