Elves lived long enough to acquire knowledge humans could scarcely hope to match, and Irilanze was no exception.
Annan asked the Elf Mentor to come to the harbor under construction. Stone foundations had already been laid for the piers, and he did not know whether it was too late to fix any mistakes. But as luck would have it, the Elf Mentor said the Port was in the right place. Ships could sail out to Sea and dock freely.
Fabian Clemont did know something about harbors. He seized the chance to beg Annan, insisting he would never dare plot against the King of the North.
Annan opened a Portal to send the Elf Mentor back to Breeze City, then handed Fabian Clemont over to Olmedo for investigation. "He's connected to Gema. And don't torture him."
"Why don't you question him yourself?"
"Star-Moon Bay doesn't have a dungeon."
It did, in fact, have a dungeon, and a jailer: Della. But Della had a taste for corporal punishment, and Fabian Clemont would not last more than a few lashes.
An eventful, busy, and perilous day passed. Early the next morning, a patrol came to tell Annan that the Guard Captain and the others had returned.
The exhausted recruits crossed the Glacier River. A flock of birds with ragged feathers landed on its banks, some even riding on their companions' backs.
Annan did not need the Guard Captain to explain what had happened. These Druids had been through a brutal battle.
The Guard Captain's account confirmed his guess. At first, the Druids had made good progress, using disguises to enter the Frost Giants' tribe. But a Frost Giant Sorcerer had noticed them as they cast their Spell, and they had failed to release it.
The Druids, who excelled at Guerrilla Warfare harassment, had