Chapter 13: On the Way to Tru
-----As the adventurers mount up and ride down the hill, Raven leads them to the east. A few yards at the bottom of the hill, the trees thin out and they leave the forest. The sky above them remains foreboding and cloudy and the wind now feels chilly although it is past mid day.
-----In their packs and saddlebags, they carry the jewelry and silver pieces and also some of the fine cloth they found in the trunk. The weapons the party had to leave behind for now.
-----Andra rides with Thalog and he clings to her as he urges her to follow his companions. The entire party turns their horses toward the south and they begin to ride along the edge of the forest. About four hours they ride, ever skirting the trees on their left and turning slowly toward the west.
-----Finally as the sun begins to set somewhere behind the overcast sky, they reach the small woods where Broactor now resides. The darkness of the day deepens and the look of the clouds hints that the weather could turn nasty this night.
-----As the small troop pulls into the clearing of the old ruins, they see Goff hard at work at constructing a row of small animal cages. Amythiel and Rinda tend a small fire outside the small building the party slept in the night before. The women appear to be preparing a meal with the deer meat Rinda and Raven hunted down. Rinda pauses and waves as the adventurers approach.
-----As the party dismounts, Broactor hobbles out of the building and growls a greeting to the returning ‘hunters.’ As the Priest of the Hunt’s eyes settle on the darkly dressed woman with Thalog, he says, "WHO IS THIS YOU HAVE BROUGHT BEFORE ME?!"
-----Andra starts and reaches for her mid section, but suddenly realizes she is unarmed. Thalog puts a comforting hand on her muscular arm.
-----Sarah kneels down by Broactor and murmurs, "This is Andra, one of the women responsible for spreading the madness. She is a servant of the lady of nightmares." She then steps back and observes.
-----The Priest of the Hunt stops and all around him seems to go deathly still. A trembling begins in his arms and a twitching takes place by his eyes. His breathing seems to deepen and his face reddens. "IS THIS SO, MY HUNTER?!" he asks Raven while now staring wide-eyed at the dark clad woman. Broactor looks as though he could spring any moment like a caged animal.
-----Raven gets off his horse and moves closer to Broacter. In a low voice Raven says, "Aye, she is in the service of darkness. She has been charmed by Thalog's magic and is harmless, for now. What do we want done to her?" Raven waits for Broacter's reply.
-----Broactor slowly stalks around Andra, looking her up and down, sniffing and measuring her. The anger on his face is very evident. "SHE WILL FACE THE PREDATORS! THE CHILDREN OF THALES WILL NOT BE DENIED! BE THERE ANY HERE WHO WISH TO SPEAK BEFORE THIS COMES TO PASS?!"
-----Broactor glares at everyone standing around the clearing awaiting an answer. Andra stands beside Thalog looking calmly at the Priest of the Hunt, the expression on her face difficult to read.
-----"Yes," Sarah says. "Let her face the predators!"
-----Broactor hefts his large club and pushes the woman with it in a direction beyond the clearing behind the building. Andra glares at Broactor but the anger in the Priest of the Hunt’s eyes diminish any protest the woman can give. Broactor calls to Rinda, "LEAD US TO WHERE OUR FALLEN ARE AT REST!"
-----Rinda leads the way with Andra following her with Broactor tailing the dark clad woman, ready to strike at the first sign of trouble. The party follows the trio behind the old stone shelter to the place where the day before Jon and Kylne were buried.
-----Sol and Raven hold aloft torches as the twilight deepens and the wind carries a chill. Broactor has Andra stand at the end of the graves as he shouts into the coming night. "I CALL UPON THOSE WHO CARRY THE MEMORY OF THE HUNTER’S FALLEN!" The flickering torchlight shines on the Priest’s outstretched arms and casts bizarre shadows into the trees.
-----After a few moments of silence, a large form lumbers forward from among the trees. It lets loose a rumbling growl in answer to Broactor and Andra looks around with wide eyes toward Thalog. The form stands up and over the height of the people by the graves and the bear that is revealed stops within ten feet of Broactor.
-----A loud feline scream is next heard among the trees and within a few seconds a sleek cougar pads its way into the light. It too stops close to the Priest of the Hunt. Broactor raises his arms once again and the two animals sit on their haunches as if listening to him.
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