Morgivel had once said that the real purpose of healers was delaying having to say your final goodbyes as long as possible.

But healers dealt with wounds and illnesses, so a parting like this wasn't in their domain.

Nela had not expected that last farewell to hit quite so hard. It wasn't like she hadn't left Hallowscroft before, with much the same mindset then, but somehow...it felt different. Possibly because the prior time, she'd been on her own. No Ronny, no one else, just herself vaguely wanting more than anything to prove that she could make it as a healer.

Whatever it was, Nela knew she couldn't let it slow them down. Her problems weren't all that big, not compared to what Edeline and Ronny had been going through.

Right, that reminded her. "Can I ask you something?" Nela said, looking over at Edeline.

"I suppose so." The four were walking along the worn dirt road that led to this summer home. Farm fields lined the road, some partially hidden behind clusters of trees. A couple of the farmers had been walking down the other way past them, heading into town for whatever reason. Good for them, since Nela definitely did not want to work on a farm.

"Can I call you Eddy? Edeline is a mouthful."

"I would rather you not," Edeline said curtly. Nela shrugged, not really all that bothered by the refusal. Probably better that she saved the little cute names for Ronny. To be honest with herself, she couldn't really remember exactly when it had started. Nela just knew it had been something she'd come up with to tease him, and it somehow stuck.

"And before you ask, no, you shouldn't call me Hammy," Hamond joked.

"Well, now I have to do it," Nela shot back with a grin. She glanced over at Ronny, who just shook his head.

"Humor aside," Edeline said, "Where exactly are we going after this? I know going in the direction of Kelshir was brought up, but I want to be certain of what other choices there are."

Nela had to admit she wasn't sure either. It wasn't like she knew all the different kingdoms and cities and such. Up until the army under Ronny had marched off, Hallowscroft had been all she knew. Ronny had visited other nobles in the company of his father a few times, even going to the king's court once. It made her wonder if Hamond was more or less traveled than that.

"Our options for leaving Hyarch would be either going north into Remuat, or east into the wildlands." Hamond looked out down the road, frowning. "Further east is Kengerik, but that would be a very long journey."

"And I assume my ear makes it impossible for us to remain in Hyarch," Edeline noted, voice bitter.

"Unfortunately, you'd be very recognizable," Ronny said. Nela shrunk down a little. Yes, it was Kalvarel's whole plan, but she still felt a bit guilty.

"Well, we'd have some time." Hamond slowed his pace slightly. "Having kept the secret, the aldermen have to know their heads would be at risk if the truth got out. I'd be more worried about stories about me and the spells I used publicly to stop Kalvarel. A Remuati thaumaturge would also stand out in Hyarch."

"That makes it sound like Remuat would be the safest option, then," Edeline commented.

"Probably so," Hamond agreed, then paused. "But there is one other matter."

"Which would be?"

"The statue's request." Hamond's frown grew deeper. "Given that it likely referred to someone from the House of Pelagoin as this betrayer, looking into that would require us to remain in Hyarch."

Nela let out a sigh. She knew which choice she would go with. But she had a feeling Edeline, and by extension Ronny, would want to stick around. As for Hamond...she couldn't tell what he was thinking here.

"I do not think we know enough about the statue or this betrayal to make a decision about that," Edeline said, glancing up at the sky. "But I do know Kelshir has one of the Aetheric Order's libraries. If we could gain access to it, we might be able to learn more. And we would be heading in that direction anyway if we aimed to reach Remuat, so...we go there, learn what we can, and decide from there."

"Of course you would think of that." Ronny shook his head. "Wasn't there that one time you spent a whole month begging for our father to take you to visit that library?"

"It wasn't that long," Edeline replied, clearly pretending to pout.

"And you wanted to take how many books with you on this journey?" Nela couldn't resist joining in. They'd had to talk Edeline down to only bringing two, when the actual number she'd tried to stuff in her bag was closer to two hex.

"Can I assume you are not about to let me forget that?" Edeline asked.

"I might, I might not." Nela grinned.

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"Just how long will this trip be," Edeline grumbled to herself. Nela could tell though that she was amused in her own right. Definitely far removed from the broken mess she'd been yesterday. And hopefully, Nela could keep her that way.

"I think we have a problem," Hamond spoke up, staring down the road. Following his gaze, Nela could see a group of men in the distance approaching them, some with spears raised in the air. A thin cloud of dust, kicked up by the feet, shrouded them and made it hard to see how many there were. But they were definitely enough to far outnumber the four of them.

She knew that sight, knew it too well. Nela had been part of such a group before, marching under Ronny's command, back before she even knew him. Other such companies of men, recruited by their own lords or men under them, had joined them as they headed to fight against the Spellking's armies. Back then, it had been a sight to behold, one that left Nela a bit awestruck.

Now, though, it was dread. These men were marching to Hallowscroft, and the readied weapons meant it probably wasn't going to be good when they got there. And they were right in their path.

"They've seen us, haven't they?" Nela whispered.

"Probably." Hamond answered.

"Get off the road." Ronny didn't hesitate to follow his own words, sprinting for a nearby grove of trees. Nela quickly sped after him, forcing her way past some shrubs to settle into a hiding spot. She heard Hamond grunted nearby as he also struggled past the thick brush.

From where she'd settled in, Nela could see Edeline linger on the road a moment, then she ran over to join them. "They do not have any banners," she said as she worked her way through the branches and leaves.

"If it's the men holding father for ransom...I don't think they can be reasoned with." Nela could hear the defeat in Ronny's voice. "There's far too many for us to fight."

"It doesn't matter who they are. If you don't do something, Hallowscroft will be at their mercy." Hamond glanced over at Ronny and Edeline. "And you better do it fast."

The men were indeed drawing close, enough that Nela could tell there was more than two hexty of them. Some of them were indeed wearing the armor they'd been supplied with in the armies of Hyarch, while others just looked like they were wearing working clothes.

"Magic to blow away armies," Edeline said softly. Nela looked over as she rose, drawing her sword and moving back out to face the advancing mob.

Of all the times to try shit like that, it had to be now. Nela turned to say something to Ronny, only to see him moving out to try to protect his sister. Nela had to resist the urge to groan. Why couldn't they just stay hidden, instead of...

...had she really always been this much of a coward?

Frustrated, Nela started to move forward, to go help Ronny and Edeline. Someone - or something - grabbed the back of her tunic, pulling her back.

"Wait," Hamond said. Somehow he'd moved closer to her without her noticing.

Then again, Nela had more to worry about than where Hamond had been hiding. "Let go." She pulled free of his grip, then spun to face him.

"Get ready with your crossbow," Hamond rapidly spoke, settling into a new spot beside her. "You're no warrior. Don't charge out like one."

Nela took a deep breath. Hamond was right. She hated it, having to stand aside while Ronny and Edeline ended up in direct danger again, but he was right. Readying the crossbow, she took aim at the men in the front.

Those same men, now just a few hex paces away from Edeline and Ronny, came to a halt. One of them shoved his way out from among them. The leader, it seemed.

"If it isn't Myron Hallowscroft," the man sneered loudly, "What, you got all our pay and then some?"

"I can arrange it, if-" Ronny started to say, raising his voice so they could all hear. It had been a long time since he'd had to speak so commandingly, Nela recalled.

"Too late," the man interrupted, flexing one arm. "You should have thought of that before you sent your town watch to kill us." Scattered shouts rang out from the other men, some mocking, others angry.

"That was not my doing." Nela knew they wouldn't believe it. Ronny himself probably knew too, but was trying anyway.

"Like shit it wasn't. Don't worry though, you're going to pay." The shouts grew louder and more frequent. And more bloodthirsty.

"I will give you one chance to stand down." Nela could barely hear Edeline at this point.

The man glanced over at her with a laugh. "And you're going to stop me how? What, was half an elf all you could come up with?"

Nela wanted to laugh too, although for a very different reason. But that would give her away, so she held back.

And there it was, the pulling feeling as Edeline held up her sword. Hamond gasped. Looking at him, Nela could see he was completely astonished. Of course, she remembered, he'd been too far away to feel the flowing energy when she used it against the gigant. Ronny also realized it, because he scrambled back, getting some distance between him and his sister.

However, this left Edeline unguarded, and the man in front wasn't that stupid. Pulling out a knife, he stepped forward, ready to stab her. But before he could, Nela's crossbow shot caught him in the shoulder, staggering him. It was just a brief delay, not even failing to drop the man. Nela had given away her position for it, just to give Edeline an extra moment.

That moment was all Edeline needed.

"Deus volt!"

As before, the air cracked. It seemed a little less impressive to Nela, but that was probably due to it being the middle of the day outdoors instead of a dark underground chamber. Or it could just be that she'd already seen it once. For the men, though, they all froze in fear, staring at the glowing magic in the sky above Edeline's head.

The bolt descended, the sound once again loud and painful. Nela closed her eyes as Edeline let the spell loose, sending it surging into the group of men. At least this time she'd braced against a nearby tree, so she wasn't about to get knocked over again.

The spell's light faded, revealing very little left of the men in the center of the formation. They were the lucky ones, Nela realized on seeing some of the remains. She'd seen many people who had suffered terrible burns or grievous injuries. This...this was too much. It took everything she had to not look away.

A small number of men had survived, either by luck or by diving for safety. Nela could have taken a quick shot at any of them, but she wasn't that cruel. Besides, Edeline showed no sign of pursuing any of them. She simply stood there, sword at the ready. Given what she'd just done, that was intimidating enough.

Sure enough, one by one, the men rose and fled.

"You do know they will spread word of that," Hamond said, moving back out onto the road. Nela followed close behind.

"Let them," Edeline answered, "If I'm to be hunted, better for something I chose to do, rather than the blood I was born with."

Fair enough, Nela thought. She turned to look for Ronny. He was standing a distance down the road, staring at Edeline.

She trotted over to him. "You alright?"

Ronny shook his head, the stunned look on his face fading. "Let's just get to the summer house," he said.