Edric has a pulse, but it is very faint. He has lost a lot of blood. The mages can't tell how he managed to get where he is, since by all rights he should have collapsed unconscious hours ago.

He may be saved, but it will not be easy.

Zaljan sighs. "Why city so dumb?" He rises to turn towards the guards. "I talk to them. This not right. Spirits don' like injustice."

The mages carry him into the medical tent and, over the course of the night, heal his wounds. They use a lot of his own magic to spur the healing process, though, and so he won't be able to do any magic for the next couple days (including resizing the zombi oxen and the cart).


"No." Detective Evans clamps his hand on Zaljan's wrist. "I got you free of this mess. Don't get tangled back in it. I swore I'd defend Doche to my last breath. Let me do my job." His eyes are fever-bright. "You ... showed me things, you know. Spirits ... the world holds more than what I can see. I'm not afraid of dying. I wonder that I ever was before." He releases the elf and rises, somewhat painfully, motioning for the guards to lead him away. "May the Savior travel with you and yours."

Greenleaf goes to get something to eat, and sits next to Taddeo and Yala.

While Edric is being treated, Greenleaf, Taddeo, Yala, Punchy, and Zaljan all have dinner, get information about their surroundings if they want it, and then go to bed. In the morning, the rain has been replaced with oppressive summer heat, and the camp is just as busy as ever.

Now, they are faced with the task of figuring out how to cross the river into the plains beyond.

"Well, how deep is et?"

Punchy stares at the bank of the river, scowling at it. After his liberated drink was gone he couldn't find anymore. Fortunately hangovers aren't a big issue for the little bruiser.

The river at this point is very deep, very wide, and very fast.

"Even someone as strong as you Punchy would have difficulty swimming across. We need a boat."

"We might even be better off heading up or downstream to find a better crossing point."

Taddeo breaks off to yawn, covering his mouth politely as he does.

"Downstream you'll find it gets slower; upstream it gets narrower," explains a camp guard, apparently having heard their conversation. "Easier to cross by your own selfs, but in either case you'll have to take care for smuggler's traps. We can always escort you with a patrol back to the road. Or you can barter with some of the other civilians in the camp; I believe one has a boat that can take you across, but he's charging a king's ransom for it." The guard nods and continues past.

"Well, I don't have anythinig of value to barter with so I think we should just head north. It will be hard to make up time without a path to follow."

The party travels north until they find a place where the river is narrow and shallow enough to be crossed alone. Heading further north, they reconnect with the road and continue traveling. A day or so of walking takes them close to Goerhdden, the thriving town near the famous dwarven Goerhd mines, in which Jave has a claim (as well as a smelting operation on the outskirts of town). The party members who have been through Goerhdden remember it as a loud and dirty place, fogged with smoke from the mines and factories. But as the town comes into view, little smoke can be seen, and the usual caravans of exports leaving the city gates for Cambárya are barely in evidence.

After what seemed like months, Taddeo wipes the sweat from his forehead and looks up the road at the town ahead.

"Looks like traffic is light. With the way things have been going, I'm guessing this is a bad sign."

"At this point," Zaljan remarks drily, "da only thin' dat surprise me be a day o' peace where nothin' bad happen."

Yala (who has appointed herself Edric's nurse, and is attempting to kill him with kindness as much as the others will allow) politely requests that they stop at the smelting operation so she can say hello to Harn Haverford, an old family friend and her godfather.