Lilly had woken after speaking with Ayawa and lay awake the rest of the night. Hurrock slept on the other side of the tent with his back facing her. The previous night had been terribly stressful, and she could feel her loved one's pain. Gersius had become so angry she had felt it even though he was a days flying away. She knew that it had to be Ayawa telling her about Lilly's marriage to a Doan man, but what could she do about it? She couldn't take her dragon form, and she couldn't refuse their customs. If she had, she would likely have been killed or even caused the wise ones to lose control. Grelm would be the war leader now, and he would likely have ordered Lilly's death before marching to war.
Lilly didn't care what happened to the wise ones now. She had been shown that they were only playing a game with the goal of keeping Lilly distracted until the dragons could come to collect her. Now it was only a matter of time before the dragons arrived, and Lilly had to find a way out. Hurrock tried to break the lock last night, but his iron chisel had done little damage. He said they had something stronger that he would acquire today, and the lock would come off that night. Lilly resigned herself that this was her last day in the camp, and when that collar came off, she was flying home.
Of course, now there was a new danger, one that made her skin crawl. She had to face the wise ones and play along. She couldn't let them know that she was aware of their plans or lie about Hurrock. Cindri would no doubt be on hand to test her light, and a lie would be quickly revealed. The danger was so severe that Lilly had made herself sick at the prospect that she had to sleep with him. Thankfully he had a plan to avoid this, and that plan was Sophia.
Lilly learned that Sophia was his first wife by Doan law, and as is their custom, when a man marries a second wife, any previous wives stay away that first night. It was to allow the new wife a chance to bond with her husband through intimacy. So as far as anyone knew, Lilly and Hurrock had been the only two in the tent. The sounds of their lovemaking were intentionally loud enough for nearby tents to hear; however, it had been Sophia in his arms.
She had snuck across the camp hours after the event and slipped into the tent unnoticed. Lilly then lay with her back to them, trying not to hear as they provided the camp with proof that Lilly had consummated her marriage.
Sophia was gone when Lilly was done with the dream, and Hurrock explained. She was sleeping in the camp of the wise ones tonight and needed to be found there when they woke. Hopefully, the game would be enough, and Cindri or anyone else wouldn't ask a direct question. If any of the wise ones asked Lilly directly if she had lain with Hurrock, her lie would be exposed. She wasn't sure what they might do, but one possible outcome was standing as witnesses to watch Hurrock breed Lilly. She could never allow that to happen and would rather die than betray Gersius.
She knew from Thayle that most humans considered sleeping with a man that was not their husband to be a terrible betrayal of trust. As a dragon, she understood the need to possess something exclusively, but she also didn't see why mating was so exclusive. Dragons didn't care much about who they mated with. When the need called, they sought out the closest male who could do the job. Were she to approach the current problem from the dragon's perspective, she would have slept with Hurrock and not had to lie. However, despite her dragon point of view, she understood one thing. Gersius saw it very differently. He would never betray his wives or lay with a woman he didn't call a wife. As such, Lilly knew that to lay with Hurrock would hurt Gersius so deeply that their relationship would be tarnished forever, if not destroyed.
Now the morning had come, and Lilly was still in Hurrock's tent as he dressed while trying to encourage her that he would get the collar off.
“The chisel I will get is hardened steel,” Hurrock explained. “It may take time, but I will get the lock off.”
“Let's hope I have the time,” Lilly sighed and looked down. “I want to go home.” A tear fell from her cheek and splashed on the floor. It wasn't the fear that her life was in danger that bothered her; it was knowing Gersius had been that angry. She was causing him this pain with her foolish actions and rash decision, and now she could do nothing to fix it.
“Remember. Cindri will be watching you carefully,” Hurrock reminded. “You must be careful about what you say and how you react to their words.”
“I know,” Lilly replied and wiped at her eye. Then, with a deep breath, she stood and crossed the small tent, going to the flap that acted as the door. She could see bright sunlight streaming around the edges as she threw the flap open and stepped into the light.
“There you are,” Lacindra said as she stood nearby with two wise women. Lilly squinted in the bright light and waved before approaching to notice all three were smiling. “Made a good Doan woman of you last night,” Lacindra teased. “How funny that Hurrock has two easterners as wives.”
Lilly smiled because she was grateful that Cindri was not among the women and not at Lacindra's comments. The woman took the smile as agreement and let out a hearty laugh before letting Lilly know that half the camp had heard them.
Lilly flushed with embarrassment as she realized that the Doan would all think that was her. She knew it was part of the plan and exactly what Hurrock was hoping for, but it still made her react. She didn't like the idea of all these people believing she had betrayed the man she sacrificed two dragon hoards to save. She felt ashamed not to correct them and allow such a belief to fester. It made her angry to swallow that shame and pretend to be fine with it as they approached the wise one's camp.
Valindra and Nirlindris were together and rose to greet her, welcoming her to sit on a cushion nearby. She was even addressed as Lilly wife of Hurrock by some of the women, causing Lilly to fight back the rising disgust. Cindri arrived a moment later and joined the group with a wary eye on Lilly. Of course, the morning was dominated by talk about what happened last night and Lilly's new arrangement.
“She has been properly wed then?” Nirlindris asked as tea was served.
“Oh, she was wed,” Lacindra laughed. “I heard them for nearly an hour.”
Lilly blushed again as a few other women chimed in that they had heard it as well. Lilly swallowed her pride and even commented that Hurrock seemed to have enjoyed himself. It was a statement that carried no measurement of truth that Cindri could challenge, yet seemed to agree with the sentiment going around the camp. She had learned how to make vague statements from Thayle and even practiced lying with her to cheat the aura sight. Now she would put those skills to use as she engaged in a battle of half-truths, trying to convince the wise ones that Lilly had indeed been taken to bed. For nearly an hour, they made jokes and comments about Lilly and her new husband, even presenting her with a new skirt. This one had colors to represent her years and golden sides with a gray-fanged maw. This was to show she was married into the stone maw and now a proper Doan wife. She was then teased about how she needed to try hard to have children but not to be upset if she couldn't.
“Sophia will have them for him if she is unable,” Jhandi said as she sat beside Lilly.
“Where is Sophia?” Lacindra asked. “She has been absent all morning.”
“Maybe she went to ensure her husband still favored her,” Jhandi suggested to a few smiles and laughs. “After a night like that, she might be second to his new wife.” She patted Lilly's hand, and Lilly smiled in return, playing along and trying not to feel sick. It was a horrible game, but she needed to be happy about it, or it would show in her light. To accomplish this, she tried to think about happy moments from her relationship with Gersius and found that it was helping. She imagined that night out in the wilds where Gersius offered to stand guard so Lilly could take her human form to lay with Thayle.
She could feel the love of that moment as her lips met Thayle's, and the two lay in the grass to begin their passions. Now that she thought back to it, she remembered how happy Gersius had felt in that moment. He took pleasure in seeing them together and had done so ever since. He loved to see them lying in each other's arms, sharing a warm embrace. He was all about love and family, seeking the quiet moments of innocent love. That filled her aura with a loving glow but also a deep desire to return to his arms.
“There you are,” Valindra called, waking Lilly from her longing.
Sophia arrived and apologized for being delayed. She admitted that she wanted to check on her husband to ensure he was not too tired. That brought even more laughter and a few jokes at Sophia's expense as he settled next to Lilly.
“Now the day can begin,” Valindra said and set her tea aside.
What started was very familiar to Lilly, and it immediately raised alarms. The wise ones were talking about moving the camp the next morning, and as Lilly looked around, she could see people were already making preparations. They discussed the logistics of food and resources as they marched east to exploit the gap in the empire's defenses. For a brief moment, Lilly was terrified they had already broken through, but thankfully that proved to be false.
For hours they discussed military preparations for the full and proper invasion of the empire. They discussed troop movements, the timing of attacks, and how to exploit the holes once they were made. It was the kind of meeting Lilly had sat in a hundred times before as Gersius planned his various invasions. She learned that tens of thousands of bandersooks would be washed against the walls of the border keeps, with some support from special siege formations. This was to keep the men focused to the west and hunkered down behind their walls.
Intense debates opened up as wise ones from smaller clans were disgruntled that their people had minor roles to play. They all wanted as much glory as possible in the coming struggle, and it nearly brought the planning to a halt.
“Are you alright?” Sophia whispered when the others were focused on the arguments.
“I am fine,” Lilly whispered back. “But why are they planning the attacks? Has something happened?”
“I don't know,” Sophia answered. “I overslept and helped our husband acquire the tool he needed from one of the blacksmiths. As soon as he fixes your problem, you have to go.”
“What about you?” Lilly asked. “What if they discover your deception?”
“Let’s not talk about this here,” Sophia whispered back and put her hand over Lilly’s. “And don’t forget to keep smiling for Cindri.”
Lilly looked up to see that despite the arguments going on around them, Cindri was still watching. The woman clearly didn't trust Lilly and was determined to find some excuse to test her loyalty. Thankfully, the wise ones were preoccupied with the argument and no longer interested in Lilly.
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They broke into small groups for lunch, and Lilly was allowed to leave with Sophia. The two walked hand in hand and talked while faking smiles and pretending to be wives.
“Something has changed,” Lilly insisted as they passed through the camp. “They are preparing to march.”
“I must have missed something while I was in the tent with you and Hurrock,” Sophia admitted. “As far as I know, they are still waiting on confirmation that the army is in position.”
“Even if it is, how will they get a message fast enough?” Lilly asked. “Unless they can use the dream or a dragon flies the message to them, it will take days, maybe even a week or more, to get here.”
“All I know is they use some kind of magic to speed the message along,” Sophia answered. “It allows a runner to cross great distances for a short time and can be granted by imbibing a potion. I hear the runners often have a dozen of these potions on them, and some even have magic rings that allow them to run for hours.”
Lilly thought back to Tavis and how he had a weave to make himself much lighter and extend his endurance. It didn't allow him to run any faster than normal, but he could run for much longer. If there was a weave or blessing to increase speed as well, then an army could maneuver into position with terrifying speed. Gersius had made the point that being able to maneuver and get ideal positions was half of winning a battle. Surprise was the biggest advantage, and if this army could move so quickly, that surprise was almost guaranteed.
“How do they make this magic?” Lilly asked.
“I don't know,” Sophia said with a shake of her head. “It's some blending of weaves and blessings. The dragons do most of the work, crafting the items and tools needed to accomplish it. They make the totems that control the bandersooks and teach us how to use them.”
“So those are made by dragons,” Lilly said as it started to make sense. They had seen several instances of weaves blending with blessings, especially in the camps that imprisoned the women of Ulustrah. But she had seen it again when confronted by Carigarra. That woman had magics at play that blocked Ulustrah's aura sight and Astikar's danger sense. The dragons knew how to manipulate the divine and had used that power to twist the seals and force the divines to grant their blessings to the unworthy. Everything had been the dragons from the very beginning, manipulating events to arrive at one critical moment.
“Are you alright?” Sophia asked as Lilly wobbled.
“No, I am not alright,” Lilly countered and turned to face her. “The war is about to begin, and I have failed at everything I set out to do. Gersuis told me this was a foolish course of action, but I felt sure that the divines were calling me to try. But look!” Lilly barked and gestured to the camp. “They are breaking down in preparation to move closer to the battle lines. I have seen Gersius do this a hundred times on the eve before a major battle.”
“Keep calm,” Sophia insisted.
“I am going to die here,” Lilly said as tears filled her eyes, forcing her to put her hands over them. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I could reach them. But this was a terrible mistake and Gersius's dream is going to come true. I won't be there to raise my daughter.”
“Stop that,” Sophia urged and grabbed one of Lilly's arms.
“And you,” Lilly said as she looked at her. “If I do escape, they will question you and ask if you had a hand in my deception. They will discover the truth, and you will pay the price for helping me.”
Sophia looked away as she let go of Lilly's arm. She walked a few steps away and looked east as if trying to see her homeland.
“I have been here long enough to feel a connection to this place,” Sophia said. “But my heart is always in the east. I am grateful that Hurrock was the one who claimed me, but I am not of his people. I play my role because I have no choice, and I do what I have to do. If they break the walls and enter the empire, they will use what they learned from me to advance. I have betrayed my people by telling the wise ones about the towns and cities along the border. They will use what I told them to sweep it aside and strike deep into the empire.”
“But you had no choice,” Lilly said. “I understand the position you're in because I am in it too. You did what you had to do to survive.”
“And how will that comfort me when I hear how the empire burns?” Sophia asked. “How will I sleep knowing I had a hand in it?” She sighed and looked about to ensure nobody was close enough to hear. “But I can do something to redeem myself. I can help you escape and go back to my brother. Maybe you can inspire him to turn the tide like you did to break the walls of Calathen.”
“You’ll die here,” Lilly said.
“It will be nothing more than I deserve,” Sophia replied.
Lilly felt a swelling of pain as the women before her accepted that she would die here. She was alone and isolated from her home, being forced to help plan its destruction. She was riddled with guilt and full of pain, but she was determined to help Lilly escape.
“Come, we must go back,” Sophia said, turning Lilly about. “If we are gone too long they will become suspicious.”
Lilly nodded and walked back to the wise one's camp as her head spun with worries. All around her, the camp was preparing to march, and the Doan looked at her with approval. To them, she was just another Doan woman, a wife of a prominent clan chief. Yet, they still planned to hand her over as a prize to the dragons, who were likely already on the way to claim her.
She put on her false happiness and entered the ring of tents to gather with the women once more. For the rest of the day, she had to listen to them plan the destruction of the empire while never discussing the location of the missing army. All they said about it was that it was in position, and the plan was set in motion. She sipped tea and ate meat cooked over the fire while making small talk about her marriage to Hurrock, all while desperate to find out where the army was. When at last, the hours grew long and the sunset, Lilly could stand it no more. The women were done with their discussions and were now boasting about how easy the conquest would be. They lounged around, laughing at the empire's demise and the trap that had been set.
“You won't win,” Lilly said, breaking her long silence on the topic. “Gersius has three armies as well, and he has been preparing for this for a long time.”
“Oh, she hasn't quite been domesticated yet,” Jhandi giggled. “She needs a few more nights in her husband's arms.”
Women laughed and whispered things as Valindra set her tea aside. She smiled at Lilly with a very pleased look, then leaned forward to speak.
“Gersius will be destroyed this very night,” she said. “Our army is across your mountains and on the march, descending on his camp as we speak. He foolishly came west with his army and camped practically in our path. Thanks to the dragons, we will close the distance so quickly that he will be unable to get a warning. We will catch them late in the night as they sleep, and by the time the sun rises, Gersius will no longer be a threat.”
Lilly felt her heart freeze as she heard the news and saw the confident look on the woman’s face. Others laughed around her, boasting that Gersius would never suspect they could cross the ground so quickly. Lilly realized her earlier suspicions about an army using that speed to maneuver had been correct, and she panicked inside. She needed an excuse to go back to their tent to sleep so she could reach Ayawa, but she couldn’t just walk away. She silently prayed that Hurrock would come to collect her, giving her some pretext to leave.
“Nothing to say?” Valindra asked with a smug smile.
“All I know is Gersius won’t be caught in your trap,” Lilly replied. “He will have rings of guards and sentries to alert him.”
“My poor dear,” Valindra said with a smile. “None of your sentries will outrun our scouts. They will be killed in the fields and unable to deliver the warning. By the time the magical speed fades, our army will be outside his tents. Thankfully you took a new husband, so you won't have to mourn the loss of the old one.”
“We will see,” Lilly replied, but her voice lacked conviction. Every second felt precious now as the women made jokes at her expense. She could see they were enjoying her torment and pleased to see her upset. This was part of their plan all along, to make her see that it was hopeless. But they still didn't know about the dream, and if Lilly could get away, she could still warn them.
Another hour went by as the women talked, but Lilly was growing restless. She kept looking to the night sky, trying to track the time when finally Valindra said they should break for the night.
The women parted with a few words of how the war had begun, and tomorrow, the door to the empire would be thrown open. Lilly hurried back with Sophia at her side and burst into the tent to find Hurrock waiting.
“I have the steel tool to get the collar off,” Hurrock explained and threw a skin aside to reveal a hammer and some chisels. “Come, we will go away from the camp so that they won't hear the hammering.”
“I can't,” Lilly exclaimed and ran to his arms. “I need to sleep now.”
“What?” he said in alarm. “Don’t you see how much danger you are in? The dragons almost certainly are on the way. If you don't leave soon, you never will”
“Everything I hold dear is in danger!” Lilly cried as she thought of Gersius being ambushed again. She had heard that painful story of the forest attack a dozen times, and now it was happening again. She needed to sleep to warn them if it wasn't already too late.
Hurrock looked to Sophia, who nodded and said they needed to give her a few minutes.
Lilly wasted no time and went to their bed, where she curled up and closed her eyes. She had to focus on the point of light technique, as the fear and worry threatened to keep her awake. Slowly she faded away, drifting into sleep as she switched focus to the temple of Ulustrah. Hopefully, Ayawa would be waiting, and she could deliver the warning before it was too late.
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Gersius watched Sarah sitting in meditation as she waited to hear from Lilly. It had been a terrible battle as he insisted she needed to fly, but Sarah was determined to speak to Lilly this night. After Ayawa's last message, none of them could think of anything but Lilly being chained and married to a Doan man.
“Do you think Lilly will answer her?” Tavis asked.
“I hope so,” Gersius replied and glanced to the side where the small tent containing Thayle’s egg stood. She was in the tent with it, sleeping on the bed of cushions beside it like a mother protecting her young. The news of Lilly’s predicament had been particularly hard on her as she had tried so hard to be the voice of reason.
“Ayawa will tell Lilly to go to the valley,” Tavis said. “I am sure she will go.”
“Tavis,” Gersius said and took a deep breath. “I have never been more worried in my life. Even when my order turned on me and were breaking my ribs, I did not feel this despair. I was sure I had failed Lilly and led her into captivity, but this somehow feels worse. She is married to a man of our enemy and unable to return.”
“Ayawa made it clear he isn’t laying a hand on her,” Tavis reminded.
“I know,” Gersius said and took a calming breath. “But he has also taken my sister as a bride. Can we say the same for her?”
Tavis let out a long sigh and put a hand on Gersius's shoulder. He did his best to remind Gersius of what they discussed earlier that day, that the divines had a plan for this. For whatever reason, Lilly was meant to be in this situation, and perhaps so was Sophia. By all accounts, this Doan man was treating her well, and she was a wise one in the camp. Surely that meant she wasn't just some slave being beaten and raped.
“How has your training been going?” Gersius asked to change the subject. He was grateful that Tavis offered no argument and explained that it was going remarkably well.
“Sarah knows things about the weave we forgot a thousand years ago,” Tavis said. “She has shown me how to control the flames as I build its power safely. Thanks to her, I can manage more of the fire without risking a loss of control, but the big things are still a challenge. She says it takes practice to build up the innate understanding, but most of it is knowing when to stop pulling in more power.”
“Did she say how long it would take you to master it?” Gersius asked.
“She says I have a natural talent for it and that it would take eight months to a year,” Tavis replied. “But that's assuming she is free to teach me, and I have time to practice.”
“I am glad Sarah has you and Ayawa to keep her mind distracted,” Gersius said. “She is worried about Lilly and needs something to focus on.”
“I am not sure she finds teaching Ayawa about the dream to be a distraction,” Tavis countered. “Ayawa thinks she harbors resentment for her. That she's angry that Lilly is reaching out for Ayawa instead of her.”
“Sarah is stretched too thin,” Gersius replied. “She is trying to encourage and train women who join the order of Astikar and train a new sacred group of falcons. She is also our best chance of spotting the enemy from the air and dealing with any dragons. Now she is trying to train you and Ayawa, all while worried sick about Lilly. It's taking its toll on her, and she will find no peace until Lilly is safely back in her arms.”
“I am sure Lilly's being away is a terrible pressure,” Tavis agreed. “Let's hope they talk tonight, and it soothes some of her worries.”
Gersius shared his sentiment, but deep down, he doubted it. More likely, Sarah would wake and demand they go after Lilly now. If what Lilly told her was dire enough, he would agree and take the risk of being away. He didn't care what the divines had planned for Lilly, he wanted her back safely, and the time was running out.
“Gersius!” a voice screamed in the night, turning the two men's heads.
“That sounded like Ayawa,” Tavis said with a voice that dripped with tension.
Sarah's eyes came open with a red flare as she heard the desperate call. Ayawa shouted again, and the three ran across the tent, heading for the outside and nearby tent where Ayawa sat with Gedris.
Gersius tore into their tent to find Gedris trying to soothe a wild-eyed Ayawa who trembled in panic. She saw him and the others and nearly fell over herself trying to get up as she mumbled at him.
“Gersius! Lilly told me! The missing army! She told me to warn you!” the woman babbled.
“She isn’t making any sense,” Sarah said as Tavis went to see if he could help calm her.
“Ayawa, you need to calm yourself,” Tavis urged. “You're jumbling your words, and we don't understand what your saying.” She tried again, but her frame of mind was so panicked that she made even less sense than before.
Gersius got down on a knee before her, took a hand, and looked into the frightened woman's eyes. “I am here. Take a deep breath and tell me what Lilly said to you?”
“It’s here!” Ayawa cried as she clutched at him.
“Here? Here where?” Gersius asked, clueless as to what she meant.
“Gersius, the missing army is here! Lilly said they are miles out of the mountains, using magic to speed their advance beyond what a normal man could run. By now, they are only a couple miles to the north already in formation. They are trying to take you by surprise and repeat what happened to you in the Greenwall. She said they have already overrun your scouts and outer guards. They will be on you in minutes!”
Gersius was already out the door before she finished crying his alarm into the night.