One cold weekend day, Solveis followed Ranulf and a couple other companions around, tending to various plant life.

“You see this, it’s funny because it’s really a weed here, but back home, we plant this as an ornamental plant. If you let it grow here though, it’ll spread like wildfire and choke out the plants we want,” Ranulf chatted as he worked.

Solveis helped out by doing some weeding, a preferred task for her, since there was little risk of doing anything wrong. Only in her own little garden, by the cabin, did she really take an active role and feel comfortable manipulating the plant life in a significant way.

“It is nice today, despite the cold. Are the winters always so moderate? You really are lucky to have such a place to yourself, and you’ve had it for generations, haven’t you?” Ranulf wondered aloud about Solveis’s family’s experience.

“This is the normal cold. It’s not real winter yet though. Then we’ll get some days when we really can’t go outside, but not yet,” Solveis shared her expertise. Then she answered his other question about the family history, “It’s a couple generations, but… no not exactly…” Solveis’s thoughts tried to order themselves into an answer to the question, but her thoughts were abruptly shut down by a loud clanging noise. In genuine panic, she exclaimed, “What’s that?!”

The adults around her didn’t seem to be entirely shocked like she had been. They did become quite alert though.

“Come on. Let’s go back to the fort, now. Leave behind what doesn’t absolutely need to come,” Ranulf directed his little troop of followers.

Solveis didn’t know what exactly should be brought back. Luckily, the adults seemed to be sure of what to do. One of the women even grabbed Solveis gently by the wrist and led her swiftly toward the fort.

By the time the little group reached the fort, it was half abandoned. Those in the fort were moving quickly, gathering weapons and the like.

The woman who had grabbed Solveis’s arm pulled her into the fort. “Wait here. I’ll send someone to escort you back to your cabin.” The woman actually lifted Solveis by her waist and set her on a high table.

Solveis was shocked at the unexpected manhandling. After Solveis got her head back in order though, she understood that it must really have been out of a sense of urgency.

Paskal and Havel flew over to her shortly. Paskal communicated with her, “I really should get you back to the cabin, but… and I’m not even sure if it’s safe.”

Worried, Solveis had to ask about her friends, “What about the babies? Are Livia and Oskar ok?” As far as she knew, they were both at the cabin, which Paskal though was unsafe.

“I don’t know,” Havel answered.

Paskal thought a little more than added, “I’ll send Stefanie to stay with you, and get you away if possible.”

Then Paskal commanded Havel, “Stay here until Stefanie arrives.”

Paskal flew off. Havel just perched beside her, looking all around. He didn’t speak at all, only looked heedful. Moments later, a breathless Stefanie sprinted up, wearing leather-ish light armor, and holding a small, short distance, combat weapon.

Havel flew away, high into the air.

Solveis waited and let Stefanie be the first to speak. Sitting on a high table, next to the height-challenged Stefanie, Solveis’s head was towering over the adult’s.

Finally Stefanie said something, “We shouldn’t stay here. We shouldn’t be so visible.” She helped Solveis off the table. Looking reflective, she asked Solveis, “You would know where to be unseen in this area. Do you have an idea?”

Solveis was ready for this. The children had been preparing to bunker or to fight, they had places prepared for both circumstances. Luckily, Stefanie was almost child sized, and would fit in most of their places. “Well, there’s the catacombs by the plateau, but we’d have to go past the open plateau. Same problem with the cave too.” Solveis added in her mind, ‘besides, I can’t bring a grown up there.’

“Somewhere less visible, but nearby, and quickly,” Stefanie said, while guiding Solveis by the arm, away from the open area of the fort.

“Ok,” Solveis declared. “It’ll be up some trees though, and you’re aepsis.”

Despite her panic and hyper focus, Stefanie still managed to be a little offended. “Hey! I can climb a tree.”

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“I didn’t mean… but… I mean, can you climb this kind of tree? Up high enough to not be seen? And the heights thing too… I mean, a lot of you are scared of that… sorry… just…,” Solveis jibbered.

“We’ll make it work. Lead me there,” Stefanie commanded, still in her girlish, friendly voice.

Solveis chose a particularly thick patch of trees near the west hill. In some of these trees she had stashes, but they were in the trees that were particularly hard to climb, with few branches toward the bottom.

Solveis arrived at a reasonably climbable tree and pointed to it. She was going to let Stefanie, the less skilled climber, go first.

Stefanie started to climb and immediately began to struggle. It was not for lack of strength, but rather lack of practice and agility. She also had comparatively shorter limbs and heavier torso. She lacked the powerful goat-like legs.

It took her longer than they both would have liked to get up the tree, but it was done. Solveis climbed up after her. They sat up in the tree together, Solveis accustomed to the experience, and Stefanie trying to hide her fear of heights. Stefanie tried to tie a rope around herself and a branch, to sooth the fear of heights. Solveis ended up doing it for her. Stefanie was amazed by the child’s comfort in this frightening environment. Solveis reminded her very much of a squirrel scurrying and walking upside down on branches.

They waited together for something, some sign that it was safe, or for enough time to pass.

Finally, after much commotion, and many groups scurrying past them on the ground, a loud gong rang out.

Stefanie looked as much concerned as relieved. She thought for a moment, and then spoke, “We should go back. Immediate danger is over, but I may still be needed.”

“Ok,” Solveis agreed.

“Back down,” Stefanie heaved the words. “How do you suggest I do it?”

“One step down at a time?” Solveis shrugged her shoulders. “I can hold the rope and help a little, but I’m too weak to grapple you.”

“Yeah. Ok.” Stefanie started a slow descent.

It took them as long to get down as it had taken to get up. Stefanie got down in the end, but she ended up twisting her ankle a little on the final jump to the ground. While Stefanie settled herself on the ground, Solveis discreetly found her stash in the tree. She had previously put Stefanie’s weapon there. Solveis now collected Stefanie’s weapon, as wells as a bow and some arrows of her own. She wished that she’d had some light armor here, but not in this stash. Solveis and Stefanie met at the base of the tree and ran together back to the fort.

Paskal and Havel were in the fort, seemingly doing the job of messenger again. Paskal flew off, and then back, and off, and then back. Havel stayed and explained things to the parties that returned to the fort.

When Havel spotted Solveis and Stefanie, he flapped at them to come to him and his group of listeners.

Someone commanded Stefanie, “Wrap the injured ankle, we’ll probably be doing more running. Actually, wait…” He walked off, and then returned with a wrap.

“Thanks,” Stefanie returned to the friend.

While she was wrapping, Havel spoke to her. “We need a few more at the beach.”

Solveis, interested in what had been going on, was eager to see for herself. She sprinted near enough to see the beach. Seeing that most of the fort people were running towards it, she decided to join the crowd.

At the beach, Solveis saw Sir. Lou standing sentinel-like, with a group of silently vigilant people all around him.

Then, a sort of yacht vessel came around the corner, towing a little kayak behind it. It was towing Arlendr’s kayak!

“What?!” Solveis exclaimed. A million thoughts passed through her mind. Was Arlendr driving that vessel? Was he kidnapped on it? Why was he out there at all? Had he not been hiding out like she had?

Sir. Lou spoke firmly and projected to the crowd. “Our yacht needs to outstrip their vessel. Ok you all, go out to it. I told Arlendr to wait there for you, but not to wait long.”

Solveis stood motionless, confused. People rushed past her, carrying canoes and the other vessels that the fort had supplied for recreation. They got into them and rowed to the yacht. She heard whoops of surprise at the icy splashing. She snickered a little, despite herself.

Solveis’s attention was drawn to En and Girselle, who’s presence she had not been aware of before, as they ran past her, to the water. At the touch of the cold water they yelped and jumped backward. They looked around and spotted a seemingly abandoned canoe and grabbed it. Solveis could see that they were determined to take it to the yacht, so she sprinted over to them in order to hitch a ride. Their canoe was already in the water, but she took over anyway. She rushed into it, sat at the front, dropped her arrows down at her feet, and took one of the oars. Then they were off. Girselle was at the back with the other oar. The two girls didn’t row together nearly a well as Girselle and En had. They made it over to the yacht reasonably fast though, as it was quite close to the beach. They saw that the fort people had made a little flotilla of tied together boats, just floating near the yacht, so they tied their canoe to this. It floated near the yacht. Solveis, at the front of her canoe, pulled herself up the yacht’s little ladder. Girselle and then En followed her up. Each child who climbed up was more splashed and more shivering than the last. Solveis had barely gotten splashed at all.

They joined over a dozen people on the yacht, far too many to fit comfortably. Only moments after they joined these ranks, the yacht’s engine kicked into its full speed and jetted off, knocking many down onto the deck.

At the jolt of movement, Solveis remembered: Arlendr! Was he really driving?

She looked toward the ship’s wheel where she saw her brother between a couple of commanding adult types. He had on his most domineering and focused expression. He and the adults were talking seriously to each other.