Tharhack hangs upside down for maybe five more minuets fuming in anger, before he feels the swirling winds around his ankle dissipate. He quickly reaches up to snap the rope, but the snare spell ends just as he touches the rope. Tharhack falls to the snow, he twists his body so that his back takes the brunt of the fall instead of his head. He looks up at the overcast sky, trying to determine where north is, and thus where east would be. Leaning back against a tree, Tharhack gives up on trying to see exactly where the sun is hiding behind the clouds, and just heads off in the direction he's currently facing hoping it's either south or east.
Knowing he isn't going to be able to catch Xanoniel before she makes it back to Thumble, Tharhack hopes Rebrey somehow is still in Thumble when Tharhack arrives. Tharhack starts up in a quick jog, he slaps some trees and low lying branches as he passes them imagining that it was Xanoniel or the witch, or both.
Rebrey stands outside of Opee's house waiting for a meeting between Opee and Rillkep to end, so that Rebrey can finally meet with Opee, who's been meeting the residents of Thumble one on one all morning. Rebrey walks in a slow line between Opee's house and the end on the street. Rebrey reaches the end of the street and turns around to find Xanoniel standing in front of him.
"Where's Tharhack and Alriand?" Rebrey asks
"Alriand is waiting for you and I, Tharhack went to scout ahead to the north." Xanoniel replies
"Why would Tharhack be scouting? Alriand is much better at it." Rebrey questions
"Alriand is still in no shape to be walking on her own. Tharhack consulted his god and learned that a cure for Alriand's madness could be found in a tower to the north of Thumble." Xanoniel answers
"Alriand was already insane, how bad could she be now?" Rebrey asks not really wanting that answered.
"I've sedated her, she's pretty much out of it. We hope to reach the tower in a ten day, maybe a little longer. I need you to help me keep Alriand safe while Tharhack clears the way in front of us." Xanoniel says
"Ok let me finish up here with Opee, and I'll..." Rebrey gets cut off
"We can't wait, Tharhack's already gone ahead, if we tarry too long all of his scouting will be wasted, and we'll become too separated." Xanoniel pleads
"But, Tharhack asked me t..." Rebrey's words die as Xanoniel leans in and kisses Rebrey
Xanoniel then pulls back and looks Rebrey in the eyes. Rebrey sees his reality spin and fall away, only to be replaced by the sight of a wheat field in summer. The wind pushes and pulls at the wheat, making it appear as though the field was a flowing tide against a beach. Rebrey can almost smell the golden stalks, when he feels a cold breeze against his cheek. Shaking his head his eyes shoot in the light of an overcast day and a muddy snow covered street.
"What was that?" Rebrey asks
"I like you Rebrey, maybe after we save Alriand, we can see how much I like you." Xanoniel states
"Let me go pack, if fact maybe you should help, we could leave earlier if I had some help." Rebrey says with a smile
"I've already taken the liberty of packing for you, let's get going." Xanoniel replies grasping Rebrey's hand and leading him over towards the bridge, and up to the northwest.
Tharhack's muscles ached with pain and cold, as he raced along the snow covered forest floor. The overcast sky showed no interest in relinquishing it's golden treasure. Tharhack had given up on his original path, having determined it was leading him nowhere, he had turned to the left four, five, maybe even six hours ago. The sky was darkening, and to Tharhack the sky seemed to be darkening uniformly. His arms were slowed with cold, and even though he had stopped taking swipes at the trees his anger still burned inside him. He had divine prayer that would ease the chill from his body, however he dismissed that notion as weak. The pain drove him on, focusing his hatred into a fine point. His head was filled with revenge, and before the light from that sun would caress his face again, he vowed to be on the trail of Xanoniel.
The last bit of light finally gives in to the approaching night, Tharhack's eyes adjust to the darkening conditions. He finally concedes he needs to stop running for a bit, and slows his pace to a walk. This allows him to look over his surroundings with closer detail. Looking around he thinks he sees what might be a road, or a stream off to his right. Heading off in that direction with renewed vigor, Tharhack gets about halfway to the dark mass when he hears the sound of rushing water. Reaching the river bank, Tharhack turns downstream, his heart begins to warm which in turn stokes the fire of his anger.
