The party reluctantly prepares for an expedition, and leaves Heremac on the first day of Harfesting. Clement remains behind to dally with Cynthia. The party spends the first night in the parish church at Tymgram. Valerius awakes to find St. James riffling through his belongings.

The party gets an early start and arrives at Haldale, on the edge of the Westwoode. They cross Perling Stream and enter the great wood. That night they make camp and soon after dark meet a young boy who wanders to the campfire, introducing himself as John Small. John claims that his family are foresters living nearby. The party is very wary and soon dismiss John Small—but not after Friar Sidrach runs his tongue a bit. Coric follows John Small, but soon returns shaken, saying that he saw the boy transform into a small hooded figure who promptly disappeared into the wood.

The party follows the Corin River towards the Corbiestone. After rounding a bend in the river, the party spies several ruck-men up ahead, preparing to launch a volley of arrows. Valerius mutters some strange words and a cloud of bees erupts about the ruck-men: and yet, the brutes do not seem to heed the stinging bugs at all. Suddenly, a deadly rain of arrows falls among the party—arrows launched from the other side of the river. Valerius, Mendelor, and the donkey are all struck by this unexpected attack. At the same moment, the ruck-men in the bee-swarm suddenly disappear, as morning mist before the sun. The party immediately seeks cover, and returns fire across the river. A swarm of dragonflies descends upon the real ruck-men, and screams can be heard from across the river. Hamral and Friar Sidrach rush into the woods to retrieve the wounded, bolting donkey.

That night, the party sets up camp with plenty of traps designed courtesy of St. James and Coric. In the middle of the night one of the traps is sprung. Friar Sidrach calls to the Five and a great light springs into being in the middle of the wood, causing all ruck-men to flee. The party finds a ruck-man caught in one of St. James' snares, its throat evidently cut by its fellows.

The next day the party tries to skirt the Corbiestone and approach from another side, hoping to regain the advantage of surprise. But that night, the party awakes to find that twelve ruck-men have avoided the snares and infiltrated the camp. The party surrenders and the ruck-men take their weapons and march everyone up into Corbiestone and then down into a dungeon cell.

After a long wait, the party is given an audience with a tall, strapping, blond-haired man who matches the description of Godwin. He is rather displeased with the party's repeated meddling in his business. It is confirmed that this man and His Lordship are rivals. Eventually, a deal is worked out whereby the party members are given their lives, in exchange for performing a certain errand for the Corbiestone's master. The errand: to travel to Lownell manor and take something that will somehow somehow vex his Lordship. Friar Sidrach demands that Godwin return Bishop Martin's missing book, and for some reason, the man complies. The party is given back its weapons, and allowed to leave Corbiestone unmolested.

The party returns to Heremac for a brief layover.