>TM 4 >LS 2 >PS ON >PL68 >SM6 >CP ON >FO OFF >------L-----------------------!---------------------------R δ281δ You accompany Captain Raker as he conducts a hasty Š tour of his ravaged ship to assess the extent of the Š battle damage, and you are both shocked when you Š discover that half his compliment of crew have been Š killed or badly wounded. The few who can still stand Š count themselves lucky to have survived. Raker sets Š Paoll and some of the survivors to work repairing the Š gaping hole in the ship's port beam that was made by Š the enemy's ram, while the remainder tend to their Š wounded companions and clear away the debris that Š lies smouldering in heaps upon the bloodstained deck. Š Among the enemy dead you are saddened to discover the Š bodies of young Sergeant Dryan and nine of his men. Š Only three marines have survived the battle and Š stoically they set about wrapping the bodies of their Š fallen comrades in canvas and consigning them to the Š waves. Having done what you can to help on deck, you decide Š to go below and make sure that Fernant and Oriah are Š safe. At the foot of the steps you discover a dead Š raider lying sprawled across the body of another man. Š You turn the corpse over with the toe of your boot Š and gasp when you see that the man lying beneath is Š Lord-lieutenant Fernant. The hilt of a Shadakine Š dagger protrudes from his chest and a smear of blood Š stains his lips. He is dead. Fearing the worst, you Š rush along the narrow corridor and throw open the Š door to Oriah's cabin. You find her huddled below her Š bunk, sobbing quietly. You comfort her as best you Š can but she is overcome with grief; Fernant died Š whilst protecting her and she blames herself for his Š death and for the calamity which has befallen the Š ιPride of Sommerlundι. She tells you that the raiders Š came from Ghol-Tabras, the city ruled by her evil Š suitor. She is convinced that the reason they Š attacked the ship was to capture her. At length you persuade Oriah to accompany you onto Š the rear deck for some fresh air. Here you are met by Š Captain Raker who informs you that the ship is Š listing and taking in water. The voyage to Bisutan Š cannot proceed until proper repairs have been carried Š out, and so he has set a course for the nearby port Š of Cape Kabar where he knows a trustworthy shipwright Š who can fix the damaged hull. While you talk with the Š Captain, Oriah watches the surviving crewmen Š disposing of the enemy dead. You hear her gasp, and Š when you hurry to her side you see that she is Š pointing at the body of the warrior leader. "Did you know this man ? Have you seen him somewhere Š before ?" you ask. "Yes," she replies tearfully, "He's Dar-Usun. He was Š the brother of Sesketera, the man my father wishes me Š to marry." Turn to β104β