Journey to Hendenburgh
Eastern River - May 25
People
Locations
Chapters
Worsening weather
Stone, Harald, Lorenz and Razzy take one of the boats upriver. Lorenz thinks of better business on drier lands north. Harald is conflicted about returning, hoping he does not meet people who dislike him in Hendenburgh. Razzy is keen to go back to forested places in the northern villages.
Navigating against the current is ever harder, and most get tired of it. The first two days of travelling upriver saw the weather worsening, so it could not continue. Even the river seems to fight against them, with bubbles and light water that makes the boats sink.
The storm that hit them was so brutal that the Ingle and the other boatmen abandoned their shacks by the river banks and travelled to a nearby village.
The Old Witch Village
It is dark, and the storm is angry. However, children play and food is shared within the safe walls of a handful of houses built on ancient ruins, like Sigisfarne’s.
The travellers meet an older woman, who tells them their best chance at besting the Hounds of Hendenburgh is to work with the crones, old witches, north of the village. Some think this woman to be a witch herself, but the happiness of sharing a meal in a safe place removes any uneasiness. Razzy feels confident in her friends and shows them the bunny tail she retained after the event in the Rabbits Inn.
The next day, magically, the storm is over, and a nice dry day meets the group, who decide to continue their journey on foot.
Weasels funeral
On one of the nights, Razzy notices a group of weasels looking at her. It was a large group walking in line. After a while, they see a little coffin being carried by the animals.
Stone tries to talk with the weasels, to no success. The group decides to sleep anyway, rotating watches. To their surprise, the next morning, the funeral still goes on.
The group decides to follow the animals and find a large valley full of weasels. Some ritual takes place, and the humans feel in awe. Eventually, the travellers decide to continue their journeys and let the weasels be.
First night in Hendenburgh
They arrive in Hendenburgh on the 30th of May. They find traces of a camp south of the village, just outside.
They meet Elizabeth, who runs a makeshift morgue at the boathouse. She mentions that Oliver, the guard, brought the bodies here after the hounds attacked them. Upon closer inspection by Harald, the amount of blood in the room does not resonate with the cause Elizabeth suggests.
Surly, the River Runner Stone is looking for us, nowhere to be found. Although Elizabeth mentions Surly has gone north by boat, no boat is missing from the boat shelves.