Sometime later, Thepa returned to her office alone. Still in her sweaty training clothes, she examined her skin closely, searching for the strange signs she had seen along the walls. Hands, nails, horns—nothing seemed amiss. Even her hooves, which she had been certain sent off sparks against the pavement, appeared as clean as they had after her bath the previous day. The only odd thing she noticed was that they weren't as dirty as they should have been.

When she came up empty, she sat at her desk unsure what to do about what had happened, allowing it to mull over in her thoughts.

"Are you a druid?" Aldermoon asked her on the way down.

"No," she responded, desperate to escape. In the Beachwick the Sisters of Skirret were renowned for their druidic magic, and Thepa knew they could alter the body to enhance physical features. However, most of their magic focused on transforming the body into an animal spirit, not on enhancing the senses. Stranger still, those with such talents usually manifested them at a young age, not in adulthood. If she had possessed any of those abilities, the signs would have been evident long ago.

"Then what—" she started to say, but Thepa cut her off, quite rudely now that she thought about it.

"I said I don't know."

That was the end of that. Frustrated, she all but ran away back into the barracks, ignoring the rest of her duties for the day, not that she had anything pressing. When she calmed down, she thought she might go back and apologize to Aldermoon. Deciding there was little she could do about it now, she turned to her mail, studying the pack of letters.

On top of the stack lay a letter from the palace. It was rare for Thepa to receive such correspondence; usually, her orders came directly from the Royal Guard or the Archduke himself. When a letter did arrive, it was typically an invitation to a party or ball, almost always demanding her presence for ceremonial duties. But with grand events scheduled weeks or even months in advance, this was unusual. Intrigued, she carefully opened the golden envelope to find it was from the Archduke himself.

Captain Thepa,

A delegation of the nations will convene tomorrow. I suspect your presence will be necessary. As such, I would like to have you on standby in case you are needed. Furthermore, the delegation of Wildehaven has requested your presence in escorting her to council chambers. Please make yourself available upon the boats arrival.

Leoxidor

Much like the Beachwick had the three Council of Sisters and the Matriarch, Wildehaven had four leaders who governed their military. During her training in Wildehaven, Thepa had met them all. Two of them, Mistress Verola and Minister Deephallow, barely registered in the back of her mind. They were in charge of the School of Wizardry and the School of Artifactory, respectively, but Thepa knew little else about them.

The third leader, Minister Goodshadow, had been her instructor during her time with the Wildehaven Hunters. Like all halflings, Goodshadow was a jolly Youngling of the Trees. Though skilled with a bow and an expert tracker, he took very little seriously. Most nights, he was seen partying with his students. Thepa respected his knowledge and valued his instruction, but she quickly learned to take everything he said with a grain of salt.

One time, early in her training, she caught him with a group of students in the hall, loudly singing an off-key ballad. As she passed by, he invited her to join, but she politely declined. Her refusal earned her a peculiar look and a statement that left her staring awkwardly as the group walked away: "Don't be so serious. Study hard, party harder." Later that night, Thepa saw Goodshadow passed out in the hall. Could that have been her? No, the Matriarch's daughter had to be better. At the time, she considered his behavior a scandal she must avoid at all cost.

The fourth leader was Mistress Deeprabbit. Out of the four, Deeprabbit was the one Thepa hoped wouldn't be coming. Early in her friendship with Rory, Rory had convinced her to steal some of the Mistress's sherry. To this day, Thepa didn't know why she had gone along with the harebrained scheme, but she still considered it the single most important day in her life. Sure, they got caught, and sure, the Mistress gave them a beating they would never forget. But if it hadn't been for that incident, she and Rory might never have become friends.

Even so, things had been awkward with the Mistress ever since. She never quite trusted Thepa and Rory after that. Every time she saw the two of them together, her glare dared them to challenge her authority. For her own sake, Thepa tried to avoid the Mistress at all costs, but given the Archduke's mention of 'her,' she suspected her luck was about to run out.

Briefly, she considered having Aldermoon answer the summons, but decided against it. Knowing she would have to go, she made a mental note to appear bright and early, then turned to the second letter.

Unlike the first, the second letter was old and filthy, looking as though it had been through quite an ordeal. It was so grimy that she could barely make out her own name in hastily drawn script, as if it had been added as an afterthought. Worried it might fall apart, she took her dagger to carefully peal back the seams before finding a sparsely detailed report on the Meric Mountains.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Large group of goblins and hobgoblins trenching through the Meric mountains. Purpose unknown. Attempts to follow have been impeded by snow and ice. One already lost to the elements and a second to a surprise attack. Suspect a gathering. Will pursue with three members of my team. Leaving one behind to deliver the letter. Suggest investigation.

There was a name, but Thepa couldn't make it out. She couldn't even recall a scouting party in the Meric Mountains. Even if they did have a scouting party in the area, there was no way Thepa would have authorized one into the mountains themselves. The borders were a political nightmare. The nations might have played nice for the purpose of war, but the Meric Mountains were on the border between Goldale and Wildehaven. If they crossed over without proper documentation, they might have been seen as an advanced attack.

Thepa doubted it would come to that between Wildehaven and Goldale, but if a similar thing happened between the Youngling of the Stars in Clayborn and the Younging of the Plains in Lightmount, she knew they would have two wars on their hands.

Seeing it fortuitous she was already going to see the Archduke in the morning after dropping off the Wildehaven delegate, she turned her attention to the last letter. When she did, a smile formed across her face and warmness flooded her heart.

"Einkidi." She said tearing the letter open. It had been weeks since she had heard from her halfling friend and now that she had something, she devoured it.

Hey Girl, the letter opened. Thepa rolled her eyes snorting with laughter. "You always did have a way with words."

Unfortunately, I'm back from my honeymoon in Peralview. Edyln knows why Draco choose a fishing town to spend the first few weeks of our marriage. Poor boy couldn't even fish. By the end of it, the locals were calling him 'Fish out of Luck.' Could you believe it, he didn't catch a single one! Fortunately for me, that left plenty of time to work on my tan. Wildehaven has left me pretty pasty, and I could really get used to this. Too bad it won't last. Pretty soon, its back to the grind and...why am I doing all of this? Why can't I retire at twenty-three completions in the sun and the sand? Oh, that's right. Mr. Out of Luck would leave us starving.

Poor Draco, Thepa mused in amusement. Between growing up with Rory as a foster sister and marrying Einkidi, she almost pitied the poor halfling. Almost.

Thanks again for the wedding present by the way. I love the tea set. It will go perfectly with my china. I'm really sorry you couldn't attend. It just wasn't the same without you. Rory said you were there in spirit, but I think she was just as sad. Claudia didn't say anything, cause...well you know Claudia, but I think she was sad too.

Thepa felt a tinge of sadness as well. Einkidi was the only one of the three she had seen since moving to Goldale and that was when she personally brought the wedding invitation herself and to share the good news. Had it not been for the orc attacks to the east, she might have been able to attend.

Speaking of Rory, I'm worried about her.

"What?" she said to the empty room. The words echoed back on her, much to her own embarrassment. Hoping no one outside the door heard, she pressed forward.

Since the battle of Selmarah, something's changed in her. The three of us had tea the other day, and I swear the poor girl spilled her cup three times. I mean, she is a walking shipwreck of a disaster waiting to happen, but that was mostly the old Rory. When your name came up, she looked like she was ready to cry. Did something happen between you? Have you heard from her?

Thepa hadn't. Besides a single whisper spell Rory used to contact her to let her know she missed her, Thepa hadn't received any communication from her dearest friend in a month. She herself sent had four letters, but was becoming increasingly anxious she hadn't received anything in return.

Claudia says she's distracted, but I think it's something else. I hadn't seen Rory like this since that day the prophetess appointed her High Priestess. According to Gamma, you remember Gamma right? Rory's assistant? Anyway, Gamma says Rory and the prophetess have been meeting a few times a month. Apparently, it's the only place Rory goes anymore. She mostly holes herself up in the Gate of the Moon. Not that I blame her of course. You know what? Screw the beach, I want to retire there. Servants, luxury, pampering? Yes, please.

Thepa ignored the cheek, but thought back to the night of Rory's appointment. Neither she nor Einkidi had been there for the event, but according to both Claudia and Rory the Wildehaven prophetess had appointed both of them to the position of High Priestess of their respective deities. Claudia had turned it down declaring her heart was not in the right place, but surprisingly Rory accepted. Thepa was happy for her, but it marked a change in her sister's demeanor.

Enough about my dreams. How are you? Meet any handsome elves up there? I hear they're in to shorter girls, not that I would know. That's your job now. I'm a married woman, so don't ask me to go partying anymore (or at least not in front of Draco haha). Seriously though, don't worry about Rory. I'll keep an eye on her. Claudia wanted for me to let you know she's headed your way in a few days, so I suspect you'll see her soon. Remember, first one to get her to crack gets the pot. By my count, it's almost five hundred gold.

With all the love in the world,

Your Sister Einkidi Fox

P.S. Seems weird that I'm a Fox now. For all my jokes, I absolutely adore it, like a little youngling scribbling his name in my diary. I love him so much Thepa, he really is the best. I thank Eldyn everyday for the wonderful gift she's given me.

Thepa smiled putting the letter down. She really was happy for Einkidi. The worst part of the war was its devastating toll. Rarely a single Saintian was spared from its carnage. If her friend and sister could find a moment of happiness, she was glad. Still, her heart was troubled. If something was going on with Rory, she wanted to know about it. She looked back at the letter again in case she missed something, before her eyes settled on the word 'honeymoon.'

Maybe it's time to try and reach out again, she thought finally getting up to take a shower.