She ought to be satisfied, but Nela could not shake the feeling that she'd forgotten something. It was probably some detail about the First Ascension the healer in charge was supposed to see to. It didn't matter too much. She could figure out what it was another time, when she wasn't so drained.

She hadn't thought it would be that hard. Yet having to hold the knife steady while she worked, over and over and over again as the day passed, had been nearly too much. Nela had almost dropped it once. Lucky for her, no one had noticed, but still, that kind of shit could get someone hurt.

At least Nela knew she could relax for the rest of the day. Whatever planning was going to happen with the threat to Faehaven wouldn't really involve her. Sure, she'd need to be there for healing any wounded, but the actual fighting was best left to someone like Edeline. One more or less crossbow wasn't going to count for much.

"So do we go back to the house now?" Edeline asked as they walked out into the open. For whatever reason, Faehaven was even louder than before, people hustling about. Nela wasn't sure if this was due to the First Ascension, but she'd take it.

"A good idea," Ronny said, "We can take a rest." Nela knew that was for her benefit. At this point, she'd happily take it.

As they walked, Nela wondered if she ought to return the knife. No, not yet. The next time she saw Astorel, she was absolutely going to let him have it. But as she was right now, she didn't have the energy to spare to even raise her voice. Tomorrow would be better.

"Excuse me." Or Centurla could come up behind them right now.

Her face was still pale and tight, making it clear the events in the grove still weighed on the woman. That, or they'd had to deal with something worse in the meantime. Nela wouldn't be surprised if their other two children had thrown fits on learning just who and what their father was.

"Is something wrong?" Ronny asked.

"The elders want to see you," Centurla said quietly. She glanced around, then lowered her voice. "Someone showed up from inside Kelshir to speak to them, and I don't think it's good news."

Probably someone bringing word of what that sphinx had said. Maybe now the elders would see how stupid they'd been. Or they could hold their ground, even as the truth hit them in the face. Nela supposed it didn't matter which. She and Ronny had convinced the elves here to defy the elders once. If they needed to, they could do it again.

"You want to head back?" Ronny asked, turning to Nela. "I can handle this."

It was tempting to take the offer, go sleep it off for a bit, but people would be more likely to listen if she was there. "I'll rest later, once we know what's going on."

"Right," Ronny said, "Lead us to them."

It was a quick walk over to the next road, passing the small houses. Nela noticed that a few elves trailed behind them, following her in particular. It was a little unsettling. Was this the kind of looks that Morgivel had been forced to deal with? Probably not. Nela doubted the old man had ever faced a situation like this.

The two elders were standing there with a handful of elves. Astorel was one of them, looking sullen again. Probably his normal face, Nela noted. More importantly, among the small group was someone who was not an elf.

And she definitely stood out.

The only time before Nela had ever seen an outfit that shouted nobility was a dress hanging in Edeline's old room back in Hallowscroft. If anything, that looked plain compared to this. Lace on the collar, patterned sleeves, a cloak lined with rich fur - everything about it told the world just who its wearer was.

The wearer was a young woman around their age or so. Her dark hair hung in a braid, draped over one shoulder. Despite all the fancy finery, she seemed ragged and exhausted, steadying herself with one hand on the shoulder of one of the elves. Probably even more tired than Nela herself felt.

At least Nela wasn't so tired that she couldn't guess who this was. With clothing like that, this had to be Lord Kelshir's daughter. Or at least some member of his family. There was no way anyone else would be walking around here in that sort of dress.

It looked like Ronny had reached the same conclusion, as he stood there with a dazed look on his face. Nela wondered what the big surprise was. It certainly wasn't about to beat learning your sister was the bastard daughter of a princess. She'd have thought after that, nothing much would be a surprise to Ronny.

This was not the time to stop and stare. Nela reached up and grabbed Ronny's shoulder, shaking him. That got his attention, alright. He shot a brief glance at her, then started over to where the elders stood.

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"What's going on?" Ronny asked as he approached.

"Faehaven's doom." Dusysel also seemed exhausted. No, it was deeper than that. Despair had set in.

"I'm telling you, you need to flee!" The young woman sounded surprisingly insistent, despite her own visible fatigue.

"And I told you, we can't!" The other elder poked one finger in her direction. "We do not have nearly enough food stores to last more than two hexdays. With us being completely cut off now, we cannot get more. No harvest from Verdan! No supplies from Kelshir! And no other village will deal with us with the threat of their destruction lurking! This is the end! The end...of us."

"Enough." Edeline crossed her arms. "This accomplishes nothing and tells us less. Take a breath, and let's start over. First, who are you?"

"I am...Lady Lace."

Well, that was a fake name if Nela had ever heard one. Nela could think of a hex of better...that was it. That was the thing she had forgotten about Jelinia's First Ascension. It didn't matter too much, given Nela...well, having the name she'd picked for herself. She made a mental note to talk to Jelinia later about it anyway, once they were back in the house.

"So, what exactly happened to bring you here?" Edeline asked.

Lady Lace, or whoever she was, stayed silent, biting her lip.

Dusysel gave Edeline an annoyed glare. "We had an arrangement to receive some supplies from inside Kelshir. Mostly tools and extra food. But now..."

"The knights went after who you were working with," Ronny finished the thought. Just like the sphinx had said. "Who was it though?"

"The Aetheric Order," the elder stated.

"What?" Nela blurted out. It was the Aetheric Knights who were behind all of this! That made no sense!

"I'm confused as well," Ronny said, "If the Aetheric Order is supporting the Elefae here, why couldn't they order the knights to stand down?"

"They are...in the pocket of Lord Kelshir," Lady Lace told them, finding her voice again. "He...owns all of the foundries of Kelshir, and controls their supply of arms and armor. A large portion of the supply of the entire kingdom, in truth. I...I think he may also have granted a few of their leaders...gifts."

"Gifts," Nela repeated. Bribery, was it? Good to know just how much of an arse Lord Kelshir was.

"Did they really turn against the Episkopiate?" Ronny drew a deep breath.

"The what?" Nela blinked, trying to figure who or what that even was.

"Leader of the Aetheric Order here," Edeline said quietly, "And I agree. That is hard to believe."

"He was aware of the supplies being shipped here, although he was not directly involved." Lady Lace closed her eyes, face pained. "It did not matter. They took everyone. I only just got away."

"So you were there when it happened?" Dusysel was beside himself. "You fool."

"Excuse me?" Lady Lace drew back in shock.

"Did it not occur to you that they let you go, so they could follow you? Now they know where the tunnel is!"

That explained how the goods got in from Kelshir. Nela had to admit she'd thought it was something like a hole in Kelshir's walls. A stupid idea, since someone would have noticed that quickly enough. Defeated the point of the walls, too.

"She came to warn you, and this is how you show your gratitude?" Ronny's voice was calm, but his choice of words clearly showed his unhappiness. It really wasn't fair, Nela agreed. The lady might be a noble, but in a fight that was not nearly the protection people might think it was.

"Considering it will lead to the death of everyone here? Including the survivors of Verdan you tried to keep safe? Yes!"

"Tell me you are joking," Edeline said with a glare. "We spoke with Ugotlas. We know you were already told of what was coming. What difference does a few days make when the knights will come regardless?"

Gasps of shock came from the assembled elves. It seemed that none of them had been aware of the sphinx's warning.

"How little do you think of us?" Dusysel retorted, trembling with...anger? Fear? Nela couldn't tell. "We have long known the time when the Elefae could count on years of happiness and health are gone! Every day that we could get, every season that we could bargain and struggle and work for, is worth it. Our efforts, our sacrifices, all to make sure these people see the sun rise the next morning. And then the next. And then another."

"We've nowhere to run, and no way to fight." The other elder gazed up at the blue sky, as if he expected some sort of answer. "All we can do is hope the stories of us will endure."

So the elders were going to be useless here. Still, judging from the faces of the other elves, they were also struggling with this same despair. There had to be something they could say that would rally these people, convince them that they could survive this and live on. Nela just didn't see what words she could offer.

"I wonder what the Stormsage would think upon hearing that," Edeline answered.

Dusysel snorted in disbelief. "Even if the old tales were true, the time when we had access to such power has long since passed."

"Has it now?" No point in holding anything back if they were going to need Edeline's spells for the battle ahead.

"There is no way-"

The entire conversation was cut short by a booming sound.

It was a sound that Nela had not heard in months, but she could never forget it. She had hated just how loud it was at first, then became used to it as the days away from Hallowscroft became months. A noise of war, of metal tubes on wheels spitting fury and rage against the forces of the Spellking.

The sound of a bombard. The knights had brought a bombard.

Ronny reacted immediately. "They're already here! You all, run!" he shouted, his voice seeming slightly weak in the wake of the bombard's roar.

"Where was that coming from?" Edeline looked around, as if the knights were just going to walk up and greet them. Ignoring her, Nela focused on her ears. Where the screams of panic were loudest...

"Over that way!" Nela pointed.

"I'll get them to safety!" Ronny started herding the elves and Lady Lace away. "Someone needs to stop that bombard!"

"Jelinia, go with him!" Nela shoved Jelinia in Ronny's direction. A little too rough, but she didn't have the time to politely ask, now did she? "I'll try to help the wounded!"

She didn't even wait to see what Ronny's response was. There wasn't time to argue about whether it would be safe, or what would be best. Neither was there time for her to get that rest she had wanted.

The battle for Faehaven had begun.