Whilst he'd been carefully extracting information about Peter's past life as an orphan in the Citadel, Garm had been even more carefully making plans of his own concerning both his daughter and Peter.
As Peter finished talking, Garm said to him, "I been thinking about some ideas I have about getting Sykes to solve our little problem. After all we'm wasting time I could be using in finding my girl and Sykes has boats to spare, t'would take a load off the missus' mind if'n we could be doing two jobs at once."
In fact he had already set his plan in motion before they'd even departed from the boatyard and Sykes had played an important part in it by sending a messenger back to Garms village with instructions for his wife and son to join him at the lakeside with Sykes aid.
Thus it was that very evening that Peter and Garm heard a familiar voice shout out from the shore "Hey there Garm, got a nice surprise for you here. Come see what I found!".
There on the shore stood a dwarf woman Peter recognized as Garms wife and a young dwarf lad that he didn't know.
"You can come back with me," said Sykes to Garm "and the two of us will locate Blaise and bring her to you and your missus.. Young Tobias here says he's been keeping an eye on her camp site to be sure she's safe. I fancy he's more than a little interested she don't come to harm!"
He chuckled in a way that Pete found suggestive and a little offensive. Who was Sykes to be getting involved in Garm's and his personal affairs?
"In the meantime your good lady will take over driving the cart as young Tim don't know how and Buttercup will be better with a familiar hand on the reins. Tobias here wants to stay with yer missus and Tim until we return, just in case of any trouble, he says."
A likely tale, thought Peter, recognizing an evasive look on the young dwarfs face. It suggested that Blaise was who Tobias was interested in and he, Peter, wasn't going to accept that at all.
"No need to be raising your hackles like some old dog, lad," Garm whispered to him. "Things'll sort themselves out soon enough but till then best let that sleeping dog lie."
"Whats that you say?" queried Sykes who hadn't heard what the dwarf had said.
Garm replied, "Peter is the lads proper name but he uses Tim to stay safe from those that once were after him over there. Loose lips sink ships as they say. So I told him best you Sykes forget him as Peter and keep using Tim but better still if nobody don't get told nothing."
"Them as asks no questions, don't get told no lies, eh? Well come along with me Garm, light fades fast in this valley and we have a tidy way to sail to where Blaise is camped, according to Tobias."
After greetig his wife and thanking Tobias for his offer of assistance, Garm cast off the bow line and he and Sykes raised sail without another word to those left ashore.
"We for our part best be moving on" said Garms wife "It aint wise to attract attention in these parts. The deep forest is only a stones throw distant from the shoreline. We're three days distant from the ferry slipway."
Message Thread
« Back to index