"On the sixteenth day, we awoke to a clear, windy, sunny day. The sea air was cool and moist, and white clouds scudded across the bright blue skies.

"Stil, the elf, gave a cry from his perch atop a rock, and pointed to the Isle of Dragons. Tiny and far-off, we could see the sail of a ship, and as we watched, we could see that it drew towards the shore, south of us.

"Darrow said that we must follow, and so gain some insight into its purpose. We did so, until late afternoon.

"We saw that the ship approached a wooden pier, and that there were several stone buildings at its head. It appeared to be a way station of some kind.

"Under cover of darkness, we approached the outer buildings, which seemed to be derelict. Into one large building, we could see many figures moving stores: barrels, rope, wooden crates, and sacks.

Turning a somewhat defensive eye to Celedhan, he explained. "They were hooded and robed and heavily armed. From a distance we were unable to ascertain what manner of being they might be. They did not behave in the manner of elves as we know elves. All wore vestments. To our eyes, they seemed caught up in some rite in association with the enemy, for we knew the enemy to be nearby.




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