"I know my way from here!" he said to Lloyd as they slowly rode through the forest. "Shall we go to the entrance of the Blue Mansion's underground passage?" "No!" Lloyd answered quickly. "It would not be safe and it may draw unnecessary attention to us." "You are right." Boyce agreed. "We'll stop at Gothal for a while. I must see if the Abbey Mother from the Abbey of Our Holy Saint Mariot, is still alive." "Is it wise to do so?" Lloyd questioned. "I mean, she may now be a spy for Manguino." "Lloyd, she believes in the same God as we do. She always has and she dislikes Manguino. Lloyd sighed and soberly warned Boyce. "You'd better be right, Boyce. We've come too far to be stopped now." They rode some more and near the late afternoon of their fifth day out from Palatka, the two men spotted Gothal and its main, and most majestic monastery, the Abbey of Our Holy Saint Mariot. It rose out of the ground like a living being. A refuge across the crystal River Clains, that crossed their path before them. "There must have been rains here, recently." noted Lloyd. "The river has swelled some and is moving faster!" "It's so lovely this way." was all that Boyce care to respond. "That it is!" They rode towards the river and slowly proceeded to cross it. They were on the other side of the river and there they briefly stopped to take-in the beauty of their surroundings. Suddenly, the horses beneath them were frightened and they bucked, without warning, and several men came out of nowhere, and proceeded to beat on Lloyd and Boyce. In a nearby tree, was a crow, as dark as midnight, and it squawked and cawed when the men got to the other side of the river, and it watched the other men attack. In frenzied excitement it eyed the struggle that took place at the river's edge, and its shrieks were echoing throughout the entire forest. Caught unawares, and while weakened by their journey, the ambushers knocked both men unconscious and took all of their possessions, including their two horses, and their clothes. The left them both naked, lying unconscious and bleeding, half in the water and half on the river's bank. The crow left the tree and went to where the two men were sprawled. It crowed and flapped its wings around Boyce's head, and began to tug at his hair with its shiny beak. Some bloodied hair hung from the crow's beak, but there was no movement from Boyce. They lay in the water for some time until several women came walking along the river from Pomperaque, leading a cow. The women were members of the Abbey. Three were abbey sisters, the full nuns, and with them walked two novices. They were discussing the good fortune of their being gifted a cow by the Prominent, Miel, in the market that very morning. Then they heard the frantic crowing and one of the novices looked for the origin of the noise and saw Lloyd and Boyce, motionless at the river's edge.