“I order you to surrender on the bases of my promising to treat you fairly and as a prisoner of war! Surrender!” Navarre had been forced away from his friends by John de Guarmal and now was being summand to surrender to john of Guarmal. “I surrender,” replied Navarre. Guarmals men rapidly took him and, robbing him of his weapons, tied him securely. It was extremely uncomfortable and absolutely impossible to walk, therefore he was placed on a horse and his feet tied under him. They then traveled toward the coast of the Great Southern Sea, taking advantage of every forest to hide any tracks.
Meanwhile, Navarre’s men hurried back to Raltworth castle and General Keeler, after gathering some men, headed for the Great Southern Sea, while Areneas headed east for the Sea of Despair, leaving Ralincler to guard the castle against any sudden attack. They planned to rapidly sail to Garheim and, if they didn’t find traces of Guarmal, to cross Garheim and finding each other, join and track him down. We will follow the adventures of Keeler. After ten days march they reached the coast and renting a small but fast black and red boat set sail after their captain. They were dressed in the armor they had taken from the queen’s armory as it would draw less attention from the queen and in addition, Navarre had before his capture hinted that he might join the queen if thing went her way.
A little ways below on the coast two days ago the party of Garheims had joined another group on board a large ship with a strange thing onboard that looked like a ladder staying up only because of a chain to Navarre. John called this thing a corvus and apparently it was supposed to be used by dropping it on anything they wanted to board. Navarre was untied and transferred to a much more comfortable cage which was guarded only by one man. On the side there was a key hanging but Navarre knew that it was for something other than the cage because, despite the fact the he had been blinded before they put him in, he had heard no keys or grating. Three days later they stopped at Crakenhaven which lies on the island of Norhom.
At the same time Keeler and his men were rapidly catching up with them by traveling night and day and were just passing Isil Oro. Seven hours later brought them to Crakenhaven but Guarmal and his men had already left and Keeler, seeing that his men were exhausted stop for a couple hours and then pressed on as hotly as before. Soon they were within sight of some sails and doubting not that it was Guarmals ship passed it and continued on till they were at the narrowest point of the Merkorion channel and there lay in wait for Guarmal.
John de Guarmal was in a good mood, he had no fear of persuit and still less of an ambush. In addition they were traveling at a good speed considering that there was no wind. Abruptly a man called out in a loud voice “Surrender, or your dead men!” Looking at the cliff jutting out on the right from whence the sound had issued forth Guarmal beheld a man on horseback alone, who appeared to be a noble from the queen. “I shall not surrender! Lower the corvus!” This was unexpected by the man and he appeared vastly startled, however as they were about to cut the chain one of the men screamed and round the cliff came a small cutter full of men all dressed as the queens men and armed to the teeth! Immediately Guarmal yelled and cut the chain using great force. Leaping up from behind the rocks Navarres men charged down the corvus at the astonished Garheims who were grabbing up any weapon to defend themselves. As the men from the cutter were jumping on board Guarmal shouted “I surrender!” laying down his armor which he had taken off. But before the Outlaws could react he had jumped over the side! Furious at his having escaped Navarre men lead by himself, for he had leapt out of the cage as soon as the attack had begun, killed all of the men but the few that escaped.
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