The mounted party of men had spent the last couple of days in Riverfall asking discrete questions and getting a whole host of interesting answers. No one was bent on talking much until the coin started flowing. Once the coin started flowing, people of all sorts seemed to have answers to what the men had asked. There was a man and a dog, it seemed, and while the man was next to useless, the dog was highly prized breeding stock and had been stolen from its owner by a slave. Their orders were to retrieve the dog and the slave, though killing the slave was fine if they decided he was more bother than he was worth. Once they had the mutt firmly in hand, they were going to return south with it for a very nice reward.
Of course they told no one this. Instead, the cover story was that the man and his dog were being sought after by a prized Kiperon breeder and that a fee would be offered to the man for the dogs services to the breeder. At that point, a few smiles, a few purchased drinks gifted to thirsty lips revealed that if he was likely to find either the man or the dog or both at The Sanctuary or the folks there would know where to find such a lovely animal.
So once that was known and directions to the facility were acquired, the men rode out to find the place and case it.. to see how difficult or hard it as re-acquire the runaway slave. So the riders left the city, headed north, and took a small branch road off the Kabrin until they turned a corner, and started seeing the facilities main wall. Once there, they scattered into the trees to scout, sending men in either direction to circle the walled facility.
In the distance, a circling eagle called out twice and banked to the north.
Larik circled, watching the men on foot scouting, and then dove for the beach where Kavala was out spending time with Tasival flying a kite. Larik changed on his descent, landing barefooted and nude in the sand before Kavala and Tasi... his eyes worried.
"Aunt... there are ten horseman in the woods outside the gates. Two have left thier horses and are circling around the facility, proabably looking for vulnerabilities. They are heavily armed and look southern.. like from the desert." He said, worried.
Kavala cursed, grabbed Tasi and let him either keep ahold of the kite or not. She shouted instructions to Larik on the run, headed back for the Sea Gates intending to get up and above - securing everyting - before it was too late.
"Find Vanator, Kassem, and the rest of the staff. MAke sure they know there's trouble. Secure the gates and get all the horses out into the pastures inside that are in barns. I want no one inside in case they are magic users with fire or stone reimancy." Kavala said, suddenly worried as she grabbed her toddler and high tailed it to the gates.
Larik, equally urgent, took off again.
He flew to look for Vanator and the rest of the folks.
Meanwhile the horseman outside simply watched, waiting for their scouts to return with real intel.
