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you! That should settle the matter rightly, eh?
Defeated, Rhonin simply nodded. At his side, Vereesa reacted with more grace. Your assistance will
no doubt prove invaluable, Duncan. Thank you.
After the senior paladin had sent the other knights on their way, he, Rhonin, and the ranger briefly
discussed how best to go about their search. They soon agreed that separate paths would cover more
ground, with all three returning at evening meal to discuss any possibilities. Lord Senturus clearly doubted
that any of them would have success, but his duty to Lordaeron and the Alliance and possibly his
infatuation with Vereesa demanded he do his part.
Rhonin scoured the northern area of the port, seeking out any craft larger than a dinghy. The dragons
had been thorough, however, and as the day waned, he found himself with nothing yet to report. It
gradually got to the point where he remained uncertain as to which bothered him more being unable to
find transport, or fearing that the so-grand lord knight would be the one to present them with the answer
to Rhonin's predicament.
There were methods by which a wizard could span such long distances, but only those like the both
legendary and cursed Medivh had ever used them with confidence. Even if Rhonin did successfully cast
the spell, he risked not only possible detection by any orc warlock in the area, but also unexpected
changes in his destination due to the emanations from the region where the Dark Portal lay. Rhonin did
not want to find himself materializing over an active volcano. Yet, by what other method could he make
his journey?
While he struggled to find an answer, the recovery of Hasic took place around him. Women and children
gathered what wreckage they found floating in from the harbor, scavenging whatever still seemed of use
and piling the rest to one side for later disposal. A special unit of the town guard went along the shoreline,
searching for the waterlogged corpses of any of the mariners who had gone down with their ships. A few
of the people stared at the somber, dark-clad mage as he walked among them, some of the parents
pulling their children to them as he passed. Now and then Rhonin read expressions that hinted of blame,
as if somehow he had been responsible for this terrible assault. Even under such dire conditions the
common folk could not forget their prejudices and fears concerning his kind.
Above him, a pair of the gryphons flew past, the dwarves maintaining watch for any new attack. Rhonin
doubted the region would be seeing any dragon strikes soon, the last one having cost the orcs far too
much. Falstad and his companions would have better served the port by landing and helping those left,
but the wary spellcaster suspected that the dwarves, not the most friendly of Lordaeron's allies, preferred
to stay aloft and aloof. Given any good reason, they no doubt would have even abandoned Hasic entirely
rather than
Another reason?
Of course . . . Rhonin muttered. He watched the two creatures and their riders descend to the
southwest. Who else but the dwarves might find his offer tempting? Who else was insane enough?
Disregarding the spectacle he might be making of himself, Rhonin ran after the dwindling figures.
Vereesa left the southernmost edge of the docks in total disgust. Not only had she met with no success,
but of all the human settlements she had visited, Hasic ranked among the highest in stench. It had little to
do with the disaster or even the smell of fish. Hasic just stank. Most humans had little enough sense of
smell; the people here clearly had none.
The ranger wanted to be rid of this place, to return to her own kind so that she could be appointed to a
more critical role, but until Vereesa could satisfy herself that she had done all she could for Rhonin, the
ranger could not, in good conscience, depart. Yet there seemed no method by which the wizard might
continue with his journey, one she now remained positive had to do with more than simply observation.
Rhonin had revealed himself far too determined to be simply going on such a minor mission. No, he had
something else in mind.
If only she knew what it might be . . .
The time for evening meal fast approached. With no sign of hope, the ranger headed inland, utilizing the
most direct streets and alleys available despite the sometimes overwhelming scents. Hasic also maintained
land routes to its neighbors, especially the major realms of Hillsbrad and Southshore. Although it would
take more than a week to reach either one, perhaps that remained the only chance.
Well . . . my beautiful elven lady!
She looked the wrong way at first, thinking one of the humans spoke so with her, but then Vereesa
recalled who had last used such terms. The ranger turned to her right and shifted her gaze more
earthward . . . there to see Falstad in all his half-sized glory, the wild dwarf 's eyes bright and his mouth
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