They traveled several days in the Spine, mountain to mountain. Arlen figured that they weren't doing as good time as they would if they were traveling along the road or on flatter land, but the Riders would have a harder time finding them. It was weeks before they descended down the mountains.

They came across a large lake Rose named as Woadark Lake. At the shore was a large raft and a shack of a house near it. He assumed that the owner of the raft was in the house, and that they would have a hard time attaining permission from him to use it. Rose led them to the house as a man came out of it.

He was an older man, around forty, and had a well-trimmed beard that was black with hints of gray. His skin was tanned, and his hair long, evidentially not having the care afforded to his beard. His clothes were poor, with patches of various sorts on it. He was, without a doubt, the most generic ferryman Arlen had ever seen.

He gray eyes seemed to light up at the sight of them. "Wha…? Rose?" he said. He recognized them. "Auntie Rose, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, Cade," Rose said as she smiled. "Though it's been a long time since anyone called me 'auntie'."

The man gave an excited cry. "It is you! It is you!" He went over and shook her hand. "Oh, it's good to see you again!"

Lynde looked quizzically at Rose. "I didn't know you were an aunt," she said.

"Not really," Rose said. "Just in name, not blood."

"Oh it doesn't matter in the slightest," the Cade said. He looked to the others. "Who are these folks?"

"You haven't heard already?" Lynde asked.

"Should I have?" This wasn't all that surprising to Arlen considering where he lived.

Rose introduced them, and included the part about them being wanted fugitives. He didn't care though, saying, "If you're in trouble, then I'll help you out, all in the name of helping the Varden defeat the Empire."

Arlen was surprised at this. "The Varden won. It's been about ten years."

"Well whatever revolution's going on, I'm happy to be of service," Cade said. "'Thus to all tyrants,' and all that."

Arlen was utterly confused by the man. "You helped raise him?" he asked.

"For a year or two, yes," Rose said.

"You know, I don't remember your face very well, as it turns out, but I could never forget your red cloak," Cade said.

"Cade," a woman's voice called from inside the house. A woman a few years younger than Cade came out looking somewhat disheveled. She obviously wasn't expecting company. She didn't look very surprised to see a Dragon outside her door. "Cade, what's going on?" she asked.

"Honey, get back inside," Cade said softly. "I'll explain this later." He turned to them and said, "So, need a lift?"

It didn't take long to get the raft Cade called a ferry underway. After a goodbye to his wife and getting his teenaged son Jory out to help him, they were ready.

Artsanna refused to go on the raft. If I were to sit on it, it would sink to the bottom of the lake. I will travel beside you, but I do wish you would get a bigger raft next time.

After a promise that Lynde couldn't possibly keep, they set off. Cade and Jory used long poles to move the ferry across the river. The raft itself was very steady, despite being just a few dozen logs strapped to each other with ropes. They made their way through the lake easily.

That was when Arlen asked something that had been at the back of his mind for some time. "Where are we going?"

"We are going down the river; down the mountain," Cade said. Arlen was shocked. He knew that mountain rivers were often shallow, with rocks to break the bottom of any boat that could definitely shatter the ferry. As the ferry neared the mouth of the river, Cade said, "Oh, I love this part."

The current sucked them into the river, pulling them down it quickly. Cade and Jory pulled their poles out, probably to keep them from breaking. As rocks came up the ferry simply went over them, which didn't seem possible to Arlen. This went on for either a very long or short time—he wasn't sure which—and they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Cade looked to Rose. "Thanks again for that spell that keeps this thing from breaking on the rocks. It works just fine even after near thirty years."

"You're welcome," Rose said.

"Now, let's get you through this river to Leona," Cade said enthusiastically. "Maybe there you'll figure out where you're going."

"Oh we know where we're going," Lynde said. "Surda."

Rose looked upset. "You fool!" she said angrily. "If Cade was anyone else, I would slap you!"

Lynde looked terrified. "Why?"

"We can't just tell our intentions to everyone we meet!" she explained. "If the Riders find out we're going to Surda, they could easily stop us. Do you want that?"

Artsanna flew near the raft with glint in her eye. He didn't know what that meant, but either it was just a reflection off the river, or it was something that could be dangerous. Stop, Rose.

"What, do you want us to be found be them?" Rose asked.

STOP!

Suddenly she did. When Rose opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. She grasped her throat with fear in her eyes. Lynde looked to Artsanna and said, "What did you do?"

I do not know, Artsanna said fearfully. I… I do not know!

Cade was noticeably upset. He took up his pole and readied to throw it at Artsanna. "Take this you beasty!"

Arlen stopped him, grabbing his arm and saying, "That won't help Rose." Cade calmed slightly, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to be for long. Arlen looked to Lynde. "How did she do that?"

"Rose told us that Dragons sometimes can use magic, but we could never figure out how," Lynde said. "It had something to do with emotions, but I… I didn't think you'd do this, Artsanna."

Neither did I. Artsanna sounded worried. Please forgive me, Rose. I wanted you to stop, but not like that.

Suddenly Rose started coughing loudly. Once she was done, she looked at Artsanna. "You're forgiven," she said hoarsely. "But remember that Dragons' magic is very powerful; more powerful than anything I know of. If properly provoked, a large enough group of Dragons can affect the entire world, and has. It is why the names of the Forsworn are lost to the world."

"Lost?" Arlen said.

"Yes. Everyone forgot them, even themselves."

Suddenly Arlen remembered something. "We left Herbst behind again!"

"Oh no!" Rose said, grasping her temples.

"We need to go back!" Lynde said. "Who knows what he's up to?"

I will get him, Artsanna said. It will give me a reason not to fly past you all.

"We will wait for you near Dras-Leona if we do not meet sooner," Rose said. "We will walk along the shore of Leona Lake after we get there."

I will try to get to you before Dras-Leona.

As Artsanna flew north to Herbst Arlen wondered how in the world they forgot him in the first place!