That evening, the townsfolk of Miraburg were celebrating their victory over the undead when Axel and Fingle arrived. Fingle spotted the elven archer Sidith and pulled her aside to talk. She assured him that the Golden Lightning and its crew had nothing to do with the IEN and knew nothing about the horn. Meanwhile, Axel found Angus Brightlash in his temple and asked for help with Fingle's possible possession. Angus thought he might be able to help. Seeing that Fingle was gone, Axel used locate object on one of Fingle's hand axes. Together they walked up behind Fingle and Angus cast hold person on the hadozee. Axel bound him, and they carried him to the temple. Sidith had been disturbed enough by her conversation with Fingle that she followed along unsurprised.

Inside the temple of Pholtus, Angus attempted a remove curse, but no effect was noted. Then Angus used detect charm and got a positive result. Fingle tried to mentally contact his tormentor, without success. Sidith brought in Legylia, the Golden Lightning's wizard, who consulted with Angus and Axel but had no useful suggestions. Just as they were deciding to take Fingle to the druid Coline at the Starfly temple, Fingle decided to run off to find the horn. As he left, Angus caused him to start glowing brilliantly. More of the GL's crew (Xandra - human warrior, Anulinda - half-elven cleric, and Princess Nadriellia - elf) stopped by to see what was going on. Axel, Xandra, Anulinda, Sidith, and Nadriellia left to pursue Fingle.

Fingle had run off into the sparse woods near town. Finding himself still glowing, he tried to bury himself in loose dirt and leaves and activate his camouflage abilities. After a while the glow faded and he became nearly invisible. So much so that when Xandra and Axel stepped right on him as they were tracking him. They tried to grab him but he scrambled up a nearby tree. Anulinda used create food and water to conjure up some bananas. After much negotiation and cajoling they got him close enough to use hold person and tie him up. During this Axel and Fingle talked about the horn a fair bit, which eventually led to Axel showing the elves the note written by Earundir. Fingle was carried back to town and the GL.

The ship set sail for the Starfly temple with its full crew, Axel, and Fingle tied to the fore mast. The matronly gnome Heidi was thoroughly disgusted that the hairy hadozee was aboard again. Axel figured out that Nadriellia was a princess, and apologized for any lack of respect. She told him not to worry about it, and went to handle the ship's rigging. Fingle's feet were free so he might eat bananas, but midway through the trip he used his psionics to dissolve the bonds on his hands. Then he tossed a banana in the air, detonated it as a distraction, and lept overboard. Axel and Sidith followed to the other side of the hull, but Axel lost his balance crossing the gravity plane and had to be retrieved by Sidith. Fingle had hidden himself on the ship's tail, but Axel soon found him with locate object. Sidith, seeing that Fingle was ready to panic and flee, and perhaps realizing that allowing him freedom would be best, promised that he would not be tied or restrained if he came with them. They managed to convince Fingle that were trying to help him, or at the very least to not hurt him.

A little further on in the trip Fingle was meditating on his Glass Beads when he was mentally contacted again. This time it tried to convince Fingle to join him. Its argument to the beleaguered hadozee was that there are two kinds of people: those who know who enslaves them and those who do not, and that the first kind is better off. Fingle seemed unconvinced, but somewhat resigned to going along. The voice also revealed that it wanted to use Fingle to contact Admiral Galawyn, whom it thought would be a good ally. As the contact faded, Fingle saw that the beads were in a configuration associated with the concept of extreme cold.

At the temple they were welcomed by Coline, Mojo, and Hoa (the bald elf previously met on a fishing trip). Fingle managed to get Mojo aside to ask if he had seen Camen or Shinshi recently. Mojo said no, but would send his ferret Jo jr. to look for them. When Axel came up somewhat agitated, Mojo just told him to not worry about it and winked. Coline heard the whole story of Fingle, and had to admit there was little she could do for him. But she would go the next day to consult her superiors in the druid hierarchy.

By the next day, Mojo reported no sign of Camen or Shinshi. Coline disappeared, returned, and reported that there was a druid-psionicist on Dragon Isle on Oerth who could aid Fingle. But the druids would require some sort of quest from him in return. To bring the news to Fingle she had to take crow form and fly out to the treetop near the temple where he was hiding out. He thought it sounded like a good deal. As everyone convened in the temple to discuss plans, the mental voice returned, but this time it was talking to Axel! It seemed to recognize that it was not talking to "Gohan", as it called Fingle. They "talked" for a while, and haggled a bit over the horn. The voice held out the offer of future employment if things went well with the horn, but Axel did not seem tempted. When the conversation ended, Axel suffered cold sweats and felt sick.

Discussing what Axel had heard, Fingle gradually revealed what he knew about the voice: how he had asked for and received help in the caverns while being attacked by a ghoul, that it liked Galawyn --- who fights illithid, and its association with cold. Then it returned to Fingle's mind. It offered him a choice: to serve him or the druids. He chose the latter. An instant later he (thought he) was being attacked by a pack of slavering ghouls. He lashed out with project forces, as everyone else lept to restrain him. A couple of elves were injured by the stray blasts, but Legylia knocked him out with an improvised spell. Mojo offered up an herbal concoction that would keep Fingle unconscious. Soon afterwards the Golden Lightning sailed for Dragon Isle with Fingle aboard.