{"id":6487,"date":"2019-08-13T11:43:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T11:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wandering-inn\/?p=6487"},"modified":"2025-12-24T01:00:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T01:00:21","slug":"6-37-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderinginn.com\/2019\/08\/13\/6-37-e\/","title":{"rendered":"6.37 E"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 56 \u2013 Beniar<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was how they came. A woman and a girl rode down towards the village in the distance. The woman was tall, thin, and her hat and dress were black. Properly so. Not midnight black or as black as sin, just black. She rode a horse. It wasn\u2019t a racer or a brilliant stallion. It was, in fact, a mare and perfect for travel. Her voice was slightly snappish, but efficiently so.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep up, Nanette. And sit properly; you\u2019re riding the horse, not letting it bear you to market. Don\u2019t make a poor impression. First ones are the only ones you get.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Miss Califor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meek response didn\u2019t appease the woman. She glanced to one side and eyed her companion.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember your manners. It goes without saying that this is important business, or else we would not be here. Some of the others will expect proper courtesy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Miss Califor. I\u2019ll do my best not to embarrass you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman pursed her lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmbarrassment lasts as long as I care to remember it, Nanette. That isn\u2019t what you should be concerned about. Some of the others are older.<\/em> Which means proper courtesy is required. Eloise would consider it mannerly. And the others would be offended without.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cL-like who?\u201d<\/p>\n

The chatter in the young voice made the woman named Califor pause. The fear wasn\u2019t born of nothing, nor was the seriousness with which she gave the matter thought. Her mare plodded forwards as the woman thought, then nodded to herself and replied sharply.<\/p>\n

\u201cMavika above all others. The rest wouldn\u2019t stand on it, but Mavika would. Mavika and\u2026we shall see who else attends. Be polite<\/em> to Witch Mavika, Nanette. She is the old ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl nodded rapidly, and her pony, snorting, decided its rider wasn\u2019t in control. It stopped to nibble at a weed growing by the road. Miss Califor, noticing the pause, glared at the pony. The pony looked up, noticed the glare, and quickly trotted forwards so the two were side-by-side again. The girl blushed and gripped the reins more tightly; Miss Califor just sighed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be worried, Nanette. You are accompanying me. Just remember your manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waited for the nod from the girl at her side. The slight smile the older woman gave reassured the girl. If she minded her manners, all would be well. That was all Nanette had to do; and all Miss Califor had to do was be\u2026Miss Califor.<\/p>\n

So the two rode. The landscape was lush, fed on rainwater, and full of growth. Wild grass and wheat escaped from farms bordered by forestland not yet cleared by Humans. The woman and girl watched as they rode, seeing how far some of the tree lines stretched. You could still find places like this out here. Riverfarm was rural, but there were parts of the continent yet desolate, where Humans\u2014or people of any kind\u2014had yet to leave any memory of their passing.<\/p>\n

The woman\u2019s back was straight, her posture correct. The girl tried to emulate her, but she was young. The girl also had a hat, but it was dark blue, fresh while the woman\u2019s was worn. And she was timid where the woman was\u2014not so much bold, but decisive. She decided what was done, and that was that.<\/p>\n

It was thus something of a surprise when the [Bandits] poured out of a forest not fifteen miles from Riverfarm and surrounded the two. They were a rough lot, desperados as hungry as they were greedy. Their leader had an axe and a large horse, and he pointed it at the two, bellowing as they stopped at the unexpected hitch near the end of their journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move! You move and you\u2019re dead! Get out your coin and jewelry! Now!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman looked affronted; the girl squeaked<\/em> in horror and scrabbled for a wand at her side. She\u2019d just managed to raise it when the woman slapped her arm down.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t point your wand if you don\u2019t intend to use it, Nanette.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSmart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandit Leader] growled. He\u2019d tensed with the others when the wand came out, never mind that it was held by a girl. He held out one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s make this quick, alright? Hand over your money pouches and don\u2019t delay! And off the horses or you\u2019ll be two corpses.\u201d<\/p>\n

He might have actually been more civilized compared to the [Bandits] whom Ryoka had seen outright killing travellers on the road. Then again, the close proximity to Riverfarm and the now-infamous Darksky Riders had the [Bandits] sweating. But there was money to be made if you were quick! They spread out around the woman and girl.<\/p>\n

The older woman with the black hat pursed her lips, looking more annoyed than anything. She glanced around at the group of armed men and women, then up for a second, and her frown intensified. The others watched her warily but confidently; she might be a [Mage], but they had the drop on her, and if she so much as twitched her hands or uttered the beginning of a spell, they\u2019d cut her to pieces. They\u2019d killed [Mages] before.<\/p>\n

Slowly, Miss Califor got off her horse and shoved past a rough man with a sword. He blinked, and the [Bandit Leader] looked down at her as she stood on his left. The woman turned her head and called at her ward.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get off that horse, Nanette. This doesn\u2019t require any great spell. Just consideration. Now, you. Just what do you think you\u2019re doing? I advise you to leave us be.\u201d<\/p>\n

So saying, she pointed a finger up at the [Bandit Leader]. He blinked at the tone in the woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Give us the money, old woman, or die. One second. Otherwise I swing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman folded her arms and adjusted her hat, not impressed. One of the [Bandits], looking to his right at her, was impressed. She wasn\u2019t flinching, and the axe was ready to fall. He shuffled left, and the woman did likewise.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move!\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandit Leader] looked left. The group tensed\u2014was this woman about to fight? You never knew\u2014but the woman just shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t intend to fight, and I don\u2019t intend to be robbed. I am offering you a choice. You have had many choices in your life that carried you here. Tell me. Did they make you happy? This one is clearly marked. Choose wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n

One could say much of Witch Califor. Her worn riding cloak sometimes swirled like a moving shadow, and the walking staff she carried might leave behind patches of vibrant grass. Her eyes, when wrathful, could flash like a bolt of lightning no matter how clear the skies.<\/p>\n

But it was her voice that could not be escaped. She did not sound like an old grandmother, nor a stern lecturer. When she spoke, the [Bandits] stopped a second. Califor\u2019s voice was\u2026urgent. Almost worried without being explicitly so.<\/p>\n

Not for her. For them. She spoke as if watching someone about to make a terrible mistake, and even the [Bandit Leader] hesitated. As if to reassure himself, he looked the woman up and down. Tall, gaunt, and not visibly dangerous. So he raised his axe and tried to growl as if to drown out her warning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to die? Money and horse. The girl too. Or I\u2019ll cut you down and take it myself. Think I won\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miss Califor sighed. She gazed up at the [Bandit Leader] and shook her head. The note of concern vanished, and her voice became quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you will. More\u2019s the pity. They money and<\/em> the girl? Swing hard, man. Or else\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The axe buried itself in her skull. She jerked,<\/em> and the [Bandit Leader] roared<\/em> as he yanked the bloody axe blade away. It came up, dripping with blood and brains. Nanette screamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Calif\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandit Leader] bellowed at the [Bandits] on his right.<\/p>\n

\u201cFucking woman! Get the girl\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he paused. And the [Bandits] stared in horror. Because it wasn\u2019t an old woman\u2019s body lying on the ground, her head and hat cleaved in two. It was one of their own. The [Bandit] the woman had bumped into, who\u2019d been on the [Bandit Leader]\u2019s left\u2014<\/p>\n

Silently, the big man with the axe stared at the corpse. A woman with a bow lowered it, looking in horror at her leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cJek! You killed Tobil!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean\u2014I was aiming at the woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was on your right! You were looking right at her!<\/em> But you swung at Tobil!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandit Leader] stared around at his group. Then his head snapped up. The woman with the black hat stared at him from horseback. She addressed the pale-faced girl next to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see, Nanette? A small spell works better than obvious magic. What we see and show is more important. You are not a [Mage]. Remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Miss Califor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl replied a touch breathlessly. Jek, the [Bandit Leader], stared at them as the woman nodded. She lifted her travelling cloak and whirled it across the air, blocking the two from sight. Her voice snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Now\u2014ride.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The two on horseback wavered and then vanished<\/em>. Jek and the [Bandits] spun. They saw two distant figures on horseback racing towards Riverfarm and only now heard the hoofbeats. Jek pointed, trembling with fury.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet them!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandits] stormed after the pair, those without horses running to catch up. Ahead of them, Miss Califor considered their lead and the approaching village with narrowed eyes. Her apprentice, Nanette, clutched her horse\u2019s reins, white-faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Califor, they\u2019re catching up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStay calm, Nanette.\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor rode low to her horse, hair whipping behind her. She was gazing ahead, then she glanced back, eying the first [Bandits] catching up to them. The arrows that landed close enough for Nanette\u2019s horse to flinch were meant for the two [Witches].<\/p>\n

\u2014But no matter how hard the [Archers] tried, they couldn\u2019t seem to land a shot. However, the other riders were closing in, and Nanette\u2019s voice rose in terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Califor!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Bandit Leader], Jek, had a Skill. He was riding twice as fast at the two [Witches]. And his axe was dripping blood. Miss Califor turned in her saddle. She eyed Jek balefully and looked ahead. And up. As he drew level with her, the man raised his axe. Califor said only this:<\/p>\n

\u201cI warned you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jek hesitated. And that was enough. He glanced to the side and spotted the armored figure riding towards him too late. He turned and swung. To be fair, he hit the armored rider. But his steel axe bounced off the armor. And the [Cataphract] swung his sword and cut across Jek\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

The [Bandits] halted. They saw Beniar ride past Jek and watched the man fall. Then they heard the shouts. The Darksky Riders charged, riding down on the [Bandits] with roars of fury. The [Bandits] scattered, screaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Darksky Riders!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right! You bastards thought you could hide this close to Riverfarm!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beniar roared as he galloped after another [Bandit], sword drawn. Nanette, shaking, let her horse slow, and Miss Califor, lips pursed, regarded the [Bandits] and [Riders].<\/p>\n

She sheltered the shaking girl, her apprentice, with her cloak, head swiveling. Only when it was clear the [Bandits] were routed did she lower her arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, Nanette. Keep your head even in the worst moments. If you panic, you cannot help yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cY-yes, Miss Califor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl was pale beneath her hat. She focused on the woman, the [Witch]. Califor shook her head briskly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreathe in and out, Nanette. Deep breaths. You survived your first [Bandits] well. Remember, in moments like this, you may trust me, but you must rely on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl was still shaking. She was round-cheeked and young, twelve, but at Califor\u2019s words, she tried to collect herself. Fear made words spill out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew you could do it, Miss Califor! B-but what if I\u2019d been too slow? Or if they\u2019d seen through your illusion? Or if the adventurers hadn\u2019t caught up\u2014or if\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBreathe, Nanette.\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Witch] sighed. She adjusted her hat and looked up sternly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were never in any danger. Even if we had been, calmness allows us to choose the best course of action. I knew Riverfarm had adventurers, and I would not have left you behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if they were too slow\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have been fine. Tell me, what is my eighth rule, Nanette?\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl gulped. She hesitated and then, as her lips moved and her brow scrunched up, she recalled it.<\/p>\n

\u201cRule eight. A smart woman looks up now and then\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up at last. Then, overhead, she saw her. Alevica, her broom high above, swooped down. Nanette nearly fell out of her saddle. Alevica tipped her hat to Califor, and the older [Witch] touched her brim.<\/p>\n

\u201cWotcha, Nanette! And Califor! There\u2019s [Bandits] all about today!\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman grinned at the suddenly star-struck Nanette. Califor just sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidently. Thank you for your assistance, Witch Alevica, although I would have preferred a more direct<\/em> approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were fine. And that patrol was nearby. I didn\u2019t want to waste more crossbow bolts or potions. Anyways, we\u2019re all fine. Am I late?\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor considered the question as Alevica hopped onto the ground, and the broom returned to the laws of gravity. Alevica tossed it over her shoulder. She looked at Nanette, who was still staring, wide-eyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t see me, Nanette? How long\u2019s it been? Two years? Three?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree. Nanette, your manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl started, and her still-round cheeks went red again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! I\u2014I greet you, Witch Alevica! I tip my hat\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She fumbled, and Alevica laughed. The young woman strode next to Califor\u2019s horse and Nanette\u2019s mare and waved a lazy hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to do that with me, Nanette. I don\u2019t stand on the old ways. Do that to Mavika. Sorry about the scare!\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor\u2019s silence was pointed, and Alevica shuffled her feet a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr\u2026I could have shot a few [Bandits]. You won\u2019t tell Oliyaya about that, will you? I just wanted to see you take those bandits apart, Witch Califor! How\u2019d you swerve all those arrows?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Nanette was staring wide-eyed at Califor, who gave Alevica a peeved look. She handed something to Alevica, who stared at\u2026a handful of twigs.<\/p>\n

\u201cToss them left and right with a bit of sympathy attached. It is something Oliyaya knows quite well. Even if I had the situation in hand, Nanette\u2019s fright was unnecessary, Witch Alevica. Where is your mentor? I did not expect to see you without her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rebuke made Alevica stop and flush. The younger woman pursed her lips, but uncharacteristically, especially from what Nanette knew and had heard of her, she did stop and tip her hat grudgingly to Califor and then Nanette.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tip my hat to you and I apologize, Miss Califor. And to you, Nanette. No harm done, though, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked hopeful\u2014and nervous\u2014until Miss Califor sighed and inclined her head and tipped her hat gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tip my hat to you, Alevica. And I suppose not. Oliyaya?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014she can\u2019t make it. That\u2019s why she sent me. She\u2019s busy cleaning up messes in her domain. You know, witches getting attacked?\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor\u2019s brows drew together.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo she sent you. I attended this meeting in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey! She thought I\u2019d be more impressive and less\u2014you know. Warty? Plus, I\u2019m a City Runner these days. See?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alevica showed the two her Runner\u2019s Seal, and Califor considered all of this and gave Alevica a tight nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shall see who else attends. I have hopes Agratha can make it. Shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the two were walking, and Alevica, wincing slightly, flew alongside the other two, chatting as Nanette listened in, wonderingly staring at Alevica\u2019s broom. She hoped she\u2019d be allowed a ride this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr, Agratha might not make it, Witch Califor. There was a dead [Witch]\u2014and she lost her schoolhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDead gods. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you know, idiots. The poor [Witch] was being hunted. Same cause. Um\u2014uh\u2014where have you two been? Ah! Witch Oliyaya sends her regards, and the Glokhen Coven has some gifts\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor answered calmly as they rode ahead. When she accepted Oliyaya\u2019s letter and a wrapped parcel, Alevica exhaled and flew back a step, clearly relieved. Then she twisted and, far more casually, gave Nanette a smile and wink.<\/p>\n

Nanette, who of course knew Alevica by name if not face, and reputation, hurriedly tipped her hat and bowed in the saddle. Alevica tipped hers with a grin that made the girl blush, and Califor clicked her tongue. Her mare walked forwards.<\/p>\n

In the distance, Beniar turned, and his Darksky Riders began to ride back. He, of course, had a lot of questions, but the [Witches] were already nearing Riverfarm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDismount. These things should be done properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Califor\u2019s words, the two [Witches] dismounted, and the animals walked alongside the three without the need for reins. Califor glanced at Alevica.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was your journey, Witch Alevica? The sixteen [Bandits] you killed\u2014was it poverty or the summer\u2019s heat that drove them to their terrible end? Next time, you would do well to at least burn the bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alevica blinked; she hadn\u2019t brought up the [Bandits]. She stuttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr\u2014I don\u2019t know why they were here. And I was in a hurry to make it, so\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

They headed into Riverfarm down the main street. Beniar, chasing after them, drew up when he realized they had no intention of waiting for him. He returned to the Darksky Riders, who were checking the [Bandits]. One of the [Riders] looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s with the flying woman, Beniar? The two travellers safe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man grunted sourly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so. I\u2019ll head back once we\u2019re sure we got all the [Bandits]. Do a sweep nearby; I\u2019ll take four that way. Then I\u2019ll ask about those three. Some people have no manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

He scratched at his chin as he turned his horse. Then again\u2026what was the oldest woman\u2019s name? Califor? She\u2019d been very composed despite nearly getting killed by [Bandits]. Califor\u2026<\/p>\n

Why did that name ring a bell?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Day 56 \u2013 Prost<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mister Prost was not a happy man. He was a [Steward], a class that was, by and large, not generally happy. He accepted that. And Prost had found he was often content<\/em> if not happy. But right now he was neither content nor happy. He stood in the middle of a square in front of a pair of pillories. There was a man in said pillory.<\/p>\n

Master Elmmet. The man didn\u2019t look as pompous as he normally did, strutting about and sneering at Riverfarm\u2019s people. But, incredibly, he still managed to look down on Prost with both hands and head sticking out of the pillory and his ass facing the world. And quite a lot of world was watching.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a sham, Mister Prost.<\/em> I\u2019m innocent. Framed! I may have been caught by that adventurer, Beniar, but only as I<\/em> was attempting to catch the [Thief] myself! This is an indignity!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elmmet shouted at the crowd of people who\u2019d gathered around the pillories to listen to the trial. At his words, there was a chorus of boos<\/em> and shouts of outrage, but the people of Lancrel shouted at the villagers and non-Lancrel folk. Prost stared down at Elmmet and tried to contain his temper. The man in the pillory had the gall to return his look with an outraged one of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have time for lies, Master Elmmet. I\u2019m only asking you one question. With all to see. Are you the [Thief]<\/em> who\u2019s been stealing from Riverfarm all this time?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to give you a straight answer, but I\u2019m afraid to be denounced by that false truth stone you\u2019re holding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man sneered back, and with one hand, he pointed at the white quartz in Prost\u2019s hand. The [Steward] grimaced as the stone flickered from red to blue too rapidly for anyone to see. It was a truth stone, but a cheap one. And it had two settings: red for false, blue for truth. The problem was getting Master Elmmet to speak something that wasn\u2019t a half-lie. If he didn\u2019t say anything that could be a \u2018yes or no answer\u2019, the truth stone wouldn\u2019t work entirely properly, and both he and Prost knew it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a genuine<\/em> truth stone, Mister Elmmet. Anyone who wants can test it out, and we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch things can be faked! People of Lancrel, listen to me! I was framed! Do I look like a young man or the woman that people were calling a [Thief] in the street? I was set up as I pursued that very [Thief], and Mister Prost\u2014along with his hired adventurers\u2014decided to frame me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elmmet protested, wide-eyed and innocent, to the crowd. Even Prost had to admit he didn\u2019t look like either description. Elmmet had white hair, and he was hardly spry. But Prost knew Beniar was telling the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny [Thief] can gain a Skill which allows him to change his face. Apparently, there\u2019s one called [Master of Faces]. Do you have that Skill?\u201d<\/p>\n

The stone flickered from red to mostly blue as Prost held it closer to Elmmet. The man was sweating, for all his bravado. He licked his lips and replied hoarsely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were to answer, I believe the stone would lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red, then a flicker of blue. The stone couldn\u2019t process the statement. Elmmet sighed, and Prost ground his teeth. He raised his voice, speaking to the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see your man Elmmet. He refuses to answer one question! Is he the [Thief]? He could free himself from the pillory this moment if he answered. If he continues to refuse, I will find him guilty for the dozens of thefts that have plagued Riverfarm. All of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lancrel\u2019s folk stared back uncertainly. Many looked at Elmmet with distrust, and Prost was relieved to see some were clear thinkers. But too many listened to the [Thief] as he hoarsely shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t believe this man! This is a conspiracy! He can control the truth stone! I demand a proper trial! An impartial judge!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the [Steward] of Riverfarm. This is your one trial, Elmmet!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost lost his temper and bellowed at the man. The [Thief] flinched, but he still had that desperate confidence in his eyes. As if he thought he was really going to get out of this. Prost had already decided he was not. No matter what anyone said\u2014if Prost couldn\u2019t get the man to admit his crimes, it didn\u2019t matter. He was a [Thief], and Prost would make sure he was jailed. Laken could deal with him. Prost was sure driving out Elmmet would just see him reappear as the [Thief] and cause more trouble, and as for anything else\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Prost, I have to object on my Councilman\u2019s behalf. Can we be sure<\/em> that this truth stone is really as valid as you claim? Is there no possibility that Elmmet was wrongly accused?\u201d<\/p>\n

A polite voice called out behind Prost. The former-[Farmer] gritted his teeth as he turned. If he could, he would have thrown the smiling woman addressing him into the pillory next to Elmmet.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncilwoman Beatica. This truth stone is accurate. Or are you claiming that this is all a conspiracy as Mister Elmmet says? I warn you, that is a lie I will not have repeated. Beniar has sworn on a truth stone his account is accurate, and his report is backed up by Durene, the Darksky Riders, and a dozen other witnesses. Are you suggesting everyone who claims to have seen Master Elmmet is lying?\u201d<\/p>\n

If she was, she was claiming there was no real authority that could be trusted in Riverfarm except her own. Prost held the woman\u2019s gaze and saw Beatica hesitate. She smiled and spread her arms, turning to address the crowd of city folk behind her. Not the villagers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not! I believe everyone present saw exactly what they claimed<\/em>. But magic\u2014Skills\u2014they can fake a man\u2019s face, can\u2019t they? What if the [Thief] used his [Master of Faces] Skill to impersonate Elmmet? Mister Prost, can we be certain beyond any shadow of a doubt<\/em> that this is our [Thief] and not a wrongly accused man?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lancrel crowd nodded. Prost stared at Beatica\u2019s smile and then noticed the flickering truth stone in his hand. And he realized that if he answered her, the stone might turn red.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one can be certain of anything, Councilwoman. Which is why your question has no answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beatica\u2019s lips pursed for a second, and Prost sensed her disappointment in not luring him into her trap. She kept going, though. She probably didn\u2019t even care for Elmmet, Prost suspected, but if the damn [Thief] was found guilty, it would throw her authority into question. Beatica spoke like a [Town Crier] and with the eloquence of a [Bard], gently persuading those undecided in the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut doesn\u2019t that mean that the same logic applies to Councilman Elmmet\u2019s situation? If we cannot be certain of his guilt\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you mad<\/em>, woman?\u201d<\/p>\n

A barking voice interrupted Beatica at last. Prost had been trying, but the woman\u2019s [Uninterrupted Monologue] Skill had been silencing him. Not Mister Helm, though. The [Blacksmith] roared behind Beatica, slamming one fist into his palm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you dare try to spin it like that bastard\u2019s innocent! He\u2019s been weaseling out of an honest reply, and there\u2019s only one answer to why that is! Why deliberate? Why bother to ask? He\u2019s only told lies\u2014but me and everyone else saw him stealing with our own two eyes! We saw him get nabbed, and there wasn\u2019t any conspiracy or someone switching faces! Isn\u2019t that good enough? If you want the truth, use that stone on me!\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed at Prost\u2019s stone, which had stayed mostly blue during Helm\u2019s speech. The crowd murmured agreement, and Beatica\u2019s eyes flashed. But that damn smile\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Helm, I realize you\u2019re upset, but eyes can be tricked\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Blacksmith] bellowed straight at Beatica. The [Councilwoman] froze, unprepared for that. Prost grinned. She might be a [Politician], but she wasn\u2019t used to someone like Helm, who was used to saying what needed saying over the roar of a forge. The man strode forwards, pointing a finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop twisting your words, woman! That man\u2019s a [Thief], and he deserves exile, a noose, or just a few broken bones! He\u2019s guilty, and you Lancrel lot are just protecting him because he\u2019s your big [Councilman]! As corrupt as all of you city-dwelling\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

A roar of outrage swallowed the rest of what Helm was shouting as the crowd, most of whom were city people or townsfolk, yelled at Helm. The villagers present bellowed back, and Prost\u2019s heart sank. He saw Beatica stumbling back, looking wounded\u2014and noticed the sly, foxlike smile too late. Of course, she wanted<\/em> this. He shouted and then used a Skill.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

[Crowd Control]. Prost had to push<\/em> to force everyone silent, but they fell quiet. Beatica looked uncertain as she noticed Prost using the Skill; the [Steward] was breathing hard with the effort. He looked around and wished Laken were here. But he was trusting Prost, so the man straightened his back and did what he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Elmmet. Swear on this truth stone you aren\u2019t the [Thief]. Or I will consider you as such. If you believe the truth stone to be a lie, say it anyways, and we\u2019ll test this stone for all to see. But swear on it!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

He thrust the stone at the man\u2019s face. Elmmet\u2019s eyes darted left and right as he opened his mouth. There was silence, and into it, he croaked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014I\u2014ask my wife and daughter! They\u2019ll vouch that I\u2019m no [Thief]! Ask them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost made a sound of disgust and lowered the stone. But Elmmet\u2019s words provoked more shouting, and a woman and daughter were thrust forwards. The woman, Elmmet\u2019s wife, looked as untrustworthy as he did. And the girl? Terrified as she stared at the crowd. And her father.<\/p>\n

Prost had seen families like that before. Maybe he and the wife deserved each other, but what daughter stared at her father like that? He looked over his shoulder and saw Elmmet smiling desperately. Prost ached to bash the man\u2019s teeth in. But one wrong move and Lancrel\u2019s people might turn on him. Where was Rie? Then again, what could she do? Prost turned, thinking desperately. If he passed judgment now\u2014<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Beatica was drawing breath for another plea to her masses. Helm was about to make things worse, and Prost saw someone\u2014a city person or villager, he wasn\u2019t sure\u2014draw back a fist. In that moment, he saw the future, and the future was a fight where the situation would be muddled, explode with all the wrong things, and engulf Elmmet\u2019s actual crime with too much drama to make sentencing him easy.<\/p>\n

It was a trap. But before it was sprung, a woman pushed her way through the crowd, and her voice boomed like a falling tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s all this fuss about? If the man\u2019s guilty, let\u2019s find out the easiest way!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice cut off Beatica\u2019s speech. It interrupted the fight. It drew every eye, including Prost\u2019s. He stared at the woman, and he was sure he\u2019d never seen her before. You\u2019d remember a woman like this.<\/p>\n

Long ago, Humans had been hardier folk. Before they\u2019d built cities, they lived in villages, hunted, provided for themselves with tools and techniques and sinew rather than buying it with gold. The early Humans, men and women, had been strong, tough enough to face monsters on the edge of civilization.<\/p>\n

It was from their cloth this woman had been cut, and what cloth! She was a giant of a figure, her hair full and brown, her arms as thick as Helm\u2019s. She was tall, bold\u2014and she had a voice that would have made her a star among opera singers in another world. But in this one, she was dressed in travelling clothes, stained but clean. And her wide, brown hat was perfect for travelling.<\/p>\n

She also had a presence, different from Prost\u2019s or Beatica\u2019s. She stepped forwards, and Prost only now realized she carried an axe. Was she a new arrival? One of the [Woodcutters]?<\/p>\n

No. The woman gestured around at the crowd, and her voice reached every ear. There was no Skill in it, just volume.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see a lot of bother over a simple matter! You say this man\u2019s a [Thief]? You want to know what crime he deserves? Well, I say, call on a [Guardsman]! Or failing that, call on me! I\u2019ve seen the bad and good sort long enough. And I\u2019ve a Skill to put all questions to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

So saying, she strode forwards. Beatica opened her mouth, but Prost beat her to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trial needs to be just. If you have a Skill, can you swear it\u2019ll bring justice? And who are you, Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

The huge woman smiled down at Prost. She adjusted her hat and the axe propped carefully on one shoulder. It was iron, huge, and nicked, not exactly a woodcutter\u2019s axe. She grabbed Prost\u2019s arm and raised it for all to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey call me Hedag, Mister [Steward]! And I solve problems of this sort! You can rest assured; my Skill only reveals the truth of criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stone turned blue as she held it up. Incredibly, it didn\u2019t flicker red once, even with an unintentional lie. Miss Hedag let go of Prost; he stared at her. She had a grip like Helm\u2019s!<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat say you, Steward? Shall I use it? We\u2019ll see this man\u2019s crimes, right enough. If he\u2019s innocent, he\u2019s little to fear. Then again, I\u2019ve yet to meet an innocent man!\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed down at Elmmet, who\u2019d broken into a colder sweat than before. The crowd murmured. Hedag\u2019s words had persuaded them. Beatica broke in nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on, Steward Prost. You\u2019re not seriously considering letting an outsider\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Helm shouted in Beatica\u2019s ear, silencing and deafening her. He stared past her at Hedag. And his eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHedag. I\u2019ve heard the name.\u201d<\/p>\n

So had Prost, but he couldn\u2019t recall it for some reason. It was an old name, or one he\u2019d heard\u2026he realized the woman was looking at him and came to a quick decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ll show us the truth, I see no reason to object, Miss Hedag. But you have to understand, we must see the truth of it for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA right answer! That\u2019s the way we\u2019ve always done it in villages and lonely places! We have to see to believe! And so the truth you\u2019ll see! All will see!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag laughed merrily. Without further ado, she reached out and grasped Elmmet\u2019s head in the pillory. The man shouted, but Hedag held him for only a second. She bellowed across the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Revelation of Sin]!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she pulled<\/em> something out of Elmmet. Prost recoiled as Hedag yanked out something black, a shadowy thing, and hurled<\/em> it on the ground. The crowd leapt back uncertainly, but Hedag just stepped back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag\u2019s one word caught Prost\u2019s eye and turned them on the shadow. Everyone stared as, slowly, the black thing she\u2019d pulled out of Elmmet rose upwards. A black mass rose and formed\u2026into a man. Elmmet. Prost stared at the man in the pillory, then at the shadow.<\/p>\n

It had no contrast. It was one color. But the shadow was, unmistakably, undeniably, Elmmet. You could see his face, even his smirking expression. The shadow turned and, with a careless jaunt, strolled ahead.<\/p>\n

Prost stared. Another shadow appeared, and Prost saw a woman standing with her back to Elmmet. Real\u2014he could see the lines in her face as she turned\u2014and yet a shadow. The shadow Elmmet strolled up to her and, without hesitation, reached out and plucked the money pouch from her hip. Then he strolled past her, smiling, without a care in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strangled noise Prost made was the only sound in the world. Elmmet, white-faced, stared at his shadow as it turned a corner. Now the shadow\u2019s face was different. A woman\u2019s face, the very one he\u2019d stolen from. He snuck up to another man, yanked his purse away, and as the man turned and shouted, soundlessly, bounded away. The crowd backed up as the Elmmet disguised as the woman ran at them.<\/p>\n

Only when he was far away did Elmmet\u2019s face change back to normal. And it was a gleeful face as he poured shadowy coins into one palm and pocketed them. Prost stared. But then the man was changing faces, this time to deceive a fellow and rob him as he slept\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cLies. That\u2019s\u2014these are lies. A false magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

From his pillory, Elmmet croaked weakly. Prost and some others looked at him, but the rest were focused on the shadow. It was\u2026undeniable. Perhaps it was the Skill or just the woman, Hedag, but Prost believed that Elmmet had done the very crimes he was reenacting. Stealing from a sleeping man, breaking into a house, and then the image blurred and he was slapping his wife, drunk, snarling. Prost turned his head. Elmmet\u2019s wife had gone pale.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Hedag. What is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost spoke quietly into the silence. The woman adjusted her hat and spoke loudly, watching the shadows shift from crime to crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, it\u2019s the man\u2019s sins, Mister Steward. All laid out for us to see. Every crime he\u2019s done. From back to front. It marks him as [Thief] and wife beater. And more, I\u2019ll wager. Can\u2019t you feel the truth of it? Will anyone say it\u2019s not so? I dare you, for my Skill tells all truths, and it cannot be swayed by magic nor lies!\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked around, spreading her arms. Behind her, Beatica choked, but even she couldn\u2019t figure out a way to use words to reclaim the situation. Hedag had pulled truth out from Elmmet, and the hypnotized crowd watched him. Stealing from a [Merchant]. Stealing from a traveller. Changing faces. And then\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cAll crimes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost heard a whisper. He glanced over and saw Elmmet had suddenly gone white. The [Steward] looked back sharply and saw the shadow Elmmet and his new victim had changed. A girl shrank down, screaming silently, and the man reached out with an open hand. The man was Elmmet. And the girl\u2014<\/p>\n

Every head turned to the girl standing by Elmmet\u2019s wife. The child stared with wide eyes at herself as the shadows told a story. A snarling figure reached out and beat at a shadow of a girl. On the real girl, if you looked closely, you could see, around her neck and shoulder\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long ago was this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost\u2019s hands were itching. He didn\u2019t look at Elmmet. Hedag did. She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery crime, Steward. Each one in order. Incredibly, this man has done more sinning in a day than some manage in a year. This might\u2019ve been a week ago. Or but a few days. But the truth of it is there to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed. The shadowy man was still hitting the girl, curled up. Prost thought of Chimmy, and he had to force himself to hold still. Elmmet was very still as the men and women\u2014and children\u2014looked at him. They had seen the truth.<\/p>\n

Into that silence, Hedag spoke. Her voice was jovial, booming. And as cold as stone.<\/p>\n

\u201cA poor man steals from honest folk. Poorer still beats his own child and wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed at Elmmet\u2019s wife. The woman started, and her face was as pale as her husband\u2019s, but her eyes were locked on Hedag. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Hedag nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth deserve a Hedag\u2019s presence to come when they call. Not blame nor guilt. But what of the one who raised the hand and downed the blow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone muttered that behind Prost. A hard line, and it came from Beycalt, a [Forewoman] who stared at the [Thief] with disgust. Elmmet\u2019s head jerked up, and some of Lancrel\u2019s folk paled. Hedag only sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome\u2019d say so, Miss. But it\u2019s harder to say. The old laws change from village to village. Some would string up a man who beat his daughter half as hard. Others look the other way. But a [Thief]? There\u2019s a penalty for a [Thief], sure enough. And it\u2019s this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She strolled over to Elmmet in the pillory. Prost saw her lift the axe. Everyone saw it. And they knew, with the clairvoyance everyone shared, what she was about to do. But the stupid parts of their minds, the parts that lied and thought reality should be a certain way, convinced them it wasn\u2019t going to happen. She wasn\u2019t really<\/em> going to\u2014<\/p>\n

The axe came down and flashed past the wooden pillory with a thunk<\/em> of sound. Prost stared down at the hand as it landed on the ground. A long-fingered hand with no hair on it. Good for a [Thief]. But not so much severed. Elmmet stared at his stump of a hand in shock. Blood pooled and then ran from the stump, dribbling down the pillory. The man stared at the stump, pulled it out of the pillory, put it back in. Only then did he scream.<\/p>\n

\u201cPotion! Get a potion!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost shouted as the crowd erupted into screams. More than half of the city folk were panicking. Even the villagers, used to beheading chickens and killing animals, stared. The violence was so sudden, so quick<\/em>. But Hedag just swung her axe up and bellowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

And it was. The woman with the hat and terrible axe reached down and grabbed the stump of Elmmet\u2019s arm. The man flailed, screaming as tendons appeared in his neck. Hedag squeezed,<\/em> and suddenly, the bleeding stopped. That didn\u2019t stop the screaming, though. A blow from one hammer of a hand did that.<\/p>\n

Elmmet\u2019s head lolled back in the pillory, and his entire body jerked<\/em>. Prost sucked in his breath; he\u2019d felt that punch! The crowd flinched, but Hedag just let the man\u2019s arm drop.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s for a child beaten. The hand\u2019s for a [Thief].\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do that!\u201d<\/p>\n

The scream came from Beatica. The [Councilwoman] pointed a shaking finger at Hedag, and there was genuine fear and hysteria in her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2014cut off his hand!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd? It\u2019s a punishment as old as time. Drakes do it in their cities. And in some cities around here it\u2019s done. A hand for a [Thief]. A blow for a child-beater.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag replied as calmly as could be. Beatica just screamed at her. Elmmet was waking up, flailing around, disoriented, as Beatica kept shouting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a [Councilman]! You cannot<\/em> do that! You had no right! You\u2019re no [Watchman]! There are laws\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight?<\/em> I have every right!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag\u2019s voice cut Beatica\u2019s shriek off. The woman turned and raised her brown hat. The axe dripped blood onto her shoulder as she raised it. The crowd, horrified and silent, watched as Hedag turned. And she was in charge. The woman spoke to Beatica, to Prost, to Elmmet, and to everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no city, for all you folk have come here. This is a village, and what wrong\u2019s been done is plain to see. No one appointed me, Miss Councilwoman, it\u2019s true. But there are times, bad times, when no one\u2019ll do what\u2019s needed. When folk have need of me and the truth I bring. A harsh truth, and with laws far older than I am. But it is justice, as just as any law you could name. And I will not be stopped, by you or anyone else. You called for proper justice, and here it is. The oldest kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

She swung her axe down, and some blood struck the ground, Prost\u2019s leg, and the pillory. Prost stared at Hedag. Then he saw her head turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what\u2019s been said and done is only part of it yet. Look.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed. The crowd turned. The shadowy Elmmet wasn\u2019t done. Not by far. He had been a poor man, Elmmet. Prost had suspected it of him. But now, for all to see, his sins revealed themselves one at a time. And they were worse than just striking a helpless child, incredible as that was. Oh, far worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery sin comes to life. Every misdeed, small or large. It\u2019s a harsh thing. And I judge with such mercy as I might. But I do judge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag\u2019s voice was quiet in the silence as she stared at the shadows. They were enacting something far worse now. The beginning of it, at least. Prost looked around at the women, the men\u2014the children should not see this. Least of all the girl he saw reflected twice.<\/p>\n

Prost tried to look away, but the truth burned him, forced him to see. Perhaps that was the nature of the Skill. The crowd tried to move, to avoid it, but it was a revelation. Inescapable. Only Hedag stared with an unmoving gaze. She looked down at Elmmet. The man was struggling, weeping, trying to say something as his sins played out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were you, Mister Elmmet, I\u2019d hope that this were the worst of it. The worst by far. But I don\u2019t think a man like you deserves hope. Show me what you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he did. Prost felt his stomach roil, and the shadows danced. Elmmet\u2019s dancing shadow began to chase another. A younger female silhouette who fled\u2014and he chased and chased until\u2014<\/p>\n

There was no mercy in the retelling, no way to hide what came next. It played out without sound or color, but without the mercy to hide any detail either.<\/p>\n

Someone in the crowd made a terrible, groaning sound, and a man gagged, vomited. It was appropriate. Hedag watched as Prost turned away. She watched with eyes as old as she was, but made older by what she\u2019d seen. And Prost remembered her name at last. A woman who travelled the further villages, who performed that oldest task where there was no jail, no watchman, no law in sight but her.<\/p>\n

Hedag the [Executioner]. The woman nodded at last as the shadows stopped for one moment. Her eyes were opened wide, and the pupils sat like vast monoliths. Her voice sounded like old rules set forth before paper and ink had writ them down. And now, without mercy or regrets, Hedag spoke two words.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The axe swung down, gleaming dully in the midmorning light.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Day 56 \u2013 Lady Rie<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lady Rie took a long time dressing, as was her wont. In fact, it was one of her only wants and vices. In Riverfarm, few amenities were available to her, and the comforts of fashion were a luxury Rie couldn\u2019t do without.<\/p>\n

Even then, it was a concession. She didn\u2019t have half as many of her cosmetics, and many of her dresses and fine clothing had been carefully, discreetly sold to finance Riverfarm\u2019s needs. Most of her jewelry had gone that way, and Rie feared her current wardrobe would be worn, not to mention outdated, in less than a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet, it is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman sighed to herself. She stared in the hand-mirror she carried and carefully applied a lipstick. Red, traditionally so, to fit her mood. She was not looking forwards to this morning. She suspected Prost\u2019s trial with Master Elmmet would not be as smooth as she wanted, and she would gladly have given up all her dresses to see that man and Beatica and half of Lancrel\u2019s elite banished for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not have allowed things to reach this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie sighed as she inspected her face for flaws her makeup had missed. But what could they have done? She had to admit it; Beatica might have been a poor leader in the sense of keeping her city free from Goblin attacks, but she was a magnificent manipulator. She\u2019d turned Lancrel\u2019s people against Riverfarm, exacerbated the already-deep rifts between urban and rural peoples. And the tensions of refugees fleeing their city and coming to live in, admittedly, close to poverty.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet, Riverfarm is more than that fool of a woman can understand. Riverfarm is a jewel, uncut. Or\u2014a potato. Made of gold. Growing in the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie sighed. Even her metaphors were becoming farmer-like. Which was appropriate. Perhaps, if she stayed here long enough, she\u2019d even be fine with her less-than-perfect appearance. And what did it matter? The man she wanted to impress couldn\u2019t see her face. He could see any number of things, but physical appearance was beyond him. It was just one of the reasons why Laken Godart fascinated and attracted Rie.<\/p>\n

And frustrated her. She had no idea what the young [Emperor] was thinking. Oh, she could guess, but the Goblins? Madness. Lord Yitton and Lord Gralton<\/em> being in his company? Masterful. Durene? Incomprehensible to Rie at first. Prost? Incredibly sound despite Rie\u2019s misgivings.<\/p>\n

It felt like half of Laken\u2019s achievements were down to luck or the impetuousness of youth and the other half a product of deep thought. Either way, Rie had recognized Riverfarm and his presence for what it was: an opportunity that only came once in a lifetime. Riverfarm could be great. Unique, in fact, in Izril\u2019s history. Or it could implode. Right now, Rie feared greatly the latter would come to pass.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold the village together. Easier said than done!\u201d<\/p>\n

She swept out of her small house, and a man who\u2019d been leaning against the wall silently joined her. Geram, the [Fistfighter] and former captain of her personal guard, nodded at his [Lady], and she greeted him. Manners were important, no matter how she felt. Rie smoothed her sensible, comfortable red clothing and silently wished she had a bevy of [Assassins] to kill her enemies with.<\/p>\n

But she was a poor [Lady], monetarily that was. She had power, but it was subtle. Geram was her strongest physical asset, and while the man was loyal and capable, he wasn\u2019t exactly a Gold-rank adventurer. Although he was<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere to, Lady Rie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, where else? The trial, Geram. When\u2019s it starting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMidday, Lady Rie. You have time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bald man nodded at the sun. Rie pursed her lips. So she did. But that wasn\u2019t a problem. She swept forwards, and within fourteen steps, she had work.<\/p>\n

\u201cLady Rie! Good morning to you! Can I bring you breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLady Rie, will you eat with us? Our small circle is quite eager to talk with you\u2014we represent some of Lancrel\u2019s interests\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLady Rie, a pot\u2019s got a hole, and the [Chef]\u2019s said he needs a new one. Only, Mister Helm\u2019s not warmed his forge yet. Should we\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

A dozen people surrounded Rie in a moment, clamoring for her attention. Geram, a practiced [Bouncer], kept them back, and Rie, sighing internally and smiling externally, sorted them out one by one. The key to good leadership was delegation. Failing that, not getting bogged down in any one complaint.<\/p>\n

Requests for dining were easy to sort out. Rie could easily say she\u2019d taken breakfast alone\u2014which she had\u2014and soothe any ruffled feathers from the women who fancied themselves fit to dine with a [Lady]. Rie wouldn\u2019t have foisted them on Durene, who was, in fact, a very careful eater. Pots just needed replacing.<\/p>\n

As for the rest\u2026Rie walked, speaking to the flood of people who gravitated towards her. And this at least wasn\u2019t unusual. The volume was taxing, but Rie had been a [Lady], and thus a leader, for all her life. This was more personal than when she ruled her estates, but it could be done.<\/p>\n

The problem was that Riverfarm lacked its heart and soul: Laken. Without him, the people who usually could manage and think independently grew dependent on Rie. She hated to admit it, but the [Emperor], who was surely lower-level than she was, could inspire his people where she could not.<\/p>\n

That hurt Rie\u2019s pride, but again, she swallowed the feelings and only let a polite, kind, caring exterior show. She had to be beloved. The people of Riverfarm had to trust her and not see her as another impartial [Lady], aloof and unconnected. Until Laken came back, their loyalty and trust had to be in her.<\/p>\n

Riverfarm was a village, for all it now held enough people to be called a town. It was poor, despite its potential. Rie knew it. Her estates were far richer than Riverfarm, many times over. They were only a day\u2019s ride away, and yes, they were small. The Valerund fortunes had declined over the last decade with the death of the family save for Rie. But even with her home town decimated by the Goblins\u2026<\/p>\n

Rie\u2019s stomach clenched at the memory and all the faces she\u2019d never see. She forced it down as she smiled at a girl offering her a flower.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery pretty. I thank you, Miss\u2026Agathy, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Lady Rie! Do you like it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Lady Rie. She wanted to give you a flower ever so much. I don\u2019t want to be a bother\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The beaming girl\u2019s mother apologized profusely, which was far more tiring than the flower. Rie put it behind her ear, a move that instantly won her the adoration of everyone watching. She smiled at Agathy, and that was genuine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted, Agathy, and it\u2019s no bother at all. But why not give a flower to more people than me? I\u2019m sure they\u2019d be delighted as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with her home town gone, Riverfarm was poorer than Rie\u2019s mansion. But Rie was willing to sell what was in the mansion to back Laken Godart. Purely because he was an [Emperor] and because Riverfarm was growing so fast<\/em>. He could be great. He already had ideas and poise beyond his age. And his Skills were no less impressive. The simple bed Rie was using was as luxurious as the custom-built one she\u2019d had in her mansion.<\/p>\n

But he still had to come back<\/em>. Rie\u2019s teeth gritted as Agathy and her mother bade her farewell. Automatically, Rie went from the dining hall to the river outside the village, checking on people at their tasks. There was always something to do, some minor problem to solve. It was all so trivial.<\/p>\n

What Riverfarm needed was a grand plan, more than just housing everyone! Prost could take care of that. The man was solid, a capable steward, Rie fully acknowledged. But he could only enforce Laken\u2019s ideals. Laken needed to be here! Durene was right, drat the girl. They needed Laken, and not just his mysterious \u2018help\u2019, whatever that was. They needed him now! What if she sent Beniar to find him\u2014no, that was too dangerous\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, milady. But you\u2019re looking rather taxed. Would you care to have a seat with us?\u201d<\/p>\n

A voice interrupted Rie\u2019s flurry of thoughts. It was old, warm, and as Rie turned, the owner smiled up at her.<\/p>\n

An old woman was sitting at a table on the side of the street. A wooden table\u2014one of the very ones that usually lay inside the identical houses. But that wasn\u2019t what stopped Rie. It was the scene.<\/p>\n

An old woman gently lifted a tea pot and filled a worn, thin, but terribly beautiful cup of porcelain. A travelling cup, perhaps, but an heirloom of one, sitting on a small saucer. The tea was a light green color, clear and inviting. Steam rose from the pot and the cup\u2014and the ones held by the three other women sitting at the table next to the old woman.<\/p>\n

They were sitting in wooden chairs, the dining chairs that the [Carpenters] worked so hard on for all the houses. Just sitting in the shade of a house in the street, drinking tea with the morning. It was a scene you\u2019d see in a caf\u00e9 or restaurant in a city, but it was the first time Rie had seen the like in Riverfarm. Everyone was too busy. But this old woman, who had a grey travelling hat festooned with fresh flowers, smiled and waved a hand gently at Rie.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome tea, young woman? I\u2019m new in town, but I\u2019ve made a delightful cup, and I\u2019d love to sit and chat with a lovely young lady like yourself. Join us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Bemused, Rie stared at the three women sitting around the table. One of them blinked; Rie recognized her as one of said [Carpenters]. Another was a woman\u2014one of the hated Lancrel [Councilwomen]. The third was a mother from one of the towns. All three blinked up at her, bemused, but they sipped from their tea cups as if them being together was the most natural thing in the world.<\/p>\n

Rie realized she was staring. Her eyes fell on the old woman who was holding a cup up with one hand. Rie started and took it reflexively, then inhaled the aroma. A delicate green tea\u2019s scent. An exquisite blend; Rie would have bet all her dresses. Brewed just right! And hot\u2014how long had it been since she\u2019d had a cup like this? Not since her mansion. She nearly sipped and then caught herself a second time. She smiled down at the old woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me. I apologize, but have we met, Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman smiled and patted an open chair next to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all. I\u2019ve just arrived in Riverfarm. This morning, in fact. And I happened to have met these lovely young women by chance. Well, there was nothing for it but to put some tea on, and the people here were most obliging. I\u2019m told they all have work, but I wanted to chat for a moment. You look quite busy yourself, young miss. Why don\u2019t you sit for a spell? I have some biscuits here, and they are quite fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wooden table was bare of tablecloth or decorations, and the chair, well-made though it was, was still simple. But it called to Rie. So did the sweet-smelling biscuits that appeared out of the woman\u2019s travelling backpack. The other women blinked and then reached for one. Rie sipped from her cup, and the tea made her smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014really shouldn\u2019t. I am busy\u2014my apologies. My name is Rie Valerund. I am a [Lady] in service to His Majesty, Emperor Laken. And you are?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman\u2019s brows raised, and she peered up at Rie when she heard the woman\u2019s class. But then she smiled, and Rie was reminded of her own grandmother. There had been a kind woman, and this one was every bit her match.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy! A [Lady], here? My apologies, my dear. Let me greet you properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, you don\u2019t need to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie began, but the woman got up and curtseyed quite formally, bending her knees and moving with surprising agility for someone as old as she looked. Rie smiled and returned the courtesy. The old woman sat and nodded, patting the seat again.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Eloise. I\u2019m a travelling trader of sorts. I specialize in teas, flowers, herbs. I heard there was an opportunity in Riverfarm, and so I made the trip. Sit, please, young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was odd to be called \u2018young lady\u2019, but Eloise was certainly old enough to call all four women it. Rie blinked with some concern at Eloise.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll on your own? That\u2019s a perilous journey of late, Miss Eloise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just saying, Lady Rie. There are [Bandits] about. And an old woman isn\u2019t immune to monsters, even if [Bandits] have some decency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Carpenter] leaned one strong forearm on the table as she sipped from her cup. She seemed pleased, although the bitter, refreshing tea wasn\u2019t for everyone. Rie nodded along with the mother and [Councilwoman]. Eloise just laughed, and her laughter was as refreshing as the tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn old woman can\u2019t be afraid of monsters or men, ladies! I\u2019ve seen enough of both over my years; don\u2019t you worry. And it\u2019s moving about that keeps me alive!\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Councilwoman] from Lancrel took a bite of a biscuit and patted her lips with a handkerchief. The [Carpenter] just used her hand. Normally, that would cause some tutting<\/em> on the Lancrel woman\u2019s side and prompt an eye roll from the [Carpenter], but at the moment, the two seemed so peaceful<\/em> together. Friendly, even. The Lancrel woman glanced around, smiling slightly, and looked at Eloise with concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but surely there is a time to settle down, Miss Eloise? You say you\u2019re a travelling seller. But shouldn\u2019t your family take care of you? Your relatives? I don\u2019t mean to be rude, but even staying in a village where you can have some help\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Eloise chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a village of my own, Miss Safey. No children or relatives who\u2019d care to look after me, I\u2019m sure, but my village is enough. As I said, I\u2019m travelling here for a spell. Young man, why don\u2019t you sit? You look like you could use a biscuit yourself. Don\u2019t let your [Lady] here take them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waved at Geram. Rie turned her head and stared up at the [Fistfighter]. Then she realized half the tea was gone from her cup, she had a half-eaten biscuit on her saucer, and she was sitting down. She glanced back at Eloise, then turned to Geram.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are wonderful biscuits, Geram. Try one, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other women murmured agreement. Geram hesitated. He looked uneasy at being the only man present, but he eventually took a biscuit. He refused a teacup, though. Rie regarded hers as Eloise went around with the kettle. The tea was still steaming! And Rie couldn\u2019t help but fill her cup and keep chatting. During a small break, she had to comment on the tea itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a marvelous blend of tea, Miss Eloise. And your cups are finer than the ones in my estate. I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s much call for tea in Riverfarm\u2014then again, for yours I\u2019d happily discuss buying whatever stocks you have. But you must stay here. We can arrange a place for you to sleep and have you escorted when you choose to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other women nodded. The mother gestured to the house behind her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family and I would love to offer you a bed, Miss Eloise. There are the barns, but that\u2019s no place for someone your age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re too kind. But I wouldn\u2019t want to put you out of a bed with two little ones and another on the way. I\u2019m quite happy to sleep where I may, and a barn is fine enough. Come, let\u2019s not talk about me. Tell me more about Riverfarm and this [Emperor] of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eloise smiled and laughed again. Rie hesitated as the others at the table nodded. She glanced up at the blue sky and, with effort, stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to partake in this conversation, Miss Eloise. But I\u2019m afraid I truly am busy. Your tea and biscuits were lovely, and I\u2019m sure I will find you again. But with apologies\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The older woman sighed, but nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be time for tea every day. But I quite understand. I should be delighted, Lady Rie. But take another biscuit before you go? You look like you could use one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie shook her head. But she was smiling as she stood and bade farewell to the impromptu tea circle. The [Carpenter], the [Councilwoman], and mother seemed content to sit and talk about what had brought them to Riverfarm with Eloise, and Rie couldn\u2019t bear to order them back to work. She stepped away from the table before she was sucked back in.<\/p>\n

She resumed her walk, blinking as she noticed a good fifteen minutes must have passed. The sun had moved noticeably in the sky! She shook her head, bemused.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a lovely woman, Geram.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geram, chewing his biscuit, choked on his reply. Rie shook her head. She even felt<\/em> better after that little break. She wasn\u2019t so flustered or worried. A few Skills, it had to be. Or just really good tea. Either way, Eloise was a name to remember.<\/p>\n

Now there was someone Rie was glad to have in Riverfarm, never mind her age. Then again\u2026too many old folk would be a problem. But were they going to turn away people who came to Riverfarm based on their qualifications? As Rie walked on, she shook her head, trying to get herself back in the proper state of mind, which was anxious.<\/p>\n

In the end, she had to trust Laken wasn\u2019t making a mistake. But he had better get here now, and those Goblins had better be worth the delay. Or else Rie did fear for the future.<\/p>\n

Magnolia Reinhart would not sit idly forever. This trade war was only the smallest of things in her arsenal. She might be a beneficent ruler today, but Rie had seen what the Reinharts could do. And they would drag the bodies of their foes through the streets and feed them to the dogs before yielding in anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d lost time talking to Eloise. Not just fifteen minutes either. Thirty? Rie didn\u2019t know, but somehow she\u2019d completely missed an event around the main gates of Riverfarm. Like everything else, they were a work in progress, not least because they had to keep being rebuilt further and further out. But the village or town or even city would need walls, and the blood-stained [Riders] trotting back down the street proved just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeniar!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie\u2019s pulse quickened in alarm as she saw the blood, but the [Cataphract] and former adventurer rode up to her with a smile on his face. He saluted her and dismounted in one move. Rie stared at the Darksky Riders, who were tending to their horses, and then the three women with hats, one old, one young, and one still a child, who were looking around the village, oblivious to the crowd, the riders, or Rie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beniar chuckled as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened? Lady Rie, we got that [Bandit] group we thought was waylaying people nearby! At least one of them. They were waylaying travellers on the road\u2014those two on horses. We wouldn\u2019t have known or gotten to them in time, but that other one\u2014she flew<\/em> to Riverfarm and told us what was happening! On a broom!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA broom?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie stared at the young woman that Beniar was pointing to. That jogged her memory, but before she could fix on that, the three were striding towards her. The old woman, who was wearing all black, adjusted her pointed hat and looked around.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me. Are you the woman in charge around here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question took Rie aback. It suggested that the answer was \u2018no\u2019 and that the woman asking it knew that fact, but she was asking for formality\u2019s sake. Frowning, Rie regarded her and the young girl following close behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am Lady Rie Valerund, in service to His Majesty, Laken Godart. I understand you were attacked on the road, Miss. I hope you haven\u2019t come to any harm?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman frowned at \u2018His Majesty\u2019 and narrowed her eyes, but only slightly. She turned to look at Beniar, who gave her a charming grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cPleasure to be of service, Miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the woman touched her hat, lifted it a fraction, and nodded to Beniar and Lady Rie. Just that; no bow for the [Lady], nothing else.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitch Califor. Thank you, Rider. Your response was truly quick. Though I had heard Riverfarm was safe from [Bandits] of any kind. I suppose that was too much to hope for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her question took the wind right out of Beniar\u2019s sails. Rie hesitated, but responded quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are\u2014normally. However, the, ah\u2014ah\u2014method we have to detect them isn\u2019t working as it usually does, and this group had been avoiding Beniar and his [Riders] for weeks. I do regret the close call!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see. I thought I felt a roving eye, but it is just one eye, then. Now, may I ask if your [Emperor] is present? I should like to meet him at his earliest convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Lady Rie was annoyed at this imperious stranger, and she realized she was correcting her posture, trying to seem her best. Who was<\/em> this woman? She reminded Rie of the formidable Lady Zanthia, but she was certainly no noblewoman!<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Emperor Godart is absent. And if he was here\u2014if you have business in Riverfarm, I suggest you present it to me. May I ask who your companions are?\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of being embarrassed by the rebuke, Miss Califor only raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may. This is Nanette, my student. And this is Witch Alevica.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet you! I\u2019m Witch Alevica. You might have heard of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman next to Califor waved a lazy hand. She looked friendly, but she was far too informal! The girl named Nanette started, stared at Lady Rie with proper awe, and began to curtsey. Right up until Miss Califor stopped her with one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitches do not curtsey, Nanette.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the little girl shyly touched the brim of her hat and tipped it up. She almost tried to bow, but after a peek at Califor, who touched her hat as well, the two did nothing else.<\/p>\n

This brief encounter was quickly reversing all the goodwill and calm of Rie\u2019s encounter with Eloise. The [Lady]\u2019s eyes flashed, and she drew herself up, glaring at Califor as Beniar snuck past Geram.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, Miss Califor. I remind you that I am<\/em> a [Lady], and you are in my presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. These are the facts. So you know, it is considered polite to address me as Witch<\/em> Califor, Lady Valerund.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie\u2019s mouth dropped open. She saw the girl, Nanette, cover her mouth and try not to giggle, and Geram bristled\u2014but Califor walked past her without a second word and beckoned to the girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome along, Nanette. Let\u2019s find a place for the horses and the others. There are at least two more here. One yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? How dare\u2014come back here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie spluttered as the two walked past her with the horses, yet even Nanette didn\u2019t turn, but hurried after Miss Califor. Rie stared at their backs until the last of the new arrivals, the young woman named Alevica, coughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, is there a pub around here? Or a Runner\u2019s Guild?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie, Geram, and Beniar stared at her. Alevica looked around, her smile not bothering at all to hide her amusement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo? I\u2019ll be on my way then. See you in a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on.\u201d<\/p>\n

At last, Rie caught herself and looked at Geram. The man moved to block Alevica\u2019s path, and the young woman stopped. Not warily, just with a frown. And her pale pink eyes narrowed as they flicked from Geram to Rie.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust introductions. Did Beniar say you flew<\/em> into Riverfarm? You wouldn\u2019t happen to be Alevica, the Witch Runner?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beniar started at the name. Alevica just grimaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI prefer, \u2018the only damn Runner who can fly north of Pallass.\u2019 But sure. That\u2019s me. I warned your militia here that there were [Bandits] attacking Miss Califor and her apprentice. No need to thank me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, she began to walk around Geram. He tried to block her a second time, but when Alevica paused, she put a hand on a knife in her belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t appreciate being stopped, bald man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie paused. She\u2019d heard about Alevica, and she dearly wished she was near a city where she could pay for information about Alevica to refresh her memory. Geram looked down warily at Alevica and stepped back after glancing at Rie for confirmation. The [Lady] chose her words carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is Geram. My bodyguard. I apologize for his insistence, but I would greatly like to speak with you, Miss Alevica.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laken could use a good Runner, even one with her reputation. But Alevica just grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure. But you have to wait. Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll see each other. Soon, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes flicked down the way Califor had gone, and then she turned her head over her shoulder. Rie stared. Alevica turned back to look at her, then nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

She strolled off past Geram. The [Fist Fighter] hesitated and walked over to Rie.<\/p>\n

\u201cLady Rie, should I stop\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No, let her go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie quietly fumed as she watched Alevica strolling down the street, a hand in one pocket, scratching at windblown hair. Now she understood some of the tales about Alevica. The Witch Runner indeed. And that Califor! Rie turned balefully to Beniar, but he was already back with his Darksky Riders, regaling the crowd with exploits of what had just happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m rather peeved at the moment, Geram. But I think I\u2019d better find Prost and make sure the trial is going well.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a moment, Rie decided that was her only course of action. Geram nodded, and Rie swept down the street. Just in time to hear the screaming begin. She paused, stared down the street towards the public square and pillories, and broke into a run. Behind her, Geram swore and pounded past her.<\/p>\n

\u201cLady Valerund! Let me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He shouted, but Rie didn\u2019t stop. If something had gone wrong, if a riot had broken out, they\u2019d need Beniar and his [Riders]. What had happened? Had Elmmet tricked the truth stone somehow? That shouldn\u2019t be possible at his level. Or had that Beatica managed to stir up the crowd\u2014<\/p>\n

A rush of people came down the street, mainly Lancrel\u2019s people, but villagers and townsfolk as well. Most of the ones in front were women, mothers, holding white-faced children. But families, single men, townsfolk, all of them were pouring away from the square in a rush. Rie halted, and Geram moved to block the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop! <\/em>What is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie shouted at the crowd, but she didn\u2019t have a Skill to halt a crowd. And she hadn\u2019t learned an aura Skill. She had other Skills, but for situations like this, all she had was her presence. And it wasn\u2019t enough to halt the crush of people fighting to get away from\u2014something.<\/p>\n

Geram was, though. The big man halted those closest to him with his body alone, and when they noticed Rie through their panic, she was instantly surrounded by frightened people and screaming children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is going on? Is someone hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie looked around, bewildered. There weren\u2019t any marks of violence, but then a woman from Lancrel screamed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s dead!<\/em> Master Elmmet\u2019s dead!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie\u2019s blood froze. Elmmet? Dead? Prost hadn\u2019t lost his temper, had he? Or\u2014what if he\u2019d been lynched? But the crowd would have turned. These ones just looked horrified.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow? What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just murdered<\/em> a man in the street! Cut off his head just like that! With children to see!\u201d<\/p>\n

A man shouted, his face white. Rie recoiled. A public execution? She hadn\u2019t ever seen one. But\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cWho? A woman? Not Prost?\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd nodded. One of them pointed shakily.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe called herself Hedag! And she had an axe! And she used a Skill\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t real. It couldn\u2019t be real.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the women who looked like she was from Lancrel murmured through pale lips. Another man just shook his head. He looked like he\u2019d been sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was real. Dead gods, but it was. He deserved a hundred times worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the people nodded. But the woman shook her head repeatedly, and her eyes were wide, wild.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! I knew him! He can\u2019t have\u2014it was a lie. It cannot<\/em> be true! Cannot! <\/em>It was murder all the same!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we saw\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

A man began, and then there was silence. A child started screaming. Someone had to sit down, shaking. Rie realized that no one was going to make sense in the hubbub. She looked at Geram.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need Prost. Clear me a path. Please! Let me through!\u201d<\/p>\n

Geram nodded, and with Rie\u2019s calls, he forced a path through the crowd of people all rushing away from the square. Rie stepped quickly, ignoring the people trying to get her attention.<\/p>\n

To her relief, she found Prost at the back of the crowd, shouting and restoring order. The man had a grim look in his eyes, but he wasn\u2019t harmed either. He was shouting at the crowd, ordering them not to shove\u2014he turned as Rie rushed towards him.<\/p>\n

\u201cProst! <\/em>What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Steward] turned to Lady Rie, and he paused. His face was pale, sweaty, but not nearly as bad as the city folk, some of whom looked like they were close to fainting.<\/p>\n

\u201cElmmet\u2019s dead, Rie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost inhaled slowly, grimacing. Rie stared at him, her heart beating wildly, but the [Steward] was slow to reply. Prost spoke quietly, half-turning back towards the square.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a woman. Hedag the [Executioner]. She appeared in the trial when Beatica and Elmmet were stirring up trouble, claiming the truth stone was false. She\u2014she used a Skill. Revealed Elmmet\u2019s crimes. Then she cut off his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe murdered <\/em>him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie was horrified. The [Steward] shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t murder. That was justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spat twice to get rid of the taste in his mouth. Rie stared at him uncomprehendingly. Her eyes shifted to the blood on Prost\u2019s pant leg, then past him towards the square. She couldn\u2019t see the body, which was just as well; Prost knew the axe flashing down would haunt his dreams for weeks to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what happened. From the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost nodded. He and Rie turned, and with Geram\u2019s help, they managed to calm the crowd, who really had just wanted to get away from the grisly sight. Everyone was shocked, and the children? Sick or incoherent with panic.<\/p>\n

Again, it was the difference between city folk and villagers; the children who\u2019d seen a butchering or lived on a farm had seen that level of blood. Just not on a Human body.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn [Executioner]?<\/em> They\u2019re exceptionally rare! Even most cities prefer to hire someone to do it. It hardly requires someone for that one job! And she just turned up? You\u2019re sure she wasn\u2019t planted by Beatica?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe most definitely was not. And her Skill\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure it revealed Elmmet\u2019s crimes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the shadow him doing all of it. It was him. I\u2019m certain. And even Beatica would say it was the truth. What that man did deserved the axe. It was just that Hedag did it then and there, after the hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Steward] was shaking as he remembered what he had seen. Rie stared at him, uncomprehending.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she now? Did you arrest her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cArrest her? For what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKilling a man in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Lady] had to stop and take a breath. Prost was clearly shaken himself. He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowd bolted, and I had to keep them from trampling each other. I\u2019ve no idea where she is. I think she might be in the square still.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case, we need to arrest her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what?<\/em> Show me a man or woman there who\u2019ll say it was wrong. His wife won\u2019t. His daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost spat again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Hedag hadn\u2019t done it, he wouldn\u2019t have left that square alive after what I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not the point<\/em>. People are panicking, and rumors will spread. Beatica will twist this, no matter what the people there saw. There must be a proper inquiry and an announcement\u2014Geram, find Beniar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can arrest this woman myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Fist Fighter] looked back down the street. Rie shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not. She has an axe; get Beniar and some of his [Riders] to back you up. Bring her to\u2014to the throne room. And then we\u2019ll call an assembly of everyone we can and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She was fumbling, looking around, trying to figure out what they\u2019d do exactly when the second shriek<\/em> split the air. Prost\u2019s head jerked up. He and Rie looked at each other. This time, neither one wasted time asking questions. They just ran in the direction of the sound.<\/p>\n

This was how they gathered, staring at the cauldron of ruined soup on the ground. With a murder of crows spiraling in the air. With a woman, Rehanna, lying on the ground, clutching her ruined hand as Nesor tried to heal her. Rie and Prost burst out of the crowd, which had doubled in size, and took in the moment at once. They looked at Durene, Wiskeria, Rehanna, and then up.<\/p>\n

A\u2026woman perched on the neatly thatched roof of the house. She had to be a woman. She had the right figure. The correct face, thin and angular, but still with its own beauty. And dark skin.<\/p>\n

She perched like a raven. Or one of the crows circling the street overhead. And she just smiled as she looked down at Rehanna, who was screaming and clutching at her hand. Lady Rie looked at the bleeding, charred mess of her hand and then at the doorknob with blackened flesh hanging on the knob. Her stomach turned, but she kept control of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a curse! She did it!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the women pointed unsteadily up at the woman on the roof. The crowd, already uneasy, turned to panic as news of what had happened in the trial spread. And then the panic turned to fear. Hostility. Rie felt it gathering around her. She stared up at the woman and stepped forwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Rie\u2019s shout calmed everyone for a second. They looked at her, Riverfarm folk, Lancrel\u2019s refugees, Prost, Durene, Wiskeria, and the woman on the rooftop. Rehanna had mercifully fainted as the potion healed her hand. In the silence, Rie pointed a finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you? How dare you attack one of Riverfarm\u2019s people? This village is under the protection of Emperor Laken Godart\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman stared down at Lady Rie. Rie hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you attack Rehanna?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Twas a rudeness done. An ill for goodwill. I just repaid her in kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman answered as naturally as if Rie had asked why the sky was blue. She leapt down onto the street, landing lightly, and the crowd backed up. But it was to Wiskeria the woman turned. She nodded and reached up to her hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWiskeria. I greet thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMavika. Why are you here?<\/em> I told you I wasn\u2019t coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiskeria stared at Mavika, her face pale. Rie turned to stare at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know her? Wiskeria?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a [Witch].\u201d<\/p>\n

The word repeated itself through the crowd, from person to person. [Witch]? [Witch]!<\/p>\n

Witch.<\/em> And Rie focused on the pointed hat on both womens\u2019 heads. Then she had a terrible premonition. A thought. But it was nothing to the look on Wiskeria\u2019s face. Slowly, the young woman looked around. She met Durene\u2019s gaze, then Mavika\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cMavika. Did the coven come with you? This is my ground. You weren\u2019t invited! Why are you here?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The bird-like [Witch] smiled. Bitterly, knowingly. With a crow\u2019s mocking laughter hidden in her eyes. And a raven flew down among the crows and landed on her arm. Mavika reached up to stroke its head. She said only this:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not my coven, Wiskeria. There are six. The seventh is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed, and every head turned. Silently, the folk of Riverfarm looked down the streets towards the gates. And the last [Witch] arrived silently and without fuss. She was the most terrifying of them all.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Day 56 \u2013 Ryoka<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

After three days of running, Ryoka was relieved to see Riverfarm in the distance. She assumed it was the same village; it looked nothing like she remembered. Far too large and\u2026but it was the right place, she was sure.<\/p>\n

It had been a taxing run. So Ryoka smiled as she saw the village. Charlay was even more ecstatic. The Centauress let out a whoop<\/em> of pleasure as she pointed at Riverfarm in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHah! We made it at last! I\u2019ll race you to the gates! Last one there\u2019s a stinky Selphid!\u201d<\/p>\n

She took off, racing ahead at full-speed. Ryoka blinked at her and then cursed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey! Charlay, damn it, wait\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

She charged after Charlay, but the Centauress was<\/em> a horse. Ryoka couldn\u2019t catch up with her! The City Runner slowed. She wasn\u2019t going to charge into the village huffing and panting. She needed a plan.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d come here to help Laken. And to find out what he\u2019d done with Riverfarm and who he\u2019d become since she\u2019d parted ways with him. Apparently, he was a ways from the village, but Ryoka had to deliver the potions to a \u2018Lady Rie\u2019. Who was a real noble, apparently. Failing that, a Mister Prost. Ryoka remembered Prost\u2019s name, but a [Lady]? She had to tread carefully. Figure out how she could introduce herself and help. If help was what she should do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to play it cool. Charlay will help with that. I\u2019m just a Runner\u2014unless they\u2019re expecting me. What did Laken tell them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryoka murmured as she ran past a forest encroaching towards the road. She hadn\u2019t thought this through enough. She couldn\u2019t be old Ryoka. Then again, what was new Ryoka\u2019s game? What could she do?<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Ryoka stopped in the road. She didn\u2019t know why. Only that the wind at her back had gone still. It had been blowing gently behind her. But all of a sudden it died. And the young woman felt a cold chill run down her spine.<\/p>\n

There was no reason for it. One moment she was running, the next, her legs had stopped on her. Ryoka reached for the wind, but it was gone. Not rebellious, not refusing to listen to her.<\/p>\n

Gone.<\/em><\/p>\n

And the Runner girl realized she was no longer alone. It was a prickling of her thumbs, a tingling on the back of her neck. As she turned, she saw them.<\/p>\n

Dead bodies. Lying in the shadows of the trees. Men and women, hacked to pieces. Blood had run and dried, but the ground was still wet in places. And the forest held them.<\/p>\n

It was a lovely, blue, clear, dry day. Ryoka stared at the dead bodies. A dozen had died, at least. She took a step back. She\u2019d missed them, but there they lay. Bandits? Travellers? She looked around and felt it again.<\/p>\n

Something was out there. The young woman reached for her belt and stopped. Her head turned. The dirt road was blank. Riverfarm seemed very far away in the distance. There was no one here.<\/p>\n

But there was. The shadows seemed longer across the ground. The forest grew in the distance, and the branches of nearby trees reached for Ryoka. She looked around, and her skin crawled, and the hairs on her body rose. Something was watching her.<\/p>\n

Her missing fingers ached<\/em>. Slowly, carefully, Ryoka let go of her belt knife and reached for something in her bag of holding. Her fingers came out holding a caltrop. Pure, cold iron. Ryoka tossed it to her other hand and reached back into her bag of holding. She came out with a cross, the tip sharpened like a stake.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t make her feel better. Something was out there<\/em>, and Ryoka felt terribly, terribly cold. Too late, she remembered the run on the Winter Solstice. Not when she\u2019d come to Riverfarm, but when she\u2019d left<\/em> it.<\/p>\n

She had been in a forest then. Ryoka\u2019s head slowly turned. The dead faces lying amongst the trees stared at her. She backed away, her heart pounding. She shouldn\u2019t have come here.<\/em> It was a trap.<\/p>\n

Ryoka turned to run. Then she saw her. She was standing on the road in front of Ryoka, not a dozen paces away. She was so obvious that Ryoka didn\u2019t know how she had missed her.<\/p>\n

A tall woman straightened from one of the bodies. Blue, but so dark in color as to appear black. Long and draping; a robe tattered by a hundred thousand cuts and frays in it. Rich cloth torn to shreds.<\/p>\n

No\u2014wait\u2014Ryoka blinked, and the cloth was whole and plain. It was so long as to almost pool behind the woman and simple. A traveller\u2019s robes\u2014<\/p>\n

Blink.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Ancient fabric covered with delicate ornamentation. Tiny skulls and fields of wheat blending and melding together into the seam of her robes. So tiny Ryoka shouldn\u2019t have seen them from here, but perfectly magnified. A sweeping march of the crests of kingdoms, and a thousand banners, each bearing a different crest, rising up over old fabric that shone like magic itself.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then the robes were just robes, and Ryoka saw the woman\u2019s head turn. She had black hair, which ran down to her waist, and she was tall.<\/em> Seven feet tall? She cast a vast shadow that stretched before her. Not just from her mere height; the hat on her head was wide enough to cast her entire body into shade. Its wide brim was ungainly but for how she wore it. And it was pointed.<\/p>\n

Ryoka took a step back. Her hands were shaking. This was no specter or dream. This woman was real. But Ryoka felt it. The same feeling she sometimes got from Ivolethe. The feeling of the Solstice. From Teriarch. Her fingers hurt.<\/em><\/p>\n

The woman hadn\u2019t seen her. She had been inspecting the dead, her fingers touching the red stains on the ground. When she stood\u2014<\/p>\n

Her robes rustled, and she cast her eyes towards the horizon. The air rustled around the woman. Fled, carrying cobwebs off around her.<\/p>\n

Strands of thread, like a storm. <\/em>Filaments of gossamer web that became a sea of vanishing particles. The woman opened her hand, as if to catch them, and for a second\u2014her eyes followed the webs as they vanished.<\/p>\n

Then she was utterly still. Eyes fixed on something Ryoka couldn\u2019t see; Ryoka could not take her eyes away from the stranger. Only after a second did those eyes roll\u2014following the wind as it gusted away, whirling around the frozen City Runner. Then they focused on Ryoka.<\/p>\n

The woman had seen her.<\/p>\n

She walked beneath the shade, abandoning the stain of red. Her stride was slow, unhurried. As she approached, Ryoka saw her face beneath the hat.<\/p>\n

There was no expression on the woman\u2019s face. Neither surprise nor curiosity. Nor anger, not sadness. Just a blank stare. And her eyes\u2014her eyes!<\/em> Ryoka stared into them. They weren\u2019t a normal person\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

The woman\u2019s pupils were all wrong. She had not one, but multiple irises, each one smaller and smaller, disappearing into the center of her eyes. And in each iris, the color of her eyes was orange. A pumpkin\u2019s color, the color of fire, carrots. Tiger\u2019s stripes, rust. Black rings dividing her eyes into ever-smaller irises.<\/p>\n

Orange glowing beneath the hat with more light than the sun had to offer. It seemed as if Ryoka could fall into<\/em> those eyes.<\/p>\n

Ryoka felt her breath coming in quick bursts. The caltrop was digging into her hand, the points drawing blood. The stake was slippery in her other hand. The woman stopped in front of her, and Ryoka realized the woman was taller than her. Not thin, not wide. But she seemed to block out the sun. She looked down at Ryoka. And then she bent forwards.<\/p>\n

Down\u2014<\/em>Ryoka had never met a woman who had to stoop to get eye to eye with her. The head tilted left. Right. Then the woman sniffed.<\/em><\/p>\n

At this, Ryoka did flinch backwards. The woman inhaled\u2014narrowed her eyes, then stared at Ryoka. The Wind Runner, reflexively, jogged back a few steps. The woman remained still, stooped in that odd posture, staring. Her eyes followed Ryoka as the Wind Runner edged back.<\/p>\n

She didn't move. <\/em>Ryoka edged back another step, saw those eyes shift slightly\u2014then stare ahead. They flicked from Ryoka to Riverfarm, as if noticing something. Then to Ryoka\u2014then there was that sniffing<\/em> again.<\/p>\n

What was she staring at\u2014?<\/em> Ryoka looked around, wondering if it was\u2014<\/p>\n

The woman was right in front of her. <\/em>There was no way she could have moved, but she was right<\/em> there, the same posture, but she had bridged the distance until she and Ryoka were almost nose-to-nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cGah!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryoka leapt back in terror, now, well and true fright. But the woman just tilted her head one last time. Then she straightened.<\/p>\n

Tall, face impassive, she stood there for\u2026minutes. How long, Ryoka couldn\u2019t say, but like someone cornered by a strange beast, she just stood there. The City\u2019s Runner\u2019s legs were shaking until the woman\u2019s eyes boring into her head blinked. She blinked\u2014spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello. A fine day it is, traveller.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice was deep. Quiet. And it had a reverberation, a subtle echo to it. But the words were normal. Ryoka started. She felt sweat running down her back. The woman stared down at her. After a moment, she looked up and gestured at the sky. She wore black gloves. No\u2014black wrappings, a thin cloth wrapped around each finger and hand. Only the skin on her face was visible. The woman went on, staring up at the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fine day to travel upon any road. Dry. Although it should be raining. Thundering. But the skies are clear. It bodes ill.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down at Ryoka. Her tone was trying to be conversational, but there was nothing normal about her. Behind her, the bodies lay in death. The shadows seemed to slowly be moving. The woman stared at Ryoka. She glanced once at the caltrop and stake-cross. Then at Ryoka\u2019s face as if they didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI seek sanctuary. I have been invited and name myself Great Witch of Terandria. By my hat, I claim entry to these lands and the hospitality of the realm. Allow it me, I pray you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWha\u2014who\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing about this made sense.<\/em> But the words snapped Ryoka out of her paralysis. Uncertainly, she lowered her hands. She let go of neither weapon, though. The woman was asking for sanctuary? Ryoka glanced past the woman at the dead people on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bodies\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman blinked slowly. Then her head turned. She regarded the bodies as if she\u2019d forgotten they existed. She turned back to Ryoka and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her tone was completely disinterested. As if the dead were leaves or branches. Ryoka licked her lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you cause that? I mean\u2014did you see what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

It seemed to her that if the woman had<\/em> done it, she would seem guilty or at least\u2014invested. For answer, the woman thought about the question, then replied slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw neither murder nor ghost. I am seeking Riverfarm. Do you know where it lies?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman looked at Ryoka. The City Runner hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s behind you. Down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman\u2019s head turned again. She regarded the village in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see. It was not here the last time I visited.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was all she said. There was no embarrassment, no pointing out it was in plain view. The woman turned to Ryoka.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank you for your help, messenger. I must continue my journey. I am late. A fair morning to you. A pleasure to meet someone on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Normal words. But those eyes. The feeling in her bones\u2014Ryoka shuddered. The woman was just staring at her after saying her goodbyes. And Ryoka was sure she was something beyond just Human. Something like\u2014Az\u2019kerash?<\/em><\/p>\n

Part of her wanted to run. But the rest had to ask. Ryoka took a shaky breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014uh\u2014no problem. I\u2019m\u2014my name is\u2014Ryoka Griffin. What\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

She wondered if that was a mistake. But the woman didn\u2019t react to Ryoka\u2019s name. She just waited and then replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am called Belavierr.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fair day\u2019s greetings, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two regarded each other. Ryoka warily, Belavierr as if\u2026Ryoka were a perplexing obstacle. She didn\u2019t seem to need to blink except when she chose. Ryoka took another breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI, uh\u2014you have business in Riverfarm? Would you like to travel together, Mis\u2014Belavierr?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe that would be wise. My mount does not tolerate strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMount?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryoka stared at Belavierr. The woman nodded once. Her voice dropped, and she stood there again, wistfully, raising one hand towards the sun itself, as if in regret.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough I had no cause to ride him for an age.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned and gestured. Only then did Ryoka notice the horse. It was standing in the forest, pawing the ground and snorting quietly. It was a giant of an animal. Ryoka gaped. How had she missed it? Belavierr turned and walked towards it. The animal had no saddle, but she hoisted herself up without missing a beat.<\/p>\n

The stallion was black and huge, a beast of an animal that could put a warhorse to shame for sheer size. But the woman was tall enough herself, and with that hat, she cut a dramatic figure riding on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank thee for your help, friend of winds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belavierr looked flatly at Ryoka and spoke without emotion or inflection. So saying, she turned, and the horse began to walk ahead down the road towards Riverfarm. Ryoka thought that was it. But the woman remained turned in her seat.<\/p>\n

Staring at Ryoka. Her ringed eyes never left Ryoka\u2019s face. And the young woman was held by the gaze. The horse walked forwards, but Belavierr kept staring. For a minute, three, seven\u2014until she was a distant shape heading towards Riverfarm. Only then, far, far in the distance, did she turn.<\/p>\n

Ryoka felt the moment the woman\u2019s eyes left her. She shuddered, and only then did the wind return, blowing against her back. She heard a buzzing sound, dodged backwards reflexively, and saw a large insect with too many legs flying towards the bodies. She smelled the scent of iron in the air and death. Ryoka gagged, then peered down the road.<\/p>\n

A distant horse and rider were heading towards the village. Ryoka stared at Belavierr\u2019s back. At the dead people. Then she looked down the road. She could run. She could leave. But\u2014Charlay was in Riverfarm. She\u2019d taken the request. And Belavierr wasn\u2019t the three strangers in the forest. She wasn\u2019t Az\u2019kerash. Or Teriarch. Or Ivolethe.<\/p>\n

But she was something. Ryoka didn\u2019t know what, but she had a guess. She fixed on her hands. Blood ran from where the caltrop had dug into her palm.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.\u2019 <\/em>Fuck. Laken, what have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she ran towards Riverfarm. When she arrived, it was in time to see Belavierr walking down the main street. As Ryoka drew close to the scene, she felt the same presence. The same feeling that the shadows were moving around her.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rehanna, lying on the ground, her burnt flesh on the doorknob. The blood of Elmmet running down the main square of Riverfarm. A crowd staring at the overturned cauldron. Prost, Rie, Durene, and Wiskeria confronting the woman as crows circled overhead. This was the tableau. Only, it wasn\u2019t a quiet stage. The people were beginning to scream at the [Witch], Mavika. Some were calling for Beniar, and he was riding forwards, escorting a giant of a woman. Multiple events coming into confluence.<\/p>\n

But it was Mavika\u2019s pointing finger that drew the attention to her. The lone figure on horseback. She walked down the street calmly, sedately. But her presence drew all that had followed before her into silence.<\/p>\n

Clop. Clip. Clop.<\/em> She rode into the center of Riverfarm, down the street in the center of all of it. Belavierr rode straight for the crowd, and the people parted nervously. But the woman, against expectations, stopped. She dismounted from her horse and patted it. With everyone watching, the woman whispered in the horse\u2019s ear, and it trotted back the way it had come to graze on some grass outside the village. Then, she turned and looked around.<\/p>\n

Her eyes glowed beneath the hat. The people shuddered. But Belavierr took no notice. She stared through them, and her gaze focused on only one person.<\/p>\n

Wiskeria. The young woman stood in the crowd, and her face went pale. She turned away from Mavika. Durene, standing next to her, heard her whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be. Why is she here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

Durene, bewildered, looked at Wiskeria. But the [Witch] didn\u2019t answer. Mavika, however, did.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that is the seventh.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bird-like woman seemed to hesitate, but then she strode forwards as the raven landed on her shoulder. Mavika walked past Wiskeria, past Rie and Prost and the crowd. They sprang away from her as the crows flew low, following their mistress. Belavierr paused. And then another person stepped out of the frozen world.<\/p>\n

Hedag walked past Beniar and Geram. A young woman strolled down the street. She joined the three, making them four.<\/p>\n

Witch Alevica was glancing from face to face, first at Mavika, paling and touching her hat in awe, then Hedag, whispering to a little girl who was staring at Mavika in terror, Eloise who Alevica seemed least impressed by, the tall woman, Califor, with a look of incredulity\u2026<\/p>\n

Hedag, Alevica accorded vague respect, and Belavierr she stared at without any comprehension at all. Alevica\u2019s voice was loud enough to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy my hat! That\u2019s Witch Mavika herself. Be polite<\/em>, Nanette. And the <\/em>Hedag? The Eloise is here, and the <\/em>Califor herself? I mean, that\u2019s your master, but mine should be here, not me! Wait. Who\u2019s\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know the tallest of the lot, Belavierr. But when she saw the others walking together, Alevica hurried forwards.<\/p>\n

A pair followed them. An older woman and a child, who raised her pointed hat to Mavika and received the same. But they stopped when they saw the tall woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Califor sighed, and Nanette tipped her hat to the tall woman, who had not acknowledged the others. Hedag winked at Nanette, but her eyes, Mavika\u2019s, and Califor\u2019s fixed on the woman called Belavierr.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we call an end to this here and now? Good to see you, Califor. I tip my hat to thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedag\u2019s voice was merry, and the blood on her axe was still wet. Califor pursed her lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo late to stop. Who else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her head turned, and an old woman approached, greeting the other six with a warm smile. Eloise tipped her hat to the others. Then her eyes stole to the tall woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that is why Agratha claimed she was not invited. We might have expected this\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever she might have said was cut short by Mavika\u2019s harsh voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence. There are words for after. Now matters, no matter who and why we came.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this, Eloise ducked her head, and the women were silent. Then, all of them looked back down the street.<\/p>\n

When they walked, it was together.<\/p>\n

A young woman\u2014no, a girl who might have been twelve wearing a dark blue hat with a wrinkle near the tip. Leading her, a stern-faced woman, her hat properly black, but a lighter shade of it, as were her robes, made for riding and travel, walking forwards without regard to whoever was in the way.<\/p>\n

The short, smiling, elderly woman who\u2019d been sipping at tea. Her hat appeared on her grey locks, decorated with still-fresh sunflower heads, a friendly grey hat bestrewn with color. She strolled along, her face wrinkled, pleasant, her gait quicker to keep up with the others.<\/p>\n

The hunched figure who\u2019d cast a curse. A flock of black birds circled overhead as she walked. Her hat was as black as shade, bearing a crow that cawed<\/em> as it fluttered its wings, dislodging a feather.<\/p>\n

A young woman with pale, pink eyes strode forwards. She wore a purple, professionally tailored hat, narrower and sloped to prevent it leaving her head at speed. She carried a broom on one shoulder, and her steps were light.<\/p>\n

Next to her strode a giant of a woman, nearly as tall as Durene, and with arms heavy with muscle. Her smile was like sunshine, warm and glowing, but with harsh brilliance hidden beneath. Her hat was brown and worn, a travelling companion. Stained with dark liquid in places.<\/p>\n

In the middle of them, the woman who did not belong, who made the shadows twitch. Her hat was wide, blue as the depths of the ocean, so unfathomably dark as to be close to black, and as old as she was. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes never left Wiskeria\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Seven of them. They walked down the street, small and tall, old and young, smiling and silent. Shoulder-to-shoulder. And their pointed hats marked them.<\/p>\n

Witches.<\/em><\/p>\n

They stopped in the street, ignoring the folk of Riverfarm, Rie, Prost, even Durene. It was Wiskeria who they looked at. Each [Witch] stepped forwards, one after another from\u2026youngest to oldest? The girl was first.<\/p>\n

Nanette. She trembled, aware of the eyes on her as she raised her hat and bowed at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cW-Witch Wiskeria? I tip my hat to thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alevica winked and simply raised her hat an inch, grinning with amusement at Wiskeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeya, Wis, I tip my hat to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, Miss Califor, whose delivery was as smooth and precise as Nanette\u2019s had been stuttering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitch Wiskeria, I tip my hat to thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

After her, Hedag. The woman boomed as she swept her hat off, revealing her hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Wiskeria! I tip my hat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eloise was next. The old woman bowed as she tipped her hat, her voice kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWiskeria, a pleasure. I tip my hat to you, child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second-last was Mavika. Her gaze was familiar, and she raised her hat silently, dislodging the crow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWiskeria, to thee my hat I tip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it was Belavierr\u2019s turn. She stepped forwards, and all but Wiskeria stepped back. Her face was expressionless. It had not changed one whit this entire time, not in greeting the others or before. But Ryoka, panting, standing next to Charlay in the back, saw something happen as Belavierr raised her hat. Her features changed ever so slightly. She\u2014smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaughter, I tip my hat to thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryoka thought it was a smile. It was awkward on her face and gone in a flash. But she had seen it. So had Wiskeria. The [Witch] faced the seven as Belavierr stepped back. And she hesitated. Her hand rose to her hat. Then it stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you all doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The [Witches] paused. Mavika frowned darkly, and Eloise looked rueful. Hedag just shook her head. Miss Califor\u2019s disapproval was written on hers. Nanette was terrified. Alevica just grinned wider. Wiskeria looked from face to face. Belavierr\u2019s was the last she focused on.<\/p>\n

\u201cMavika? Why are you here? Let alone Witch Eloise and Hedag! How far did you come? You\u2014you must be Califor. And you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her head swung from face to face as the older women, Mavika, Eloise, Hedag, and Califor, regarded her. But it was the oldest woman that Wiskeria pointed at angrily, aggressively. Even Mavika seemed shocked as Wiskeria raised her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not your ground, Mother. And this isn\u2019t your coven! This is my land\u2014begone!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

It did nothing to Belavierr\u2019s blank expression. The tallest [Witch]\u2019s voice was calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI claim hospitality, Daughter. My home is but embers. My great work has been ruined by song and flame. Will you not smile for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Belavierr answered Wiskeria, and the [Witch] just stared at her. Her eyes flashed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care. We have parted ways, and I deny you. I am not your daughter any longer, but a [Witch] in my own right. By my craft and on my hat, I claim this place. Leave or be a witch who honors no tradition or vow among our kind!\u201d<\/p>\n

Belavierr did not move. Mavika hissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is here by invitation. By pact and promise. A coven was convened. Seven\u2014Nanette is the apprentice. You are the last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiskeria turned red. She raised her voice to the point of shouting, glaring at each [Witch] in turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cA coven? Who convened it? Not me! I wasn\u2019t consulted, and you, Mavika? You attacked a member of Riverfarm! And Hedag\u2014! Where\u2019s Oliyaya? Why would she<\/em> allow this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eloise exchanged a glance with Mavika, and the bird-[Witch]\u2019s expression was dark. It was Miss Califor who spoke in a clear, carrying tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitch Wiskeria. I greet you twice. I hear your objections, but we are [Witches] from across this continent and, indeed, world. We have travelled far and at inconvenience to be here. Your shock I well understand. Your ties with your mother I shall not interfere in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belavierr\u2019s eyes flicked sideways to Califor, and Wiskeria turned to the other [Witch], hesitating. Califor went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs to the rest, I regret to say it is here we must stay, your greeting or not. Witch Oliyaya could not attend, but seven witches were called for, and seven have arrived. No matter who\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced at Belavierr, then at Alevica, who clearly felt like she was the odd one out, staring wide-eyed at the others\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must stay. I ask for your blessing and friendship. I would hate to quarrel amongst our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

For answer, all the [Witches] present looked to Belavierr. Alevica\u2019s grin faded. Hedag lowered the axe on her shoulder to the ground and leaned on it. Eloise lowered her hat\u2019s brim.<\/p>\n

And Belavierr? She lifted something up. She had not been holding it a second before, but now her hands were full. What she held was a hat.<\/p>\n

It was pointed. Green, forest green. A smaller hat than the one she wore, classically pointed, tied with a yellow ribbon around the base. Wiskeria\u2019s eyes widened when she saw it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\u2014Witch Mamie\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up, her face suddenly pale. Belavierr met her daughter\u2019s eyes. Slowly, she turned the hat. And Wiskeria saw the hole around the brim of the hat. The faded, dried blood.<\/p>\n

The street was still. Ryoka, staring at the hat in Belavierr\u2019s hands, understood what it meant. Everyone did. A [Witch]\u2019s hat. Wiskeria took it as her mother offered it to her, her hands shaking. She stared at the hole, then at Mavika.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2014why wasn\u2019t I told? When did it happen? Who did this?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice broke on the last words. The bird-[Witch] didn\u2019t reply. Slowly, Mavika looked up. A crow swooped down. And dropped something into her hands.<\/p>\n

The second hat fell slowly, and it was small. A red hat, too vibrant and stylish to be immediately a [Witch]\u2019s\u2014save for the pointed tip. Red, fancy. Torn across the brim twice. Mavika caught it and held it out. Wiskeria stared at it, face now completely bloodless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitch Tillica?\u201d<\/p>\n

She jerked as Hedag reached into the pack she carried and brought something out. A yellow hat, or at least, it had been, stained by many years and time. And at the end, blood. By her side, Alevica reached into her bag of holding and brought out another hat. Eloise, Califor, even Nanette, her hands shaking. It wasn\u2019t just one. Belavierr lifted a second hat. And then a third. She placed them on the ground; Wiskeria was frozen.<\/p>\n

Hat after hat. Pointed, rounded, old and new. Twenty of them in the end. They sat on the ground, torn, broken, bloody. Some were in pieces, barely recognizable. Others could have been store-bought. A bit further away, Ryoka stared at the line of hats neatly lined up, and small bumps raced up her arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiskeria\u2019s lips were bloodless. Mavika was the one she turned to first and then, slowly, to Belavierr. Only her mother\u2019s face hadn\u2019t changed as the hats were placed on the ground. Alevica had bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood, and Califor had drawn a shaking Nanette to her. The other [Witches] waited as Califor spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fortnight past, the Marshlands Coven was called upon by strangers. Without Witch Mavika, they met and were made an offer. They refused. And they died. Witch Mavika found those responsible and delivered vengeance on those who bloodied their blades. Not the ones who made the offer. Witches are being hunted once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some reason, Califor\u2019s eyes swung to Belavierr, but the tall [Witch] ignored her. Wiskeria\u2019s eyes narrowed as she met her mother\u2019s gaze, but she turned to Califor. Califor indicated Mavika, whose head was bowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach hat of the dead coven was taken and a ritual cast. To six [Witches] a hat was sent by wind or person, by chance or fate. Six\u2014to form a new coven here that the plight of [Witches] be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eloise took over. The shortest [Witch] save Nanette raised her voice, speaking in an official tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call upon Witch Wiskeria to join us in a coven. And we claim the rights of travellers to stay in Riverfarm. We claim sanctuary. We shall remain here until His Majesty, Emperor Laken, may meet with us. We have matters of importance to discuss. An offer. A bargain to be made. While we wait, we shall offer our services.\u201d<\/p>\n

At her words, Belavierr smiled, as if something had occurred to her suddenly. She raised one hand, and a needle appeared. It was made of bone, polished and worn, and Ryoka shuddered to see it. The other [Witches] nodded, Hedag with her axe, Mavika holding a bird on one arm. Miss Califor and Nanette stood together. Eloise sighed and adjusted her hat filled with flowers. Alevica winked at Ryoka in the crowd.<\/p>\n

And Wiskeria, holding the hat, looked around, lost, and then at her mother. Ryoka saw a familiar look on Wiskeria\u2019s face too, though she had never met the [Witch] before. But Ryoka understood the look on the daughter\u2019s face as she gazed up at her mother. Dislike, confusion, anger\u2014<\/p>\n

Ah, family. Hedag boomed as she looked down at Wiskeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you offer us your greeting, Witch Wiskeria? We would not have come if we were not needed. We call for you, witch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mavika nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cA witch you are. A witch we need.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiskeria was lost for words. The bloody hats swayed her, shocked her, and yet\u2014her eyes swung upwards. To the woman claiming to be her mother. She stood there, in silence, as Nanette held onto Califor\u2019s hand, and Alevica looked around, hunching her shoulders. At last, Wiskeria exhaled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI greet you, sisters. I apologize. And I do tip my hat to you all. Welcome. I accept this dire coven and join you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She touched the brim of her hat, tipping it up, and the other [Witches] relaxed. As if something tense had suddenly been relieved. Hedag smiled, Mavika nodded, and Eloise gave Wiskeria a nod. Califor\u2019s features didn\u2019t change. She watched as Wiskeria turned two bright eyes upwards, and her features contorted into a scowl.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014to all but you.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked Belavierr in the eyes, and the [Witch] spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI claim right of hospitality, Daughter. I must.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiskeria jabbed a finger at the taller woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stop you. But you are unwelcome, Mother. Unwelcome, unwanted, and unloved. Know that<\/em>\u2014the rest of you, welcome to Riverfarm.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned away. Alevica began to whistle, fell silent, and Nanette looked shocked by this response. So did Durene and everyone else who knew the mild-mannered Wiskeria. The Coven stood there, clearly not having received the greetings they expected.<\/p>\n

And the unexpected witch? The one rejected by her very daughter?<\/p>\n

Belavierr\u2019s eyes slowly drifted away from her daughter\u2019s stare as Wiskeria stormed away. She straightened and stood there, like a statue. Slowly, her head rotated, taking in the village, the people, and everyone waited for the witch known as Belavierr to do something. Say something.<\/p>\n

When the [Witch] spoke, her lips moved upwards and she held them there, as if that was all a smile was. She said:<\/p>\n

\u201cA fair morning to you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 56 \u2013 Beniar \u00a0 This was how they came. A woman and a girl rode down towards the village in the distance. The woman was tall, thin, and her hat and dress were black. Properly so. Not midnight black or as black as sin, just black. She rode a horse. It wasn\u2019t a racer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693086,349],"tags":[],"twi_volume":[11693135],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-6487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-6","category-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n6.37 E - The Wandering Inn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wanderinginn.com\/2019\/08\/13\/6-37-e\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6.37 E\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Day 56 \u2013 Beniar \u00a0 This was how they came. A woman and a girl rode down towards the village in the distance. The woman was tall, thin, and her hat and dress were black. Properly so. Not midnight black or as black as sin, just black. She rode a horse. 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