Continuing the Nordlund episode, Gabriel described fording the Keff River on the stolen draft horse, naming her Jez (short for Jezebel) because he expected to part with her soon. His arm was slowly mending, but he needed sanctus to heal properly, and without a flintbox he had no way to light a pipe or lantern. He aimed for Dhahaeth in the dark, hoping the town still stood.

Approaching Dhahaeth, Gabriel found it fortified like a small stronghold: a twelve-foot wooden palisade running to the riverbank, a spiked trench filled with charred corpses, and bonfires burning despite rain. Guards with crossbows, torches, and spears challenged him from the highwalk and gate.

Gabriel answered the challenge with crude insults born of exhaustion and pain. When refused entry, he displayed the sevenstar tattoo in his palm, prompting whispers of “Silversaint” and an immediate order to open the gate. Inside the muddy bailey, the nervous, press-ganged militia leveled weapons as he dismounted and approached a stone font shaped like Sanael, Angel of Blood.

To reassure them (and partly to antagonize), Gabriel dipped his fingers into the font’s holy water and wiggled them while meeting the men’s eyes, proving he was no vampire. He told Jean-François he had been in no mood for courtesy after killing his best friend, nearly dying to mongrels, and craving a smoke, admitting he could be a bastard even on better days.

The militia regarded Gabriel with a mix of awe and respect common during the long wars. Banter with a young Sūdhaemi guard ended with Gabriel asking for the way to the pub, signaling his immediate need for rest and supplies within the tenuous safety of Dhahaeth.