This Lord Verdan had been either the most daring person this side of Hyarch, or the most disgusting. Probably both.

Having been filled in on what had happened on Ronny's end, Nela was seething. They'd lost a full day of travel to this shit, and her tunic had been ruined. She had acted like it was no big deal, but replacing it was going to take pikers they did not have, plus even more time. There was no chance either she could find a tailor who had made one with a good fit, with her small size.

It didn't help that while they likely did have dresses that would fit, but Nela had not been able to bring herself to wear one in years. It wasn't something she'd ever been able to fully explain, but it just made her feel...off, not herself. Not that she hadn't tried many times with her family. Thank Aether and the Fae for Ronny.

At least, with their stuff here, she had a spare tunic. Nela shrugged it on, turning around and stretching. It was a little loose, but still was comfortable despite the time messily folded in the bottom of her bag. It had been a while since she had swapped outfits, and it would likely be an even longer while before she did it again.

Before she headed back out to help Ronny keep watch, there was one more thing to do. Rummaging through their stuff, she pulled out the crossbow. Her crossbow, with it once belonging to Ronny's father. Checking it over to make sure it was intact, Nela was relieved that it showed no damage. Perfect.

Grabbing the quiver and bolts to go with it, Nela headed for the door. While she could take care of herself just fine without a weapon - and had done so before - it was a relief to be armed again. Some enemies had to be dealt with permanently. It did sound odd for a healer to think that, Nela knew. But if you wanted to save lives, you had to be willing to fight for them.

The door opened to reveal a girl standing there.

Nela really did not like how close she came to pointing the crossbow at the girl. She could do better than firing shots at every little thing that surprised her.

As for the girl...right, this was that daughter of that fool of a lord. Ronny had mentioned he'd told the girl to stay in one of the other rooms. The girl had defied that order, but not having been the most obedient child either, Nela supposed complaining was foolish.

"Jelina, wasn't it?" Might as well be friendly.

"Jelinia," the girl corrected, trying to peer past Nela for a brief moment. "And you're an elf."

"Yes, and?" Nela wasn't sure how to feel about that. "The name's Nela, by the way."

"Nela." It seemed like Jelinia was testing the name, sounding it out for some reason.

"So, did you want something?" Nela already knew the answer. You didn't just stand outside a room waiting for someone without a reason.

"I was just wondering." Jelinia's words were hesitant. "Is...is that other lady an elf too?"

Nela was glad Edeline had fallen asleep. "No."

"But she had an ear like yours," Jelinia protested, a slight frown on her face.

"Someone tried to make her an elf. But she didn't want to be one." Nela decided telling that much wouldn't hurt. As long as the why was kept a secret, that would be fine.

"You're not...born like that?"

Of course she wouldn't know. Shit, from what Nela had learned, Edeline herself had not known for years. And then a few days after that...

None of this answered Jelinia's question. "Once you get old enough, Elefae like me undertake a ritual to have our ears shaped."

"Does it involve using blood to power secret spells?"

Nela's mouth opened, then she forced it shut before she said the stupid first thought that came to mind. "Who told you that?"

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"Father did." The girl's frown deepened. "I asked him how he knew. He was so angry with me after that."

Because he didn't really know, Nela realized immediately, and hated that his own daughter doubted the shit he said. Forget the audacity. Hudde or Lord Verdan or whoever he was, he was just pathetic.

"It's nonsense." Nela had nothing but confidence in calling it that.

"Thought so." Jelinia's tone was neutral, but Nela didn't miss a slight chirp, a crack in her voice. "Getting your ears pointed...does it hurt?"

"For a little while. Why are you asking?" Curiosity was one thing, and Jelinia had plenty of it, true. But there was more to this than curiosity, Nela thought.

"Father and Mother both told me many times how terrible the elves were. But since they were..." Jelinia trailed off for a moment, shaking slightly. "...they were awful. So I thought it had to be all lies. Elves are good people, right?"

"Some of us are." Nela couldn't help but think of Kalvarel, and his twisted plans for Ronny and Edeline. Telling Jelinia about that was a bad idea right now. It was clear that the girl had seen elves as a fantasy, an escape, the opposite of the life she had lived and the people she knew.

In other words, hope.

There was no way it could last, but Nela was not about to break the truth to Jelinia. Shit, what else could she say to that? If there was one thing Nela did not want to do ever in her life, it was lie to a child.

Maybe it was time for a bit of a subject change. "Where will you go after this?"

"I don't know," the girl admitted, looking away while shifting in place.

"Do you have any other family?" Nela couldn't help but worry.

"No." Jelinia continued to let her head hang low.

Shit, that wasn't good. As much as Nela felt for Jelinia, it would be difficult to take her with them. However, they did not have the time to spare to find someone here in Verdan to take her in, not while evading the men hunting them. Leaving her alone as an orphan was too cruel to even think about.

Might as well speak to Ronny about it. "Here, why don't we go talk about it in the other room?"

With a little nod, Jelinia moved aside, and Nela strode past.

Ronny had told her he was going to throw the dead bodies in another of the rooms, and from the looks of it he'd done just that. Of course, that meant they would have to get out of here that much sooner. From experience, she knew bodies would not last long before starting to stink horribly. By this time tomorrow, the whole house was going to smell vile.

Standing silently by the door, Ronny looked relaxed, but Nela could tell this was feigned. He'd have his sword in hand the instant that danger presented itself. He'd described it once as something to do with his sword training teaching him how to be ready to fight. Nela had taken his word for it.

"Didn't I tell you to wait in the back room?" he asked, looking over at Jelinia.

"Wouldn't be the first person who didn't listen to you," Nela remarked with a grin. Ronny gave her his usual put-upon look. "She'd never met an elf," Nela added, setting the joke aside.

"Ah." Nela knew Ronny could understand that.

There was no easy way to word the question, so Nela didn't try. "What are we going to do with her anyway? She said she had no other family except...well, you know."

Ronny sighed. "We should be able to take her into Kelshir." He turned to the girl. "There, we might be able to see if someone will take you in."

"Very well." Jelinia sounded almost...upset. Nela wondered if they ought to see if an elven family would take the girl in. Then again...her grandfather's warning came to mind. Would it really be safe, if the Elefae of Kelshir faced harsh treatment?

They'd have to ford that river when they got to it.

Lifting her crossbow, Nela walked past the sleeping forms of Hamond and Edeline, seated near each other. She kind of wished she could sleep that soundly given the situation. While her headache had faded, a little pain still lingered, floating somewhere above her eyes. Shaking her head in annoyance, she continued over to the window. Nela pushed the curtains aside, and peered out into Verdan.

People were running down the street. Some were carrying bags in their arms, while others were pulling each other along. Women, men, children, elders, all...fleeing. If any of them were sparing breath to shout or call to each other, it wasn't loud enough for Nela to hear. Trying to lift herself up to see what they were running from, Nela felt her blood chill as she caught the first faint whiff of smoke at the same time as she saw it.

"Myron," she said.

"What's wrong?" he answered.

"Wake them up. We need to go!" Nela's voice, which she'd been keeping low to avoid waking the other two, rose sharply. "The village is burning!"

"Huh?" Hamond grunted as he sat up.

"We're leaving. Now." Ronny somehow stayed calm. "I'll go grab what bags I can. You got my sister?"

"On it!" Nela rushed over, roughly shaking Edeline's shoulders as Ronny hurried off.

"Uh...what?" Edeline tried to roll over, only to fall half-over the chair's arm. She then stumbled to her feet, blinking.

"No time! We're leaving!" Nela stepped back, only to nearly jump as someone grabbed her arm. It was Jelinia, face pale. Well, that choice was made for them.

"Got the bags!" Ronny came running back.

"My sword?" Edeline asked, still sounding not all there.

"Shit," Ronny said, apparently having missed it. He passed the bags to Hamond, then dashed back. A moment later he returned again holding Edeline's blade. She took it, and fumbled as she attempted to attach it onto her belt.

"That better be everything!" Nela didn't stop to wait for an answer, following right behind Ronny as they sprinted for the door. Somehow, Jelinia kept up, still gripping Nela's arm tightly.