Draft version of Chapter 7, will edit so that it makes more sense later and add the rest of the formatting. I'm pretty sure it's even changing tenses atm so I will fix tomorrow. Thanks for the answer Deb, it will be interesting to see the changes.
The Farseekers: Chapter 7Pages: 59 - 71
Characters: Elspeth Gordie,
Gahltha,
Domick,
Matthew,
Avra,
Darga,
Jik,
Kella,
Fian,
Pavo,
Louis LarkinCharacters Mentioned: Dameon,
Marisa,
Alexi,
Rushton Seraphim,
Henry Druid,
soldierguards,
highlanders,
Herders,
Druid armsmen,
GypsiesLocations: The White ValleyLocations Mentioned: The
Lowlands,
Arandelft,
Sutrium,
Suggredoon,
Obernewtyn, the Olden Way, the
BlacklandsSummary:Elspeth is riding Gahltha with the reins tied to the saddle. While she had not wanted to ride at all, to pass as a Gypsy in the Lowlands she would have to. Domick already has great skill at riding a horse. From the time they left Obernewtyn, Gahltha had begun his instructions. The rain was keeping the group from conversation, so Elspeth
farsends Matthew occasionally. It is still raining on the boundary of the Blackland storms and Elspeth thinks about when she had come to Obernewtyn through these very storms.
The group then heads towards the White Valley. Jik farseeks Elspeth about the Caravans being capable of passing through the Olden way, and the reply he gains is simply about Fian saying the way was important in the Beforetime. Jik has not heard priests mention the way before. The highlanders believe it is haunted.
It is nightfall before Gahltha calls for a rest. Elspeth and Domick hang their cloaks on a tree while the horses graze in the rain. The humans settle into one carriage to talk. Darga has already jumped out of the carriage but it is still cramped with all of the humans. Matthew closes the caravan flaps and Kella lights candles, with her and Jik starting to prepare nightmeal. Elspeth’s legs, unused to riding, needed some green paste of Kella’s concoction to ease the muscles.
Elspeth was left to explain why Jik was on the expedition, as Dameon had not told him. She uses his knowledge of the Herder Faction and of Sutrium as an excuse. Gahltha and Avra
beastspeak Elspeth, sending that they have found
equine tracks which
Funaga rode on. Avra estimates that there were double their groups number of Funaga. Elspeth remembered Louis’ words about the Druid. Louis himself is thoughtful. After coming up to no conclusion about the riders, Elspeth decides to leave the camp at dawn. Jik asks about Gahltha, having sensed the equine’s dislike of Elspeth as an emotion.
Elspeth farsends along the route they wish to take to search for humans. She brushes along the fringe of the Blacklands and along the Suggredoon but all she finds is a numbing static similar to Blackland taint. They ignore the static, thinking that its probably just tainted water and the riders were hunting. Matthew suggests that the riders could have been soldierguards looking for escaped prisoners.
Elspeth wonders if the static could have been from a Beforetime machine and this starts Pavo on a train of thought centreing around the modification of the
Zebkrahn machine, Marisa, Alexi and the
Teknoguild.
In the morning, Elspeth pushes a nagging feeling aside as the company stretch their legs. Darga has an acute sense of smell, able to tell the humans if the water nearby is tainted or not. They set off, Elspeth riding Gahltha again. Jik plays a song on his Gita and Darga and Avra discuss Funaga. Gahltha, testing Elspeths riding skills, makes her fall off several times by galloping without warning.
Once they reach the place where the Suggredoon goes under the mountains, Domick announces that he hasn’t been able to find the alleged pass, suggesting that the Land has changed, blocking it. Domick also mentions swampland ahead that will take the caravans days to go around.
Scrounging up nightmeal, Pavo bursts into a coughing fit. Kella, always the
healer, automatically goes to him and discovers that Pavo has the rotting sickness. About to send him home, Elspeth wishes Rushton were there to decide but lets Pavo stay.
In the morning, Domick pokes into the wagon to announce men coming. Elspeth tells Domick to leave and hopes that the group take the company as gypsies. Three men interrogate them, with Elspeth acting as the misfits leader. She comes up with a tale about her father, Arandelft and her cousin. Then they discover that they are off to meet the Druid.
[ligne][/ligne]
EDIT: Found spelling mistake in the Farseekers 1993 penguin edition (orange spine) and 2007 penguin edition: Arandelft is spelt with an a on the map but on page 71 is it spelt Arendelft twice.