I traveled down river for about half a day before my wounds and sheer exhaustion forced me to rest. The gargoyles' claws must have been filthy, I think the wounds are infected. I hope that I can find some suitable herbs to treat them with soon.

Since I have the time, I'll try to bring things up to speed, if nothing else, this should make an excellent story to tell my children when I'm older.

The six of us, William, Enrique, Valliere, Laurent, Coleson and myself, spent a good portion of the day putting as much of the Eisen forest as we could between us and the Montaigne. Once we thought we would not be easily found even if we had been followed, I pulled out some of the maps that I had of the area. Using recognizable landmarks, I was able to pinpoint our location as well as plot two courses out of Eisen and into Ussura. One was by river and the other was overland. As the river course would make it easy for the Montaigne Captain to find us, we chose the overland route. But that meant trying to locate horses, and in this Theus-forsaken land, I don't think it's going to be easy.

According to my maps, we were in the Konigreichs region of Sieger, Eisen, just east of the town of Starke. Different Konigreichs control several sections of Eisen. Rumors have it that this section technically belongs to Castille. When an envoy came to possess the area they found a madman surrounded by burned and salted land. Sieger, the lord of the area, had ordered the destruction of the land to make it unprofitable for the Castille to take it. Now, the land is barren, its people scattered and few.

The area is reported to be haunted, as all deep woods are. Since we have no choice but to travel through it, I don't plan on worrying about something that I have no control over.

William, Enrique and Valliere asked to speak with both Coleson and myself. They looked serious and I felt a sudden chill. They confessed to us that the reason that they were fleeing from the Montaigne Captain was because during a misunderstanding a Musketeer had been killed by a fellow companion who was no longer with them. The death had been laid on the heads of the entire group and anyone now traveling with them could be considered aiding and abetting criminals. If caught, we could be hung along with them.

Coleson claimed that since he is not a Montaigne citizen, and that none of the gentlemen had actually killed the Musketeer, that he did not mind traveling with them. He would allow the future to take care of itself, and he would not worry about it, "As long as we are not caught."

I, however, found myself in a quandary. I couldn't leave the group, even if I had wanted to. I was determined to win Coleson's trust in the hopes that he would open his contacts up to me. Also, we were now deep in Eisen, a country where I was the only one able to speak the language! (Why the Explorer's Society chose Coleson to make such an important delivery when he wasn't able to communicate with anyone along the way is beyond me.) I couldn't just abandon them. Besides, they had gained my admiration with their sense of honor and, ironically enough, their honesty. I decided to stick it out with them, perhaps we would be able to convince the Captain to lay off.

That night, we camped out underneath the stars. Or rather, underneath a large canopy of trees. I explained my maps to them, showing them the directions that we would have to follow in order to reach our goal. The plan was to head north to a large lake that was a good two to three days travel from our current position. Then we would follow the river all the way to the mountains that formed the border between Eisen and Ussura. We could follow an old game trail and it would lead us to the closest city. We were in desperate need of supplies and there was no way that Valliere and I could use our survival skills to be able to feed so many. In the distance, we could hear the sound of a single ax and a tree falling with a muffled crash.

On our way towards Starke, we ran into a surprisingly few number of settlements of any kind. Those we did see were nothing more than hovels. A freeze had already hit the land recently and the crops were scarce. The people we saw didn't take much notice of us, letting us by without so much as a by your leave. There is a desolate air to the land.

The city has a stone wall, larger than expected, but riddled with holes made by siege towers. Even from outside city limits you can tell that several buildings had been burned. There are no guards at the front gates, we just walked on in along with a natives with their few carts. Very few horses were around and I feared we would have little luck in procuring any inside. The streets were muddy and in need of maintenance. After some questioning, we found the sad excuse of a market place and discovered that our coins were not going to be of any use to us. The people here dealt strictly in trade, and we had precious little to trade with.

I don't remember much of what happened during the next day or so. Everything is a blur. I blame the turnips, I don't think that they were completely natural. Perhaps the old woman treated them with something that gave you the illusion of being full, even when your belly rumbled emptily. All I do know is that somehow Renaldo had survived the river beast and had found his way back into our company. Scarcely had we rejoiced in his return when he and Enrique were captured and tortured for information by the Montaigne Captain. In our attempt to rescue them, we discovered the remaining crew of the Whispering Bough locked in the dungeons. We released them and escaped, after failing to locate Renaldo and Enrique. They escaped themselves and we all met up in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. Much to my distress, we had to hold the occupants of the farm, a widowed woman and her two children, as prisoners in their own home so they would not be able to inform any one of our location.

We left early that morning. I got the impression that we had moved on just in time. The Bough's remaining captain, after assuring me that if I ever wanted it, there would always be an open spot for me on the River Mist, took his crew down to the river. They were going to steal a ship, or a boat, and make their way downstream while we headed northeast into the woods. In this way, we hoped to confuse and confound the Montaigne Captain. He knows where we are headed, but we hope we'll be able to elude him until we reach our destination. James, a fellow crewman, opted to stay with our group for reasons of his own.

We traveled quickly through the wood all that day. As twilight fell, I climbed a nearby tree in order to ensure we were still heading in the right direction. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Standing on the top branches of that mighty oak, I viewed a veritable ocean of green that stretched out in each direction as far as the eye could see. No landmarks were readily visible, but I was able to conclude that we were indeed heading in the right direction by the position of the sun.

We decided to bunk down for the night. A bit nervous, I bedded down in the cradle of the tree's branches. I've slept up in the riggings so often that I had no worries about sleeping in a tree. I fell asleep almost immediately.

The first thing I noticed was the silence. I couldn't hear the others' breathing or moving about. I couldn't hear any night noises at all, no wind in the trees, no crackling of the fire. I opened my eyes and was struck by the way the light had frozen - the fire no longer flickered sending up showers of embers or making the shadows dance. Instead, the glow was as steady and as unwavering as the sun. I seriously debated going back to sleep, but something prompted me to check this unusual phenomenon out. I shifted in my makeshift bed and peered down at the camp below. James stood next to the fire, staring up at me. He had a white and pinched look about his face. Sitting down nearby was another gentleman, one dressed in the clothing of a local woodsman. I sensed this was not the case, and when he flashed me a rather pointed toothy grin, I knew I was right.

Sighing, I clambered down the tree and stood facing the two, arms wrapped tight about myself. I felt cold, despite the warmth, which still emanated from the fire. "I've invited this one to a game of chance. He has decided to share that game with you."

"Are you of the Sidhe?"

He seemed a bit surprised at the question, but answered readily enough. "No, I am not one of their number. I have heard of them. Perhaps they shall become worthy opponents in a few more centuries or so."

"Oh, terrific," I muttered, unable to stop the words from slipping out. The woodsman chuckled. I glanced sidelong at James, who shrugged helplessly at me. "What kind of game?"

"It's a riddle game." His Avalon was rusty, I thought about switching the language to Eisen, but didn't want James to be left out of the conversation. "I shall ask three riddles. If you answer correctly, then I shall leave you alone."

"And if we answer wrong?"

The hobgoblin, or whatever he was, grinned horribly and pulled out a small doll from his pouch. "Then I shall take possession of your soul." We must have looked horrified, because he hastened to 'reassure' us. "Oh, it won't kill you. You'll still be alive."

"I shouldn't think life worth living without a soul," I murmured.

He heard me. "Ah, you're so right. That's why I've been collecting them. Shall we begin?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"No."

I exchanged a glance with James and then sighed in resignation. "So be it."

The man smiled again, flashing his pointed teeth. "Then on to the first riddle. You may speak with each other before answering. One soul lost for each riddle answered wrong. But, if you do lose your soul, have no fear, you can still help the other with the next riddle."

When he spoke again, his voice sent shivers down my spine as it seemed to echo eerily through the camp. "I pass before the sun, but make no shadow."

My mind was a blank. I could tell that James was equally stumped. After making a few guesses at one another (one outrageous guess being a solar wind), I finally made a suggestion. It was wrong. With a chuckle, the hobgoblin pricked the doll in his hands with a pin and I saw an agonized look cross James' face. A good amount of the sparkle in his eyes died and I knew that he had now lost his soul. I shivered again.

The woodsman placed the doll on the log beside him and pulled another simulacrum from his bag. "The next riddle. Once spoken, already broken."

I was too scared to think. Almost too scared to move. If fainting could have been a way out, I was more than willing to give it a try. But I had a feeling that such a reaction would be considered a wrong answer. I couldn't think of the answer, and James was still looking too shell shocked to help me out. Mutely, I shook my head. I didn't know what to do. The next instant, I felt a horrible tearing feeling, as if something was being ripped from me. The chill deepened, settling into the very marrow of my bones. I could feel the blood drain from my face and it was like a part of me had died. The hobgoblin laughed once more, the sound grating on my ears.

"Shall we continue?"

I just stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean? We've lost. You have our souls. Why don't you just go away?" I felt like I was going to cry and I really didn't want to give this creature that satisfaction.

"Ah, my dear, we can still play the game. You have one riddle left."

"If we guess it right, will that restore our souls?" The hope that lit within me was doused by a shake of his head. "No, but you can exchange it for something else."

Warily I asked, "What?"

"You can wake another of your companions."

"What? So you can steal their souls as well. Forget it!" I shook my head and was heartened to see James agreeing with me. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone else."

The creature, for I couldn't even consider him a man anymore, tisked. "Too bad. With another player, you could have an additional three riddles. And with those riddles, you can try to ransom back your souls."

Against my better judgment, but prompted by the look on James' face, I reluctantly agreed to bring Renaldo into the game. Of the three gentlemen that I knew, I felt the most comfortable with him. It wasn't until he awakened and stood with us like a bear awakened early from its sleep, that I wished I had picked someone else. Renaldo was still recovering from some extremely traumatic experiences and I should have let him get his sleep. But I won't deny that I was glad to have him by my side. His was a very steadying presence.

He agreed to play the game. The first riddle was for his own soul. "Lighter than a feather, but no man can hold it for long"

Determined that Renaldo would not have to add this to his already long list of horrible things done to him, I racked my brains trying to find the solution. Renaldo admitted to being more of a fighter than a thinker, I flipped the riddle on its head. 'What can't a man hold for long? His breath!' I ran the idea past the other two and Renaldo agreed that it held merit. He spoke the answer and we all let out our held breaths in relief when the demon deemed it correct! "You may keep your soul."

He turned to me. "The maker doesn't want it. The buyer doesn't use it. The user doesn't see it. Most everyone has use of it."

We spent a long time on this one. Again, I turned it on its head. 'Why wouldn't the user see it? Is he blind? No, that makes no sense. And if the user is using it, why wouldn't the buyer? And how come the maker doesn't want it? Whatever this item is, it is abhorrent. Let's see...' In a flash of inspiration, I quickly explained my answer to the others. "A coffin! The user wouldn't see it, cause he's dead. Everyone will need one eventually. The buyer can't use it cause he's still alive, and the maker wouldn't want it!"

The woodsman nodded. "Correct." In that instant, I felt a pervading warmth enter my bones. The chill fell away and I knew I had my soul back.

"And now for you, sir," the man faced James. "A rich man wants it. A poor man has it. A dead man eats it."

James stood still, his face instantly showing that he had no clue as to the answer, but that he was too afraid of the consequences of admitting his ignorance. Bolstered by my previous successes, I again turned the riddle upside down, beginning with the last line. 'What do dead men eat? Nothing! A poor man already has nothing. And a rich man wants nothing because he already has everything.' I spoke with Renaldo and he nodded, but in the end, it was James who had to give the answer. The poor man was so scared, that all he could do was say that he agreed with us. Unfortunately, the hobgoblin required him to say the answer himself. After some prompting, he said,

"Nothing."

"Correct." The woodsman leaned forward, removing the pins from the last doll and I could visibly see James relax. The hobgoblin smiled again. "This had been most enjoyable. Perhaps I shall see you again." And the man disappeared into the shadows.

James gave a shaky laugh, then headed off to bed, too shaken to continue the watch. I didn't blame him, I seriously considered climbing my tree and never coming down. Before heading for my own bed, Renaldo and I noticed a small wooden box in the place where the creature had sat. Exchanging glances, Renaldo pulled his sword and prodded the wood cautiously. When nothing happened, he used the tip of the blade to pry open the box. Inside were gold coins. He poked at them, and I half expected them to blow up in our faces. They didn't, and curiosity got the better of me. The gold was real, and amounted to 400 Eisen marks, or about 100 guilders. The box itself was a work of art, intricately engraved with designs. When I asked how we should split it up, with all seriousness, Renaldo told me that I should get the whole thing, "After all," he said, "you are the one who came up with all three answers. I think the reward should be yours by right." I tucked the box and gold away, then climbed my tree. Renaldo kicked William awake to take watch.

The next morning, the three of us were jumpy, and on guard. William, not knowing why we were so nervous, just shook his head at our "foolishness" stating that the night had been calm and that there had been nothing to worry about. We were too upset to inform him otherwise, thought that was certainly my intention once we made camp. I would hate for him to be accosted by this creature without some kind of fair warning.

Night began to fall, and we looked for another likely place for a camp.