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You continue the journey. At noon you cross the River Anduis near the town of Sena. You stop to warn the townspeople of Sena of the advance of Shadakine forces and enlist their help in destroying the bridge. This will ensure that the garrison at Andui, and the larger army beyond the River Dosar, will have to cross the River Anduis at the bridge of the city of Andui.
By late afternoon you can see the large and mysterious Forest of Fernmost looming in the west. You have made good time. The Masbaté are tireless runners and have kept pace with your horse with little effort. You are passing a group of hills beyond the boundaries of the dark forest when you see a group of horsemen riding towards you. Each of them wears a red veil, part of the uniform of the Army of the Freedom Guild. When the riders are within a hundred paces, they stop and aim their bows at you.
‘Hail there men of the Freedom Guild. We are friends. Put down your weapons,’ you shout.
‘Who calls himself friend, yet marches from the north before an army?’ questions one of the riders.
‘I would speak with your leader, Sado of the Long Knife,’ you reply. ‘Tell him an old friend has returned to aid him. Tell him it is I, Grey Star, of the Shianti.’
At these words, the horsemen lower their bows and look at you in amazement as you ride towards them. You now wear your grey Shianti robe once more. Their expressions become joyous. ‘You have come. You have returned,’ they cry. ‘Sado said it would be so but none believed.’
With glad hearts, the horsemen lead you and the Masbaté to the Freedom Guild’s camp, which lies a few miles south of the hills. You come upon a sprawling mass of tents and fluttering banners. The camp is alive with activity. As you and the Masbaté pick your way among the tents and the campfires you attract a great deal of attention. Some soldiers offer a rousing cheer at the sight of the size of the Masbaté host: useful reinforcements in a time of desperate need. You and Samu leave the Masbaté to pitch their own camp in an unploughed field nearby and go to Sado’s tent together. The tent flap is pulled aside and Sado of the Long Knife steps out. You recognize his lean, haggard face and dangerous blue eyes. These eyes soften and a smile breaks across his face when he sees you.
‘Grey Star, I knew you would come back,’ he says. ‘Hail Samu, and welcome.’ You both exchange greetings with the brave leader of the Freedom Guild. Inside his tent you tell him of the success of your quest for the Moonstone and the warning words of the Shianti, when they spoke to you in the chamber of the Moonstone.
‘And so,’ you say to close your story, ‘it is their wish that we fall back into the Forest of Fernmost to escape the larger Shadakine Army that is sure to come against us once they have crossed the Dosar and Anduis rivers.’
Sado’s brow furrows. ‘But the forest is a place of evil,’ he says. ‘Perhaps foul creatures of Shasarak’s lurk there—creatures that would be his slaves if he desired it. Surely it would be better to march on Suhn and take it by siege. Once we occupied it, we would have a stranglehold on the bulk of Shadakine trade. It is the only port foreigners will visit in the Shadakine Empire, and its city walls would offer a better defence.’
‘The Shadakine host would reach you before the Port of Suhn could be reduced,’ you tell him patiently. ‘And they outnumber your army three to one. You would be cut off from your base at Karnali and the Shadakine would be able to send reinforcements by sea. You would lose Karnali for sure and the whole seat of the rebellion would be destroyed, and your army too.’
Sado looks doubtful. ‘My army numbers ten thousand men. All are well trained. Your long absence has not seen us idle. We have engaged Shasarak’s slaves wherever we have found them and my soldiers are well tested in combat.’
The argument lasts well into the night, but Sado’s faith in you, the Moonstone that you bear, and the wisdom of the Shianti, of whom you have spoken, eventually persuade him. Preparations are made to move the army out the following morning.
