Chapter Twenty-Two
Divide and Conquer
Barlo cracked one eye open, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was lying on his side, and every part of his body ached. His arms felt stiff, is if he had been carrying something heavy recently. He winced. The skin on his hands was chapped and cracked, but someone had applied a thin layer of some kind of clear poultice. Shadows flickered against a tapered ceiling overhead and he heard soft voices speaking nearby. The scent of pine resin filled his nostrils.
He sat up with a groan and the others turned to look at him from where they sat around the fire. His memories came flooding back. They had somehow managed to reach the forest the Sea Folk had mentioned, and had taken shelter beneath an enormous pine. Its lower branches brushed the ground
