The morning was gray, and a wind blew from the north carrying with it a hint of rain. Despite the strange visitor the day before, the preparations for the move were completed, and everything set into motion. Bags were packed, and the last of the supplies crated and loaded. The wagons that carried the tents and other supplies were brought in and added to the growing line. Thayle added two additional wagons to the line. These were requisitioned from the temple of Ulustrah and would be used to help transport the acolytes and their belongings.
Kilgian objected to every part of the plan involving the acolytes. Thayle reminded him she was Governess Commander General and didn't need his approval. She was given authority by the Primes to take whatever she needed, and that included personnel. He begrudgingly relented but insisted he would be watching acolytes the entire journey.
Thayle even took Jaylis, the aged temple scryer. Being able to make contact with Eastgate would come in very handy, and she wanted to make sure Prime Arlin was aware of her moments. Gersius questioned Thayle about the scryers. They were a very rare priest, and almost always male. Since there were so few, they were often relegated to larger temples. In this way, they could relay information between regions more quickly. Gersius was disappointed to hear there were so few of them. A strong network of scryers would have aided logistics greatly.
Now that the time had finally come, the wagon train was assembled, and men were prepared to move out. They decided that Lengwin would lead the column. As the highest-ranking member of the order of Astikar, he would lead them to supplant the Father Abbot. Lengwin attempted to decline the honor by pointing out that this was Gersius's mission. He also pointed out that half the army was Thayle's, who had her own reason to march on the city. Gersius and Thayle agreed that his becoming the new Father Abbot was the primary goal. As such, Lengwin needed to be seen as the leader of the campaign. He would lead a small force of twenty mounted men in full armor at the head of the column. The remaining sixty of his men would walk beside the column with thirty men on each side. These would walk so that there was a fully armored man every ten feet down the length of the column.
Behind Lengwin's men were the wagons belonging to Astikar, and the two wagons belonging to Thayle. Walking directly behind these were the acolytes of both Ulustrah and Balisha. With them was Kilgian to whom was entrusted with their safety. Thayle was concerned that more of her Acolytes would be missing in the morning. Thankfully, none slipped away in the night, thought Gersius noted several of them looked like they should have. The acolytes of Balisha fared better and looked fine in there new clothes. In all five men and four women now called themselves acolytes of the fledgling religion.
Behind the acolytes came the supply wagons carrying the tents, food, and surplus equipment. The kitchen staff rode on these wagons as did a few weaker members of the order of Ulustrah. Behind the last wagons walked the forces of Ulustrah. This now constituted thirty-nine women and three men. All of which looked very unhappy to be marching away. They were led by Mingfe, who selected two captains to assist her. She had them formed into a rough column three-wide that walked like a funeral procession.
At the very rear of the column came the volunteer militia. They were a ragtag collection of warriors and hunters, with a wide range of armor and weapons. Some of these men and women had horses of their own, but most traveled on foot. They were led by the last five priests of Astikar who divided the force into specialists units.
The column stretched down the road and began the long march to uncertainty and war. Gersius stood with Lilly and Thayle to watch it march by. He always did this when he started a new campaign. He wanted to see what he started with and impress on his heart to finish with as much of it intact as he could. He knew there would be loses, that was unavoidable, be he refused to be careless. Every life was precious, and he would not squander them by seeing them as any less.
An hour into the march, they discovered a problem they hadn't anticipated. Once the wagons were passed, Lilly took her dragon form and put on her saddle. With Gersius and Thayle on her back, she flew ahead to scout the road and choose a stopping point. When they returned, Lilly touched down beside the road near the head of the column. The horses reacted like death itself had come for them. All across the column, the animals panicked and reared up. Gersius had to order Lilly back into the air and out of sight while the column fought to regain control. There were a few injuries, but nothing that wasn't easily healed.
Lilly was upset at how the horses reacted, and even more that it led to injuries. To avoid the problem, Gersius had her land well ahead of the column and change back. There they waited for the column to catch up while Thayle comforted Lilly and assured her it was alright.
For the rest of the day, they walked with the others. Thayle met with Mingfe and her forces, planing the camp and the mornings training. Lilly took the time to speak with her Acolytes about what was expected when they stopped for the night.
Gersius spoke with Lengwin, and both men were displeased that they had managed only fifteen miles. Lengwin wanted no less than twenty, but Gersius informed him they should be doing thirty. He hoped that it was the disruption Lilly caused with the horses that was to blame. With any luck, the next day would be better.
When the sun hung low, Gersius called a halt and put the acolytes to work setting up camp. It took a little practice to teach them how to set the tents up. Several had to be pulled down and put back up to get them right, but eventually, they got it, and a proper military compound took shape.
All of the acolyte's tents were in the very center in a double row facing each other. At the head of this row was the meeting tent with Gersius's private quarters. To the left of these were the military tents of the priests of Astikar. Basic sleeping tents with no frills that held two men each. Lengwin had a proper tent, and so did two of his officers. These were situated right next to the meeting tent. On the other side were the two large and three smaller tents for the order of Ulustrah. The few men took one of the smaller tents, while the two large ones held the great number of women. Mingfe and some special women were housed in the remaining smaller tents.
The militia lead by the priests of Astikar had four of the old tents. These had tears and broken poles that needed mending. Those jobs were tackled right away, and by nightfall, most of the damage was mended.
A final small tent was set up to act as a kitchen, and the team of cooks from the estate busied themselves with feeding the entire encampment aided with the help of the Acolytes.
All in all the operation went smoothly and would only get better with practice. Soon the setup and tear down of the camp would be routine and require far less time.
Gersius took the hour after dinner to gather his acolytes into the meeting tent. Once again, he taught them techniques for clearing the mind and opening the heart. This was the vital first step they had to make in order to share a bond with the divine. A few of them looked as if they were close to making the connection. He looked forward to the day when they did. It would show the others it was possible and push them to try harder. Afterward, he let Lilly talk to them about Balisha herself. She told them again about the history of dragons and of the world before the war of the Goddesses. Many sat with wide eyes amazed at the tales of the world that was lost in the devastation.
When she was done with her story, she sat with them and spoke to them like they were friends.
One of the curious acolytes asked the silliest question. “So dragons and humans can love each other?”
Lilly looked at the man with a funny face. “You do realize I am a dragon, and I am married to two humans?”
The man pondered that a moment and then suddenly blushed at his silly question.
Still, this opened the door to all sorts of questions about dragons and human interaction. Lilly had to assure them that it was always meant to be that way, but the dragons were now cursed.
This lead to somebody asking how she had broken her curse, and she did something Gersius hadn’t expected. She told them honestly he bound her, and through the binding, she learned to love again.
Many more questions were asked about how to find dragons and bind them. Lilly saw the danger and struggled to steer them back to talking about Balisha instead.
When the time came for people to sleep, they went out behind the tents, and Lilly changed to her dragon form. She took to the air with Gersius and Thayle safely on in the saddle. For hours she soared through the night sky in search of the towns and temples of Ulustrah that were scattered about.
Thayle was disappointed to find three tiny temples with one priestess in each, and only one slightly larger temple with two. None had received word about the events going on and were shocked to be told. Thayle ordered them all to a town ahead of them called Brandwick, to collect at the temple there and be prepared to march.
The two temples of Astikar they visited were some that already sent men to help. There were only two guards left at each temple, and those men were sour that they were not marching with them.
When they returned in the morning, the camp was already partially down. They set about the morning chores of prayers and brief lessons as the work went on around them. Thayle led a class on sword fighting and sparred with two of her women for the first time. She made them look slow by comparison, but they were learning and would get better soon.
A meeting was called before the march, where Mingfe presented the need for more time to train. She pointed out how inexperienced the forces of Ulustrah were, and that one hour in the morning was not going to be enough. Lengwin was fully understanding of her need but impressed the importance of getting there quickly. An extra hour every day would add up to days lost over all, and days lost only aided the Father Abbot. It was Lilly who once again made the observation that ended the debate. She asked what good getting there would do if the army they brought was not prepared to attack?
Lengwin conceded the point and agreed that perhaps more time needed to be set aside. Gersius suggested they do it at the end of the march, not the beginning. He didn't want soldiers tired from drills and exercises trying to march thirty miles. Let them grow tired at the end where all that is expected of them is a bed and a good night's sleep.
Lilly had another idea that Gersius was wary of, but agreed needed to be attempted. She would stay in her dragon form for part of the day in an effort to allow the horses to get used to her presence. She would walk well to the side of them, and over the days, move closer and closer until the animals become comfortable with her.
Now she walked across a field a good hundred paces to the side. Gersius and Thayle walked with Lengwin at the head of the column, discussing the route ahead and the needs of the camp.
Lilly felt alone at first, but eventually, some of the acolytes dared to approach her. They still trembled to see her dragon form and kept a safe distance at first.
“Come closer. I do not eat rodents anymore,” Lilly said to three of them that were watching her from afar.
“S...s...sorry priestess Lilly,” one of the men said as he dared to get within ten feet of her.
“Have you practiced your meditation this morning?” she asked him.
“Y...Yes, I did, wha...what you told me,” he stammered.
Lilly understood that humans feared dragons, but as one herself found it difficult to appreciate. She supposed if something large enough to bite her in two flew out of the sky and landed next to her, she might be worried. Still, she wanted to help them see past her dragon form. Like the horses in the column, they needed to become comfortable with who she truly was.
“It is alright to be afraid. I understand I look frightening, but you must be able to see me as more than a monster. I am capable of all the emotions you are, and I know what it is like to love.”
“Do you love Gersius?” one of the girls asked.
“I love Gersius very much. It is why I was called to Balisha in the first place,” Lilly replied. “It is my ability to love that she needed. Without it, I would be unable to assist her in rebuilding her faith.”
“Do you think I could find a dragon to love me?” she asked.
Lilly pondered the thought for a moment, unsure how to respond. “It is certainly possible you could find a dragon to love you, but you would need to break the curse first, or they would just eat you,”
This seemed to appease the woman for a moment as she pondered the danger.
They spoke a little more before Gersius and Thayle walked out to join them.
“We are going to fly off and look into some of the more remote temples,” Gersius told her.
“Why did you stay in dragon form all this time?” Thayle asked.
“The longer the horses see me, the better,” she said. “Besides, it is good for the entire column to be reminded that I am a dragon. They all need to know what I am and get used to it.”
Thayle looked around the column, and indeed Lilly's form was drawing many stares from the marching forces. Even Lilly’s acolytes who walked beside her didn’t seem comfortable to see her dragon form.
“Priestess Lilly?” came a gruff voice. Lilly and Thayle turned to look at a young acolyte with short sandy blond hair and hazel eyes. He was thin and not particularly muscular, but he had a healthy look to his eyes.
“What is it, Acolyte Lorn?” Lilly asked.
“Will we ever get to fly with you?” he asked.
“Does he mean on my back?” Lilly asked silently across the binding Link.
“I believe he does. I bet they all wonder what it must be like to fly on the back of a dragon,” Thayle replied.
“I am not a horse! That is something I do because I love you both.” Lilly said in silent anger.
It was Gersius who answered her. “They are in awe of you, Lilly. Of course they want to spend time with you, and in particular, they want to fly with you. It might even be a good idea to reward the ones who excel at their duties with a short flight.”
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The young man began to look anxious as the long silence persisted.
Lilly understood Gersius's logic, but she still didn't want to be so friendly with them.
“Acolyte Lorn, such a thing could happen, but I do not wish to promise it will. It is asking much of a dragon to humble itself to carry a human on it's back. I do so out of love for my husband and wife, and I carry High Priest Lengwin out of respect for his station. Practice your faith and open your heart to Balisha. If you and the others can show me you truly love her, I will consider rewarding all of you with such a flight.”
Gersius smiled at the answer, and Thayle nodded her approval. They climbed up on her back and waved the acolytes away as Lilly took to the skies. She circled well above before flying off and leaving the caravan behind.
“So, they are in awe of me?” Lilly said as they raced through the sky.
“Very much so,” Gersius replied. “You are a dragon, Lilly. Something most of them only know from legend. Your sight is awe inspiring to them as it was to me when I first met you. Not to mention, you symbolize the goddess Balisha to most of them. You are as close to the goddess as they can get.”
“It is hard for me to understand your human way of seeing me.”
“Lilly, you are a fantasy story come to life. People have spoken of dragons for hundreds of years, and yet nobody has ever seen one. Not since the dragon knight of old. You are a rare and beautiful creature, and your presence is terrible and wonderful all at once.”
The glow of emotion Thayle felt across the bind from Lilly as she heard his words made her smile.
“You are a sight people will travel miles to see,” Thayle added. “A real dragon is not something they will want to miss, especially if they hear you are friendly.”
Lilly felt a strange mixture of emotions as she considered all this. “I have never considered myself friendly. I am a dragon. I do not have friends or enemies. I simply am. Yet, now I speak to these acolytes like they are my children. It is all very confusing. I feel like so much of what I believed has changed in such a short amount of time.”
Gersius understood her logic. He still remembered the dragon he led out of the valley. Lilly spoke to him at length about how she felt and tried to communicate her points of view in those early days. He knew she had very little understanding of how people reacted to her. But most of all she didn’t understand how she could change so quickly. However, he had seen it many times on the battlefield.
“It is the trauma of the path you walk. You were hurt so badly you had to rely on me to help you. This made you accept things you would not have otherwise considered. All the things that happened helped strip away your barriers and forced you to see them differently. When you got confused or did not understand, you had Thayle or I to help you to understand it.”
“Not to mention you had the binding,” Thayle said. “You had a connection to the heart of a man with powerful emotions. He helped you fill in the blanks and gave you a sense of right and wrong.”
Lilly nodded her head in the air and was quiet a moment. “I suppose you are right. It’s just hard to think back on who I was so short a time ago. I feel like I was never that being.”
“In a way, you never were,” Thayle said. “You were a flower waiting to bloom. Now you have blossomed, and you can't believe you came from that seed. The curse that made you that seed has been stripped away.”
Lilly turned her long neck around and looked at Thayle. “I love how you explain somethings. But that reminds me of something I have to do.”
“What?” Thayle asked.
“I have to give you a bath,” Lilly said as she turned to look forward again.
“What bath?” Thayle asked.
“Your tongue bath,” Lilly said. “I told you if I ever caught you keeping a secret from me again, I would bathe you.”
“I haven’t been keeping any secrets from you,” Thayle insisted.
“Oh?” Lilly asked. “When were you going to tell us about going silent?”
Thayle froze and tried to think of a good response as Gersisus started to laugh.
“When we are done, I am stopping someplace remote to give you your bath,” Lilly commanded.
“Tell your dragon she can’t bathe me!” Thayle demanded of Gersius.
He shook his head. “I seem to recall you told her that you belonged to her the other day. Who am I to say what she can or can’t do with her things?”
“You two are terrible!” Thayle pouted.
“You gave yourself willingly to her,” he joked. “I believe you will simply have to accept your bath.”
Thayle fumed as he and Lilly laughed at her expense while flying into the distant skies.
It wasn't until dark that they found the first town. It was far to the west and well off the road. They landed outside the town in a pasture, much to the horror of the nearby sheep. They quickly jumped down, and Lilly took her human form. From here, they visited the temple of Astikar first. They found it already in a state of preparation to move. Lengwin's messenger had arrived the day before, and the temples chief priest acted immediately. He and his six men would be ready to move in the morning.
The temple of Ulustrah was outside the town on a hill surrounded by gardens. Here they found a pleasant surprise. The messenger sent by Lengwin delivered a letter from Thayle as well. The high priestess here responded to it with earnest and had gone to extra lengths. The high priestess, a woman named Lydia, called on all the silent women in the surrounding countryside. As these were the wives of farmers, tradesmen, and herdsmen, this resulted in a vast outpouring of support. When they arrived at the temple, they discovered a mountain of grains and dry foodstuffs. There was also a small herd of donated sheep and two dozen chickens.
The woman even had the foresight to look for wagons and horses to transport it all. She still needed some help in moving all the materials, but Gersius assured her the priests of Astikar would help.
In addition to this, the woman who had only two priestesses, collected volunteers from tiny country shrines and temples, and even a few silent priestesses. She now stood ready with fourteen women, though she lacked the supplies to equip them properly.
“I am very impressed with your efforts,” Thayle said as they surveyed the readiness.
“Thank you, Governess Commander,” the woman said with a bow.
“You have gone well beyond what I hoped to accomplish. I wish I could inspire all the others to act as you have.”
“If I may ask a question?” Lydia said.
“By all means,” Thayle said.
“How did you get here so quickly? The messenger said you were days away.”
Thayle smiled and turned to Lilly. All the gathered women had been whispering about Lilly's eyes, but none had dared ask the question yet. Lilly, for her part kept back, so none of the women had gotten a good look at her aura.
“Lilly brought us,” Thayle said.
“Lilly? The woman here?” Lydia asked as she pointed to Lilly. “I don’t understand.”
“I am a dragon,” Lilly said before Thayle could respond.
This statement caused the gathered women to look up as if they were confused.
Thayle was amused by the display and walked over to Lilly and took her hand.
“Come, let them see your aura,” Thayle said.
Lilly nodded and let Thayle lead her back. The gathered crowd gasped and pointed as Lilly walked close enough to be seen.
“So, this is a dragon?” Lydia asked. “She is very pretty.”
“If you think this is pretty, you should see her dragon form,” Thayle said.
“You're still getting a bath later,” Lilly said.
Thayle scowled, but Lilly only folded her arms and smiled.
They made final arrangements with the women and told them where to go to wait for the marching army. Lydia assured them they would be there on time. Lilly rather enjoyed the shocked reactions of the women and wanted to give them one more. Since they were already outside of town, she suggested that she could change back here. Gersius wasn't sure that was wise, but Thayle understood what she was trying to do and convinced him to allow it.
With a flash of lightly Lilly stretched out her wings to the stunned eyes of the onlookers. Gersius and Thayle climbed up and Lilly walked off to get the saddle. Once properly saddled she took to the sky and headed back. She circled over the temple so they could see her in flight, and then headed off to locate the camp. However, she took the time to stop in a remote clearing and ordered Thayle out of her clothes.
The night air helped dry Thayle’s hair as she silently sulked on Lilly’s back. Gersius struggled not to laugh as Lilly flew across the cloudy sky in search of the camp.
“I will have a bucket of water heated and wash your hair,” he said to try and break the tension.
“I can wash it myself,” she said in a pout.
“You could, or I could wash it for you,” he offered. “I could give you a foot bath and rub if you wish.”
“I have already had a bath.”
“Are you really mad at me?” Lilly asked.
“I only kept that secret because I was afraid you both would reject me. I wanted to be a part of your love, and I was afraid you would say no.”
Lilly turned her head to look back at Thayle. Hair was glued to the side of her face and to the plates of her armor. Her face was locked in a frown and her head was sunk low on her shoulders.
“I am sorry,” Lilly said. “Honestly, Thayle, I did that because I wanted to.”
“Why would you want to humiliate me?” Thayle asked.
“I wasn't trying to humiliate you. I was trying to love you.”
Thayle glanced up at her. “How was that loving?”
Lilly sighed and looked away. “A mother dragon bathes her broodlings the same way. You are my wife, and we bathe together all the time. I just wanted to try bathing you like that once. I thought maybe you would like it.”
Thayle sighed and closed her eyes. “I suppose it wasn’t terrible. You were very gentle.”
“I would let you bathe me like that if you could.”
“Lilly, I forgive you,” Thayle said. “I should have told you two about going silent. I should have trusted that you would still have accepted me into your love.”
“Yes, you should have, but I understand why you didn't,” Gersius said. “And, to be honest, I am glad you kept the secret.”
“You’re glad?” Thayle asked.
“If I may be greedy, you have taken any burden of guilt I might feel away. I did not know you would be affected like this, and it is too late for me to do anything about it.”
“It doesn't make any sense, though,” Lilly said. “Why would Ulustrah want you to stop worshiping her?”
“We don’t stop worshiping her,” Thayle said. “We just do it in a different way.”
“But it makes some of you sad,” Lilly said.
“How does it make some of us sad?”
“Like you were sad,” Lilly said. “You wanted a husband and a family, but you had to give that up. You had to give that happiness up to keep your place with Ulustrah. You lived in fear all that time that you would lose it if you dared to have the love you wanted. How can Ulustrah want that for her Priestesses?”
“She has a very good point,” Gersius said.
Thayle shook her head. “I suppose if you look at it like that, it does seem confusing.”
“I am sure she has her reasons,” Gersius said.
Thayle looked out into the dark sky as her mind worked feverishly. “Maybe Lilly is right. When I was in her garden, she said something that I didn't really think about. I was so overcome by her presence, and about the mark, I forgot what she said.”
“she said something about this?” Lilly asked.
Thayle shook her head unable to believe she had forgotten such an important message.
“She said she never intended for us to go silent,” Thayle said. “Only to put our families first.”
“So, you do not have to stop serving in a temple?” Gersius asked.
Thayle tried to remember the conversation that was more like a dream than reality now.
“I don’t know. She said we lost many of her ways over time,” Thayle said with confusion.
“Maybe you don’t have to go silent then,” Lilly said with a pleased tone.
Thayle struggled to think it through. “That must be true. Now that I think about it, there isn’t any other way to explain it, but how will I get any of the others to understand?”
Gersius tightened his grip on her waist. “You are her chosen champion. You will tell them what she said. If they choose to doubt your words, they will have to reconcile why Ulustrah still chooses you.”
“We are building an army I need to follow me,” Thayle said. “I can't cause them to question my right to lead. Look at how badly Rachel reacted to the mark alone. If I tell them that the beliefs we have held for hundreds of years are wrong.” She shook her head again. “I am not ready to fight this battle.”
Gersius sighed and leaned in close to speak over her shoulder. “You are already fighting it. The moment you declared that you would allow silent women back into the army, you began. They are already questioning this decision and your right to make it. This might be a way to silence those questions.”
“Or create more,” Thayle said.
Gersius nodded. “You were chosen to walk this path. I cannot fault you for being concerned about the trials it may bring. I stumbled on my path and turned my back on Astikar. He called me to be his champion, and I failed.”
Thayle snapped her head up as more memories came back to her. She turned to reguard Gersius.
“There is something I have to tell you,” she said. “And it breaks my heart to say it.”
“What?” he asked.
“Ulustrah told me you were not chosen as Astikar's champion. She said we would meet the champion on the road ahead and that we needed to bow to him when we did.”
Gersius was silent a long moment and then let out a sigh. “I was not supposed to do this?”
“I think you were meant to put it all in motion, and become Balisha’s champion,” Thayle said.
“But I did all did for Astikar’s glory, not hers,” he said. “Surely that can not be right.”
“It can’t be right,” Lilly agreed. “He is a dragon knight.”
“The dragon knight serves Balisha, not Astikar,” Thayle said.
“But the last dragon knight was a priest of Astikar,” he argued.
For a long moment, all that was heard was the sound of Lilly's wings as they thought about that concept.
“Now that I think about it, Thayle may be right,” Lilly said.
“How so?” Gersius asked.
“From what we know of the dragon knight, he was trying to rebuild Balisha's faith,” Lilly said. “But that doesn't make sense. How could a priest of Astikar be working to serve Balisha? He must have been a champion of Balisha, or became one.”
“So I was a champion of Balisha all along?” he asked as his mind struggled to comprehend it.
“Ulustrah said they are all working together,” Thayle said. “Maybe Astikar was preparing you for her?”
“So I was not a champion. I was a sacrifice,” Gersius said dryly. He looked off into the darkness and let his heart sink. “It does not matter anyway.”
“What do you mean, it doesn't matter?” Thayle asked.
“I did not start on this path for titles or glory. I did it to cut through the nearsighted bureaucracy of the kingdoms and save people's lives. I may have conducted myself in accordance to Astikar's teachings, but I did it to protect the innocent and win the war.”
“You were called to do this,” Lilly said. “Only you could have claimed my heart.”
“And mine,” Thayle added. “We three were all prepared for this path by the divines.”
“But Astikar’s true champion is somewhere ahead of us?” Gersius asked more to himself than anybody else.
“That is what Ulustrah told me,” Thayle said regretfully.
“Who could possibly be a greater champion than Gersius?” Lilly asked.
None of them could answer the question as they flew on into the night. All they could do is hope that whoever this champion was he was up to the challenge ahead.