Assail (novel)/Chapter 4

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==Isle of Pillars==
===Crimson Guard===
The Crimson Guard are close to Assail. Damaged by storms they put in to the Isle of Pillars for repairs. There are Letherii vessels nearby. K'azz, meets their leader, Luthal Canar, who claims the whole island, considers them trespassers and intends to confiscate Mael's Greetings and its cargo as a penalty. K'azz agrees instead to a trial of payment for a much larger amount: he will be weighed down with rocks and thrown into the bay. If he succeeds in walking underwater to the distant shore the debt will be considered paid. To everyone else's surprise he succeeds in doing so, though Luthal reneges on the agreement. Back at the ship K'azz orders the Guard to appropriate one of the Letherii vessels as recompense.
==Dread Sea==
===Sea Strike===
Burl's paranoid feelings about his crew increase, and he spends most of the time in his cabin protecting the Mate, Whellen. One day when he goes outside most of the crew have disappeared; he can find only two, both hiding out of fear of him or Whellen. He waits for some hours, then hears a splash. In the night sky the constellations are strange. He searches again: only he and Whellen remain. Whellen wakes at last, only to throw himself overboard and drown. Burl retreats fearfully to his cabin.
==Iceblood lands==
===Orman===
Old Bear leads Gerrun, the Reddin brothers and Orman upwards into the Sayer territory of the Iceblood lands. Orman starts seeing ghost-like translucent figures in the distance, Eithjar. One day they meet one of them, a woman standing in a pond. Old Bear goes forward to speak to her, then returns to say that the Sayers have detected a trespasser; in return for free passage they must investigate.
Later they meet the trespasser. He is Lotji Bain, an acquaintance of Old Bear. He is the nephew of Jorgan Bain, who lost a duel with Orman's father, so losing Boarstooth. Lotji has come to see if the rumours that Boarstooth has returned to Iceblood lands are true. Orman is safe on Sayer lands, but will be challenged if he enters Bain territory.
The party reaches the gold field. Large nuggets are easily found, but Old Bear gives them a choice: either to take what gold they can carry and leave, or stay and swear to the Sayers. They all choose to swear. Three days later Orman is met by a ghost who gives him a warning to bear: times are changing, and danger will arrive in the summer. The next day they are welcomed at the Sayer hold. Orman receives training on how to use the spear. When he is sworn to the clan, he learns that Jass Sayer is also Jass Bregin's son, Orman's half-brother.
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