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-----"That would put us smack-dab in the middle of that battle," Raven replies to Thalog as he scratches his head. "Well, let’s see what we can find out."
-----Entering the cottage, Raven grabs the young man with the frizzled hair by the back of his collar and hauls him outside. He places the tied-up man beside the bound girl and Heiros.
-----Kneeling down in front of the girl, he places the blade of his short sword under her chin as he removes her gag. "This is just in case I get the idea, you’re trying to cast some spell on me," Raven tells her indicating the sword. Looking deeply into her wild eyes, Raven angrily says through clenched teeth, "I want answers. If you know where the body of our friend went to, tell me now. Tell the truth, our wizard can tell if you lie."
-----The girl returns a brazen sneer. She answers, "Noctura will claim you. She will claim all of you." With a frighteningly psychotic look, she leans forward touching the blade with the underside of her chin. "Go ahead, kill me. Kill us all," she says, her voice barely above a whisper, "The Darkness below will have your soul."
-----Raven forcefully gags her again and as he rises, he bats her cheek with the back of his hand. The smack does not daze her, but it is enough to land her on her back.
-----The young spellcaster with the frizzled hair is not much more cooperative. As Raven kneels in front of him, he simply answers with a calm but defiant tone, "I think you should worry about what will happen to you. Do you think we are alone here just because you see no one else?" He then refuses any more questions.
-----"Okay," Raven says rising, "Gabe disappears. We’ve got these two idiots who are a bit too cocky for their own good. Maybe Sarah can get Heiros to talk."
-----He leads Thalog, Rand, and Zentil inside to where Sol and Sarah are. "That old man vanished earlier," Raven tells everyone, "I’m no spellcaster, but who’s to say he won’t suddenly appear again with others. Who’s to say one of us might disappear all of sudden. I still say we get the hell out of here and return tomorrow." He looks around to see how everyone else feels.
-----Sol looks unhappy at the idea of moving. Quietly he says, "It'd be safer inside this cottage than some random spot in the forest. Where else would we go? Back to Tru? I doubt we'd reach there by nightfall."
-----"No, not that far," Raven answers. "We have two more hours before sunset. We can move back the way we came. Toward the edge of the forest, we passed through clearings on the way here. They were large enough to see trouble if it heads our way. I got a gut feel that, as comfortable as this house seems, we’re asking for trouble if we stay here."
-----"Thalog seems to think the worshippers were preparing for some kind of battle involving magic. If someone knocks at the door tonight, I’m gonna really hate having to answer it." Raven pats the short swords at his side as if checking to make sure they are easily reached.
-----"It's just that I think we'd be in trouble no matter where we go in this forest tonight." Sol continues, "To me, a house is more defensible than a clearing. But...You've been at this longer than I have. If you think it's for the best, I'll agree."
-----"Zentil, how large would you say the black mass is?" After hearing the answer, Thalog says to the others, "On further study I found that it is not just a battle they are preparing for but a siege as well. Raven, on our way to camp, can you help me find 5 or 6 live spiders?"
-----Raven shrugs, "I guess it’s not so much the house as it is how close we are to that dark mass at the bottom of the hill. In the last few days we’ve seen quite a few strange sites. If we’re going to rest for the night . . . ," Raven pauses, "I just don’t know how safe this place will be. If everyone else feels safe here enough, I guess I’ll go along with the rest of the group." He looks around to see how the others react.
-----Turning to Thalog, Raven asks with a confused look, "Spiders? You ought to be able to find some around outside, especially by the trees and that woodpile."
-----Sol smiles ruefully, "Sarah needs proper rest, but I don't feel anywhere is particularly safe at the moment. You’re probably right. The closer we are to the darkness, the more likely we'll have an interrupted rest." Sol stands from his chair, "If we're going to leave, let's do it right away. I'll try and carry Sarah without waking her." He gives one last look at the group, to confirm they are actually leaving.
-----Thalog begins to search the prisoners as he says, "Gabe's disappearance means we are too close to the black mass. Let us leave now."
-----"Alright then. Can one of you grab that book on the table, for Sarah?" Sol requests. He then reaches down and carefully scoops her up. After making his way outside, Sol asks, "Raven, I'm gonna need help mounting up. Can you give us a hand?"
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