Thepa barged through the door gathering the attention of the room. For a gallay, the place was large, but save for a few crates and fishing gear, all that was there were the five members of Elite Team One.

"Captain," Wilran spoke. "We were just—"

Thepa stepped all the way in and shut the door. "You were just deciding on whether or not to commit high treason. I'd advise against it. It could cost you your lives."

"That's not necessarily true," spoke Tash for the first time. "We were all chosen to be a part of Elite Team One for how good we are. If anyone could change the events in the Beachwick it has to be us."

Wilran responded, "Not to mention we knew that we were putting our lives on the line when we joined the team."

"That's right," Yenry said. "Plus, I bet a good arbitrator could make a case for us going into the Beachwick."

Thepa shook her head at their recklessness. There was more at stake here than their lives. "I expected better of you Yenry. The treaty doesn't protect unlawful actions. Even if Goldale wanted to do something about it, they wouldn't because the Beachwick is essential to the war effort. Your risk would be pointless."

Zuna stepped forward and stared her down before saying, "It isn't for me."

"I could order you," Thepa replied.

"Then let's vote," Wilran said. "I vote yes. If someone is in trouble, it should be our job to help them."

"I also vote yes," said Zuna. "It is my home. I have a right to defend it. I will defend it. Sister Zelphina does not belong on the throne."

Julius sat down and said, "I will respect the wishes of the team, but I don't like it. I vote no."

"I'm with Julius," Tash said. "It isn't our place. If we step in here, what kind of precedent would that set later on down the line? I sympathize with our satyr comrades, but we need to be willing to step back from personal matters and focus largely on the war."

This was not going the way Thepa had hoped. Wilran was pushing the advantage Zuna was giving her. She would just have to hope Yenry sided with the rest of the male members of the team. She looked over in the halfling's direction and found him staring at the floor. She could tell he was very uncomfortable with casting this vote as it would largely dictate the direction the team would head in. Ultimately, no matter what happened, he might feel guilty about the outcome.

"Both sides have merit," he stated without looking up at the group. "However, I also feel Captain Thepa is right about the essentiality of the Beachwick to the war effort. An unstable government could be rather detrimental and from what I understand a large contingent of their army is currently hiding in the jungle. What could Sainta expect from a fractured Beachwick? Only in the interest of Sainta and not in the matters of the state do I vote yes."

Wilran and Zuna smiled triumphantly, but the decision frustrated Thepa. Even if she didn't care about the state matters, she needed them out of the way to make sure Rory got to safety. "And what about Rory? Who's going to keep an eye on her. We can't ignore what just happened."

Yenry nodded. "I'm curious about that as well. That was a powerful display of magic. Perhaps Goldale could help? How far is the outpost from the Beachwick?"

"About two miles," Zuna answered.

Wilran nodded. "Then we leave her at the outpost. She should be fine and out of the way. Just in case, we can have Mistress Deeprabbit meet us there to assist. You were planning on going there anyway so it isn't even out of the way."

Thepa didn't like it. It was clear the team was going to help out no matter what she said. Furthermore, while it was true Rory should have been safe with the small army at the Goldale outpost after what happened outside Pearlview, it wasn't far enough. As far as she was concerned, the farther away the better. "You're sure about this?"

"No," said Julius. "But it looks like the tarot are on the table and sometimes you gotta play the hand you're dealt. What's the battle plan?"

Thepa reached into her satchel and pulled out some parchment paper and a charcoal pencil. She put them on one of the empty crates and started to draw a detailed map of the Beachwick explaining her plan in the process.

"The Beachwick is laid out in a grid like pattern. There are two ways in. The first is the main gate guarded and protected by four watchtowers overlooking a wild open field. The second, are the four long docks stretching out into the ocean. However, like the main gate, these too are overlooked by four watchtowers."

Yenry interjected. "We have our invisibility spells. A few of us could sneak in unprotected."

Thepa rolled her eyes. "Getting in might be the easy part. Once inside, our priority will be freeing Sister Vivian and the Matriarch—assuming they're still alive. If they are, they'll be here." She said, gesturing to a building on her makeshift map. "The hard part will be getting them out. I'm guessing we can't use the invisible spell on them."

"No," Yenry responded, his face fallen. "The spell only works on the caster."

"We'll need a distraction then," Thepa continued. "We will need to contact Sister Onna to find out who was left behind. There might be other lives at stake. If we're lucky, we can magically sneak inside as all of the spellcasters belong to the Skirret. If the coast is clear, we will need Julius's magic to sneak around the guards protecting the guardhouse and Tash's help in picking the lock. If there are magic casters in the area, we will have to take them out quickly before any alarms will be alerted."

Wilran looked at the makeshift map pointing to the wide-open field. "What do we do once we get the prisoners? That's quite a clearing we would have to clear before finding open jungle."

"A fair question," Thepa responded. "The next step is to regroup with Sister Onna. A strong opposing force might pause Sister Zelphina's forces long enough to stop any potential conflict. No one wants a civil war. A lot of people in the Beachwick might not have anything to do with what Sister Zelphina did. If that's the case, talking is our best approach."

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Julius rubbed his forehead then placed his hand on his chin. "And what if this Zelphina does not want to talk it out?"

"Then I have one more thing I can do. I will evoke my birthright. As defenders of the Beachwick since the beginning of the matriarchy, every Warbol has a right to attempt to claim the throne if they believe the current leader isn't upholding the sanctity of the Beachwick. If that's the case, all satyrs would be bound to it, even Zelphina's followers," Thepa said with a sigh. Even if the plan worked, and she seriously doubted that it would, she was sure it would still come down to this.

Zuna frowned and asked, "You know what that means right?"

"Yes," Thepa said, nodding her head. I will have to fight her to the death." She let out a small laugh. "My mother wouldn't have done it."

"Does that mean you'll leave us?' asked Wilran. "And if you win, everything will go back to the way it was?"

"No. If I win, I will no longer be your captain. Well, I guess that will be the case either way."

Zuna smiled. "You will be a great Matriarch. Great leaders don't seek power, but rise up when the call is given and right now your people are calling you."

Thepa gave a forced smile and walked out of the room as Wilran and the others continued discussing the plan. She had hoped that by morning the five of them might have come up with something better, but she knew they weren't strategists. They were creative in their own right, but she doubted anyone in the room could change her fate.

When she made it back topside, she found that the sun had all but set. To the west light shades of red mixed with the blue and black of the night's sky. A smattering of stars could be seen in the partly cloudy firmament. Already, the temperature was starting to cool and a slight chill clung to her bones. As best as she could, she strapped her tunic tight than curled up in a ball next to the soft snores of Rory.

Careful not to stir Rory from her slumber, Thepa slowly backed up to Rory's backside tucking a single hand under her head. With the other, she held on to her pendant trying not to think about the coming day and the fate that awaited her. A soft blue glow illuminated her palm and with it a warmth that bit back the cold. Its presence gave her comfort long enough for sleep to come. Then, as if by magic, Thepa slept for the first time in a long time. Not a single dream tore at her subconscious. It wasn't until the sun had already come up did she finally stir from her slumber to soft feminine voices.

"It was in my dream last night. A youngling kept trying to take it from me, but I wouldn't let her. We were fighting back and forth while two goddesses waged war behind us."

"What kind of youngling?"

"Definitely a halfling, but to be honest, I'm not sure she was a youngling. She had the body of a youngling, but our meeting gave me the impression she was much older than she appeared to be. Now that I think about it. She looks a lot like her."

"You mean the prophetess?" Thepa said opening her eyes. At the bow stood Wilran and Rory pouring over a diary. When she called out to them, they both turned in her direction as she wiped the sleep out from her eyes. Afterwards, she stood up cracking her neck and arms in the process. A necessary action caused by the awkward position she slept in. "Why are you two talking about the prophetess?"

Wilran looked to Rory. "I'm not sure either of us know who the prophetess is."

Thepa held out her hand and directed it towards the book. "Let me see the picture."

Wilran gave Thepa the book and she studied the drawing. For a sketch, it was drawn rather well. Big eyes consumed much of the small oval face whereas long dark hair cascaded down her back. A wreath of flowers adorned her head and those the picture lacked color, Thepa imagined the different shades to mimic the evening sky. She seen the prophetess once, long ago, but she was sure it was the same halfling in the picture. "That's her alright. Why do you have a picture of Rory and the prophetess?"

Wilran shifted her eyes. She looked back and forth between Thepa, Rory, and the ground. Thepa thought she might have been trying to avoid the question, but eventually, she gave in. "I'm not really sure myself..." she trailed. "I don't know what any of it has to do with Rory, and I didn't even know she was the prophetess until now. She just keeps showing up in my life and in my dreams. Rory only recently so."

"That's ... One thing at a time," Thepa said. It was a lot to process. "She keeps showing up in your life?"

Wilran nodded. "Yes. The first time I saw her was with the prince in Clayborn. She told him to choose me for Elite Team One. Next was after we saved Rory from those goblins outside Goldale. Every night since, I keep having the same dream of the goddess, Rory, the mask, and the prophetess. Finally, I saw her yesterday."

"Yesterday?" said Rory and Thepa in unison.

"Yes, yesterday. There was a moment after we defeated the hobgoblins, just before the goblin attack, I saw her. She was standing on a dune towards the path back to the canyon. She looked right at me and pointed to Rory as she came running from behind the bluffs."

"But why?" asked Rory.

"Beats me," Wilran said, shrugging her shoulders. "She seemed to also know what was going to happen, because right before Rory killed all those goblins, she turned away and disappeared."

For a moment both Thepa and Wilran looked at Rory as if she would offer some insight, but Rory turned away again to stare at the sea.

"Well," said Thepa "I suspect there is just some things that will elude us for the moment. I don't know much about the prophetess myself. Gam—Rory's assistant told me the two of them had been gathering together for secret meetings. Unless we get Rory's memories back, I doubt we'll ever know."

Thepa could tell Wilran was frustrated, but so was she. If the prophetess and Rory had made secret plans, all of Sainta might hang in the balance. If she had more time, she knew she would have to find the prophetess.

"Look!"

Thepa almost jumped as it was rare for this Rory to offer so much emotion even if it was a single word. She examined the horizon and could see what looked like a rather large island with some smoke rising from the far side. It was home, her home. The place that had been calling her. With its sight, the song of her people started to build in her heart.

"It's beautiful," Wilran said.

"That's Esha alright," Thepa said. "She has been calling to me for a long time. One way or another, I'm coming home."

Then the two listened as Thepa sang.

"Esha includes,

Esha provides,

It deserves our duty,

Our sacrifice

It's sacred jungles

It's grainy beaches

Where younglings go

To learn what it teaches

Esha includes,

Esha provides,

We serve the Sisterhood

We live and die

Our way of life

We must conserve

Our lack of parenthood

Taught us to preserve

Our loving mother

The Matriarch of all

We the Sisterhood serve your call

If we fail, to the mountain it be

It's the way of the satyr for you, for me

Esha includes

Esha provides

I will serve my duty

I will give my sacrifice

Thepa paused and took a good long stare at the sea as the moment passed them by. A plethora of emotions welded up inside of her bringing a lone tear to her eye. As much as she loved Rory and considered her family, the ties to the Sisterhood inside her were strong.

"I was foolish to think I could run away from it, but I don't regret it. Without doing so, I would have never met Rory and the rest of my friends."

"I don't understand a lot of it," Rory said, "But you talk as one who is expecting to die."

She wasn't wrong.

"It's possible Rory. Sister Zelphina is strong, cunning, and resourceful. However, I have not been idle with my time since leaving the Beachwick. Perhaps, with luck, and a little bit of faith, things will turn out in my favor. If they do, you are welcome to stay."

"And what if you don't?" Rory asked.

"Well ...," Thepa pondered for a minute, looked at Wilran, and then looked back at Rory. "Sargent Stillfond. This very well might be my last order to you, so if something happens to me, please escort Ms. Fox back to Wildehaven. Draco and Einkidi will make sure she gets the help she needs."

Wilran saluted, "Will do, captain."

"Good. Now let's see if we can get our..."

Thepa turned to see the ship's captain sounding the alarm. The small crew started to move about yelling and changing the rigs, so loudly, she had no idea what was going on. In the process, the rest of the team started to run up from below at the sound of the commotion as the ship's captain came around a bend, almost plowing into her in the process. When he spoke, it was with a sense of urgency.

"Captain Thepa! High Priestess! Pirates off the starboard side!"