Chapter 12 Give & Take

"Ridiculous," Disia huffed, as she tried to navigate through the excessive amount of snow. Lila, who was not too far behind her, struggled just as much, if not more. However, she made no complaints or disgruntled noises.

"I know I'm not used to this kind of weather in Enessar, but this just doesn't seem right."

They ignored her, but silently agreed. They were all irritable, cold, and lost. Even the help of Nim's glowing holy symbol to aid them didn't do much. The blizzard had not let up since they left the wyrmling's cave, and an entire day was already lost. Not able to see where they were going because of the heavy snow falling, they had backtracked several times. Frustrated, a second night was spent in a small cave they had found near the dead dragon's lair. It had been almost two weeks since they left Cronemoor. Riswynn was burdened with mixed emotions; she missed the comfort of a warm room, she was filled with worry and fear that she could not lead this group out of the mountains alive, and anger filled her. Anger at Disia for her non-stop complaining since they left the cave that morning. Anger at Commander Biri for making her question a friendship that so far lasted more than half her life. Most importantly, she was angry at herself for allowing herself to be angry. One thing at a time, she kept telling herself as she did her best to find a trail. Any trail at this point, she thought to herself. Right now, she had to focus on getting them back to Belronde, and safely. One of the most useful lessons her father ever taught her; to never show doubt or fear in front of your men. "A person's greatest weakness, no matter their race, will always be their downfall." His words echoed in her mind, changing her mood.

Lila followed the three girls from behind, using the path Disia had walked. It was easier for her since the snow was now almost past her waist. She thought of security; an enclosed space as small as possible that she could squeeze herself into and stay in for days.

Disia was still huffing and puffing, sometimes muttering words no one could understand. All she wanted was to sit and relax with a good ale. Even a drink from her father's nemesis back in Colke Stronghold would do. She never understood how the man stayed open, his drinks were always too bitter.

Nim walked side by side with Riswynn, keeping her energy concentrated on the holy symbol. The glow seemed to help her a bit, and she wished she thought of it the other day when the blizzard had started. She too was worried, wanted to be safe, and could use a good drink, though she wasn't sure if these thoughts were her own, or she was feeling her companions' energy. She glanced to the sky for probably the hundredth time that morning. Sure she could see something large flying a couple hundred feet above them, she shared her suspicions with the others.

"I don't see anything, Nim," Riswynn said, after looking to the sky.

"I mean, not that I could. There's no sun, and all I see in any direction is snow." Disia and Lila agreed with her.

"But still, just in case, perhaps we should keep an eye out." It wasn't like Nim to just make something up, Riswynn thought to herself. She remembered what they had already come across on these mountains, who knew what else lived up here.

"Sounds good," Disia said.

"Always best to be safe." The heavy burden on them seemed to lift a bit. It was the first positive thing Disia had said in two days.

The rest of the day was spent searching for a path. When dinner time came around, a place to camp still had not been found, and a decision to continue on throughout the night was made for them. Night had fallen on them, at least that's what it looked like. A darkness hid behind the falling snow, and a few times something that resembled a full moon could be faintly seen. Nim noticed the snowfall seemed to be lighter.

"I think the blizzard might be over soon," she suggested. The others only shrugged their shoulders, they hadn't been watching the sky.

"Well, at least we haven't run into any monsters."

"That's true," Riswynn laughed.

"Don't go jinxing us now, Nim," Disia joined in.

"You know," Riswynn said, after they finished laughing.

"It is a little strange we haven't seen any since the dragon."

"Maybe they just don't like the snow," Disia offered.

"No." Both Riswynn and Nim stopped dead in their tracks, and looked at one another.

"I think you may be right, Disia," Nim said.

"Uh, about?" She asked, confused. She had never been right where weather was concerned, unless it involved mudslides or volcanoes.

"The storm," Nim began.

"It's not normal. I think there's magic behind it." She held her torch to the night sky, hoping to see the large flying thing she had already seen several times, but no luck.

"Is it possible that the ice dragon didn't die at all?" Nim watched as they put their torches to the sky with her.

"But we killed it," Disia said, looking to the dark sky with the others. Nim was right, the snow felt lighter, yet the air was still cold.

"It wouldn't be the first time something came back to life." Riswynn said.

"But, no. The dragon we killed was far too young to create a storm like this."

"Then, what else could it." They all thought of Mik before Disia finished.

"But, he was so friendly," Lila objected, remembering her interest the moment she saw the large silver dragon.

"Perhaps it is the young dragon's mother, and she is angry," Disia said. She didn't want to think Mik was capable of hurting them either, especially not after the connection she felt with him.

"No." Riswynn shook her head.

"Once a dragon lays its eggs, it is up to nature to decide whether or not that dragonling lives. Sometimes it can take up to a hundred years for the egg to hatch. Once it does, it's completely on its own."

By noon the next day, their irritability had returned. Exhausted, and hungry, they walked slowly; still searching for a spot to camp. Nim's holy symbol no longer glowed, what low energy she had left was reserved to keep moving. Fortunately, it wasn't needed any longer, the blizzard had stopped. The snow that fell was light and fluffy, as the sun tried to make its way through the clouds.

It wasn't long after, when they finally came across a cave. With a sudden rush of excitement, they ran in,and recognized right away the cave where they had killed the dark elf and her eagle companion. Disia was the first to throw her belongings onto the floor. She took out her bedroll and layed it between her bag and weapon. Nim tried to start a fire with the last of her energy, but failed.

"Sorry, guys. No fire," she said, disappointed.

"It's fine," Riswynn said as she walked around the cave checking to see if anything had been moved since they were last there.

"I think we should eat something quick, then rest. Lila." She turned to the halfling who had made a spot against a wall at the back of the cave.

"Can you take the first watch?" Riswynn broke a loaf into quarters, and tossed a piece to each of them, keeping one for herself. Lila nodded as she pulled off a small piece of the bread and tossed it into her mouth.

"You sure you're not too tired?" Riswynn asked between bites.

"I'm okay," she lied. She was beyond exhausted like the rest of them, but it had been part of her training as a ranger to keep watch for long periods of time. Even though she wasn't an elf, she could now stay awake and alert for almost two days without rest.

"Okay," Riswynn said, finishing her piece of the loaf. She laid down not far from Nim, who had already passed out, holding onto the last piece of her bread. Lila laughed to herself, she had done that before.

"Wake me up in a couple of hours, Little one. I'll do the next watch," Disia told her as she took the bread from Nim's hand and wrapped it back up. She settled herself in her bedroll and was asleep in minutes.

The first few hours of watch came easy for Lila. She watched the three girls gradually move closer together in their sleep. Riswynn's feet pointed towards the entrance of the cave, in case anyone or anything entered, she would be able to protect herself quicker. Her warhammer lay next to her side, her left hand gently holding it. Her shield had shifted while she slept, it now rested against the right side of her body, and Nim's left, partially covering them both. Nim slept in the same position, on her back with her feet facing the cave's entrance. She used her bag as a pillow, and one of the blankets covered the lower half of her body. Occasionally, she would touch the shield and tried to pull it closer to her. Lila noticed Nim slept a lot like her, with tossing and turning. She wondered what sort of struggle she had gone through to be sleeping the way she did. Disia slept horizontally, next to their heads. She was on her right side, facing the entrance, her hands grasped her axe as she held it closely to her chest. Like Riswynn, she used her blanket for support under her head. Lila couldn't see how they could sleep like that. Surely they were cold, but perhaps they had trained themselves for such conditions. Nim seemed to be shimmering. Lila watched as the elf threw her hands above her face, almost as if she was fighting someone, or something in her dream. Worried that Nim might end up hitting Riswynn; Lila quietly walked over to them, behind Disia so she could keep watch on the entrance. She placed the blanket she had brought over with her on Nim's chest. A soft whimper escaped from her lips, as her hands instinctively grabbed the blanket, and pulled it up to her chin. Satisfied, Lila walked back to her spot at the back of the cave. With her knees pulled to her chest, she did what she knew best; think. The girls had gotten pretty close since Cronemoor. Lila not only enjoyed their company, she also felt pretty safe traveling with them. There was only one other person she felt this comfortable around, but he had been killed a year ago. Lila sighed as she thought of Tinir. She still couldn't forgive herself for that night. Ironically, she had found herself in a similar situation once again.

Yet this time, she told herself. I will not fall asleep. Memories of the tall, blonde elf flashed in her mind. From the moment he had caught her trying to steal from him, to rescuing her (though for months she had called it captured.) All the times he became frustrated with her as he taught her how to use a bow, which then became swords. The moments where she had felt something she never felt before as she watched him work. The conversations where he would laugh, and tell her it was just her coming into age. To the time where they had, what he called; "made love." To the dreadful moment when she ran, because he had told her too. All because she had fallen asleep on her watch. She knew he died, she didn't need to see it happen. There was no way he could have survived the hill giant. She had waited months for him to walk through his own door. When the letter showed up a month ago, for the needs of her skills, she finally accepted her master, Tinir, was never going to walk through that door again. She sighed again, and realized her hand was wrapped around the wooden mouse. She yawned, another wave of fatigue had come over her. She had no clue how many hours had passed since the others fell asleep. Disia was sleeping peacefully, so instead of waking her up, Lila used the next trick Tinir had taught her to stay awake. The small girl walked silently around the cave, being careful not to wake any of the girls. After a few laps, she headed over to one of the tables. Still feeling tired, she went onto the next step. Lila perched herself on the table and listened to her surroundings. The wind outside carried its song of cold, the three women's breathing oddly in sync. Before she knew it, Lila's eyes were heavy, the sound of the howling wind had relaxed her. She shouted at herself to move, every inch of her body screamed to go and wake Disia. Yet, her body said no. Soon she had given in, she lay asleep on her side.

Lila heard whispering and movement. She opened her eyes slightly, despite her body telling her to close them. Suddenly, she remembered what happened the last time she fell asleep on a watch. She opened her eyes completely, waiting for them to adjust. She had thought the whispering was in her dream, but now she heard it again, a bit louder. A voice that didn't belong to one of the girls. A man's voice. She lay still, slowing her breathing as two shadows came into view. Both were the same height, but one was a man, the other a woman. Lila recognized the outline of a bow on their backs.

Scouts. She said to herself, reaching for her own bow. The halfling aimed her bow at one of the shadows and took a shot.

It only took half the day for Rameros to travel fourteen miles east to the Deney River. He could sense the evil as he stood on the edge of Cronemoor Forest.

"This isn't right," he said to the animals around him. They had been following him since he left Coteign Woods, for about seven miles now. They chittered and squeaked at him.

"I agree," he told them. A bad magic had fallen on the forest. A sort of sickness. He pulled a small leather bound book out of his satchel, and began etching on a blank page. Using a special tool that was created by his ancestors, he made notes of his findings. The page was still blank when he had finished, but he knew the Mystics would be able to read the ancient runes they had taught him. The tool was filled with magical properties; it allowed only a certain powerful and ancient magic to unveil what was written. Even if someone was able to activate the magic; the ancient runes he had drawn could only be understood by the Mystic of his tribe, and elders of the A'eterna elves. He placed the book back in his satchel.

"Well," he said, looking back towards his home.

"Looks like Mother Moon will be here soon. I think this is a good place to stop for the night," he said, placing a larger bag from his waist onto the ground against a tree. He was peeling some of the bark off one of the evergreens, when he noticed the animals were no longer near him. Rameros turned around to find they were still scattered amongst themselves along the bank of the Deney River. They had not followed him inside the forest.

"I see." Rameros contemplated as two female deers drank from the other side of the river. The young centaur sat still, and listened to the trees. Whatever dark magic had made its way into the forest was still emerging. It was still new, he realized. Deney River had apparently not been infected, the animals clung to its muddy banks for safety.

"I understand," he said, more to himself than to the wildlife before him. He recalled then, some of the scrolls and books he had come across as a teen. From a young age, the history of Brine interested him. When his parents first found out, they had scolded him, he was born to be a soldier. Eventually his parents learned he had still been sneaking around, reading the material, but he had not slacked in his training. The Mystics came to the decision that it was all right and some of them, like his grandmother Iniza, took time to teach him. Rameros had always had a bit of a rebellious side. Perhaps, it was another reason their God chose him.

Rameros studied the animal's behavior as he thought of the history in regards to Brine's biggest, and longest war ever. The ancient runes had shown him; that even though their side won, some sort of curse had been released into the north-eastern part of the Eurynthian Sea. The same dark magic that had overtaken Minas Ellalas, the largest city in Brine, which was now pretty much a ghost town. Both, the Deney and Cronemoor Rivers flowed from the south-eastern part of the Eurynthian Sea. There was no mention in the books of the curse spreading this far south. He had never been to Chaucey Stronghold; one city of the Eastern Alliance that was now overrun with undead. Nor had he ever traveled far west, where Minas Ellalas' beautiful city stood. He didn't know what kind of energy the curse gave, so he had nothing to compare to what he felt now.

Perhaps, he thought to himself. The dark magic; the poison no one could find a cure for, had spread its way south. He remembered from the books, the curse hadn't been placed directly into the sea. One of Smaka's twin sons had originally released it into the Pale River. Within the past two hundred years, it slowly spread into the surrounding land. The Chaucey Stronghold, its tower of Sallaro, and the jungle to the west, were the poisons first infected. Rameros pulled out his book again, and made another note;

Animals avoid C Forest, stay near D River. Poison of the sea made its way south?

He put the book away, and looked at the animals in front of him.

"Do any of you happen to know Mystic Iniza, of Coteign Woods?" A pair of ravens fluttered near him.

"Good." He reached into a pocket on the other side of his belt. He held his hand out to the birds; they landed on his shoulders, and began picking the seeds out of his hand.

"Would you return to my village, and tell her what we found?" He whispered to them. They pecked his hand a few more times before taking off towards the west, both deer following behind them. Rameros reached into another pocket and scooped up a handful of nuts and blackberries. He walked over to the edge of the river, and tossed the food to the animals, being careful not to throw it onto the mud. They gathered around him, chattering excitedly in thanks.

As the hours passed by under the light of an almost full moon, the animals one by one made their way back home, to Coteign Woods. It was a little past midnight and only a few chipmunks and squirrels remained. An owl hooted insistently a few trees away from where Rameros meditated. He had camouflaged himself within the trees and bushes using the mud from the riverbank and the bark from the evergreens. He had no idea how much time had passed, he was deep in meditation, waiting patiently for guidance from his ancestors. Meditation for the centaurs required them to be on a plane between the living and spirit. Being in the deep meditative state made him vulnerable to attacks. It took all his energy to concentrate on finding an ancestor, and also to ignore other spirits. Though it had never happened within his tribe; on occasion malicious spirits had been released into the living plane through meditation. After some time, he found contact.

Go to the middle of the forest, where the dark energy is at its strongest. Wait. For. Days. Girls. Confused with the last four messages, he probed for further guidance, but he no longer felt the energy of his relative. Sighing, he slowly pulled himself back to the forest. He allowed time to readjust, listening for any signs of possible danger. Pleased that there was nothing to worry about; he removed the bark from his body, then washed himself in the river. He gathered his belongings as he thought about the message he received. The first part was easy, he thought to himself, as he already started to head into the forest. It was the last four words that troubled him. They were spoken in a broken sentence, and Rameros wasn't sure if there were parts missing, or the contact was too weak to hold. Nonetheless, he knew he had to go towards the middle of the forest. A sudden chill came over him, as a small gust of wind swept through the trees. It was a chill he never felt before, and one he didn't like.

"That sure was one hell of a night," Disia said, breaking the silence between them. She hated silence, it always made her feel uncomfortable. She was used to noise of any kind, and lots of it. The sound of people talking, machine's humming, animals and wildlife, these were the sounds she grew accustomed to, and learned to enjoy. Sometimes, she would hear her uncle next door banging on his anvil in the middle of the night. SIlence was not the environment she was used to.

"It certainly was," Nim said, turning around and smiling at Disia.

"Why, Nim, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you appear to be happy about the ambush," Riswynn said.

"Sure." The elf smiled at her.

"I mean, half my spells missed, but I wasn't about to give up. Especially not after taking down that ice dragon."

"I'm really sorry guys," Lila said sleepily. She hadn't gotten much rest, even after the scouts who surprised them died; her thoughts of guilt had taken over.

"It's all right, Lila," Riswynn said, trying her best not to sound annoyed. Lila had been apologizing non stop since the moment Riswynn woke up to an arrow aimed at her face. At first she felt sorry for the poor girl, but after several reassurances from her, it was now just frustrating.

"We're all still here, no one was seriously hurt, and if we had died, well at that point there's nothing we could do."

Lila heard her, but said nothing. Maybe, she hoped, they meant well, but she knew they didn't know the whole story as to how her master died; only that a hill giant had killed him. There was a lot about her she hadn't shared; she feared they would look at her differently if they knew. She liked the feeling of being seen as a skilled archer.

"You alright there, little one?" Disia asked. Instead of being a few feet ahead of her, like their usual formation, Disia walked next to Lila, like Riswynn and Nim were.

"I'm okay," she said quietly.

"Just a bit tired still. I didn't get much sleep."

"I know. When Nim and I took the second watcher, after we killed those scouts, we watched you toss in your sleep. But, I'm here with you, in case you need it."

Lila nodded her thanks, and forced a small smile.

"I think I see the outline of the city up ahead," Riswynn said excitedly an hour later. It was the happiest the other girls had heard her in awhile.

"Oh, no," she said after a few moments.

"It's just the dark castle with the nasty energy."

"I'd rather see that castle than be running around, lost in a blizzard for three days," DIsia said, hoping to cheer her up.

"Very true. Thanks, Disia."

"What if," Nim said suddenly at the mention of the dark keep.

"Do you think that strange man we met at the inn, what was his name? Woofa?"

"Wulfa," Riswynn corrected her.

"Yes, thank you. Could this man and Tane be working together?" Nim had made Riswynn stop abruptly in her tracks. When all the scouts had died, except for the leader; the man Riswynn woke up to pointing an arrow at her face, Riswynn had tortured him for information. Eventually, the man caved, and mentioned that Tane was his captain. Tane had sent him along with six other scouts into the mountains to track down Riswynn and her group.

"Nim! You're an absolute genius," Riswynn said, dropping her bag.

"I can't believe I didn't put two and two together before. I had forgotten about Martia telling me who all those warehouses were guarded for."

"Wait, what's going on?" Disia asked.

"Could your friend be working with them? Maybe he made an alliance," Disia said after Riswynn explained the situation.

"I don't think so," Riswynn said.

"I might have believed it at first, but Nosin would never leave Belronde, he would have sent his sons or any of his nephews if he had an errand. Then finding his crown in that dragons cave like that. Like someone had given it to her as a present. I knew something didn't feel right when we walked into town. There were too many human men, Nosin never really had that many in his city, nor has he ever cared to work alongside humans. Which is why, we must return to Commander Biri as quickly as we can."

"Wait," Nim said urgently. The girls had begun moving again, and the dark keep was now in their view, a dark haze still hovering over it.

"Something doesn't feel right," Nim continued. She felt an odd tug in her stomach. A tug she rarely experienced, but when she did, it was always a warning. A bullhorn sounded not far from them.

"Grab the elf! Kill the others!" A large orc covered in plate armor came rushing towards them, with at least a dozen smaller orcs a hundred feet behind him.

"Orcs," Riswynn shouted, as she moved in front of Nim. She held her shield in front of her, readying for the oncoming attack. She saw where one of the scouts' iron-tipped arrows had splintered her shield. It had seen better days. Maybe Biri will get me a new one. Riswynn told herself hopefully. The orc continued to charge at them, holding a large axe as he prepared to swing at the dwarf.

"Disia! Lila!" Riswynn yelled behind her. Not that it mattered, both girls had already sprung into action. Disia ran off towards the dozen orcs below the peak. She avoided the javelins being thrown at her; picking some up and returning them back. She made contact with two of the orcs, their own javelins protruding from their foreheads as they collapsed on the ground.

Lila saw a chance to redeem herself for the previous night. Despite still being extremely exhausted, she took aim at the large orc that was about to strike his axe at Riswynn. She released one of her arrows, and sighed as it struck his collarbone, just above his armor. Stupid, stupid. She said to herself. The arrow had been intended for his forehead, or even one of his eyes, but the lack of sleep made her miss.

"Filthy archer," he growled, pulling the arrow out. Green and yellow pus covered the arrow as he tossed it on the ground. He swung his axe at Riswynn, who blocked it just in time. The orcs' strength, however, splintered her wooden shield even more. A vertical gap from the top to the middle now appeared.

"Dammit," she grunted as she pushed back against the orc with all her weight.

"What do you want with our elf?" She spat in his face.

"I'm not the one that wants her. I'd kill her myself if it were up to me. Elf bones make good weapons." The orc pushed back against her, his axe still sticking out of her shield. Riswynn felt a warm sensation cover her like a blanket. A white glow surrounded both her and Nim.

"I cast a spell without using my symbol," Nim whispered proudly into Riswynns ear.

"That's great," the dwarf said through gritted teeth. Under another circumstance, she'd be happy for her, but right now she was losing her balance against the orc. A second horn sounded near the dark keep as another dozen orcs came running up the hill.

"Lila! To your right," Riswynn shouted. Lila began shooting at the horde rushing their way. More javelins flew past them, most missed, but a few bounced off the white shield that protected Riswynn and Nim.

The orc, frustrated with his axe still stuck, grabbed a small mace with sharp points from his side, and hit Riswynn's left hip. She cursed in pain as he struck the thinnest part of her armor. A small shock coursed through the orc as the mace made contact with the white light circling her. He twitched for a moment then dropped his mace, which melted the snow as it hit the ground.

"Dwarf," he gurgled, trying to pull his axe out once again. Riswynn saw her chance and brought her warhammer down on his right arm. He yelled in pain, pulling his arm away. He was about to hit her with his bare hand when a loud commotion broke out behind him.

"Dragon!" Several of the orcs yelled, and had already started to scatter. Disia had killed more than half of the first horde, her body covered in sweat, cuts, and blood. She didn't believe in using a shield, but she was holding her own. Everyone looked to the sky, the sun glistened off of a large beast flying three to four hundred feet above them.

"Run!" The orc leader yelled, trying one last time to remove his axe from Riswynn's shield. As the dragon flew lower, he gave up and started running back towards the keep. The girls immediately recognized the silver scales of the dragon as it swooped down the last hundred feet, and grabbed the large orc with its claws.

"Mik!" They all cheered excitedly.

Mik flew back up, beyond four hundred feet, still grasping the orc. They watched as Mik became just a tiny spot in the sky, and then plummet back down, the fastest they'd seen him yet. He dropped the orc over the keep, and let him fall three hundred feet to his death.

"Hello again, ladies," he said, landing not too far from Disia.

"Nice to see you again, Mik," Riswynn smiled as she struggled to remove the axe from her shield.

"Dang, Ris," Disia said, taking notice of Riswynn's split shield for the first time.

"What happened?"

"It, uh…broke. Guess I don't have any use for it now." She tossed her shield on the ground.

"As well, anyways. That was my first shield. My father gave it to me when I turned fifteen. Honestly, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did."

"Here," Nim said, handing Riswynn her shield. It was a little smaller, and lighter, but it had the same sturdy wood.

"Thanks, Nim. I'll use it for now. I'm going to ask Commander Biri for a new one when we get back to Cronemoor."

"Disia, you could use some better armor," Mik said in his charming voice, after seeing all the cuts on her body.

"I'm alright. Especially now that you're here," she replied, a smoothness in her voice.

"Nim, please. It's just a few tiny cuts," she said as Nim had begun to heal her wounds.

"Yes, but," Nim said, moving to Disia's other arm.

"There are many, and it's better if I heal them now, than deal with the pain later on."

"We might run into more orcs," Riswynn added.

"All right, fine," Disia said, letting Nim run her hands over her legs.

"That was nice shooting, Lila," Riswynn had realized the halfling had been quiet.

"Not really. I missed a lot of my shots," Lila said quietly.

"What, you mean you never miss a shot?" Disia asked rubbing her arms. Nim's healing spell left a tingling sensation.

"Not usually." Lila averted her eyes.

"Oh, little one," Disia sighed, learning a bit against Mik.

"No one's perfect."

"Speak for yourself," Nim said, finishing up her healing spell.

"What? Nah, the only thing I'm perfect at is holding my alcohol."

Mik settled himself down closer to Disia while they all laughed.

"So, Mik was that your magic a few days ago?" Nim asked as her and Riswynn picked up their bags.

"My magic?" He looked at the elf quizzically.

"Yeah. That huge blizzard."

"Oh, the blizzard. No, Nim, that wasn't my magic. That magic was dark," he said as Disia stroked his head.

"Dark magic? Like cultist magic?" Riswynn asked.

"Yes. Cultist or something close to it. I've been around more than seven hundred years, I'd recognize magic like that anywhere."

Riswynn looked as disturbed as Mik did.

"Ris, you okay?" Disia asked.

"I just need a moment," she said, closing her eyes. Nim could feel the anger off of her, and she slowly took a few steps back towards Lila.

"I'd never hurt you, Nim. Not on purpose anyways." Riswynn had opened her eyes.

"I'm just angry with Commander Biri. I'm beginning to feel like she's neglected to tell me some things."

"You don't think she sent us to Belronde on purpose?" Disia asked.

"No. Maybe, I hope not." Riswynn sighed as she grabbed the bedrolls.

"All right, let's keep moving. It's only a few more hours to Belronde. If we leave now, we should get there before sundown."

"Thanks again, Mik," Nim said, following Riswynn.

"Girls, not that you'll be happy to hear, but this is just the beginning." Mik stood up from his resting position.

"Thanks," Disia said, giving him one last stroke.

"Come on, little one," she said to Lila.

"And, if you ladies couldn't repeat what happened here. I may be the last of the silver dragons, but if any other dragons hear about how I helped you, well it's a death sentence waiting to happen."

"Sure," Disia smiled and began walking after Nim, with Lila behind her.

"Bye, beautiful," he called out to her as he flew off in the opposite direction.

The sun was already setting as the girls stood a couple miles from Belronde's north gate.

"I don't remember there being that many guards last time." Riswynn looked troubled as she scanned the city below.

"What do you want to do?" Nim asked.

"We go in. We need to give Suse her things back. Lila needs rest, we all do."

The girls walked up to the gate, and before Riswynn could get a word in, two of the guardsmen stepped in front of her.

"Hold," the taller guard said, stopping her with his hand.

"What are you here for?"

"Go get Commander Rosch. I think these girls match the description of who we're looking for," the second guardsmen said to one of the soldiers behind him.

"I need to see Martia. I need to get to the Gypsy Rose Inn." Riswynn tried to reason with the man in front of her. A few minutes went by, and a burly man covered in plate armor, walked out the gate. The man studied them for a moment, then nodded his head.

"They're the ones. Seize them," he said to the other soldiers around him.

"Seize them!" The tall guardsman shouted, as the soldiers closed in on the four girls.