Despite the madness engulfing the city, the council rose to the occasion and set critical decisions into motion. Regardless of whether direct combat would occur or not, they agreed that they must be prepared for a fight, as diplomacy alone would not suffice—it had to be backed by strength. It was resolved to announce a levy and to strongly urge the other four cities to follow suit. Additionally, Kardum’s leaders decided to deploy every available resource to monitor the actions of the Last Tribe. The entire Road Warden garrison would be mobilized.
This included, with her courteous consent, Moira, who would accompany a detachment tasked with observing potential magical threats and relaying information swiftly back to Captain Darva via a fast rider. At Moira's request, both Ashan and Otan joined the detachment, along with six other Road Wardens, including Tex, a guard Moira had met at an impromptu housewarming gathering. There were two primary reasons for this arrangement. First, there was genuine concern about spells, curses, or other magical influences that could elude an untrained eye. Second, with the overwhelming influx of refugees, it was impossible to guarantee Moira’s safety within the city. Who knew how many devoted acolytes of the Last Tribe might be hiding among the displaced, conspiring in secret? Placing her outside the city, in the midst of a swift cavalry unit with spare mounts, made her a much harder target to catch.
Moreover, an ancient practice not used in centuries—the lighting of beacon fires—was to be reinstated. This would allow cities to call for aid if couriers couldn’t break through with their messages.
Once this part of the meeting concluded, Moira was excused, a reprieve she gratefully accepted. The council continued their discussions on budget reallocations, urgent procurement orders, and drafting letters filled with pleas and threats to send far and wide.
Taking advantage of her sleepless night, Moira decided to write another letter to her mentor. In it, she summarized the current events and pledged to do everything in her power to stop this Elder, who had somehow acquired knowledge of necromantic rune magic through circumstances still unknown to her. By the time she finished arranging the letter's dispatch, dawn was breaking.
Accompanied by Ashan and Otan, who remained ever by her side, she returned to the garrison, where they all managed to catch a few hours of sleep before setting out on a longer journey away from the city. As Moira drifted off, she clung to a fragile hope that all of this could be stopped and undone. Yet fear nagged at her: not all the gray nomads might be willing to abandon their chosen path, even if the Elder were removed from the equation.
Her sleep was restless, haunted by dreams she could not recall upon waking, stirred at last by Tex’s call—her lone female companion in the new unit.
Moira stepped out of her room and found herself in the middle of a bustling crowd. People milled about the building, busy with work. Tex stood out amidst the commotion, carrying a tray of breakfast. Took it over from her, she motioned for Tex to come inside.
Still clad in her long nightgown, Moira sat down at her desk and started eating. Tex perched on the edge of the bed, ready to brief her.
"We’ve got the horses, gear, food, and weapons all packed and ready. The team’s already waiting downstairs, but no one’s in a rush to leave. So eat at your own pace. I’ll help you with your bags afterward, so we can haul everything in one go," Tex said matter-of-factly, glancing at her reflection in the small mirror on the bedside table. She fussed with a stray lock of her short black hair, which just brushed her shoulders.
Moira swallowed quickly, pounding her chest with her fist to help the food go down. "You should’ve woken me up earlier!" she said, a little embarrassed.
"Don’t worry about it. We wanted you rested, just in case we face any magical surprises. We can’t let those cultists catch us with our pants down," Tex replied casually. Taking the opportunity, she sprawled out on the bed, arms stretched wide, and added with a mock dramatic sigh, "I’m going to miss these garrison mattresses."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Moira thought back to the last caravan incident and murmured, "You’re right. Better safe than sorry." She coughed awkwardly, avoiding Tex’s gaze.
Tex seemed to pick up on her change in tone. Guessing the source of Moira’s uneasy expression, her face grew more serious. "We’re not some spineless merchants, Moira. I heard about the whole ordeal from Otan. If you have to fry some damn cultist, I’ll cover your back—not panic," she said firmly, propping herself up on her elbows to meet Moira’s gaze. "You can count on me. We’re in this together now, nayak," she added with a small, teasing smirk.
"Nayak? What does that mean?" Moira asked, both heartened by Tex’s words and genuinely curious about the term.
"It’s what we call a younger sister," Tex explained. "You know, because I’ve got seniority. As road warden."
Moira giggled at the girl who was almost a decade younger. "Alright, sister, let me finish eating, and then we’ll tackle those bags."
Tex grinned in satisfaction, rolling onto her stomach. She pulled a pillow down from the head of the bed, tucked it under her chin, and closed her eyes for a moment as she waited for Moira.
Once she was done eating, Moira changed into her traveling clothes. Together, they packed everything she’d need for the journey. Tex didn’t hold back on practical advice, tossing in tidbits as they worked. Along the way, she slipped out to return the tray and leftover food, reappearing just in time to help carry everything downstairs. Four hands were just enough to manage all the gear.
Downstairs, everything was indeed ready. Moira's familiar dapple-gray mare waited, already saddled. She stroked the horse’s muzzle and whispered a few kind words into her ear. Once the packs were secured to the saddlebags, the team gathered for a quick briefing. Captain Darva came out to repeat their orders: observe the roads, scout the terrain, report any movements of the Last Tribe, stay mobile, and return if they spotted a significant enemy force. “Mount up and move out,” she concluded.
Obediently, the group mounted their horses and rode to the nearest gate, forming up with Moira safely positioned in the middle of the column as they headed onto the trail.
Once they’d gained some distance from the city, Moira called for the team’s attention. “Let’s take a short break here,” she said, dismounting. She walked a few paces away from the group and summoned her shadowy birds, which descended from the sky to land around her. Since leaving Iskev, she had kept them in the living world.
She connected briefly with each of the three, absorbing their observations as though in a dream where time raced by. It lasted only moments, she saw nothing worth sharing. “These are my ravens,” she explained to the others. “Until now, they’ve been sticking close to keep an eye on me, but I’ll send them out now—to the north, east, and west—to search for large groups of armed people.”
The team responded with nods and only faintly wary expressions. It seemed Ashan and the brothers had already prepared them for her magical abilities. “They can let me know later if they spot anything. They’re very clever for birds,” she added proudly. The ravens croaked in agreement, their ghosty feathers peeking through from behind the smoke and shadow when they launched into the sky.
“Good thinking, Moira,” Tex said. “While they’re scouting, we can cover the nearby area the old-fashioned way.” A few others chuckled, their ease lifting Moira’s spirits. She even had a faint recollection of a dream where she’d done the same thing—but with far worse reactions. Soon they were back on the trail, riding northward with focus but a renewed sense of camaraderie.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Ashan asked as he rode up beside her, nodding toward the rest of the group.
She managed a cautious smile. “You’re right—it wasn’t,” she admitted, then added playfully, “Turns out you’re not the only pleasant and tolerant nomad out there.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m pleasant?” he countered with mock indignation.
“Am I?” she shot back with a teasing grin. Nudging her mare, she rode ahead to hide the blush rising in her cheeks. “Maybe sometimes,” she called over her shoulder, her voice warm. “Thanks for talking to them,” she added sincerely, pulling her cloak tighter as the chilly wind picked up.
Ashan matched her pace effortlessly, leaning slightly toward her from his saddle. “I’m glad I could help. We’re in this together, you know.” He glanced into her soft eyes, faltered slightly, and quickly added, “The whole squad, I mean.”
“The whole squad,” she repeated with a faint, knowing smile. “Well said.” With a broader grin, she spurred her horse forward, riding up to Tex and leaving Ashan behind with a sheepish expression.