Liam, keeping close watch out the window of the stone barn, sees torches coming up the road at a fast pace. He shouts out an alarm loud enough so that Bebe and Dierdre in the nearby house can hear. Seeing the approaching torch light, they meet the rest of the party at the barn and decide to head north toward the boat. They set off anything of value from the farmhouse they can carry. Liam guides the boy, helping him to travel as quickly as possible.

Forced march over the hilly terrain wears quickly on Cian and also on Liam, who is trying to assist the boy. They fall quietly to the back of the party, further and further behind Cinn Oir who has taken the lead. The druid, leading by intuition, cuts as straight a path as she can to where they left the boat. Cresting a hill, Liam looks back and can see the torches have consistently grown nearer. One, not too distant, gives him a fairly distinct view of its bearer - a mounted warrior. Unfortunately, it seems he too may have been spotted as the mounted figure waves the torch and a trumpet sounds in the distance. Hurrying down from the hill, Liam meets up with Cian who has instructed the rest of the party to push on.

Cian tells Liam to continue forward with the boy. Cian plans to stay behind and take a second to catch his breath and try to think of a way to throw their pursuers off. Catching his breath, he decides to try to set a snare. He can hear a small group of approaching horses and hopes to capture one. Just as he finishes a rather crude snare, a lone horseman rounds the corner. The snare, a simple rope, nearly trips the horse and the rider barely manages to stay in the saddle. The warrior spots Cian in the brush and lowers his spear. Charging into the brush, the warrior is disarmed by a sapling while Cian evades the spear point. With a swift blow, Cian dismounts the rider with his quarterstaff and mounting the nearby horse, he soon catches up with Liam and the boy.

Cian drags the hesitant boy into the saddle behind him and takes off to catch up with the rest of the party. Liam, with a prayer to Epona, (and an Expeditious Retreat) speeds forward on foot, keeping alongside the galloping horse. After a few minutes, they catch up to the party. As the party recovers from seeing Liam, on foot, pacing a stallion, they continue on northward. Cian and the boy take the lead and the rest of the party falls in behind them. Not long after, the party begins to notice something quite ominous. Flickers of torchlight in the distance can be seen not only behind them but also ahead and to the sides. They push on, cautiously. As the group rounds a corner Cian calls them to halt. Ahead, just around a small hillock, he sees three mounted warriors and a mounted figure in a red robe which can only be the Servant of the Flame. Quietly backing out, the adventurers break to the east for a bit before turning back to the north.

The glimpses of flickering torches become more frequent and are steadily closing in. Bebe proposes they simply pick a side and break out. With any luck, they can pick up some more horses along the way. The party agrees and sets off to their eastern flank. Rounding a small hill, they come face to face with three mounted warriors. A fierce battle ensues but the warriors are no match. The cloudy skies catch the bursts of light as Dierdre and Ciara fire magic missiles into the fray nearing felling one rider who flees. Bebe charges, sending a rider flying from his saddle in two distinct pieces. Seeing that the final combatant is well covered, Bebe mounts her former opponents horse and breaks off after the fleeing horseman. The final rider is swarmed by Cinn Oir, Liam, Cian and Dierdre who attempt to dismount the warrior. The warrior fends off all attempts to drag him from the saddle and in a mad dash to escape is impaled on Dierdre’s spear. During the fray however, the warrior scores a terrible wound on Cian, nearly killing him.

Bebe takes up a hard pursuit of the one which managed to escape. Both riders push their horses to the limit, setting a dangerous break neck pace over the rough and uneven ground. For an instant, it looks as though the warrior may escape, but Bebe, forcing her steed to fantastic speeds, catches him. She takes a wide swing with her axe as she passes. His head rolls off to the side as his body slumps in the saddle. The exhausted horse slows as its master's grip loosens on the reins. Bebe kicks the body from its saddle. Grabbing the new steed’s reins she rides back toward the party and meets them halfway back to the battle site.

Stopping for only a second to catch their breath, the party regroups and decides on how best to apportion the horses. Liam and the boy ride one while Ciara and Dierdre also share one. Cinn Oir slings Cian’s near lifeless body over her horse after casting a Cure Light Wounds on him and Bebe rides alone. Turning back north, the party begins to complete their escape. 

However, someone has other plans. Liam notes movement in the brush out of the corner of his eye. Just then, their horses break into a wild panic. Dierdre, Ciara and Bebe are thrown to the ground. Cinn Oir manages to stay saddled and keeps Cian from being thrown as well, but her horse breaks into a crazed run away from the party. Liam, perhaps with help from Epona, also keeps his mount calm, and he turns in the direction of the movement. In the darkness, he can vaguely make out a figure heading down from the hillside. He starts to spur his horse toward it when four more figures emerge from the brush and set spears. Caught at a stalemate, Liam keeps close watch on the armed contingent as the rest of the party deals with the chaos.

Bebe, using her superb animal handling skills manages to calm two of the horses. She helps Ciara and Dierdre remount than she mounts as well. Not long after, Cinn Oir has returned, her own persuasion over animals assisting in curbing the beasts fear. A fear which Liam now knows was not natural. Looking beyond the line of spears, he can see a crimson robed figure. As the party quickly recovers, the small band of warriors and the robed figure disappear into the night.

Mounted and anxious to return to the boat, the party rides quickly north. By daybreak, they reach the lonely beach where they left the boat. They load up, managing to even squeeze a horse on the boat, and push off to sea. They drift out for about a mile and, unsure how to navigate, they try to set anchor until Cian, the only sailor onboard, can be revived. After an uncomfortable day on the ship, Liam’s spells are refreshed and he heals Cian’s wounds. Cian thanks the ancestors that the weather was favorable as they have only drifted a few miles off course, and not too far out to sea in the small, heavily laden boat. Taking control, he has them back to the Witch’s Needle by daybreak.

Once back at the cave, it isn’t long before the strange woman named Ceridwen shows up. The boy they rescued is still quiet and sits alone, away from the party on the small beach just outside the cave. Ceridwen appears, seemingly walking up from the far side of the beach, and approaches the boy. As she approaches her features change again from the wild-haired, electric green eyed female in black to a slightly built auburn haired female with light green eyes. She wears a suit of well worn leather armor and carries a bandolier of daggers across her chest. The party also notes her facial features have changed substantially. She, like the boy, has slightly slanted eyes and ears which come to a thin point. She refers to the boy as "brother" and thanks the party for finding him.

Another heated debate ensues with Ceridwen. Bebe and Dierdre leading the dissenting voices. They are growing more and more suspect of Ceridwen and her intentions. Cian tries to offer some support for Ceridwen while Ciara adamantly sides with her. As the discussion reaches a boiling point, Ceridwen makes an offer. Tomorrow she will take them to the Wood Between. She will introduce them to the Faye people and let them explore their mysteries. She also offers the party a scroll which she refers to as a "lesson in subtlety". One which she judges is sorely needed after hearing about their mission.

The session ends with the party, Ceridwen and the boy resting for the night in the cave and ready to set out the following day for the Wood Between……