| 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.
-
 Eventually,
in mid-afternoon, the road was made passable for the wagons.
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