Tom was sitting down at Granny Emily's stand eating fish, the best food he had had in weeks. It wasn't the best fried fish ever but half the flavor was from him not being the one to cook it. The other half was probably the oil, with the final half being the sauce.

As he sat there eating, Granny kept talking " really missed ya I did, nobody else seems ta think my food is as good as you do"

Listening and nodding as he sat on a poorly made wood bench, really just three boards lashed together with twine. Mid mouthful a boy ran up to him breathless. He started trying to talk but was unitelligible amidst the busy noise of the market street.

"Just breathe boy" Tom said recognizing him as the boy he had sent to Sully's several days ago.

"I got important information for ya" he spoke quickly " but ya gotta pay me"

" Don't pay the boy nothin, don't be bother my customers kid" Granny chastised the boy. The boy looked affronted as he was still gasping for air. The combination of looks was quite silly.

"Here's five copper, theres more if your not wasting my time" Tom told the boy dropping the five tarnished coins in his hand.

" Priests and soldiers broke down your door, they're rounding up anyone who sells to Sully's." The boy panted out more coherently as he caught his breath.

"Soldiers you mean the guard?" Tom asked

"Didn't you know boy, a dozen ships of them came in a few weeks back set up a garrison just south of the city." Granny Emily interjected.

Tom had noticed a more than a few well armed and armored men around the city but had just thought the guard had a windfall of money and upgraded their gear. Alarmed Tom stood up and handed the boy a dozen more coins. Soldiers and Priests meant the empire. The empire never got involved unless heads were going to roll.

He dropped a few more coins with Granny Emily and started to run. Setting a fast pace Tom weaved through alleys, and over gutters heading for the docks. He didn't know why priests where looking for him but or took Sully but priests weren't benevolent to the poor.

Approaching the docks he slowed to a stop, in between two smaller shops, shacks really, he gazed out towards where his skiff was kept. No one was near it and it looked untouched but there were several groups of soldiers a few docks down.

Some were getting into boats, armed and armored as the boats headed north, some with soldiers, some with hired hands rowing. Other boats were returning, or docked many with injured and bloody soldiers returing. They were venturing into the bayou!

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Regardless of how he managed to get past them first thing he needed to do was get to his boat. Snatching a hat off of an unatended crate Tom walked back behind the shops and started to work himself the opposite way of the soldiers to the far side of the docks. Getting near the poorer moorings he slipped out from behind the buildings and went to the water.

Taking a quick look around he knelt like he was tying a rope or net, then dove into the water. The docks built like a pier had some shops and deck on stilts in the silty mud of the estuary. staying under them we swam under the boots of dock workers along side the crabs that loved to climb up on the wooden poles.

Swimming with his head barely above water he worked to his dock then started to swim under the water. His eyes opened underwater burned but not terribly, he came up next to a pole and repeated the process till he had arrived at his skiff.

Crawling into the boat he flopped onto his back, water coming off him into the bottom of the craft. After a few minutes of no one walking by or saying anything he quietly untied the ropes and pushed off. Aiming down river and out towards the sea.

He could cut back towards the bayou at any of the many inlets to the bayou and work his way to his safe route. A tense few minutes passed as he rowed passed and waved to fishing boats. With no soldiers near, all of their boats being further up river, he worked his way towards an inlet.

Feeling safe enough to pass into the bayou without going fully out to sea Tom started to watch the approaching trees and water more carefully. As he did so he felt a pulse. Like a stiff breeze pass through him but there was no wind. Looking around Tom couldn't see a source.

As he was looking around a bright light shot to the sky near where the soldiers entering the bayou should be. Then another closer to him, finnally a third. Then he heard the horns. Way back towards the port and the docks he saw several longboats start to turn his way.

They are coming, for me Tom realized. Cutting the rowboat he was dragging loose he started rowing as fast as he could. Not minutes later horns continued to sound. The trees and plants flew by as Thomas ceased his careful pace and just rowed. Any large beasts would be attracted to the horn calls and ships full of soldiers.

Maybe they can't follow through the bayou Tom thought. The maze of swamp difficult to navigate even by locals and people who entered regularly. Thinking too soon, Tom felt another pulse, the flares went up again in his direction and horns responded.

It has to be a priest or mage, who else could cast such magic. Tom picked up his pace arriving at the gourd trail he had left coming out of the swamp. To anyone else it would just be a floating gourd, but to Tom is was a chance. If he could get to his home he would be safe.

Starting to outdistance the horns once again he prayed to anyting that would listen that he could make it home. As he finished a crack of an explosion sent water spraying and his skiff listing to the side. Men shouted behind him as another fireball flew missing his skiff and the water to his left.

Rowing faster than he ever had before Tom glanced back and saw a longboat full of armored men, with a man standing on the prow chanting and moving his hands. Red flame forming in front of him Tom had time to flinch before him and his boat was flung out of the shallow water way into the marshy land ahead of him.

Scrambling to his feet and sprinting through the marsh, he heard the Man from the prow.

"Row you fools, we catch him I'll double your pay for the month"