The activity helped Fred to put out of his mind the shock he had felt when
he saw
the Queen of Clubs, reminding him as it did of the cryptic words that the
Woman in White
had said to him. [5724] He had not understood what she meant then, and he
understood
no better now, but it was an uncanny coincidence - if that was all it was -
that that
card should have been the one to be displayed. Of course, he reflected, he
should probably take no notice
of the ghost's words, as not long afterwards it had become apparent that
her seeming
benevolence had been a sham. So why should he think that her words meant
anything at
all, or if they had a meaning that it would benefit him to discover what
that meaning
might be?
Now, though, he put those thoughts aside as he bent his back into the work. The landslide must have happened in the hour or two since the beggar had passed this spot, so they had been very unfortunate. It might have been worse, though. At least Timon had been carrying a supply of shovels amongst his goods. Everyone except Rowena helped with the work, but after half an hour they had made little progress. They were faced with two choices: either spending three or four hours clearing the road and so not arriving at the next fort till several hours after sundown, or returning to the fort thay had left that morning. "It's up to each one of you," said Konrad, "but I myself am keen to go on, for I have an urgent message for Batlan Keep. Of course, going on will only be possible if enough want to continue that we can clear the blockage in a reasonable time." As Rowena had expected from what she had heard in the inn and during their journey, everyone opted to go on except for Garrek, who turned his wagon and headed back for Khypre. As soon as he was out of earshot, Mokad said: "And good riddance!" Everyone laughed, for Garrek had not made himself popular.
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5/1/2000 12:17:44 PM
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