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-----With a weary smile, Zepharon continues, "I wish young Sol had not left so abruptly, but I understand the urgency of the youth. Please do not misunderstand me, for what all of you have done these past days has saved your fellow countrymen, but I can see many of you are tired and wounded. You have earned your rest and your leave to return to loved ones."
-----"As soon as Sol returns, I wish all of you to accompany me back to Hearthorn. There, you may all properly rest and be healed. There, I wish to bring you before Lord Lambert and honor your deeds! I also wish to inform you on the meaning of all you have encountered and what I interpreted from the dark worshippers’ activities."
-----The Lord Wizard sets his hand on Sarah’s shoulder. "What say all of you? Will you do me the honor?"
-----After a while, a guard comes riding in from the northeast. Dismounting, he tells Zepharon that Sol has found an old building in a swamp a mile from their position.
-----Rand applies a healing spell to Raven and his injuries improve. The cleric seems quiet and finally speaks up, "I need to find my brother. The Dark Worshippers released the prisoners we had and Heiros did not come here with the others. They either killed him or, more likely, he has fled the area."
-----"Why not plan on coming back to Hearthorn? Then perhaps, Jacian Dawnrider or I can help you locate him," Zepharon answers seeing the torment in Rand’s eyes.
-----After a few moments longer, the sound of horses’ hooves heralds the return of Sol and his small troop.
-----Sol rides in looking irritated. He shakes his head slightly at Raven, and dismounts.
-----Raven says to Sol, "Damn it! I'm not surprised. Those bastards sure are hard to track. Remember how Gabe disappeared." Raven puts a hand on Sol's shoulder, "Don't worry I have a feeling we'll run into them again." Raven turns back to Zepharon, "Sol, this is Lord Zepharon, Sarah's father. He's offered to take us to Hearthorn, so we could rest up and meet someone named Lord Lambert. He said he'd shed some light on what the hell is going on around here." Raven frowns a bit and says to Zepharon, "Do you know who attacked Broacter's keep?"
-----The wizard bows to Sol, "It is an honor to meet you." Turning to Raven, he continues, "You are correct. The worshippers of the Dark have just that, . . . the power of their dark goddess to conceal them. Sometimes the power of faith can achieve amazing things! Remind me to speak more of this to you, Sarah." He flashes a smile toward his daughter.
-----Zepharon nods at Raven’s question, "Yes, I do! Permit me to reveal all back in Hearthorn." Casting a wary eye toward their surroundings, he adds, "sometimes an innocent-looking forest such as this has unseen ears. Shall we return now?"
-----Sol looks from Raven to Lord Zepharon. All traces of annoyance fade, and he walks over and offers his hand to the wizard, "Nice to make yer acquaintance, Sir. We've been lucky to have Sarah with us. Er...we're going back now? Is it safe to leave these bodies around when the evil powers have been raising so many of the dead?"
-----The wizard accepts Sol’s handshake graciously, "I appreciate the friendship and caring all of you have offered to my daughter under the trying times we have all endured."
-----Answering Sol further, he says, indicating the dead bodies lying about, "We shall leave most of the guards here to take care of the unfortunate victims who were unwilling pawns of the Dark ones." Zepharon shakes his head with pity at the thought of the innocents who had their lives disrupted by evil.
-----With a faint smile, he says to Sol, "Aye, it is safe to leave now. As I will detail more at a later time, you have been quite a thorn in the Dark ones’ backsides. The evil ones are on the run from the area."
-----"Yes, let’s go now." Sarah says. She reaches into her pack and draws out the dagger and any and all black stones or disks she may have with her. "I found these, do you need them, daddy?"
-----"Ah, yes, let me take those off your hands," Zepharon says to Sarah, producing a pouch seemingly out of thin air. Quickly the items float through the air into the waiting pouch.
-----As Rand applies a curing spell to Sol’s wounds, the wizard instructs his guards to respectfully bury the dead bodies. One of the scouts indicates that some of the more decayed bodies probably came from the tomb that Sol had found. The wizard then instructs his two scouts to scan the area for any more evidence of the Dark one’s escape.
-----With that, the Lord Wizard mounts up and waits for the adventurers to take to their saddles. Leaving the guards and scouts to go about their work, Zepharon asks Raven to lead them where they had camped the night before.
-----Within an hour, they arrive at the top of the hill where they had stayed the night. Rand dismounts very quickly searching around for any clue that might tell him of his brother’s fate.
-----Raven runs to the trees where they had tied their prisoners and immediately begins to search the ground. The young ranger finds quite a few tracks, some of which the party had left the previous night. He also finds newer ones perhaps made when Devlin and the old one had found the tied prisoners.
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