The crowd slowly drifted away. Some lingered a while, asking more questions, but it had grown late and eventually they all went home again. Jetha turned in first, when the crowd was more than half gone. Niza, however, had moved off to talk with some men and women at one side of the room. They broke up their conversation as the last few people were starting to leave, and Niza came back to join Marus as the innkeeper moved in to clean up the last couple of tables.
"I think they have more hope now, Father," she said with a smile. "They've been afraid to hope. Fortunately, the Elar hadn't been here long before the demon was destroyed. When his spell broke, there was quite a bit of confusion before they took back the town. Those people were telling me that it's the same in other towns. Some are beginning to fight back. There are more Elar to the south of here though. I guess they left larger groups of units in the more pivotal towns. There's one, larger town where there was one hundred Elar left behind with a demon. The people here worry that if they are not defeated they will still come back to this village and try to reclaim it."
Her eyes were on the floor as she spoke, as if she was making up her mind while the words made their way past her lips. Her hand was on her hip, where her sword usually hung as of late. Her fingers flexed as if looking for the hilt.
"Violence is not the path to peace, Niza," he said gently, though he already suspected where this was going.
"No, Father," she said, meeting his eyes. "But it is too soon yet for peace. First we have to get beyond being at war with them."
"You're only one person," he tried again. A part of him knew it was pointless, her path had been chosen for her. Another part of him still saw her as the young girl who'd come to him broken, needing his guidance and protection.
"If not me, then who, Father?" she said. "If there is a demon there, my sword can hurt it."
