She tossed and turned in her sleep with fitful dreams. In one, Alldeh chased her with a thin stick, hitting her with it. He wasn't hitting her hard at all, and each time he said, "teach!" and giggled.

It wasn't the first night that she had slept poorly due to strange dreams. Alldeh had figured into many of those dreams. Usually they were nothing that made sense. There was never anything about magic.

She sighed with frustration. It wasn't raining, so she crept out of her tent. Alldeh was sitting at the fire, tending it carefully with a thin stick. She sat across from him, staying out of reach of the stick to be safe. Stars filled every inch of the sky--there was not a cloud to be seen. It was the most magnificent sky she had ever seen. She forgot about not sleeping and about dreams.

A bearded man in robes walked casually towards the fire and asked if he could sit with her. He was clearly no Elar, so she saw no polite way to refuse. She gestured at a spot on the ground, and he sat down, rubbing his hands before the fire to warm them.

"You're a wizard," the man said. "Is this man here your teacher?"

"No," she said with a little laugh. "My teacher is back home with my family."

"You should listen to this one," the stranger said. "He knows many things which have been forgotten--more than just his name."

"Wait," she said, "how do you know all this? Is this a dream?"

"It is normal to wonder what is a dream and what is not. Less common is to wonder whether there is a difference."

She took that to mean she was dreaming. She remembered there had been no fire because everything had been too wet. The ground she was sitting on was dry, but it felt real enough, as did the fire.

"There is always a more complicated truth, a more complicated answer to every question," the stranger said. "You will find the same holds true with magic. What Nordithet taught you was one answer. There is a more complicated one. But though you will come to understand it, it will not come easily, and perhaps it should not..."

--She was woken suddenly in her tent. Niza was shaking her and calling her name. Rain fell on the canvas above her head.

"Get dressed quick," Niza insisted. "Alldeh is drawing things in the mud. Father Marus thinks you should take a look at them."

She hurried into her clothes, making a point to set her night clothes aside so they would stay separate from yesterday's still-wet clothes. There was a little bit of puddle under where they hung, still damp.

She crawled outside into the rain. Ullden was already pulling one tent down. Father Marus was watching Alldeh in the middle of the camp. The madman looked all too calm, studiously and meticulously drawing something in the dirt with a thin stick. It was the same thin stick from her dreams.

She tossed and turned in her sleep with fitful dreams. In one, Alldeh chased her with a thin stick, hitting her with it. He wasn't hitting her hard at all, and each time he said, "teach!" and giggled.

It wasn't the first night that she had slept poorly due to strange dreams. Alldeh had figured into many of those dreams. Usually they were nothing that made sense. There was never anything about magic.

She sighed with frustration. It wasn't raining, so she crept out of her tent. Alldeh was sitting at the fire, tending it carefully with a thin stick. She sat across from him, staying out of reach of the stick to be safe. Stars filled every inch of the sky--there was not a cloud to be seen. It was the most magnificent sky she had ever seen. She forgot about not sleeping and about dreams.

A bearded man in robes walked casually towards the fire and asked if he could sit with her. He was clearly no Elar, so she saw no polite way to refuse. She gestured at a spot on the ground, and he sat down, rubbing his hands before the fire to warm them.

"You're a wizard," the man said. "Is this man here your teacher?"

"No," she said with a little laugh. "My teacher is back home with my family."

"You should listen to this one," the stranger said. "He knows many things which have been forgotten--more than just his name."

"Wait," she said, "how do you know all this? Is this a dream?"

"It is normal to wonder what is a dream and what is not. Less common is to wonder whether there is a difference."

She took that to mean she was dreaming. She remembered there had been no fire because everything had been too wet. The ground she was sitting on was dry, but it felt real enough, as did the fire.

"There is always a more complicated truth, a more complicated answer to every question," the stranger said. "You will find the same holds true with magic. What Nordithet taught you was one answer. There is a more complicated one. But though you will come to understand it, it will not come easily, and perhaps it should not..."

--She was woken suddenly in her tent. Niza was shaking her and calling her name. Rain fell on the canvas above her head.

"Get dressed quick," Niza insisted. "Alldeh is drawing things in the mud. Father Marus thinks you should take a look at them."

She hurried into her clothes, making a point to set her night clothes aside so they would stay separate from yesterday's still-wet clothes. There was a little bit of puddle under where they hung, still damp.

She crawled outside into the rain. Ullden was already pulling one tent down. Father Marus was watching Alldeh in the middle of the camp. The madman looked all too calm, studiously and meticulously drawing something in the dirt with a thin stick. It was the same thin stick from her dreams.

She moved quickly over to stand where she could see, still trying to stay away from the stick itself. She found she had to stand next to him, however, in order to read the symbols properly. She recognized one of them from the ones she had used in the mind walk to cast against the demon.

"They're words," she said, studying them. "Variants on the names of spells that are used now. That's why they seem so familiar. I think I can..."

She spoke the symbols, some instinct inside her letting her make the alterations that were needed to change the ancient names the spells were called by into the words that Alldeh was drawing. She began to read the last symbol just as he stepped back from drawing it. Suddenly the stick came up and pushed her arm up, so that it pointed off in the distance, away from the ground and the group of people around her.

She felt the power build within her, seeming to gather from the air around her and draw from inside even the bones of her body all at the same time. For a moment, she nearly panicked, not knowing what was going to happen. It seemed all she could do to breathe. Then, the voice of the bearded man from her dream spoke gently in her mind.

The tree. Focus. Let it flow through you to the tree.

She saw the tree, a lone oak sitting at the edge of a field. She reached towards it, with both her mind and her hand, and Alldeh took the stick away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him nodding as he watched.

Then the power surged through her, towards the tree. Flame shot across the span of air between her and the tree in a mere moment, despite the fact that it was nearly half a field away from her. There was a huge cracking noise when it hit and it seemed as if the tree exploded. The top half of the tree leaned and fell from the bottom half, its branches bursting into flame. The tall stump that remained rooted in the ground smoked where it stood.

She nearly fell to her knees when the power left her, as she'd never felt so drained of energy in her life. She managed to stay standing and looked over at Alldeh, who had turned towards the tree in the distance.

"Alldeh?" she managed to say, still trying to get her breath.

"Fire!" Alldeh clapped gleefully. "Woo!" He dropped the stick and went running off towards the burning tree in the distance.

"I'll get him," Niza said, quickly running after Alldeh. Father Marus nodded, coming up to Jetha and trying to help steady her with a hand. She hadn't realized she was shaking so badly.

She moved quickly over to stand where she could see, still trying to stay away from the stick itself. She found she had to stand next to him, however, in order to read the symbols properly. She recognized one of them from the ones she had used in the mind walk to cast against the demon.

"They're words," she said, studying them. "Variants on the names of spells that are used now. That's why they seem so familiar. I think I can..."

She spoke the symbols, some instinct inside her letting her make the alterations that were needed to change the ancient names the spells were called by into the words that Alldeh was drawing. She began to read the last symbol just as he stepped back from drawing it. Suddenly the stick came up and pushed her arm up, so that it pointed off in the distance, away from the ground and the group of people around her.

She felt the power build within her, seeming to gather from the air around her and draw from inside even the bones of her body all at the same time. For a moment, she nearly panicked, not knowing what was going to happen. It seemed all she could do to breathe. Then, the voice of the bearded man from her dream spoke gently in her mind.

The tree. Focus. Let it flow through you to the tree.

She saw the tree, a lone oak sitting at the edge of a field. She reached towards it, with both her mind and her hand, and Alldeh took the stick away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him nodding as he watched.

Then the power surged through her, towards the tree. Flame shot across the span of air between her and the tree in a mere moment, despite the fact that it was nearly half a field away from her. There was a huge cracking noise when it hit and it seemed as if the tree exploded. The top half of the tree leaned and fell from the bottom half, its branches bursting into flame. The tall stump that remained rooted in the ground smoked where it stood.

She nearly fell to her knees when the power left her, as she'd never felt so drained of energy in her life. She managed to stay standing and looked over at Alldeh, who had turned towards the tree in the distance.

"Alldeh?" she managed to say, still trying to get her breath.

"Fire!" Alldeh clapped gleefully. "Woo!" He dropped the stick and went running off towards the burning tree in the distance.

"I'll get him," Niza said, quickly running after Alldeh. Father Marus nodded, coming up to Jetha and trying to help steady her with a hand. She hadn't realized she was shaking so badly.

"Now that's the kind of thing we need," Ullden said from behind her.

She wanted to say something, but words didn't come. Part of her was awed by what she had just done, and part of her was frightened by it. She had felt the power flowing through her.

"Look at her, Ullden," Father Marus said a bit chidingly. "That obviously took a lot out of her. One of the dangers to wizardry is that it's possible to kill yourself working something too big to handle. It's not worth it if it leaves her too exhausted to do anything else."

"No," she said at last, "it's alright. The more I learn, the more I practice, the better I'll be able to handle it."

"I do not believe that the gods intend to kill you out here by having you cast soemthing too big for you," Marus replied. "Ullden, I know you are concerned about the coming battle, but be careful not to push her too hard too fast."

"Have I yet?" Ullden countered. "Have I pushed you harder than you can handle?"

"No--"

"Please, let's not argue now," Jetha said. "Father? You had said you had a book of other things he had drawn? I'd like to see that, I think."

"Now that's the kind of thing we need," Ullden said from behind her.

She wanted to say something, but words didn't come. Part of her was awed by what she had just done, and part of her was frightened by it. She had felt the power flowing through her.

"Look at her, Ullden," Father Marus said a bit chidingly. "That obviously took a lot out of her. One of the dangers to wizardry is that it's possible to kill yourself working something too big to handle. It's not worth it if it leaves her too exhausted to do anything else."

"No," she said at last, "it's alright. The more I learn, the more I practice, the better I'll be able to handle it."

"I do not believe that the gods intend to kill you out here by having you cast soemthing too big for you," Marus replied. "Ullden, I know you are concerned about the coming battle, but be careful not to push her too hard too fast."

"Have I yet?" Ullden countered. "Have I pushed you harder than you can handle?"

"No--"

"Please, let's not argue now," Jetha said. "Father? You had said you had a book of other things he had drawn? I'd like to see that, I think."

"Yes, of course," Father Marus said, nodding. "I'll get it to you once the rain lets up or tonight when we set up camp. And, Ullden, we'll discuss this later." The two men seemed to be standing there, in the rain, scowling at one another.

"No you won't!" Jetha said, putting her hands up, and wishing Nordithet was there just then. "You all keep treating me as if I'm some child who doesn't know what she is doing! I'm old enough that my mother was ready to marry me off, and maybe my teacher would have liked to teach me more, but he would not have let me come if he didn't think I could handle myself. And you keep telling me the Gods chose me to do this. Would they send me if I couldn't make my own decisions? You all have your own reasons you were chosen to come, but I highly doubt that any of you were chosen to hold my hand and tell me what's safe for me to do or not! I'll decide what I can handle and if I should try something new or not. If anyone is along to advise me on that, it's Alldeh. NOT either of you."

Alldeh's giggling, as he stomped his foot in a puddle over and over again, threatened to ruin the seriousness of her tone. Niza stood, looking astonished, on hand still holding Alldeh's arm from bringing him back. Marus had a look that suggested she might have been too harsh, but Ullden just looked frustrated. She turned on her heel and managed to keep her footing as she went back to her tent to gather her belongings. Once she was back inside the tent, however, she collapsed onto her bedroll, still shaking slightly from the exertion of casting the spell. She bit her lip to keep from audibly crying, but tears rolled down her cheeks anyway, mixing with the wet drops of rain that rolled down out of her hair.

She could hear murmuring outside in the camp, but the rain falling on the canvas was enough to drown out being able to hear anything clearly. After a moment, Niza came into the tent, and Jetha quickly sat up and tried to look as if she was busy with putting her stuff into her bags.

"Hey, are you okay?" Niza asked, putting a hand on Jetha's shoulder. "That spell was pretty amazing, but you do look really tired. Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, of course," Father Marus said, nodding. "I'll get it to you once the rain lets up or tonight when we set up camp. And, Ullden, we'll discuss this later." The two men seemed to be standing there, in the rain, scowling at one another.

"No you won't!" Jetha said, putting her hands up, and wishing Nordithet was there just then. "You all keep treating me as if I'm some child who doesn't know what she is doing! I'm old enough that my mother was ready to marry me off, and maybe my teacher would have liked to teach me more, but he would not have let me come if he didn't think I could handle myself. And you keep telling me the Gods chose me to do this. Would they send me if I couldn't make my own decisions? You all have your own reasons you were chosen to come, but I highly doubt that any of you were chosen to hold my hand and tell me what's safe for me to do or not! I'll decide what I can handle and if I should try something new or not. If anyone is along to advise me on that, it's Alldeh. NOT either of you."

Alldeh's giggling, as he stomped his foot in a puddle over and over again, threatened to ruin the seriousness of her tone. Niza stood, looking astonished, on hand still holding Alldeh's arm from bringing him back. Marus had a look that suggested she might have been too harsh, but Ullden just looked frustrated. She turned on her heel and managed to keep her footing as she went back to her tent to gather her belongings. Once she was back inside the tent, however, she collapsed onto her bedroll, still shaking slightly from the exertion of casting the spell. She bit her lip to keep from audibly crying, but tears rolled down her cheeks anyway, mixing with the wet drops of rain that rolled down out of her hair.

She could hear murmuring outside in the camp, but the rain falling on the canvas was enough to drown out being able to hear anything clearly. After a moment, Niza came into the tent, and Jetha quickly sat up and tried to look as if she was busy with putting her stuff into her bags.

"Hey, are you okay?" Niza asked, putting a hand on Jetha's shoulder. "That spell was pretty amazing, but you do look really tired. Is there anything I can do?"

Author's Note/Apology

Author's Note/Apology

"Sometimes it's all so...overwhelming," she said, trying to keep her voice down. She grabbed her things and started shoving them a little roughly into her bags.

"Nobody's expecting you to do everything all at once," Niza said. Jetha was sure the girl was trying to be comforting, but she obviously did not understand.

"Actually, they are," Jetha tried to explain. "I'm sure Ullden's pretty good at what he does. But they've got four archers, six regular soldiers, and a demon. Just the six soldiers on Ullden is a bit much, don't you think?"

"But Father Marus--"

"Yes, he's trying to learn, but against trained soldiers? Against thieves and brigands, sure... And that still leaves the archers and the demon. Ullden can't fight the demon and the soldiers at the same time. He doesn't even sound confident he can kill it. That leaves me, Niza. It's up to me. And what happens if we fail?"

"You can do it, Jetha. At least you've got a purpose here. When we're done with this, some bard will write a song about it. You'll get flowing praise. Me? I'll just be, 'Oh, and there was this girl along to carry the pointy thing'."

Jetha could not help but laugh a little at the way Niza said it. "Oh, come now. Do you really think the gods picked you out of all this just to carry a scepter around?"

Niza shrugged. "I could steal us some bread and apples at the next town... Come on, let's get that bedding rolled up so we can get moving."

"Sometimes it's all so...overwhelming," she said, trying to keep her voice down. She grabbed her things and started shoving them a little roughly into her bags.

"Nobody's expecting you to do everything all at once," Niza said. Jetha was sure the girl was trying to be comforting, but she obviously did not understand.

"Actually, they are," Jetha tried to explain. "I'm sure Ullden's pretty good at what he does. But they've got four archers, six regular soldiers, and a demon. Just the six soldiers on Ullden is a bit much, don't you think?"

"But Father Marus--"

"Yes, he's trying to learn, but against trained soldiers? Against thieves and brigands, sure... And that still leaves the archers and the demon. Ullden can't fight the demon and the soldiers at the same time. He doesn't even sound confident he can kill it. That leaves me, Niza. It's up to me. And what happens if we fail?"

"You can do it, Jetha. At least you've got a purpose here. When we're done with this, some bard will write a song about it. You'll get flowing praise. Me? I'll just be, 'Oh, and there was this girl along to carry the pointy thing'."

Jetha could not help but laugh a little at the way Niza said it. "Oh, come now. Do you really think the gods picked you out of all this just to carry a scepter around?"

Niza shrugged. "I could steal us some bread and apples at the next town... Come on, let's get that bedding rolled up so we can get moving."

"Hey, at least you've been able to be more help around camp than I have. Even Alldeh seems to like you better," Jetha pointed out. "I feel like he's always waiting to hurt me somehow. And I really do expect that there's more you'll have to do for all this than just carry the scepter. What about the dreams?"

"They're fading," Niza admitted, almost seeming disappointed. "They aren't as clear as they were before. They... shift as if I'm getting to see more than one possible outcome. And sometimes I see stuff I just don't even understand." Niza started rolling up blankets as she talked, not looking at Jetha.

"Maybe if you wrote them down, or at least told me about them, we could figure out what they might mean," Jetha offered.

"Honestly, sometimes I don't like to think about them," Niza said. "Sometimes they are really violent. Sometimes I see all of us dying in my dreams. And there never seems to be anything I can do about it. Sometimes I think I see the demon we're up against. Not the one the scout party has with them, but the one behind all of this. It's like he's watching me. I get the feeling that if we all die, he'd save me for last so that I'd have to watch it really happen."

"I don't want to think about all that," she said, unhappily. "I want to keep thinking we're going to survive this. That Father Marus didn't save my life just so I can travel a while before the Elar kill me for certain. I feel like the demon can reach me through that scepter sometimes. That he's trying to make sure I stay afraid. I don't know. Maybe it's just that I am afraid that makes me think that." She shrugged and shook her head.

"Maybe the connection to that scepter is stronger than we know," Jetha mused aloud. "Maybe you're blocking the demon from seeing all of us. From knowing more about us and being able to stop us."

"I don't know," she shrugged again. "Look, it doesn't really matter. I just want to live through this and maybe be able to help some in the process."

"The next time we stop while we have some light, I'd like to get a look at that scepter," Jetha said suddenly. "Maybe the symbols on it will mean something to me and give us some more information about it." She chided herself for not having thought of it before, but then she expected that the symbols on it might not have made any sense to her before.

"It could be dangerous," Niza warned.

"I just want to look at it. Not hold it," Jetha said, tying her bags shut. "And I think we should keep it away from Alldeh, especially if he's having one of his clearer moments. But knowing more about it would probably help us a lot."

"Okay," Niza said, shrugging yet again. "But we should warn the others before we do it."

"Agreed," Jetha nodded. "Now let's get these bags out there before Ullden starts taking the tent down around our heads."

"Hey, at least you've been able to be more help around camp than I have. Even Alldeh seems to like you better," Jetha pointed out. "I feel like he's always waiting to hurt me somehow. And I really do expect that there's more you'll have to do for all this than just carry the scepter. What about the dreams?"

"They're fading," Niza admitted, almost seeming disappointed. "They aren't as clear as they were before. They... shift as if I'm getting to see more than one possible outcome. And sometimes I see stuff I just don't even understand." Niza started rolling up blankets as she talked, not looking at Jetha.

"Maybe if you wrote them down, or at least told me about them, we could figure out what they might mean," Jetha offered.

"Honestly, sometimes I don't like to think about them," Niza said. "Sometimes they are really violent. Sometimes I see all of us dying in my dreams. And there never seems to be anything I can do about it. Sometimes I think I see the demon we're up against. Not the one the scout party has with them, but the one behind all of this. It's like he's watching me. I get the feeling that if we all die, he'd save me for last so that I'd have to watch it really happen."

"I don't want to think about all that," she said, unhappily. "I want to keep thinking we're going to survive this. That Father Marus didn't save my life just so I can travel a while before the Elar kill me for certain. I feel like the demon can reach me through that scepter sometimes. That he's trying to make sure I stay afraid. I don't know. Maybe it's just that I am afraid that makes me think that." She shrugged and shook her head.

"Maybe the connection to that scepter is stronger than we know," Jetha mused aloud. "Maybe you're blocking the demon from seeing all of us. From knowing more about us and being able to stop us."

"I don't know," she shrugged again. "Look, it doesn't really matter. I just want to live through this and maybe be able to help some in the process."

"The next time we stop while we have some light, I'd like to get a look at that scepter," Jetha said suddenly. "Maybe the symbols on it will mean something to me and give us some more information about it." She chided herself for not having thought of it before, but then she expected that the symbols on it might not have made any sense to her before.

"It could be dangerous," Niza warned.

"I just want to look at it. Not hold it," Jetha said, tying her bags shut. "And I think we should keep it away from Alldeh, especially if he's having one of his clearer moments. But knowing more about it would probably help us a lot."

"Okay," Niza said, shrugging yet again. "But we should warn the others before we do it."

"Agreed," Jetha nodded. "Now let's get these bags out there before Ullden starts taking the tent down around our heads."

By the time they got the bags and bedding out of the tent, their tent was the last thing left to come down. Ullden packed it up while the girls got their gear situated on the horses. Bedding was all being kept in the wagon to help keep it drier. Nobody seemed to think that a bad idea.

It continued to rain throughout the day, which only worsened Jetha's glum mood. None of them talked all that much as they trekked along. Alldeh was the exception, of course. He seemed to have plenty to say, although none of it made any sense to any of them. Jetha frequently caught Father Marus shaking his head slowly with a sigh.

Jetha alternately worried about the Elar, and the coming confrontations with them, and wondered what else might be in the notes of Alldeh's drawings that Marus was carrying. She wasn't sure whether to be excited or intimidated about what she might find.

They had another cold lunch on the move. Alldeh was given bread, since he was out of the rain. Bread in anyone else's hands would just get soggy.

The hood on her cloak helped for a while. By mid afternoon or so she was already pushing wet hair out of her eyes, and wiping at water dripping off the end of her nose. Eventually they all pushed back their hoods. She offered a small prayer of thanks that at least it was not cold and windy. Even still she started feeling chilled as the sun lowered in the sky.

About the time they were ready to stop, Ullden pointed at something ahead of them. They all stopped, gathered together. Off in the distance, visible largely because the setting sun was partly behind it, was a broken silhouette.

"Those look a little like castle towers," Ullden suggested.

"I don't recall hearing of any in this area," Father Marus suggested. "Unless it's an old one not used anymore. There are some of those here and there."

By the time they got the bags and bedding out of the tent, their tent was the last thing left to come down. Ullden packed it up while the girls got their gear situated on the horses. Bedding was all being kept in the wagon to help keep it drier. Nobody seemed to think that a bad idea.

It continued to rain throughout the day, which only worsened Jetha's glum mood. None of them talked all that much as they trekked along. Alldeh was the exception, of course. He seemed to have plenty to say, although none of it made any sense to any of them. Jetha frequently caught Father Marus shaking his head slowly with a sigh.

Jetha alternately worried about the Elar, and the coming confrontations with them, and wondered what else might be in the notes of Alldeh's drawings that Marus was carrying. She wasn't sure whether to be excited or intimidated about what she might find.

They had another cold lunch on the move. Alldeh was given bread, since he was out of the rain. Bread in anyone else's hands would just get soggy.

The hood on her cloak helped for a while. By mid afternoon or so she was already pushing wet hair out of her eyes, and wiping at water dripping off the end of her nose. Eventually they all pushed back their hoods. She offered a small prayer of thanks that at least it was not cold and windy. Even still she started feeling chilled as the sun lowered in the sky.

About the time they were ready to stop, Ullden pointed at something ahead of them. They all stopped, gathered together. Off in the distance, visible largely because the setting sun was partly behind it, was a broken silhouette.

"Those look a little like castle towers," Ullden suggested.

"I don't recall hearing of any in this area," Father Marus suggested. "Unless it's an old one not used anymore. There are some of those here and there."

"If it's unused, it would give us a night out of the rain at least," Ullden said. "Let's get closer and see."

The idea of being dry and not stooped over in a tent cheered Jetha some as they made their towards the structure. As they got closer, she could see that the towers were crumbling from age and disrepair, suggesting that Father Marus was right about it being old and forgotten. It was only slightly bigger than most keeps she had seen, with four towers and broken walls between them that were falling and even completely rubble in some areas. It stood atop a low hill and had a slight rise around it, suggesting that there had once been a wall as well. When they got to the rise, she could see that the ground was rockier where the wall would have been, but the tangles of grasses and weeds seemed to have taken the land back long ago.

There was no light coming from anywhere within the small castle that they could see, and Ullden had them remain in one spot while he galloped his horse in a full circle around the area to be sure. Afterwards, he came back looking pleased.

"If we were more ready to fight them, this would be a good place to deal with the Elar too," he told them. "However, it will at least give us a dry place to spend the night. The tower on the northeast side looks to be the most intact. Any animals that might have made their homes in there will likely be in there right now, because of the rain. I'll head in first and make sure it's clear. Sometimes wolves and other critters like to take up residence in these kinds of ruins. Niza, you keep an eye on Alldeh. Marus and Jetha, I'll want you to come in a few steps behind me, just in case. Jetha, bring that bag of fireballs you have, just in case."

"In case of what?" Jetha asked nervously as they advanced to the tower and got off the horses. "Fireballs would be a bit much for wolves, don't you think?"

"If there's just wolves, or something like that, I can handle it, Jetha," Ullden replied. "Don't waste your fireballs on them. But every now and again there's something bigger that likes to make itself a lair in places like these. I doubt it will be an issue, or Father Marus might have heard about it this close to his church, but I like to be ready for anything."

Jetha nodded, grabbing her bag and following a step behind Marus. Both men had their swords drawn, although Ullden looked far more comfortable about it than Father Marus did. Ullden stepped forward towards the doorway cautiously, peering into the darkness.

"Wait a moment," Marus said, beginning to chant a prayer to Theran. He pointed, and a small ball of light appeared at his fingertip, over Ullden's left shoulder, making it much easier to see into the shadows of the broken tower.

"We really need to have a chance to overview what all you can do, Father," Ullden muttered, scrutinizing the entryway and the area just beyond. "It would be useful to know in advance."

"You're welcome," Marus replied, shaking his head.

"Thank you," Ullden said, stepping through the doorway and into the tower.

"If it's unused, it would give us a night out of the rain at least," Ullden said. "Let's get closer and see."

The idea of being dry and not stooped over in a tent cheered Jetha some as they made their towards the structure. As they got closer, she could see that the towers were crumbling from age and disrepair, suggesting that Father Marus was right about it being old and forgotten. It was only slightly bigger than most keeps she had seen, with four towers and broken walls between them that were falling and even completely rubble in some areas. It stood atop a low hill and had a slight rise around it, suggesting that there had once been a wall as well. When they got to the rise, she could see that the ground was rockier where the wall would have been, but the tangles of grasses and weeds seemed to have taken the land back long ago.

There was no light coming from anywhere within the small castle that they could see, and Ullden had them remain in one spot while he galloped his horse in a full circle around the area to be sure. Afterwards, he came back looking pleased.

"If we were more ready to fight them, this would be a good place to deal with the Elar too," he told them. "However, it will at least give us a dry place to spend the night. The tower on the northeast side looks to be the most intact. Any animals that might have made their homes in there will likely be in there right now, because of the rain. I'll head in first and make sure it's clear. Sometimes wolves and other critters like to take up residence in these kinds of ruins. Niza, you keep an eye on Alldeh. Marus and Jetha, I'll want you to come in a few steps behind me, just in case. Jetha, bring that bag of fireballs you have, just in case."

"In case of what?" Jetha asked nervously as they advanced to the tower and got off the horses. "Fireballs would be a bit much for wolves, don't you think?"

"If there's just wolves, or something like that, I can handle it, Jetha," Ullden replied. "Don't waste your fireballs on them. But every now and again there's something bigger that likes to make itself a lair in places like these. I doubt it will be an issue, or Father Marus might have heard about it this close to his church, but I like to be ready for anything."

Jetha nodded, grabbing her bag and following a step behind Marus. Both men had their swords drawn, although Ullden looked far more comfortable about it than Father Marus did. Ullden stepped forward towards the doorway cautiously, peering into the darkness.

"Wait a moment," Marus said, beginning to chant a prayer to Theran. He pointed, and a small ball of light appeared at his fingertip, over Ullden's left shoulder, making it much easier to see into the shadows of the broken tower.

"We really need to have a chance to overview what all you can do, Father," Ullden muttered, scrutinizing the entryway and the area just beyond. "It would be useful to know in advance."

"You're welcome," Marus replied, shaking his head.

"Thank you," Ullden said, stepping through the doorway and into the tower.

Father Marus followed, and Jetha crept in after them. The light hovering over Ullden's shoulder followed him, and she stayed close to stay with it. The light cast somewhat harsh shadows on the jagged rock surfaces. A rat scurried away from them and wriggled into a gap where part of the wall had cracked.

The first floor of the tower was one room. There were stairs along the side wall curving upwards. The stairs were timber, and there were a few missing. She wasn't close enough to see the condition of the ones that were there.

The ground was covered with dirt and debris. Much of it looked to be leaves that had blown in over the years and decomposed. There were sticks strewn about, and the occasional bit of small bone showed here and there.

"No real tracks to speak of," Ullden said approvingly. "Rat and some small animals, nothing that looks like a real concern. No droppings from anything bigger, either."

Ullden started towards the stairs, and Jetha took up the rear again. Ullden took the stairs slowly, testing each one as he went. Several of them creaked, and dust fell down from about half of them, but they all supported his weight and Marus'. Once the two had been up she had no worries about following them. She did still step gingerly, but she wasn't expecting them to fall out from under her.

The next level of the tower had four small rooms divided by a central hallway. Only one room still had a door on it. They worked their way from room to room. Each room had a pair of narrow windows for firing arrows through. One room had a human skeleton. She kept her distance from that, not wanting to think about it. Ullden merely commented that it didn't have any bones broken.

There was another stairway up at the far end of the hallway. These stairs were partly built into the tower wall, and were enclosed. They were made of the same stone as the tower, and although obviously aging looked sturdy enough.

She followed as they went up the steps, Ullden testing each one before putting his full weight onto it. There were some loose rocks that scattered out from under their feet, but otherwise the steps held firm, leading to the third level of the tower.

The third floor seemed to have originally been laid out identically to the second, however the floor above it had collapsed down onto about half, leaving two of the rooms and part of the hallway exposed to the rain. The other side of the tower seemed to be intact, although there were areas of the ceiling that seemed to be on the verge of crumbling down into them. In some cases, holes exposed what remained of the floor above them, telling them that some bits were enclosed from the rain by wall that had fallen inward. Other areas dripped as the rain trickled down through the debris, leaving trails of water running down the walls and across the floor.

Ullden pointed out an area of leaves and dried grasses, with bits of fur and cloth mixed into it, which he said was probably some creature's bedding. He also pointed at some droppings, although he said they didn't look to be from anything large. As he scrutinized the rubble in the rooms that still remained, Jetha noticed a pair of yellow-looking eyes peering down at them through one of the dark, dry holes in the ceiling.

"Ullden, up there," she said quietly, pointing.

As Ullden and Marus looked up at the eyes, a low growling sound came from the creature. Ullden sighed and rattled his sword against the stone wall, making a loud noise. The growling stopped, replaced by a cat-like whining as the eyes retreated.

"It's just a wildcat," Ullden said. "Looks pretty young too. Lynx, I think. Based on the rat we saw earlier, it's pretty unlikely it's even hungry. If we stay further down in the tower and keep the fire going, I doubt it'll even bother with us." He gestured for them to follow him back downstairs.

"So, does that mean it's alright to stay here then?" Marus asked the question that had already been forming in Jetha's mind.

"I want to make a quick check of the other towers too, just to be sure," Ullden answered. "But unless we see anything major, I think we can stay in this one without any real concern. The cat will probably just stay up there while we're here, especially if we build the fire right by the stairs. There's enough dry branches and such that have blown in on the first floor to at least cook dinner and keep a small fire going most of the night. There may be one or two more of the cats in the other towers, but they generally hunt smaller animals, like rabbit and the like. Not much for us to worry over, unless we were carrying a fresh kill, which we're not. I doubt we'll find anything more threatening than that if the lynx has made a home here."

They turned around and headed back down. Once down on the ground, Ullden pointed out how the stairs up should make an acceptable chimney for smoke, and he wondered aloud why there were no fireplaces. None of them had a good theory for that, least of all Jetha.

Once outside they passed Niza on the way to the next tower. Jetha paused to give her a quick summary of what they had found, and to tell her they would check the others quick to be safe. Niza thanked her for the update, and Jetha hurried off after the two men.

The other towers were all in worse states. None of them were suitable for sheltering in, and none of them appeared to be concealing any dens for evil monsters or large predators.

"Well, that was a lot of build up for nothing," Father Marus said.

"I'd rather be ready for something that doesn't happen than not ready for something that does," Ullden said, sounding a little frustrated himself. "Come on, let's go get settled.

They went back and got Niza and they all started moving gear inside the tower and out of the rain. Niza found a piece of wall sconce still attached to the wall inside, and suggested they tether the horses to it and let them out of the rain. Marus asked if they'd be able to sleep with horses in the same space, but Ullden reminded him grumpily about what would happen if the horses got sick from being wet all the time.

"A little care goes a long way, don't you think?"

"Point taken," Marus nodded.

They took care of the horses first and then each took turns going to a room upstairs for some privacy while they changed into dry clothes. Jetha realized that between clothes that needed washing and clothes that were damp from wearing in the rain, she really wanted a day of rest just to wash up and try and do the laundry. She was wearing clothes that she'd worn before at this point, something she was unaccustomed to. She had said nothing, having noticed that Niza had only one change of clothes and didn't complain at all. Jetha, however, was used to having a hot bath at certain intervals, and clean clothes available all the time. She did grin slightly at the thought of how horrified her mother would be if she knew how "unkempt" and "unladylike" she was just then. She was worried, however, that if they didn't stop at a town soon she'd run out of the light perfume she wore to keep from smelling unpleasant. Jetha wished Niza had something similar, as she was starting to notice the smell at night in their tent.

Once everyone was changed, Ullden lit the fire that had been built near the bottom of the stairs, and it wasn't long before smoke was curling upwards to the next level. Ullden and Marus worked on practicing while Jetha cooked with Niza's help. Niza also kept an eye on Alldeh, who had taken a fascination with brushing the horses that evening and seemed content to continue doing so until dinner was ready. He sang to them, in soft, gentle words, from a language Jetha had never heard before. She tried to listen, but didn't recognize anything special about the song or the lyrics. The long strokes with the brush, in time to the music, seemed to be soothing both man and horses, so Niza let him alone but still kept a watchful eye.

They were already coming close to using up the fresh vegetables, Jetha noticed, as she worked on cooking. Most of what remained was dried or preserved meats and vegetables. She wondered how long before they would have to stop somewhere to restock their supplies. When she had traveled before with her parents, they had always had a hunter along with the group to supplement the meat by hunting rabbit, game birds, and the occasional deer or wild pig. Then again, they had also always had someone who could both skin and cook the animal too. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd react if someone handed her a dead goose or deer and expected her to turn it into a meal. She tried not to think about it as she doled out some of the smoked meat into the stew-like meal she and Niza were cooking.

After dinner, Marus brought out his book of notes on the things Alldeh had said and drawn over the years. It was reasonably thick, and he told her to take her time with it. She thanked him and promised to keep it dry before turning and addressing the group itself.

"Niza and I discussed it, and I'm going to take a look at that scepter," she said, attempting to use a tone she'd heard Nordithet take when he expected no arguement. "I think it would be best if we did it a little away from Alldeh, however, perhaps upstairs. Father Marus, it would help if you could make us a little light and be on hand in case anything should go wrong and one of us needs healing. Niza will hold it for me while I take a look and make some sketches of it."

To her surprise, both men nodded agreeably.

"It might be a bit smoky up there now, although it's likely there will be at least one of the rooms clear of it," was all Ullden said.

"I'd be happy to help," Marus added.

"I'll get it then," Niza said, giving Jetha a raised eyebrow in response to the two men and looking like she wanted to laugh. Jetha expected Niza had thought the same as she had - that the two men would try to talk them out of exposing the scepter at all.

Niza grabbed the wrapped bundle, and Jetha led the way towards the stairs.

"I'll wait down here, then," Ullden muttered, "with the madman."

None of them responded to his remark, and Jetha took a deep breath before starting up the stairs. She tried not to linger long on any of them, wanting to get past the smoke. There was a not huge amount of smoke, but it was enough that she didn't want to breathe it.

One of the rooms upstairs was clear of smoke and had some floor space to work with. Father Marus made his light, which filled the room rather well.

Niza laid the bundle on the floor and unrolled the blanket from around it. The red gems on the scepter glittered. The whole thing looked entirely too polished. Father Marus seemed anxious, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Don't worry, Father, I won't touch it," she said to reassure him.

"Back at the church, Alldeh grew very agitated the last time it was out in the open," Marus said. "That doesn't seem to be happening this time."

Jetha was more engrossed in the scepter and the symbols on it. They were very similar symbols to what Alldeh had drawn before that she'd seen. She supposed that she would see much more familiarity in the sketchbook that Marus had made.

Most of these symbols she didn't recognize. They were more words, but she didn't understand what they were trying to say.

She had brought a notebook and pencil with her and did her best to quickly copy down the symbols, making a sketch of the entire scepter and indicating where each symbol was found upon it. She also marked where each gem was located as well, in case it would have any significance. While many items that held magic power had gems that were purely ornamental, Nordithet had once given her a lesson about how gems themselves could be imbued with magic and enhance an object's power when set into it. Most items that held magic powers were known to have been created by priests of one religion or another, although there were always rumors that items existed that had been forged through older wizard magic. If there were any, however, they were well-hidden or kept secret, since Nordithet had had no examples. Looking at the scepter, she theorized that it was possible it had been a combination - something designed to use older magic, but forged through priestly power instead.

She was nearly finished with making some additional notes about the placement of the symbols when Niza suddenly dropped it back into the blanket and covered it up again.

"What's wrong?" Jetha asked, looking at Niza with some concern. Niza was eyeing the blanket, looking unhappy.

"I don't know," Niza said. "It started feeling cold in my hands and something just didn't feel... right. I felt kind of... itchy all over." She shuddered, and Marus reached over and put a hand on her arm, saying something quietly as he did.

"There seems to be no physical harm done," Marus said once he was done. "However, perhaps we should limit your exposure to it to shorter durations, just to be safe."

"I think I've gotten plenty for now," Jetha said. "I may need to look at it again once we get a better idea of what we're supposed to do with it, but I think I can finish the notes I'm writing without looking at it again." She kept scribbling, while it was still all fresh in her mind, jotting down what notes she could think of. She included a note about what had happened with Niza as well, trying to be as detailed as Nordithet would have expected of her. Niza bundled the blanket around the scepter more as the two quietly waited on Jetha to finish. She closed the book and gave them a smile when she was done.

"Okay, I'm done for now. I think I've got a lot to study, especially when I compare it with your notes, Father Marus. Maybe it will help me make sense of some of this."

"I hope it will help," Marus said, standing up again. "I always hoped that I'd find the answer to what happened to him in those drawings, which is why I kept making notes on them. I never realized they might be useful for something like this. Perhaps he's been leaving clues for us all these years already."

"Let's hope so," Jetha replied. "I think we'll all feel a little better when we have more answers."

They made their way back downstairs, going through the smoke again. It was quicker to make their way back, which meant not having to hold her breath as long, but Jetha's eyes were watery by the time she reached the first level. It took a moment of rubbing before she could see clearly again.

Ullden was holding on to Alldeh, who looked on edge.

"What happened?" Father Marus asked immediately.

"He was fine at first," Ullden explained. "Then he started pacing around nervously. But he didn't say anything, didn't do anything. Then towards the end he suddenly got very upset and kept saying something about being able to see. He made a run towards the fire, so I've been holding him down. He calmed down just as quickly as it started. He won't tell me what he was seeing."

"He got agitated the last time anyone was taking a close look at the scepter," Marus explained again. "I'm rather sure he knows what it's for."

"A shame he won't tell us," Ullden grumbled. He let go of Alldeh, who seemed calm enough. Jetha wondered if Alldeh was trying to help her figure it out, in his own way. The symbols were similar enough. Maybe some of what the man was doing was teaching her the language. She looked at the man wonderingly, but he just sat there looking at his fingers as if discovering them for the first time.

After that there was a little rest time before people turned in. There wasn't quite enough light for her to do much with the notes from Father Marus. She did look through them a little, seeing how much was in them. It was fairly extensive, and would require some genuine study, which was too much to do in the uneven firelight.

She set up and crawled into her bedroll, still wearing the dry clothes she had changed into earlier. She had planned to wear them tomorrow as well. They smelled a little of smoke, she assumed, but making separate trips up to change before bed and again in the morning seemed more hassle than she wanted. The floor was hard under the blankets being used as padding, but she fell asleep regardless.

Jetha dreampt of the symbols. First, she found herself sitting alone in a classroom, where a large slate board had many of the symbols written on it in white chalk, divided into categories by whichever of the four elements it most associated with. In the center of the board were more symbols, that seemed to be used as connectors, allowing each of the other symbols to come together like words would form a sentence. Sometimes symbols would all come from the same element, other times the elements would be combined. The end result seemed to be a combination of which elemental symbols were used and how they were connected. As she started to understand, the room seemed to fade away and she sat in the mist, on a stone floor, as symbols floated off the slate board and darkened in color, dancing around in front of her. The linking symbols would jump in and draw two of the elemental symbols together, as if showing her possible combinations. She found herself feeling overwhelmed, realizing that the amount of spells that could be formed seemed far too many to count, much less for one person to learn.

The symbols seemed solid, and she reached forward to touch one. It bounced gently against her hand and she could push it into place next to others. It seemed as if it was formed out of an ancient root, and yet looked almost translucent when she pulled it nearer. She found herself pushing the different symbols, trying to see if she could pull them together into combinations of her own. They seemed to attract to each other when the right connector was used, much like some stones that Nordithet had once showed her that metal seemed to like to cling to. Sometimes there were connectors that repelled some of the symbols, however, confusing her.

"What are the rules?" she asked. Her voice seemed to echo back at her from within the mist, without revealing an answer. Suddenly the symbols started to fly towards her, raining themselves down hard against her body. She turned away, throwing up her arms to try and fend them off. They bounced off her head, arms, and back as they flew past, continuing off into the mist. She saw some of them still connecting with each other as they moved, still forming spells. She found herself desperately trying to remember the patterns she was seeing.

When they stopped bouncing against her, she turned and looked back to where they had been. A single strand of symbols still stood, gently floating in the mist in front of her. It was only five symbols long, two fire, one earth, and two connectors that brought them together. She realized it was much shorter, less complex, than the one she had cast at the tree before. There was a moment where it hung there, with her memorizing it and trying to determine what it might do. Then, suddenly, the symbols shattered and the mist seemed to dissipate around her as Ullden's face appeared.

"Jetha, wake up. Something's happening," Ullden said, shaking her. There was worry and urgency in his voice and she shook off the fugue of sleep to sit up and look around. Smoke from the fire was filling up the room instead of curling upstairs as it had been doing before, and the horses were neighing and bucking against their tethers in agitation. Father Marus was next to them, waking Niza.

More and more smoke came down from above. It was as if it had all been trapped up there and was being blown back down. Father Marus was starting to choke.

"Fire?" Alldeh asked, sounding confused and scared.

The horses started bumping against each other as they gew closer to panic.

"Untie them and get them outside," Ullden warned.

"I can't get them untied," Marus complained, "they keep straining against the tethers."

"Is the tower burning down?" Niza asked, sounding rather afraid herself.

"It can't," Ullden said, "it's stone, it's not going anywhere. The worst thing that happens is the stairs burn away. Get the fire out," he said, indicating their little fire near the stairs, "and we'll have to get out until it clears out some."

Ullden had to cut the horses tethers, and then it was all he and Marus could do to get them outside in any controlled manner. Jetha helped Niza lead Alldeh out into the rain.

There was no sign of any smoke coming out of the tower.

"Something must have blocked it in, and a downdraft is pushing it all back down," Ullden said from behind a horse. "Still, it should still be able to get out the arrow loops and such up there."

"No, it doesn't make sense," Marus agreed.

While Ullden's horse had calmed down some once out of the smoke-filled tower, the other horses were still bucking and pulling. Ullden held fast to his horse and Jetha's, while Marus struggled to keep control on the other two. One of them slipped out of his grasp, however, nearly knocking him down in the process. It began to run away from them but then stopped, as if confused, still neighing in distress. Niza ran over and then tried to approach it, talking to it in a soothing tone as she did. Jetha's attention was momentarily distracted as Alldeh started shaking his head and waving his hands wildly next to her.

"No, no, no, no, no..." he repeated over and over again.

"Alldeh, what's wrong?" she asked, feeling distinctly unsettled herself. Something just felt wrong to her too, but she didn't know what it was.

"NIZA!" Ullden shouted. Jetha looked back to see Ullden letting go of the horses to run towards Niza, drawing his sword. The horse she had been trying to coax was galloping full-speed away as Niza screamed and struggled to not be picked up by some kind of winged beast that had swooped down upon her. The thing looked like the combination of a woman and some kind of enormous bird. It resembled a bird from the waist down, and huge, feathered wings protruded from it's back. The face, however, was that of an old, haggard-looking woman, with long, straggly, black hair and an exaggerated-seeming hooked nose. Her arms ended in long, hooked talons instead of fingers, and her torso looked to be that of a woman's as well, with a gray shirt that was so torn it fluttered and Jetha could easily see the creature's breasts through it.

It had sunk it's clawed fingers into Niza's shoulders, and it's wings made great swooshing noises as it began to rise in the air with Niza in it's clutches. Niza screamed in both fear and pain as she struggled and kicked, and she managed to unhook one of her shoulders by pulling the claws out with both hands. Jetha watched in horror as Niza fell several feet to the ground when the weight of her body tore her out of the other claw's grasp, blood and flesh tearing away in the process. Jetha found herself moving forward, to try and help Niza, who suddenly had stopped screaming and was now laying on the wet ground, not moving anymore. The creature grabbed Niza up by the legs this time, and was trying to take flight again as Ullden reached it and swung his sword, cutting into one of the creature's wings and causing it to come back down to the ground again. The thing swung Niza by the legs, as if she was it's weapon, hitting Ullden across the side and sending him falling and sliding across the wet grass.

She could see that Marus wanted to help, but was afraid to risk hitting Niza. She told herself to wait for a clear moment to use a fireball--as soon as Niza was out of the way. Then she remembered that all of her prepared ones were in her bag, still in the smoky tower.

There was a cawing scream from above them, and there was another of the hag beasts circling. It started swooping down at Ullden. Suddenly her mind put together some of the symbols from her dream. Two different fire symbols, an earth symbol, and two different connectors. Fire and bursting, she realized. Earth to give it substance, while one of the connectors could mean hurled or thrown. The other she wasn't sure about.

The monster missed Ullden and flapped back up in the air for another try.

She said the words aloud as they came to her. A ball of fire appeared before her and hurled itself at the second monster. When it hit it exploded, momentarily blinding her. She heard a number of soft splatting sounds, as bits of the monster hit the wet ground.

The first one screamed angrily. Jetha's eyes were clearing, and she could see that the first creature had lost its grip on Niza. Jetha felt short of breath and drained, although not as severely as after she had destroyed the tree. Obviously the simpler the spell--the fewer symbols involved--the less taxing.

She marveled a moment over what had happened. Nordithet had always taught her that it was impossible to make something from nothing. There always had to be some kind of physical component. Another scream from the monster brought her attention back to the present. Ullden had hurt the creature, which was beating its wings to gain height.

The creature looked angry now, despite the injuries Ullden had managed to inflict. Ullden was on his feet again and took another swing, but it had managed to get enough height to be just out of reach of his blade. The thing turned towards Jetha instead, suddenly swooping down towards her, it's eyes filled with loathing.

For a moment it was as if everything happened in slow motion. Her first thought was one of panic, followed by the thought that she should try to cast the fireball spell again. She knew that it was too much, however, as she already felt winded from the first one, and a little bit dizzy. She tried to think simpler, trying to remember if she'd seen any shorter combinations in her dream. Fire with fire, she thought suddenly. Before earth was added, it was just fire with fire! She spoke quickly and loudly, just the three symbols, two fire and one connector, unsure of what was about to happen. She felt the surge of power flow up through her arms and she spread her hands out in front of the creature just as it was about to come down upon her.

She saw the fire, bursting forth as if from her hands and hitting the creature. She saw the creature, recoiling back as it shrieked, it's feathers and tattered clothes catching alight and adding to the flames. The blast of fire itself only lasted for a moment, but the heat of it caused Jetha to take a couple steps backwards herself. The creature had caught the intensity of the heat, however, and she saw it's flesh seeming to boil from it. As the feathers of it's wings burned away, it fell to the ground, rolling and writhing in agony as it burned. Then Ullden came over as the flames were dying out and ran it through the center of it's chest with his sword.

She stood for a moment, watching it all as if she had been an observer the whole time instead of a participant. A part of her felt strangely disconnected. Another part of her made her look at her hands in concern, but there was no evidence of any burning or damage to her from the spell. Then the world seemed to spin around her and grow gray. Just before the darkness fell upon her, she realized with an odd clarity that she was lying on the ground.

"No control yet," she heard Alldeh say quietly. "Girl can't control how much power she puts in."

The words echoed in Jetha's mind, lingering there, as the world went black around her.

Chapter 20 - Encounters

So far she had not been impressed by these lands and their people. She was able to communicate a little; enough, she had thought, to warn them of the Elar. People didn't listen to her, though.

Some of them had said something about someone raising an army to keep them safe. Those had been the polite ones. More of the people she had seen had pushed her away. She had been threatened by people who had clearly never held a weapon before, but she had let them have their way, and she had backed away from all of it.

These are all soft people, she told herself. They are helpless. They didn't want her warnings, and they didn't want her around. Even trade had been infrequent, so she had hunted for what she had needed. She skirted away from farmers, not wanting them to think she was after their livestock. The farmers she had encountered had been unfriendly at best.

She watched people mill about on the main street in the town. As always, there were no signs of defenses, or guards. They had no one watching outside of their little encampment, which was why she could get this close and still not be noticed. Her people would have been aware of an approaching stranger a mile or more away from camp.

She decided she would skip this town. If they were going to ignore her warnings, and threaten her to drive her off, then there was no point in stopping. She would look for something that looked different, and try there. She guided the horse to skirt around the town. There were more farms on one side than on the other. She went the other way.

She had heard talk amongst the traders before, of larger buildings of stone that housed the warriors amongst these people. Keeps, she thought she had heard them called. Why they "kept" their warriors and weapons safe behind stone walls instead of out where they could protect the people baffled her. Amongst her kind, the warriors were a vital part of the community and had far more to offer than just protection from enemies. While their farms would provide them with the food that her people hunted for instead, she still wondered how these towns and villages dealt with the animals of prey and the occasional groups of people who would try to take what they had. She had heard of outlaws and brigands amongst these people and wasn't surprised. They are soft, she though again to themselves. They almost deserve it for being so complacent.<