2.3 - Arrival at Blackmere

The morning came quickly after that, and as first light shone through the mists of the moors I took Brynn's spear to catch fish in the river near our camp, as we now had a new mouth to feed. Vicejaw sat at the bank and watched me. It did not take long to pull in a fair haul. Though he took our food, he did not stay immediately next to us. He would take what we offered and move off to eat on his own, not far off, but still wary. And as we broke our fast we noticed that we were on higher ground. It wasn't much, but the gentle hill provided enough elevation that we scanned the landscape and from a distance saw what we couldn't from closer in: a vague, winding scar through the marshland, it was the Mire Road. We set off with renewed hopes, and once we regained the path we made good time. A testament to his vitality, Vicejaw kept pace with us and he seemed none the worse for wear after our battle last night.

The it was with little fanfare that we finally arrived at the lake, the chill wind blowing off it was certainly a sign of things to come, though I could not know it at the time. We knew they were on an island out there, and they were stockpiling the things taken from traders, so there must be docks or at least a boat launch somewhere. We spent the rest of the day looking, but try as we might there was no sign of them. As night drew in around us Sera had a thought. Raiders would hardly want people poking around near their camp, so if we made it look like we were setting camp nearby they would almost certainly send a band out to deal with whoever it was. It seemed a solid plan, so we set to it, but the mists and rains from the lake made all the wood here damp, and it was hard to light a fire. Once we got it going, we sat and waited. Sera slipped off to watch for boats approaching from any of the islands in the lake, and the rest of us sat and waited, playing bait.

She never saw any boat come in from the island, but that was because they were already on the shore. We had missed them somehow, or they came in behind us, but either way, it was about an hour after dark when two raiders charged into our camp. I laughed at first, they thought we were simple travelers, common folk, easily dispatched with no effort. How wrong they would be. I charged the first one immediately, a flurry of swings axe swings, but he matched me with his own shield and I could not break his defense. I looked to see Brynn and the Commander faced the other, but that momentary distraction would prove to be the beginning of an ill fate. His own axe found purchase in my side, cracking several ribs, and I stumbled backward. He was on me in a moment, but I managed to get my shield back up in time to block his swing. My wind failed me, however, and I could not get off the ground. The Commander came to my rescue then, giving me just enough time to regain my feet, and the two of then quickly dispatched him.

Upon seeing his comrade fall, the other broke. He turned and ran, almost certainly he would run to wherever they had hidden their boat and return to the island. I chased him down then, chest throbbing and heaving as every breath seared me with pain. I didn't want to chase him down too soon, but needed to stay close enough to stop him from being able to leave. It seemed to work as I came upon him just as he was launching a canoe. It was small, so even if I could stop him only two of us would be able to go to the island, but nonetheless it was the only chance I saw. The slick rock and my wound made the battle tougher than I could have anticipated. He had the advantage in reach with a spear, and with uneven footing he tripped me up. As fell and landed hard I might have blacked out for just a moment, as when I looked up he had launched his canoe and was climbing into it. The others hadn't kept up with us in the dark, and I did not know where Sera was, but I knew this could be our only chance.

I forced myself to my feet and chased out into the lake after him. The frigid water flooded my boots. I caught up to him, but I could not climb the boat with both hands occupied. I dropped my axe in the lake, a soft plop as it the surface was the last sign of as it sank into water in the dark. I made it to him before he could pick up his spear again, and forced my way into the canoe and drew my knife. The struggle in the boat was hard. I managed to injure him a few times, but I was soaked and freezing, and the rocking boat did not help. I slipped and he managed to knock free my shield, I lunged but he turned my momentum against me, driving an elbow into my wound and throwing me out of the boat altogether. I hit that icy blackness hard, my breath stolen, and slipped under the surface.