Gersius was grateful when the dragons returned and Lilly walked up in her dragon form. He quickly handed Thayle off to her and gave her a silent gesture to take Thayle aside. Lilly gently cradled Thayle in a powerful arm and carried her a few dozen paces before setting her down. She then curled around Thayle, forming a tight ball that protected her with a wall of scales.
Sarah landed safely outside the farm with a hand clutched around something. He knew what she held and picked three women of Ulustrah before heading out to meet them. As he approached, Sarah opened her hand enough to see the man inside. Gersius wasn’t surprised at all to see him crying in fear and begging for his life.
Sarah loomed over him with a bestial expression as the man twisted in her grasp. Numidel touched down behind her with Shadros and watched as Gersius arrived.
“This fool was riding fast to the south,” Sarah said as she lowered her hand so Gersius could see him clearly.
“Sarah, you and Numidel need to change form and go into the camp. You need to see for yourself what this man and his brothers have done. Shadros, I thank you for your help. You may go where you please.”
Shadros took to the sky as Sarah glanced at Numidel in confusion.
“What do I do with him?” she asked.
“Drop him,” Gersius replied.
Sarah did as Gersius requested and let the man fall five feet to the ground. Before he could get to his feet, green chains wrapped around him from the women of Ulustrah, pinning him in place. They focused on the chains to maintain the hold with faint lines of green light emanating from their hands.
“Go, you need to bear witness to this tragedy,” Gersius said, his voice cold and emotionless.
Sarah and Numidel walked to the cover of nearby trees and vanished into clouds of swirling mist. A minute later, the two stepped out of the trees in simple robes and made their way to the barns.
“I...” the man in the chains began, but Gersius looked at him with eyes full of murder, and he fell silent.
“Do not speak,” Gersius replied. “Anything you say will be wasted on me. I am not fit to judge you for what you have done.”
The man's face fell, and his eyes moved to look at three women who glared at him with something even darker than murder. He sputtered to call out to Gersius, but the chains tightened, choking the air from his lungs.
Gersius waited patiently until he heard Sarah cry out in rage.
“This is barbarism!”
He turned to watch as Sarah started back, her eyes blazing with red fires, and her hands clutched into fists. S
arah stormed passed and reached out with force, grabbing the man by the throat and hoisting him into the air with a single arm.
“You will suffer for this!” Sarah hissed in a voice that chilled the soul. “I will find every man responsible and burn you from the inside out!”
The man's eyes bulged, and his face went red as Sarah squeezed his throat while the chains squeezed his chest. With three women focusing on one blessing, it was much more powerful, and he was trapped.
“Sarah,” Gersius said calmly. “I do not believe the faithful of Astikar have the right to pass judgment.”
Sarah turned to glare at him with a face of rage.
“What they have done will forever stain the honor of Astikar!” Sarah said. “They have brought a shame that can never be redeemed on the order.”
Gersius nodded but gestured to the women. “But it is Ulustrah who suffered it,” Gersius said. “They are the ones who must decide.”
Sarah’s nostrils flared in anger as she held the man aloft like he weighed no more than a cup of wine. Her face shook with the words she wanted to spit in anger but closed her eyes and let the man fall.
“So be it,” she said in a voice that betrayed her efforts to be calm. “But their leader seems to be in no condition to deal with him.”
Gersius nodded and turned to the women. “Hold him, but do not kill him, not yet.”
They nodded in return, and he walked to where Lilly lay in her ball. He hadn't seen her curl so tightly since the day he found her in the valley. He realized that in his shock, he had completely blocked Lilly and Thayle's emotions from his mind. As he thought about it, the feeling came back, and Thayle's pain washed over him. Lilly was a storm of worry and concern with her head buried inside.
Gersius put a hand to her neck to alert her that he was there. Slowly the ball of scales unraveled, opening a door to the inside. He stepped into the gap, and Lilly closed the door, curling around them both. Her head was inside gently rubbing at Thayle with her nose. Thayle lay huddled and crying to Lilly's side, her face in her hands, tears dripping between her fingers.
Gersius knelt beside her, putting a hand to her shoulder and remained quiet. Several minutes went by before Thayle finally began to speak in a broken voice.
“How do you keep your humanity when you see such a crime?” she muttered. “How does anybody heal from such a wound?”
“You never heal,” Gersius said. “You will carry the scar for the rest of your life. Your humanity is your choice. You can let this drag you closer to the monster, or you can deny it, and grow even stronger of spirit.”
“I don't know how to be as strong as you are,” Thayle said. “I fought battles in my past, but they were never like this, this is madness.”
“This is desperation,” Gersius said. “We have driven our enemies to take terrible and drastic measures to stop us.”
Thayle shook her head as her voice broke and wavered. He rubbed at her neck gently with a gloved hand as she tried to speak.
“Is this what we can expect going forward?” Thayle asked. “Will my order be battered and broken at every town? Or will they decide to do something even worse?”
“I pray this was a one-time event,” Gersius replied. “I have no means to stop them other than to march on Calathen.”
Thayle quieted and took her hands away to reveal her face. Her red eyes were wet with tears, and she panted to catch her breath.
“Am I the right person to lead this army?” she asked. “I fall apart when the tests come.”
“You are the perfect person to lead Ulustrah’s army. She wanted a woman who would have a strong heart response to these moments. You are approaching this campaign out of love and duty, and your sense of responsibility for your order is strong. When your order suffers for your efforts, you feel it deeply because you carry the burden or responsibility. No other woman has to feel as you do, and as such, appear to be stronger. I assure you that inside they are grateful they do not have to face this as you do.”
“How do I make this right?” Thayle said. “What can I say to the women of my order when they demand justice?”
You need to remind them that they will get justice at Calathen, and must do all they can to get there quickly. Any member of your order who cannot contain their anger and slows our advance aids our enemies, avoiding that justice.”
“But they are so angry at the men of Astikar,” Thayle said.
“Only a tiny portion of them are responsible for this, and they were men rejected by the order. The Father Abbot collected them into his own private army and turned them loose. You need to remind them that most men would be sick at what happened here. Even in this camp, many died to try and prevent what happened to those women.”
Thayle nodded and took a deep breath as he explained it all.
“You should also remember there are some men in your order. Reach out to them to help with the struggle, use them to remind your women that many men are kind.”
“Am I unfair to the men in my order?” Thayle asked. “There are over a dozen of them with us, but I always speak only of the women.”
Gersius rocked her gently and put his head down on hers.
“If they have hearts strong enough to belong to your order, then they understand. Not a one of them would carry any slight or insult for it. They know the burden you carry and that you must address the needs of the larger group.”
Thayle nodded and wiped at her eyes. “I don’t want to become bitter toward men, or the order of Astikar, but the pain is tearing me apart.”
“It will do that, and you will feel the desire to lash out unfairly. You must stand as symbol of strength for your forces to follow. You can show emotion and pain, but when you respond, you must do so from justice and wisdom.”
Thayle nodded and let out a deep breath as her heart started to settle.
“What is going to happen to the injured?”
“We will use the wagons that are here to bring them with so the priests of Vellis can care for injured. I will have people commandeer horses from the surrounding farms to pull wagons. With the priests at their side they should stay free of infection and further injury. Most of them will be fine when the bones heal.”
“That’s good,” Thayle said as she continued to wipe her eyes.
Gersius kissed the top of her head and took a moment before telling her Sarah had caught one of them.
“He's here?” Thayle asked, her voice gaining strength.
“He is being held not fifty paces from us,” Gersius said. “I do not want to deal with him without your permission. By right, it is to you and your order that he must answer.”
“Now I feel like a failure,” Thayle said. “I fell apart in front of my army when I should have confronted this man.”
Gersius reached out a hand to wipe a tear from her chin with a smile.
“I have been in many conflicts, but I was always fighting to honor Astikar and to protect the people. Never did innocents suffer for my efforts until Lilly. When I discovered she was paying the price for my mission, I fell apart too.”
“At least you did it privately,” Thayle said as she tried to stand.
“They will understand. They are all human, and feeling the same tangle of emotions we are. They need you to show them what to do with them.”
Thayle nodded and took a few deep breaths.
“I have to deal with this man,” she said. “I just need a minute to collect myself.”
“Take all the time you need. Nobody can see us in here.”
Thayle wiped at an eye and let out a weak laugh as she looked at Lilly.
“She really can pull herself into a tight ball,” she said.
“I just wanted to shelter you from the pain and keep you safe,” Lilly said. “I will eat this man if you want.”
Thayle took another deep breath and closed her eyes. “In the end, they will be fine,” she said as she thought about the women with broken legs. “I know the priests of Vellis will keep them free of infection and speed the healing along. We can also make some of the healing salve to put on the wounds to help. It will take weeks to get them to their feet instead of months. Let's be grateful we got here before they started dying of exposure or starvation.”
“You can take more time,” Gersius began.
“No, Lilly, let me out,” she said in a firm voice.
Lilly uncoiled, revealing Gersius and Thayle standing at her side. Around them were gathered the forces of both armies waiting for what was to happen next.
“Mingfe!” Thayle shouted without looking for the woman. She appeared at her side in moments and bowed her head.
“I want women to scour the countryside looking for the plants we need to make healing balms. Send then in groups of five just in case our enemies are still hiding around us. Have some others set up a shrine to Ulustrah and start a blessing ceremony, I want to use blessed water to make the solution. I want enough to treat every woman twice a day for a week.”
“It will be done,” Mingfe said with a second bow and quickly went about organizing teams to hunt for the needed plants.
Gersius nodded in approval. Despite her pain and anger, Thayle wanted to address the suffering of others first. The man who caused it could wait until his victims were cared for.
“High priestess Selina!” Thayle called next.
The tall, aged woman appeared from the crowds and stood before Thayle with her hands folded neatly at her waist.
“I want every high priestess who can be spared assembled for a council. You will all be there as I question this man.”
“Of course, Governess Commander,” Selina said with a bow of her head. “I will see we are gathered and ready shortly.”
Thayle nodded and struggled to hide a tremble as she looked across the field to the man wrapped in green chains.
“I see you had my forces restrain him.”
Gersius nodded and looked to the chained man.
“In this matter, it is important your army is the one who takes the lead. Do you need me to stand by your side as you question him?”
She hesitated to answer the question. In the march on Calathen, he was the overall commander, but Thayle had her own army and orders. Her women needed to see her as a commander who could make her own decisions. He couldn't make them all for her and keep her respect intact.
“No,” Thayle said firmly. “I need to do this alone. If this is the road we walk I need to face it. I can't hide behind you and Lilly; the stakes are too high.”
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Gersius put a hand to her shoulder and nodded his approval as the leaders of Ulustrah began to arrive in groups. When they were gathered, Thayle led the procession to the man wrapped in chains.
“Why are you letting her handle this alone?” Sarah asked in a sharp tone as they stood back and watched.
“Her order is the one that was wounded in this. She must be the one to respond to it.”
“What if she kills him out of anger, and we learn nothing?” Sarah asked.
Gersius considered that possibility as the worst outcome. He had to close his eyes and trust in the strength of his wife. She was an amazing woman with a deep capacity to love. She would find a way to hold firm.
“She will do what is right,” he replied.
“If humans routinely did what was right, we wouldn’t be here,” Sarah snapped back.
“Thayle is an exceptional woman, and like most women, has strength of character. She knows how to manage her emotions.”
“Is that why she was crying like a child?”
Gersius turned on Sarah with firm eyes and a deep scowl.
“She loves her goddess and her faith completely. To watch it butchered over a lie is a burden her heart was never meant to bear. She cares about each and every person who loves her goddess and feels all their pain. You should be more understanding considering who it is that is doing the butchering.”
Sarah let out a deep breath and nodded.
“Forgive me; I still do not understand the depth of your human emotions.”
“You seem to have anger firmly understood,” Gersius replied.
Sarah looked back as the women lined up before the man and Thayle stepped out to begin questioning him.
“I suppose I do,” Sarah said. “Not only is my kind not fully aware of the range of emotion you humans experience, but we were cursed to feel even less. I can make a logical decision to do what is right, but there is no emotion behind it, only calculation.”
“You had a mate, did you not?” Gersius asked.
Sarah nodded. “I did. A fine red male with a noble character.”
“And you felt no attachment to this male?”
Sarah smiled a little as she watched the scene unfold.
“I chose that male because he was strong and would make a good father for a brood. There was none of your human love in it, it was pure utility, a logical decision. When the curse struck, and he turned, I made the next logical decision and killed him.”
“Then I must ask you to forgive me as well,” Gersius said. “I keep assuming you should understand when you do not.”
She glanced at him with narrow eyes and let out a huff as she folded her arms tightly over her chest.
“I would be lying to say I felt nothing for him,” she admitted. “When we battled, I felt a sense of pity, like never before. As if I was losing something important to me. I have had a great many years to think about that moment and what I felt. I suppose I have convinced myself that I didn’t care, but to be honest, I miss him.”
Gersius nodded at the admission but focused on Thayle and her questioning. He was proud of how she was handling the situation and putting on a strong appearance.
Her leadership was lined up before the man as Thayle paced between them, asking him questions. He struggled against the chains and cried out for mercy, but there was none to give.
She was blunt and direct, asking him where the rest of his force was. He ignored her questions and pleaded for his life, but Thayle was relentless. She pried at him, occasionally ordering the chains to be tightened around him when he was combative.
She learned a few things of interest as he groveled in panic. One was the fact that it was the very same cavalry that retreated from the battle on the road. They were just over a hundred strong and led by a raven guard captain named Jerick.
Gersius knew the name as a man who was cast from the order for murder. He was run down by Jessivel months later, where he nearly killed two brothers to avoid capture. He was brought back to Calathen to answer for his crimes only to have the Father Abbot grant him forgiveness.
Gersius felt sick to think of how many times the Father Abbot committed such hideous acts, and nobody stopped him. Gersius himself spoke out against the practice and realized he was punished. It was after speaking openly about it that he was called away to wars. Time and again, he was sent away chasing after every little fire the order wanted put out. He realized other men who felt as he did were assigned to his forces, kept safely away so their voices could not be heard.
How had he not realized it at the time? It was obvious what was happening in hindsight, but surely the bishops saw the danger? Why hadn’t the council intervened and stopped the madness?
He shook the disturbing thoughts away and focused on what was happening before them. Thayle pressed the captured man into why he was still here. After the question was repeated a dozen times, and the chains constricted until he couldn't breathe, he finally agreed to answer. They wanted to make sure the women couldn't be healed, so a small contingent stayed behind. They knew the remaining guards were disloyal and would try to help. Ten men stayed hidden away to watch and prevent them from rescuing the women.
He admitted to taking the horses and killing runners sent to find their advancing army. He tried to defend his actions as necessary for the greater good. They were the women of Ulustrah and had betrayed the order of Astikar by siding with Gersius. That he and the others hadn't killed the women was seen as mercy in his eyes.
Thayle stood strong as his vile way of looking at things was made plain. Some of the high priestesses lost their temper and shouted insults or cries for his head. Thayle restored them to order every time and continued the questioning. When asked why they would do such a thing, the man revealed he had orders. The raven guard was to slow Gersius down by any means possible. There were no limitations as to what could be done. He even became bold and mocked Thayle stating that the next camps would be in far worse condition. This brought many calls to end his life from the crowds, but Thayle silenced them and continued.
She wrung the man out for over three hours, mostly because he struggled to avoid answering. He tried to lie a few times, but the aura revealed it, and she would ask him again.
Before she was done, she knew they were heading south to a city he would not name. They were supposed to meet reinforcements there and would regather their strength. He hinted at some plan to deny Gersius his prize but would say no more even when the chains threatened to choke him out.
When she learned all she could, she asked him one final question.
“Do you feel any shred of remorse for what you have done here?”
Gersius understood the point of the question and waited for the reply.
“Yes,” the man said in a broken voice as the faces of nearby women soured. They were close enough to see his light and the lie it revealed.
Thayle nodded and moved like a viper. Before anybody could blink, her sword plunged through the plate armor of his chest like it was paper. It stuck out his back, dripping blood as the chains suddenly released him. Thayle held him aloft, looking into his dying eyes.
“Then I will feel no remorse in your death,” she replied and kicked him off the blade.
He crumpled to the ground at Thayle's feet, dying too quickly to heal himself. She stood there alone and silently watched him until his breath came no more. Without a word, she walked back to the others, a storm of pain, and conflicting emotions.
“The shrine is nearly ready, Governess Commander,” Mingfe reported. “We await your blessing.”
“Have Selina lead the ceremony,” Thayle said with an emotionless voice.
“But you are the one who should lead us,” Mingfe protested.
“I have taken a life with no remorse or pity. My anger will sour the water of my blessing. I will not taint the sacred waters of our Goddess with it. I am not fit to add to such a blessing until I have sought her grace.”
Mingfe nodded and stepped away.
“Lilly, I need your help.”
“What is it, my love?” Lilly said from where she stood by the side, towering over the others.
“I wish to go into the forest and spend the next few hours in prayer. Would you circle me and keep me safe while I speak to Ulustrah?”
“Of course I will,” Lilly said.
Thayle nodded and turned to Gersius, giving him a weak smile.
“I hope I didn’t fail you,” she said.
He shook his head. “I have never been more proud of you. Go and speak to your goddess; she is waiting to tell you how proud she is too.”
Thayle managed a stronger smile and walked away with Lilly at her side.
“I have to admit I am surprised.” Sarah said. “She kept her anger in control until he was of no use to her. She is a human of exceptional strength. You have picked your wives well.”
Gersius watched Thayle go with a deep desire to go with in his heart.
“They were led to me by the divines, and given to my hand,” he replied. “All I did was be smart enough to accept the gift.”
“Hmm,” Sarah said. “You impress me as well. You never take credit for your decisions, do you?”
“I take responsibility for them,” Gersius replied. “I let others give me credit if they wish, but I will take no reward that belongs to another.”
She looked away at that statement, and he took his opportunity to step away. He wanted to see the camp readied and the wounded women placed in the meeting tent.
The mood of the camp was dour as cook fires were lit and meals for the wounded prepared first. The farmhouse was ransacked but habitable, and two of the barns were in passing condition. The remaining two were stacked high with the dead bodies of the men who resisted. He would have the priests of Astikar perform a right of honor on the men and then have the buildings burned.
Thankfully the women of Ulustrah found all of the plants they needed. One was particularly rare, and they only managed one small sample. The woman who found the plant had the foresight to dig it up roots and all. It was replanted in the camp and blessed by a dozen others working together to grow it into a much larger plant.
He stopped to admire the ceremony being held to one side. A chest-high mound was erected with field stones gathered from the farm. Blessings were placed on it, and the mound was overgrown with vines and flowers, coming to life like a garden. A single silver bowl was nestled in the flowers at its peak. A dozen more were placed on the ground around it in a ring. A hundred or more women sat in prayers over bowls of their own, praying for Ulustrah to bless the water. Each would walk to the mound and pour a small portion of water into the bowls on the ground. These would be lifted by the higher priestesses and blessed again before being poured into the center. The central bowl overflowed with water that gave off a white mist. The plants around it grew vigorously, and before long, the bowl could scarcely be seen in their midst.
Once that was completed, they gathered in rings, one inside the other, and began to sing. It was a haunting melody of beautiful voices as they called to their goddess for nearly an hour. Nearby others were working with the plants, chopping and mashing them before adding them to boiling oils. It reduced the plants to a yellowish-green paste that was mixed with the water from the bowl. This produced the final product, the blessed healing paste, that would speed along the body's natural processes.
He was relieved when the injured women finally started to receive the paste. He was even more grateful that all the injured were through the horrible process of straightening. Now all that could be done for them was to keep them safe while they healed.
The men of Astikar were asked to stay out of the tent. Some of the injured reacted with fear or rage when they saw them. Gersius knew this would be a wound that would take time to heal. Many blamed any man of Astikar, not distinguishing between them or the raven guard. When time permitted, he pulled Lengwin aside and asked him to organize an impromptu meeting in the house. He asked Sarah a Numidel to be there to hear his plans and offer their advice.
Once all were gathered in the dining room around an old farm table, he paced at the head and made his feeling known.
“I want to catch the raven guard before they reach the next camp and repeat this act of inhumanity.”
Faces all around the table took on a stone expression as they considered his statement.
“And how do you mean to catch them?” Lengwin asked.
“We are going to double our advance,” Gersius replied as if the answer were obvious.
“Impossible,” one the high priests of Astikar said. “We are already at our limit, and now we have wounded to carry with us.”
“We also have to manage our food supplies,” A high priestess of Ulustrah added. “We grow much of what we eat when we stop to camp. It takes time and many women to work a ceremony like that.”
“I am aware of the challenges,” Gersius said. “But that man said what would happen at the next camp would be worse. We cannot allow it. We must find a way to advance more quickly.”
A captain of Astikar by the name of Felsen spoke up with a logical idea.
“Then we need to divide the army. Send the fastest soldiers ahead while the slower force brings up the wagons.”
“What?” Sarah asked. “You will divide your strength even as the danger grows in the face of your advance?”
“I see no other way to cover the ground so quickly. We are chasing mounted forces; we cannot catch them at a walking pace.”
“And what if this is part of some ruse to divide our forces and attack the rear?” Sarah asked. “This campaign will be over, and the raven guard victorious.”
“We are leaving nobody behind,” Gersius said. “They must have supply wagons of their own, or they are frequently stopping to requisition supplies from towns. They will not be much faster than us, but they have a significant lead. We have to gain ground and catch them.”
“Then your only choice is to march longer and use more blessings to keep people on their feet,” Felsen argued. “You will be pushing men and women to their limits, and none will be in any shape to fight when we stop.”
Heads nodded, but a frown passed over the face of Endril, the leader of the forces of Vellis.
“It will be hazardous to transport the wounded in wagons that must travel at such a pace,” Endril said. “It could complicate their recovery or lead to further injury.”
Gersius respected the leader of the forces of Vellis, but the man needed to see things clearly.
“If we do not make the sacrifice, there will be many more women with even more horrific injuries.”
“I agree,” high priestess Seline said with a sour expression. “It is clear these men will do anything to hinder us. They will probably cut their legs off at the next camp.”
Endril bowed his head in understanding; it simply couldn't be helped.
“I will have our members do all we can to keep them comfortable.”
“It’s a pity we don’t have any weavers,” Lengwin said. “I have seen them make heavy loads lighter to speed them along. It would aid us greatly if we could make the wagons lighter, both for our speed and the comfort of the women.”
“Weavers,” Gersius repeated as he remembered the guard's words. “There were weavers in the camp with the guards. I wonder where they went?”
“We should have asked the raven guard,” Sarah suggested.
He looked to her and thought of what Lilly said about female dragons and magic.
“Do you know any weaves?”
Sarah was silent a moment before she nodded her head. “I know a great many weaves, including the one you wish to use. However, I do not have a chest of gold to use to cast it on every wagon in your army.”
“Of course,” Gersius conceded. “You use the magic of the gold to power your weaves, but Lilly said you could cast a weave the same way men do if you wanted to?”
“It isn’t the same,” Sarah said. “It will be far weaker, and that particular weave will be of little use to you so weak. Only men can gather magic from the ether and weave it without cost.”
“Our kind and yours approaches the weave of magic differently,” Numidel said.
Gersius nodded and thought of another idea. “I need some of the guards brought in. They may know where the weavers went.”
Lengwin sent a man to round up some of the guards as Gersius explained how they could easily cover the ground with the aid of a host of weavers. When five men were brought in, they withered under the stares of those gathered in the room.
“Be at peace,” Gersius said. “We have some questioned we need answered.”
One of the men timidly stepped forward and bowed his head.
“We will do our best, my lord.”
“Good,” Gersius replied. “There were weavers in this camp is that correct?”
“Yes, there were nearly twenty of them,” the man replied.
“Why?” Gersius asked. “What were they doing here?”
“They were here to manage the magic stones that blocked the women of Ulustrahs power,” he replied.
“What magic stones?” Seline demanded. “And how did they block our power?”
The man shook his head as if struck mute.
“Relax,” Gersius said in a supportive voice. “We only want to know what happened.”
“Well, I don't think any of us rightly know how it worked. They set these round stones about the size of a plate on the ground. Each one was carved with some kind of symbol that glowed with a light like the dragon's eyes. They put them around the fence, and a red light ran between them. Once a woman was inside the ring, she couldn't call on her power no more.”
“Impossible,” Seline said.
“Not impossible,” Sarah replied. “But the knowledge of this is very old. I had no idea your weavers still possessed such secrets.”
“You know how to do this?” Gersius asked.
Sarah shook her head. “I never learned the black weaves. They were outlawed in nearly every land, and few dragons cared to know them. The few that did only did so to catalog and keep the knowledge of them.”
Gersius nodded and went back to the men.
“So the weavers created these stones and trapped the women.
“No sir,” the man replied. “They were only there to keep the magic working. It was a woman with dark hair that created them.”
“A single woman created them?” Lengwin gasped. “Surely such a powerful thing required many people to manage?”
It was a logical question, but Gersius saw the truth in the man's light and pressed on.
“Who was this woman?”
“None of us ever heard her name. She just walked into the camp dressed like a queen in fine silks and jewelry. The other weavers were waiting for her to arrive. When she did she set about making the stones and setting them in place. She wasn't here more than a couple of hours before she was done and on her way.”
“Where are these stones now?” Sarah asked.
“The raven guard took them after they harmed the women.”
Gersius ran a hand through his hair as the frustration mounted in the room. He was getting nowhere and avoiding the question that needed to be asked.
“What happened to the weavers who were here?”
“They left right before we resisted. Rode off to the west like a dragon was chasing them.”
“They went west? You are sure?” Gersius pressed.
“Very sure,” the man replied. “The west road can be seen from the hill beside the farm. We had a post up there watching for your advance. The men who were there at the time said they saw them going down the west road.”
“So they didn’t go with the raven guard,” Seline said.
“Which means we might be able to catch them nearby,” Gersius said.
“And if we waste time hunting for these men and fail, you will be further behind,” Sarah stated.
Gersius dismissed the men and waited until they were gone to continue.
“The main road out of this region is south,” he said. “West of here is a small kingdom hemmed in by mountains on three sides. Unless they plan to fly over the mountains, they must still be there, hoping we don't notice them.”
“Then they are trapped,” Felsen observed. “But how can we make use of them fast enough?”
“I will see if Thayle is recovered. If she is ready we will fly out and see if we can find these weavers tonight. I want them here by morning to speed our advance.”
“I assume you are bringing Numidel and I,” Sarah stated.
“And Shadros,” Gersius added. “I want to make sure they understand they have no choice.”
“And how will you get them back?”
Gersius pondered that answer a moment before looking up.
“Where is the saddle your having made?”
“North of here about two days travel,” she replied. “We intended to fly back and get it in a few days.”
“Do you think it would be ready by now?”
“I doubt it,” she replied. “You humans have lost the art of their creation.”
“Please give them some credit,” Numidel cried from behind her. “They had the model to work from.”
“So it might be ready?” Gersius pressed.
Numidel shook his head. “I have to agree with Lady Sutherisa, err Sarah. Even if they are up to the challenge, it will take longer to prepare the leather.”
Gersius worked on the problem and finally came up with a solution.
“We will tie them together in pairs, and you will carry them in your hands,” he said.
Sarah made a slight smile and replied.
“I like that idea better than carrying them on my back. It will teach them some respect.”
The others around the room nodded, and Lengwin blessed them with luck and speed.
With the course of action decided Gersius dismissed them and set off to find his wives. He followed the pull in his heart into the forest until he came to a clearing deep in the trees.
There Lilly lay curled in a loop under the moonlight as if asleep. Thayle sat with her bowl in her lap in the center of the loop staring into the waters.
As he crept closer, Lilly opened her eye and looked up at him without moving. He knelt beside her head, putting a hand to her and whispered.
“How is she?”
“Upset, but praying has calmed her. I am glad she found some peace, but what are we going to do about the road ahead?”
“That is why I came here. We have a plan to try and intercept the raven guard before they harm another camp.”
Lilly lifted her head a little and nuzzled him with her snout.
“I never realized I would hurt for you two. I can’t believe how deeply love ties us together.”
“We are one soul,” Gersius said. “We can’t possibly be more tied together.”
Lilly nuzzled his armor again as he rubbed at her neck.
“I am in love with two humans,” she sighed. “And I have never been so happy.”
He smiled and stood to face Thayle, who was still lost in her meditation.
“Maybe I should give her more time.”
“Just talk to her over the bind, she will hear you,” Lilly replied.
Gersius watched her a moment before closing his eyes and softly speaking over the connection they shared.
“My love, I need to speak with you,” he said, echoing Lilly's way of talking.
“I like to hear you talk to me so sweetly,” her voice echoed back, causing him to smile.
“I want to catch the raven guard before they reach another camp. To do that we need to find the weavers who were in this camp. We believe they are hiding just west of us in a nearby town. I want to fly out with you and all the dragons to collect them.”
“You want the weavers?” she asked.
“We held a meeting while you were praying. Some very interesting details came to light. One of which involves the weavers. I want to use them to make the wagons lighter so we can travel at greater speed.”
“Like Tavis did with you when you were injured,” she replied.
“Exaclty, it will allow us to move faster and transport the wounded safely.”
Her head lifted as she blinked her eyes. For a moment, her face was happy, and her smile warm, then the war came back.
“Let's go then; you can tell me all about it on the way.”
In just a heartbeat, he had seen love, pain, and the determination of war. With any luck, they would find the weavers quickly and overtake the raven guard before they could do any more harm.