Red Fang Chapter 26

A steady wind pushed at the sails, but Toli kept them at the oars, leading by example until his muscles ached and his hands grew raw. The days had passed slowly, each of them taking a turn rowing and then sitting with their backs to the boards, staring out over the empty expanse of the marsh as it rolled past. They only stopped when it got too dark to see but set off every day as soon as the sun’s glow graced the eastern sky.

“I can see it,” Davey said excitedly from the prow and caught a rope to pull himself up. He could just see the castle towers looming over the sea of reeds.
Toli switched at the oar with Dallon and clambered forward as they neared the fork in the river and the bustling city of Arshen came into sight. Boats lined the shore, as merchants unloaded sacks and fishermen heaved baskets up onto the dock. Every space was taken but the captain of a fat barge waved them over and let them moor up alongside, taking the stern rope and hauling them in.
“Do we go to Errol and the others?” Dallon said as he helped bring the shields up from the hold.
“They’ll be down by the Elsinore Inn,” Davey said passing them on to Leith.
Toli strapped his sword on and jumped onto the barge and surveyed the docks. The king’s boats were in and recently returned soldiers milled around outside the waterfront inns.

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The Thousand Lakes

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Nestled in the shadow of the Intraana mountain range is a vast land of marsh and forest. Rivers pour in from both the north and south flooding the region until it's more lake than land and yet it is home to more life than any outsider could imagine. Hidden among the reed beds are villages and farms, not all sited on dry land, some float. The villages of the marsh elves drift with the seasons, following the migrations of birds and fish, ignored by the humans as long as they don't get too close. A human king claims dominion and is ready to shed blood to prove it, not his but those of his men, marching them into the swamp to kill and needlessly die. But there are still places where people can hide from tyrants and create homes and communities of their own.

Parent Plot

The Red Fang

Related Characters

• Aeld Commaln
• Boris
• Samuel
• Toli

Related Locations

• Arshen
• The Thousand Lakes