-----The going seems to be very slow as the journey takes the two flatboats nearly an hour to cross the lake to the awaiting woods. The light breeze continues to coarse the water from the south. It is fortunate there is movement in the air as the temperatures continue to rise. The breeze makes the trip more comfortable for the adventurers although the sun is soon felt over their left shoulders.
-----Most of the time Raven remains silent as the hunter eyes the distant shore with a keen eye. Rinda seems very alert, keeping her bow with an arrow notched nearby.
-----"Woe that I should ask of the Rager to make this wind as a gale to destroy those who stand against us!" Lovan says perhaps a bit too loudly.
-----This quickly results in gentle but forceful shushing from those in the flatboat with the storm priest. Raven continues to search the far bank for any sign of repercussion to the outburst. After a few moments, he turns and casts an angry cast at Lovan.
-----"What do you make of that?" Rinda interrupts. Her voice is uncharacteristically soft although it cuts through the other's thoughts as sure as a tone of warning. The huntress turns the other way in the boat facing back toward the village. She points at one of the tallest buildings in the village, one with a tower perhaps like a steeple of a temple or church. There, in the top of the steeple comes a flashing light as if the sun reflects off a shiny object.
-----Sol glances of his shoulder once, then twice, getting a better look at what Rinda indicated. It holds his attention only briefly, before he returns to continuing his use of the bargepole. His only comment is uttered in quiet tones, "Interesting. I admit, I'd be curious enough t'ask about it when we return t'Gafa."
-----Sarah squints as the shiny reflection hurts her delicate eyes. "Could be a signal." She says, pausing to glare at Lovan. "Mind keeping it down a bit? That is if the weakness of the wind doesn't offend you on some spiritual level."
-----Surprisingly, the storm priest does not give a reply to Sarah. He simply looks back at the village himself.
-----It is Raven who speaks next. "I think Sarah is right," the hunter says with a great deal of caution in his voice. Looking at Sol he adds, "Someone in that village may be betraying us. Could be that assassin or even that bunch you ran into last night."
-----Turning his attention back to the approaching bank, which lies maybe a hundred yards off now, he says as he continues to scan its length, "I just hope we get these boats beached before we get in someone's arrow range."
-----Rinda edges up slightly facing the bank as she raises her bow in a ready position. "I don't like this," she growls. "We know what the signal is for. This smells of an ambush."
-----The marsh bank that stands below the overgrown swamp trees looks bare in places as evidence of the rising and sinking level of the lake during its yearly cycle. These places appear to be ideal places to disembark from the water vessels. From there, the ground is mostly of a sandy texture nine feet up the bank before one reaches the line of thick vine-covered foliage.
-----From this position on the lake, the 'forest island' looks bleak and forbidding.
-----Sol mutters to himself at the signal before offering these words, "We do have a choice. I'm all for walking int' ambushes an' having a go at turning th' tide on them, but I'd be hesitant t'do so wi' Mirian. We still ha' time t'turn back, an' do some more looking around in town. Work out who lit up. But... on th' other hand, the castle has still been warned either way. If we don't deal wi' what's there quickly, there may be repercussions wi' those in Gafa who helped us or are just plain innocent. More so than the troubles they already face."
-----"I'm fer going on, but we'll need t'move faster. Sarah, ye've got good eyes, can ye see any signs o' trouble on th' land up ahead?" Sol prepares to pole the boat that much faster, as long as the majority of the group decides to continue.
-----Sarah, doubly annoyed at Lovan for ignoring her, almost misses Sol's question. "Huh? Oh, no I can't see any further than you during the day, darling." She says apologetically, moving closer to him and rubbing his shoulders as he pushes the boat along. "Sorry."
-----"Not a problem... How about you just blow up th' treeline wi' yer fiery blasts!" Sol jokes momentarily, though the Gorian's face takes on a brief moment of uncertainty as he tries to indicate that he indeed not being serious.
-----Sarah raises her hands about to cast a spell and then stops when she realizes Sol is just kidding. She chuckles along, and gulps nervously, trying to cover up the fact she almost did launch a fireball. But she can't help herself, blowing things up feels so....good.
-----Raven adds to the conversation although his tone is grim. "That's probably not a bad idea," he says as he continues to stare at the trees above the bank, "but hold that spell for now."
-----As the flatboats inch a bit closer, the hunter gains everyone's attention before pointing toward some objects beached along the bank.