Hoping that he Raoudha can complete the preparations for a suitable a greeting for Ra'am, Étienne makes his way back to the group and approaches Ra'am who is at his usual spot in the rear of the party.
"Ra'am, I'm not sure they'll be ready for us. The letter seems to have been lost, and no one seemed to know you were coming, or if they did know, didn't tell all the new people that have arrived."
Ra'am pauses and considers Étienne for a moment, "You've done everything I could've expected of you. I once told you that I had lessons for you, that you were in need of them in light of the situation that removed you from your position as Autocrat under Prospero. Consider this the first, a lesson in humility. You told me you left the letter in someone's care, that a grapevine told you that the last surving Magus of the covenant was in grief over the loss of his "grove" as the grapevine put it. I can only interpret that to mean some sort of family, and it is probably his Hermetic family, filius and filia perhaps. I think you used your judgment to determine the best course of action given the circumstances. I did not set out an easy task for you this past many weeks. You had to go to places where you didn't speak the language and prepare the way for me. I have no complaints in your service, and my hope is that I have none in the future."
For sometime Ra'am continues on describing on how he'd like to some day have Étienne show Samuel the ropes of leadership and administration, but for the present time he doesn't believe either is ready for that particular job.
"Étienne, you're not going to be in a position of power for quite some time. There are appear to be people already established doing jobs you know how to do. And you don't know the language. Your lessons in humility will continue for some time, and I'll continue to devise lessons as appropriate while watching you closely." As he says the last to Étienne, Ra'am sees that they have arrived in the courtyard. His face is troubled. "Étienne, after Lucia has completed the task I set for her and organized things a bit, announce me as we discussed."
Lucia brings her cart, unloads a cask from it, and returns to the 4 other carts and inexperienced teamsters. All are seeing to their horses and disconnecting them from the carts.
Étienne walks up to the cask and, as loudly as he can, announces Ra'am's arrival in Latin, "To the Maga, Magi and covenfolk, I introduce Ra'am ex Bonisagus filius of Aurelius ex Jerbiton, Tria and Prospero ex Bonisagus. He has heard rumors that Phoenix seeks new members and wishses to reside amongst his fellow magi and take up their causes as his own, as they do the same for him. If no offer of membership to the covenant is offered, he requests to abide two weeks, while other arrangements are made. As a token of hospitality, he offers this cask of the finest brandy."
A slender, rail thin man in a woolen grey Jewish hat, holding a walking stick makes a sign to another man in a colorful yellow and what appear to be rabbinic dress. He goes to stand beside Étienne and says the same thing Étienne said, but in Castilian.
The party is quite a site, inexperienced teamsters all. Back with the carts is a large woman who unloaded the cask of brandy effortlessly, another woman and two children one man at arms, a young man in a Jewish hat, and an older fat man in a Jewish hat who appears to be licking his fingers. The taller rail thin man, dressed in a long grey tunic and the grey Jewish hat is holding a walking stick taller than he is. He is standing well of to the side, well away from the horses and people.