OUTLANDER

                                                    Chapter 9

                                           The Search

Melody was finishing the last of her tasks of this trip to Throgmarden. Her plan was to leave the next day and return to Eigle. As she focused on the last of report, she heard the entry door close and a now familiar voice talking to Jena at her desk. Melody rose and walked to the doorway of the room she was working in and saw Gayla, Ruthor’s intended talking to the young woman. Both women looked up at seeing her standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Gayla, I was not expecting to see you today. But I am pleased you are here.”

“Hello, I was just asking Jena if you were too busy for a visitor.”

“No, not at all, come in. Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes please, water would be appreciated.”

The two women walked into the room Melody was working in and sat down after Melody poured Gayla the proffered libation.

“I came by to invite you to evening meal if you have time?”

“I would like that. I am planning on leaving tomorrow and return to Eigle.”

“Me as well. I will come get you in, say, an hour? I am going to introduce you to my family.”

“That will be an honor. I will be ready when you return.”

“Good, and thank you for the drink.” With that Gayla rose from her seat and headed for the entry door and left the building. As the door closed Jena spoke to Melody.

“I did not know you knew Gayla?”

“I have met her a few times while I was here. She is the intended of Ruthor and he is one of my friend Dax’s men.”

“Yes, I know and she is from a very prominent family here.”

“That I did not know. So you know her?”

“A little, more like I know of her and her family. Her father and grandfather are well known in Throgmarden. I think you will enjoy your evening.”

Melody nodded and then returned to her work. When she was finished she went to the room she had been staying in to freshen up before Gayla returned.

                                                             *****

Dax and his men had been to the closest farmstead to Neder on the map given them by the council. He was not attempting to visit the locations in any order, other than what was most expeditious. The sites were scattered and too numerous to zigzag back and forth across the province. This first one had been closest but had occurred some time ago. To the trained eye they found it covered in dried blood, masses of blood, everywhere around the dwelling and in the field that now lay fallow. But just as they had been told, there was no sign of any damage to the interior of the dwelling or out buildings, and they had found nothing that appeared to indicate robbery as a motive. The bodies had been buried near the field with honor, there were seven recent graves. No one had even taken crockery, utensils or wall hangings from the interior. He thought it could be that the people here did not want to even come back for these usable items, some that were in excellent condition. Such a waste of resources he thought. The farmstead was very close to the edge of the swamp, not just within sight, but merely paces between the edge of the field and beginning of saturated swampy ground.

They were just within sight of the second one, maybe three leagues from the first. As they came into where you could see where the area had been at one time tended and turned from open glade into a farm for raising some crop, they again saw old dried remnants of slaughter on the earth and dead plant life. The closer they came to the house the gorier the scene became. Not just dried blood, but ever so small pieces of flesh or muscle, even what looked to have remnants of internal organs, missed apparently by who ever came to pick up the bodies and prepare them for burial. Between the house and bairn were four graves similar to the others they had seen. Just as before as they searched inside the house and bairn, nothing was taken. Very well maintained tools, axes, shovels and picks hung in the bairn. Tableware was still on the table in the house, a water ewer with stagnant water sat on the wooden kitchen counter close to a finely made crockery basin. The cupboards still half full of canned jars, and sacks of salt and flour, now with the gnaw holes from rodents feasting their fill.

“Neither of these farms make any sense. Yes there is signs of horrific slaughter. But why leave everything to just rot. Someone could have been making good use of much here?” Ofid said aloud, what all five men were thinking. “And again, why build a house and start a farmstead so close to a swamp?”

“I think it might have been, because no one else had and maybe when fields are this close to where water permeates the soil, it’s just far enough away that you have less concerns about watering the crops, but I have never been a farmer.” Cran replied.

“Poshgut! Maybe that was the thought, but I would think you could have just as much trouble of crop roots rotting if they stayed too moist. Then you would have the issue of certain unwanted wild life too close at hand.”

“It is too late in the afternoon to head for the next location, so why do we not make camp here. We can make use of the house for cooking and sleeping and the bairn to stable our mounts.” Dax said to his men. Everyone nodded in agreement and set about making themselves ready for the evening to come. “We will set a watch from now until we leave. Vlad, as soon as we are set up, you take the first watch, I will spell you after the evening meal.” Vlad nodded in agreement.

                                                                        *****

The dinner had been sumptuous and plentiful. The conversation interesting and mood quite jovial. Melody found Gayla’s family to be polite and far from haughty, very welcoming. Not only were her mother and father there, but also her brother with his wife and her paternal grandfather. She helped Gayla, her mother and sister-in-law clear everything from the table when they were done and all the women joined the men in a rather large room with a fireplace. The floors were finely crafted woods with a high sheen to them, the walls were of a calming light green colored plaster and long deeply dyed tapestries hung covering where windows were located. Cushioned chairs and settees were placed in a pattern that evoked an element of many warm conversations were held here. As everyone settled into what were probably their usual preferred seat, Melody sat down near Gayla.

“So Melody, tell us more of this Captain Dax that escorted you to Throgmarden. He has become a man of some note here in Throgmarden lately. Gayla has told us you knew him when you were both children.” Gayla’s Father asked in a friendly tone.

“Yes, we did I would say back then, we were playmates often. Our fathers were quite close friends. I would not have thought then, that Dax would be in the military though. His father was teaching him to be an iron monger, as he was, and as his father had been before him.”

“So it would seem then that, Captain Dax was of Eigle also?”

“No, his father and he were from close to where I lived then. But his father had started to move around very often. Visiting one mining area after another, many of those times my father accompanied his father. Dax’s mother had died when he was very small, so at first my mother cared for us both when the men were off searching for some special metal ore the Dax’s father was seeking. Then as we grew Dax went with them. While we were still youths his father started going so far and for such long periods of time that my father no longer accompanied them. It was after this that we lost touch with one another. After his father died I lost touch with him completely.”

“So then, were you not born in Eigle either? Sorry for my curiosity, I mean no offence.”

“Not exactly, but close by. I only got reacquainted with him recently. After he had been to my parents and found that I was in Eigle working for the Triad.”

Gayla’s grandfather interrupted before her father could speak again. “Son, let us stop this game of cats playing with rodents.” Then the venerable older man turned to look at Melody directly. “Melody, I apologize we were introduced but my granddaughter only said I was her grandfather I would like to rectify that, my name is Banjin, my late wife and I moved from Eigle to Throgmarden before my son was born.”

Recognition brightened across Melody’s face and deepened into a curious smile as she looked briefly at the others and then back to Banjin and answered. “Oh, thank you Banjin, now I understand.”

“I thought you would. So we can speak more freely. My son, Francher met my daughter-in-law Domina there on one of my early trips between Eigle and Throgmarden, as you can see they fell in love and later married and have given me two wonderful grandchildren, Gayla and Wendor. A couple of years ago Wendor married Lesia who was also from Eigle as well. I was born in Dragon Pass Village, as was my wife.”

“I was from the Fire River Cave Village, my parents still live there. And to answer your next question before you ask, Dax’s parents were from the Arn Village where his uncle Iron Beard still lives with his wife Estonia. I am so pleased to meet all of you.”

“So it is as I guessed after hearing of your visit, Captain Dax is one of us. But one who followed a path most of us would not have taken.”

“In short, yes. He and I talked much after he found me not long ago. He did not stay neutral to all other realms. But I find no fault in him for it.”

“Nor do we. I am making no accusation on that. If anything, I am just amazed at the coincidence of it all. Especially when his Sergeant-at-Arms is the man my granddaughter has fallen in love with and plans to marry. Does Ruthor know this about his Captain?”

“From what Dax has told me, Ruthor is one of two Too Tall that he trusts. And yes, I believe he knows and keeps that secret, but the other man he trusts does not know. He told Ruthor of his parents while they were on a mission that took them through the Fire Mountains above the Arn River. They ran into his uncle Iron Beard. He told Ruthor later about his parents. But I think that is all Ruthor knows so far.” Melody then looked at Gayla with a questioning look in her eyes. But before she could ask the question Gayla spoke.

“No, it is the secret I have not shared with Ruthor. I have been afraid of what his reaction might be. With all this I think now, that when they return, I will have that conversation and expose that last secret.”

“I have seen how Ruthor looks at you Gayla; I doubt there is anything that could sway his love for you. In fact, he might find it rather humorous now. At least he could share with you also his secret about his friend and Captain, Dax.”

“You might be right, now that I know that, we would have no secrets to keep from one another.”

                                                                   *****

Dax and his men had just sighted the most recent farmstead attack on the map. It had happened only a couple days before they arrived in Neder. As they rode closer the horses started to whinny with nervousness and were starting to snort as if they been ridden hard, which they had not. Then Ruthor noted North and then the other Dire Wolves were walking beside them with their ears more alert, heads turning in every direction with their neck hairs prickling behind their ears.

“Something is very wrong here, Dax.” He said almost silently to Dax.

“I sense it too in the animals. We approach slower, everyone take heed of all we see.”

The party slowed to edgy moving ever forward, each step deliberate and purposeful. As they came much closer the same mayhem was evident. In places the blood soaked ground was not yet totally dry and the stench from the carnage permeated the air mixed with the stink of the close proximity of the swamp itself, stinking of slow death and parasitic life existing on the always over soaked vegetation. They found four very recent graves near a recently plowed plot of field, medium sized rocks had been placed as edging for each one, the graves seemed to be smaller than one would expect. Not even an animal was grazing, bleating or milling about the farmstead. As they neared the house and bairns the quiet was as loud as a torrential storm.

They dismounted in front of the house and tied their nervous mounts to a post near the exterior wall. Curtains on a window were rustling in the very slight breeze. Dax and Ruthor went to the partly ajar door as Vlad with Cran walked toward the bairn, South and East matching their measured steps. Ofid and West were walking around the back of the house slowly.

When Dax and Ruthor entered the front door, their first sight was the table. Crockery and utensils were still where they had apparently been dropped from being used during a meal, looking as if they had been abandoned in place quickly as if the family had heard something while they ate. Flies were buzzing around and some eating from the now spoiled meat and vegetables on and in the crockery plates and bowls. Yet once again nothing inside the house had been disturbed. As they started to move further into the room, Ofid with West came into the house from a back door. His eyes met those of Dax and Ruthor, then he scanned around the room seeing what the other two had already seen. Now all three began slowly walking around the room. They found nothing different than they had in either of the two before. As they walked back into the main room and started back across it Dax hand signaled for them to stop in place and not move.

“Did you hear that?” as he said it the three wolves all started a low guttural growl hunched forward and muscled to pounce. All three stanched, staring at the floor in the center of the room where two chairs sat on a large woven grass mat.

“What did you hear? Our wolves seem determined on that mat under the chairs.” Ofid’s word were barely above a whisper. The tone of clandestine conversation.

“It was muffled and low, not even a whisper. But I heard something just before Darma started to growl her warning.”

The men moved in unison now toward the center of the room. Ofid and Ruthor as quietly as possible moved the two chairs off of the mat. Then Dax slid the mat itself away from the area with just the faintest of swoosh heard between them. As he did they saw what appeared to be a wooden trap door in the well-used wooden floor boards of the house had a grooved handle that was flush with the boards. Ofid knelt and put his large fingers in the groove as Dax and Ruthor positioned their weapons for use. Ofid threw back the trap door the full opening to drop against the wooden floor completely open.

There was utter darkness visible except for a ladder leading down in to what appeared to be a root cellar of some sort. As Dax leaned closer and let his eyes adjust to the interior darkness, he thought he saw a crouched form in the corner almost the same color of the earthen walls with crockery pots lined on shelves cut into the side walls. He rose to a squat and then as he placed his first foot to start a descent into the cellar they all heard a pitiful scream and then utter and immediate sobbing. A child’s crying in total fear for their life.

“That’s a child down there, scared to death. Sounds like a small girl.” Ruthor said as Dax now started descending the ladder to the floor below.

When his eyes fully adjusted to the dimmer light, Dax could then see her. Disheveled stringy long dirty blonde hair, a dirty shift looking as if she may have messed herself at some time recently, wild crazy looking blue eyes, their white all red with continuing crying as she peeked between her clutched fingers to not be seen. He also saw a few empty crockery pots their lids scattered along the floor. As he reached for her, she sprang straight up in utter fear and kicked at his arms in mortal dread of being caught. But she was no match for his strength, as he then walked to the ladder and handed her up to a now crouching Ruthor who accepted her light weight and lifted her out of the cellar. Dax climbed the ladder out as soon as she was pulled away. As she was, Ruthor looked back to Dax as he climbed out and said, “She looks to be only five or maybe six winters.”

As Dax stood now back on the wooden floor he shook his head in agreement as he said, “Someone of her family hid her there, before they met their fate outside. That is the only reason she still lives.”

Ruthor carried her kicking for freedom toward the table as Ofid brushed the crockery and bowls to the floor in crashes and breaking crockery noise and the now frenzied buzzing of the flies trying to escape. Dax walked to where the water basin sat emptied it on to the floor and handed it to Ofid saying. “There was a cistern at the side of the house, bring this back full with fresh water.”

As Ofid left with the basin, Dax turned around and picked up a cloth that had been lying next to it and then turned back to the table. The girl was shaking in almost convulsions and now crying hysterically. Ofid was back within slight moments and placed the basin on the table near the girl, took the cloth from Dax and started wiping the dirt, tears and debris from her face and upper body as Ruthor held her as gently as he could even though her slight but fervored attempts tried to pull away.

Dax who had walked out of the room and into a room with two small beds returned with a cleaner version of the shift she wore placing it near where she was being held and cleaned up. It was Ofid who spoke first in a quiet and endearing tone to her. “Here little one, let us help you. We will do you no harm. If you let me wash you some then you can put on this clean shift. I can get you a drink of clean water if you are thirsty. You must be thirsty after hiding down there so long.”

The girl seemed to calm some as Ofid talked to her in his most fatherly tone. Then she nodded her head in assent. She even started to pull her dirty and tattered shift over her head and allowed Ofid to put the clean one where she could reach herself into it. Then greedily accepted the crockery cup of water when he offered it to her. As she drank the first one and then held the cup up for another he asked, “And what is your name, little one?”

After gulping the second cup of water, she very shyly said. “Brenna.”

Ofid pulled a chair close and sat down facing her. “Brenna is a beautiful name for such a pretty little girl. What were you doing down in that dark cellar?”

“Mama put me there. We heard noises outside. Mama and Da jumped up from the table. Da went to the window and told Bubba to open the door downstairs, the Mama picked me up and carried me to the ladder. She told me to hide really good and stay very quiet, like a little mouse. She said not to move or make any noise until she came back and opened the door for me. But she never came back.” As Brenna finished answering Ofid’s question, she started to cry again, tears rolling down her smell cheeks.

Ofid reached for the tiny waif and cradled her in his arms, crooning for her to calm down and telling her everything would be okay. Once she seemed to calm some, he asked her another question. “Did you hear or see anything after that?”

Her bright but red streaked eyes looked up and sheepishly said, “Yes. I tried to be good, like Mama said. But I heard lots of yelling and I heard Mama scream. Bubba was yelling for them to stop, and Da was yelling madder than I ever heard him. There was awful growling and a hissing noise so loud I thought it was a storm with other strange sounds I had never heard before. I didn’t make any noise, but I held my ears wanting the noises to stop, and then they did, and that scared me even more.”

“You have been very brave. Mama would be very proud of you. Did you see anything, anything at all?”

“Some, later, I could see through the cracks in the floor. The candle was still burning. Feet, I saw big feet. They came in the door, then they walked to the other rooms. There was lots of grunting and other sounds. But then they left again.”

“So men came in and looked around your house?”

“Not men. And monsters with big claws, they were sniffing at things. I hugged myself tight in the dark corner. Then they left, all the big hairy feet and the paws with long claws. The monsters and not men left.  It got really quite then, for I long time. After I slept and woke up again it was still quite, so quiet. Then I heard the crows outside awking and awking so much. Mama will be angry with me, I got really hungry, and so I got up and opened one of her jars so I could eat, I’m sorry but I was so hungry.”

“Mama won’t be mad Brenna, she is proud of you, I know it.”

“Finally I slept again and then ate from another jar, but I heard noises again. It was men, they came inside like the not men. But left and went back outside and then there more noises, walking around, pounding and men cursing. The dark came again, and again. I don’t know how many times. I had accidents, I couldn’t help it. Then finally I heard your voices and you came inside. I tried to be quiet again, but then you pulled the door open and I knew you were going to hurt me, you and your big dogs.”

Ofid looked at Cran and asked? “Cran, see what you can find in the cellar. She must be hungry as well as thirsty.” As Cran moved to the ladder, Ofid turned to West. “Come here, West, slowly boy. I want you to meet someone.” The large male Dire Wolf came as his companion beckoned. Then rested his muzzle on Ofid’s knee and sat on his haunches, waiting. Ofid turned his gaze to Brenna and said. “Brenna, this is my friend, West. He will not harm you. Would you like to pet him on his head?”

“He is too big. I am afraid he will bite.” As she hugged herself closer to Ofid’s huge burly chest.

Ofid took his hand and stroked her hair first and then took her small hand in his and petted his wolf. At first she was still nervous, but within a few moments she calmed and was stroking West’s head on her own. Then he looked up at his companions and said. “We should be looking much closer for any tracks or clues outside before we start losing the sun. I will feed her from that jar Cran brought up and then I will join you.

“That makes sense my friend, you are right where you should be.” Dax replied and then motioned for the rest of them to return to the outside and start searching for what they could find.

Sometime later Ofid also emerged from the house. At first he held Brenna’s hand, the he hoisted her up and onto his shoulders and gently held her ankles, so she could not fall. In this way he joined in the search for clues to what had exactly happened here. At times one or the other of them would call his comrades to come and look at something, then they would search that area more intently. Finally as dusk was beginning to settle over the area, everyone went back inside again. After they ate an evening meal, supplemented with a couple of jars from the root cellar, Breanna fell asleep in Ofid’s arms. He took her to the room with the smaller beds and laid her on one of them. Then he returned to his companions. This was the first time they talked openly, not needing to measure their words with the small survivor so close at hand.

The discussion was open and everyone compared their personal opinions on what they had seen during the day’s close and lengthy search. They agreed on several points. They had eventually found the area they thought the family had been killed in, there was the largest and most accumulated blood and tiny pieces of flesh and tissue still there, some dried some not dried completely. Maybe due to the moister nature of the soil being so close to the swamps edge. Unfortunately tracks were obscured some by whoever and or whatever had been involved in the apparent melee that occurred there. There were many scrapings over tracks, large animal tracks mixed with those of people wearing footwear of different types, and wide smooth impressions that had undulated in strange directions, then what looked like men being barefoot, who had large feet. On top of all this there were remnants of several booted men in and around and on top of those made before them and scooping depressions at that time. The men surmised this to be whoever came and first found the attack, then buried the family where the graves were now. At some distances from this area and a little closer to the swamps edge they thought they could see many tracks, but again these were not completely defined. The swampy ground tended to almost erase tracks as the water soaked nature of the soil tended to return itself to its dampened consistency. However, they had found enough to assume that the attackers had come from and then returned to somewhere within the swamp; and that there had been more than one kind of large animal accompanying bulky men who were barefooted. Some of these tracks appeared to be wide and smooth except for an indented line down the middle of its girth. Foot tracks of this one were to the sides of the massive girth. This led the men to believe they were of a very large lizard, while many of the others looked more like they were made for some large cat. This in itself was confusing as why would two such different and usually fierce predators be in the same group among barefooted men.

The one thing they were sure of though was that in the morning they needed to return to Neder with the girl and talk with the council before they proceeded. It was far past the middle of the night before any of them went to sleep in between shifts on guard duty.

                                                           *****

As Melody was making her goodbyes to everyone that night she told Gayla that she planned on leaving Throgmarden the next morning for Eigle. She said she would look for some party headed that way in the morning and travel as far as Eigle with them. But Gayla’s brother, Wendor, hearing this interrupted.

“Melody, if you could wait one more morning, Lesia and I are going to Eigle anyway, so you could travel with us if you wish?”

Gayla then spoke before Melody saying. “If it is okay, I would like to go as well. There are friends there I could visit for a few days.”

Wendor replied quickly, “The more the happier the journey. So what do you think Melody?”

“I think that is a wonderful idea. Yes, I will do some small shopping at the bazaar here tomorrow before we go. If Gayla and Lesia think they can tear themselves away for a girl’s spree?”

 Both young women nodded agreement quickly. Even Domina said she would like to be included and automatically was, with female giggles of glee heard from them all. Soon after that Melody left for the Emissary and a night’s sleep.

During the next day’s visit to the bazaar, Domina caught Melody while the other two were intently looking at a certain measure of intricate cloth and spoke to her softly, just for the two of them to hear.

“You know some men have to be hit on the head with a large tool, to know what it is they truly want, sometimes. Then they think it was their own idea later. But if you do not make that first gesture, they are too dim witted to know it is what they really want.”

“Excuse me…..oh, I see what you are getting at. But we have not been reacquainted long enough for me to be sure he feels the same?”

“You knew he did the day he found you again. I can see it in your eyes when you speak of him. And I also see the look Gayla gives you at those times as well. She also knows I am sure and she has seen the two of you together.”

“Am I that transparent? She has seen us together and she stood beside me when we watched them all leave on their last mission; her, Aiela and I, not a dry eye among us, I would add. But I am not as sure of Dax’s thoughts.”

“Hmmp! Not even men themselves are sure of their thoughts when it comes to us. That is the beauty of it, we are the ones who are sure, but we let them think it is their idea.”

At that both women started laughing rather quietly. Gayla heard their quiet laughter and when Lesia heard them as well, all four women laughed together as if sharing some great secret.

                                                                       *****

As, Dax and his men entered the council building, Ofid tried to get Brenna to stay with the young woman seated behind the desk there before they went in to see the three councilors. But, Brenna was not having any of it, she was staying close to Ofid wherever he went.

The three councilors of Neder had a look of shock as the five men, their wolves and the small girl walked across the room toward them.

Damin Grawl spoke first. “Well Captain, who is this tiny waif you bring before us?”

“We found her at the third farmstead on your map. Her name is Brenna and she was hiding in the root cellar below the main room of that house. Her mother had hidden her there just before they were attacked.”

A look of embarrassed awe spread across all three men’s faces and moments passed in silence before Damin spoke again. “I am so sorry, we searched for survivors. But we did not know they had a hidden cellar under the house. You have not been there when any of the farmsteads were searched after finding out of an attack. The extent of the violence is always staggering beyond belief. And there is never anything left that we can know for sure belongs to an individual. So we portion out the remains, between the known numbers, for graves and try to give them equal honor in the burials. We knew four lived there and did the same as before. I am sorry we did not search better. How did she survive this long?”

“She ate from the jars of food stored in the cellar. Our Dire Wolves alerted us first to another living presence being below the floor. We found the trap door and found her.”

“We will find someone to take her. That family had no other living relatives any longer.”

Hearing this it was Brenna who spoke first and quite loudly. “No! I am staying with Ofid, he will protect me.”

“I know you are scared Brenna, but…..”

“No. I am staying with Ofid.” As she demanded in her tiny but loud voice as she then clung to Ofid’s thigh as tight as she could muster.

“Sirs, I would say only this. We have all talked about this on the journey here. If and as you can see, Brenna is set upon this and since I now am confirmed she has no living relatives. I will honor her request. Captain Dax has already agreed that while they continue searching the rest of the attacked farmsteads to confirm what we have already seen, I will journey back to my farm north of Throgmarden and within two leagues of the Bay of Throgmarden to my wife and children there. She will be well loved and protected there for as long as she wishes. My wife would kill me if she heard I did anything else, Brenna will be a daughter of her heart for life.”

Damin Grawl leaned forward to speak, but as he did Ofid leaned slightly forward and his stare became somewhat less cordial. Jawn Mesan sitting next to Damin placed a hand on his fellow councilor’s shoulder, just as Dax did the same with Ofid. Then it was Jawn who spoke instead.

“I think the council could have found no better family for Brenna than your Ofid of Marden.”

“You could not gentlemen, you could not.” Then Ofid turned to his Captain and said. “Captain Dax, I will go now with your leave. West and I will return as soon as the journey allows.”

“You have it my man-at-arms and friend.” Then he bent down and looked at the small girl saying. “I will see you again Brenna, take care of this huge friend of mine.”

“I will, I promise.”

Ofid, holding Brenna’s hand and West at his other side then walked out of the council chambers of Neder.

Dax and his men then told the three councilors all that they had surmised so far. But that they would return once they had explored all the attacked farmsteads known to the council; then they would return with complete details and whatever they thought of a plan forward. The only thing they did suggest on this day was to halt anyone who might express an interest in establishing any new farmstead or re-occupying any of those known to have been attacked or abandoned within two leagues of the edges of the Stinking Waters. So far it seemed that was the farthest of any attacks.

The council agreed for the time being, but also said they doubted that any would. The people were now already afraid of venturing even that close to the Stinking Waters.

With this agreement, Dax bid them farewell for the time being. He and his remaining men turned and with their Dire Wolves left the council chamber and building. Once back in the street and sitting upon their horses, all turned and headed back out of town toward the west. They knew they could make it banck to that third farmstead in time to camp there again that night. After that they would continue going from one attack site to the next, until all had been searched.