Carver leaned down to the boy. "The sun is the bright yellow orb you see in the sky. Gaze not too long at her, for her radiance may be more than mortals can comprehend, but know that she is my lady and she loves you very dearly. The stars are the points of light you see at night. Money," he gestured to the squabblers, "Is the root of all evil. Dynamite is... dangerous. And enemies are those who would disturb the natural peace and gentleness of my lady's world, such as those loose in these woods right now."

He looked back to the others, still arguing over deals and sums. Now Furnace was in on it - Carver shut his eyes for a moment and prayed for strength.

"Enough," he said firmly, stepping into the center of the group. "This debate of deals is a matter for another time. Kelvin, I have nothing but respect for you - you have proven yourself wise, brave, and resourceful, and already I owe you very much. As such, I feel confident appealing to you that we must not stay here. Our enemies draw closer every moment - every word we waste endangers the children, and Alula, and Furnace, and all of us. What is more, we could now be well on our way to warning the next settlement, give them time to prepare, evacuate, prevent the horrendous calamity that we have witnessed from repeating itself. To bandy words here is irresponsible, and I am honor-bound not to."

"However, wordsmith," he said, rounding on the 'survivor'. "You have impressed me little. Your tact is skillful, your eloquence laudable, but the direction in which you bend it I find... distasteful. As such, this is my humble request, merchant. Travel with us, do not hinder us, do not [i]steal[/i] from those under my protection, and at the very least try to keep your drool off your face when you sight a coinpurse. I will not stand in the way of your deal, friends, but please discuss the terms as we travel. Any admirable path you choose to take beyond that may be your own prerogative. My lady gave us all a purpose; do you really think yours was squabbling for money with travelers in the forest?"

The knight turned and began dismantling his tent. "Break camp, friends. We should leave in twenty..." he glanced around at his companions. "... Thirty minutes, and until such time as someone suggests a better course, I intend to go that way." Carver pointed in the direction roughly opposite Ravenwood.