Dollano 14, SP~4,909
Rhonda Floam
Crossing Therol’s Bridge
We crossed Therol’s Ice Bridge this morning, and it’s a marvel. It really is just ice. I was pretty nervous crossing over something that high and long. The length of the span is almost two miles, and, well, it’s slippery because it’s ice!
Actually, the thing that made it really slippery was that there was a really big wind blowing across the channel so, it was washing spray against and up and over the bridge. So, it was water on ice.
At one point I stopped to look over the side and I saw the most peculiar thing. The ocean water that was hitting the bridge didn’t just slide off. Some did, but most of it seemed to be absorbed by the ice of the bridge. Amazing, and maybe that’s how the bridge has managed to stay around for so many millennia. It just keeps feeding on the waters around it. I asked Allalling about this and — well, I couldn’t hear all that well because of the wind blowing around us, but he nodded a firm agreement with my theory. I think he was impressed that I had seen that and figured it out so quickly. Yes! It’s always about letting folk know what you know!
It took us a while to cross because the wind was so strong. In fact, Donnessling had his folk tie us all together into a long rope line. It was good he did. I’m sure we would have lost one or two folk if it hadn’t been for that.
It was good to be on solid land again, once the crossing was complete. But, then we had our next problem to deal with. The road that led away from the mainland side of the bridge had been wiped out by a mountain slide or something similar. I could see that Donnessling was surprised at this, so it must have happened recently (given how Donnessling seemed to be current with just about everything going on).
Here’s the really interesting part of today’s story. I overheard (accidentally) Donnessling talking with Allalling about what they should do.
“There is the old tunnel,” Appalling told Donnessling. “It’s well-hidden but I could find it.”
“I’m sure you can find it, my friend. That is not what concerns me. The last I knew the tunnel was guarded by Eedard.”
“Eedard would help us, Donnessling. As wingfell told us, he had been found by the Guild Enforcers and they were not kind.”
“He is lucky to have escaped them.”
“They were lucky to catch him,” was Allalling’s response.
“True,” was Donnessling’s response. Then I saw him thinking through something, and then, with a big sigh, he spoke again to Allalling.
“I do not wish to be in Eedard’s debt.”
“Agreed, my friend, but it must be done.”
Then Donnessling said something quite telling; “I know what favor he will ask.” He reached under his tunic to pull out a cord with a bright green stone at its end. “I will not give up the Eye of Darmyn. He knows this, but his price will be some use of it.”
The two of them just stared at each other for a minute, and then Donnessling turned to the company, “We head for the tunnel.”
And, that’s where we are now. We have stopped for the night for some rest. I’m wondering who Eedard is and when we shall find him, or when he will find us.