Day 25
Gage moves into the cave and looks around the corner of the tunnel. He sees the glint of a crossbow around the corner. He runs back and tells Anaphel that they have to leave. Anaphel is confused but agrees. Gage wants to collect Mary-Ann and Lavender to defeat the enemies. Anaphel asks about Temerity and Theren. Gage advises speaking to Mary-Ann and Lavender first – they’re not sure if Theren and Temerity will come.
It is dark outside. Mary-Ann and Lavender see Gage looking quite scared. He tells them that there are people in there with a crossbow. Anaphel asks if Gage knows if the person is hostile. Gage says no, but they clearly don’t want visitors because there was a trap. Anaphel tries to persuade Gage not to attack immediately. Mary-Ann strolls in and calls out. A voice demands that they stop. The voice is cagey. Mary-Ann tries to persuade him that she’s not a threat. Lavender can be heard approaching. The figure keeps his crossbow up. Mary-Ann and Lavender ask if the man is Corbin, stating they have a message for him. Lavender says that the net has been torn. He takes a sharp breath and invites them in to his cave.
A small light brightens the cave. Anaphel and Gage join them all in the cave. The cave is relatively pleasant. Corbin is clearly disturbed by this news.
He relates the story: it started a month ago, bodies washing up covered in strange symbols that represent death magic. The villagers think it’s a monster, but Corbin disagrees. He was tracking unusual shipments – strange crates, strange people, finding letters. Whoever they were, they weren’t quiet to start with. They were searching for something and talked about retrieving winter’s core. Gage and Lavender look at one another at this news. The people spoke to merchants, asking about strange jewellery and artefacts. He relates that people were sent after him when he started asking questions, and he had to run. The ships from the west were being intercepted and searched. Anyone who doesn’t cooperate doesn’t arrive at their destination. He says that they’re looking for something, but he doesn’t even know what it is that is being sought. He suspects it’s a gemstone or artefact, perhaps jewellery with a stone inside.
Lavender asks for more context on the net. Corbin says he is part of an information network; they smuggle people who need to disappear. He could not find a name, just more questions. He would give information to those that needed it, saving people who needed it. Gage knows from his time working for them that smuggling was big for the necromancers.
Mary-Ann asks which people are being sought by the necromancers for smuggling. Corbin thinks they’re after something specific, as they’re taking anyone who might have a connection to it. Lavender asks what the message means and Corbin says that someone in his network has been captured. A man came through a while back – a noble-looking man who seemed conflicted. The man said a woman with a noble background and military bearing would come through and that she must get to safety, that she was in danger but wouldn’t know it and that she must be given something. He holds up a grey pearl. She reaches to take the pearl and a vision hits her in the face.
A dimly lit room – Orris Locke, hooded, presses the pearl into Corbin’s hands – Captain Voss knows what to do – if they capture her, she’ll need a way out – she doesn’t know what she has – keep her safe.
Lavender returns to reality and relates her vision to the others. Mary-Ann asks Corbin if he knows Voss. Corbin replies that he does know her – she’s the Tidecaller’s captain. She runs passengers the authorities don’t ask about. Gage asks if she is Corbin’s network. Corbin says that he can vouch for her. Lavender asks who Corbin was expecting the message from. Corbin doesn’t know but he hoped he’d never get the message. He tells them to show the pearl to Voss and she was take them to Adalens with no questions asked.
Lavender asks Corbin if they can help him, since they have 2 days until moon’s grace when they will sail to Adalens. Corbin doesn’t think it’s possible for him to return to his life, as he cannot ignore what he knows. Lavender reassures him that it’s for a good cause. Gage flatters him. They offer to retrieve things from the village for him, if he wants. Corbin just wants to return to a simple fishing life without his kin disappearing.
A screeching ray of pure disease energy hits Lavender in the back; she feels bile in her throat, death gripping every blood vessel in her body. A familiar cold wards off the feeling of death.
Three people have entered the cavern. Corbin whispers that he knows a way out and he bids them to follow him. They all follow Corbin to the tide pool. Anaphel sees the damage Lavender takes and throws a distraction spell behind them. Gage casts longstrider on Lavender. Anaphel picks up Mary-Ann and carries her.
They reach a little entrance to a partially submerged cave. Corbin slips underwater and heads off. They all get into the water too quickly in their panic and have blocked each other’s way. Gage tries walking under water along the bed, as his weight drags him down. Lavender swims encumbered by her armour. Mary-Ann is hanging on to Anaphel at the rear.
Their air is starting to run out and they begin to struggle. A massive necrotic spells hits them and they all take huge damage. Gage can see moonlight ahead him. Corbin reaches down to help Gage out of the exit of the tunnel. Lavender uses bless; the water goes cold and lattices of frost sparkle around them. She continues to swim; upon reaching the exit, her scalemail snags on a rock and she cannot get out. Anaphel casts mass healing word to heal everyone. Anaphel tries to hand Mary-Ann to Corbin to get her out of the pool first, but Mary-Ann is old and struggles to get out. Another spell hits Lavender in the back, but it doesn’t travel well under water and doesn’t cause her much damage.
Meanwhile, back at the tavern, Theren has been supping gin to calm his nerves and is now quite drunk. Most people have left the tavern but a couple of barflies remain. Chikatika keeps sniffing around and chuntering. Temerity is now serenading his menagerie: Aurius watches intently with glistening eyes; Korako leans up against him happily; Guido is alternately snoring and sipping from his acorn cup.
The barkeep asks if they will be getting rooms. Theren doesn’t notice the barkeep, while Temerity simply ignores him. Temerity tells Aurius to go and speak to the barkeep. Aurius goes and screeches at the barkeep enthusiastically. The barkeep shouts at Temerity to sort his mutt out. Temerity is unimpressed with the barkeep.
The barkeep demands that Temerity and Theren get rooms or leave. Temerity orders a room for Theren and decides to wander off in search of his companions. The barkeep leads a drunk Theren up to his room, as Theren protests that he doesn’t like Temerity.
Temerity ushers the menagerie out of the building after putting Gd in the bag. Runcible flaps back from the cave towards Temerity and addresses the menagerie. Aurius looks serious and tells Temerity that their friends are in trouble and they should save them. Runcible flaps off back towards the cave with Temerity and the menagerie in hot pursuit.
Gage has got out of the pool. There’s a big open field. Round to the right to the sea is a long drop-off, but Corbin directs him left to some trees. Gage tries to sense what is in the forest. He senses the presence of his friends and the villagers in the village nearby. He senses the presence of the necromancers, as they are mortal beings. Across the field there are farm animals, fish and sea creatures. At the fringe of his awareness, he gets a whiff of undead but he guesses that is out at sea. He senses the celestial aura of Anaphel and another, incredibly powerful, celestial nearby. He heads towards the trees to be hidden.
Mary-Ann wriggles out of the pool and notices Gage warging in the distance and runs for the trees. Lavender pushes against a large rock in her way. A little bit of rock shifts, but not enough. Anaphel says they have an idea and asks Lavender if she trusts them. Anaphel uses ice storm. The top of the water begins to freeze. Snowflakes start rising from the bottom of the pool. Anaphel and Lavender both take damage from the spell but it slows down the necromancers.
Corbin ushers Mary-Ann and Gage towards the tree, but they see steam rising from the pool with Anaphel and Lavender still in the water. Mary-Ann and Gage both hide behind trees.
Lavender rages and bashes the rocks aside, leaping from the pool. She returns back and helps Anaphel out of the water. Lavender throws rocks and seals up the exit.
They all reach the forest and wait. They notice nothing emerging. The necromancers are no longer following them. Mary-Ann asks Corbin where they should go now. Gage asks what he will do now that he’s lost his cave. Gage confesses he feels guilty about that. Corbin says that he will begin again but he declines their assistance. Mary-Ann passes him a little bag of gold.
Gage decides to head to the tavern to fetch Temerity and Theren. Lavender, Anaphel and Mary-Ann remain in the trees to rest. They agree to meet up and head back to the lake house to rest for the next two days.
Gage slips unseen into the village and locates the tavern. The lights are off and no-one is around. He searches around the tavern for Theren’s room.
Temerity reaches the harbour but the tide is beginning to come in. Runcible flies off over the water. The steps down are now submerged. Temerity continues regardless, plunging into the water, but the waves keep pushing him back onto the steps.
Temerity polymorphs into a giant crocodile and swims across with the menagerie on his back. Runcible continues to lead Tm towards the cave. He swims around a large rock and Runcible indicates the direction to go, but there’s no way through the rock wall. Temerity swims back and leaves the menagerie on the pier. He swims back and finds the entrance to the cave under the water. He swims into the cave and finds where Corbin used to live.
He crawls out of the water and sees evidence of someone living there. He swims back to the menagerie and Aurius mentions that he has sniffed out Gage. Temerity crawls out of the sea and the menagerie get on. Temerity gallops towards Gage.
Gage recognises the menagerie and works out that the giant crocodile is Temerity. Temerity misjudges his stopping distance and ploughs into Gage. Gage lands on the crocodile’s tongue.
Gage backs out of the crocodile’s mouth. He informs Temerity of the plan the return to the lake house. Gage hangs on to Temerity’s back. He stops outside the tavern and releases a tremendous roar, but there is no response from the tavern.
Temerity rears up and checks through the windows on the top floor of the tavern. Eventually they find Theren’s room and Gage clicks open the window silently.
Temerity’s snout pokes in as Gage enters the room. Gage slaps Theren but he is comatose. Gage wraps him in sheets and sends him down Temerity’s back like a slide. Theren wakes blearily as Temerity’s tail smacks him round the head. Gage fetches Theren’s belongings and slides down Temerity’s back also. Gage speaks to Theren but gets little sense from him. They manhandle him onto the crocodile and Temerity heads, following Gage’s directions, to where the others are waiting.
Lavender and Mary-Ann notice how quiet it is in the copse. Anaphel speaks very quietly to Lavender and states that it was obvious they were after Lavender’s ring. Anaphel thinks they know why. They think that Auriel is in the ring, in part or in whole.
Lavender is surprised by this. Anaphel thinks the necromancers have trapped her to tip the scales. It would explain why Anaphel cannot reach their mother and the lack of knowledge of her. Lavender says that this confirms Orris’s allegiance, for why else would he give her this? Lavender looks at her gloved hand. She doesn’t think Orris could have trapped Auriel, as their family isn’t strong in magic. She says she needs to find Orris. They have to have answers to their questions.
Lavender says they must free Auriel. Anaphel tells her not to make promises that she cannot keep. Lavender replies that she can keep this one. Anaphel looks scared and vulnerable.
Temerity arrives as a giant crocodile, thumping through the forest. Lavender realises that this is Temerity when she spots Gage. Theren has thrown up on Temerity’s back due to his inebriation. The three clamber onto Temerity to head back to the lake house.