Return

Though the girls and the soldiers returned to Klain long after dark (Peter and Ashley were wary of stopping for the night and urged pressing onward), they had a pass for the gates of Klain to open and let them in.

Having delivered the girls into the city as ordered, the recruits bid farewell to Finn and Mayra and reported to the commander at the gate.

The girls made their way to Dr. Sherman's residence and hesitantly knocked at the door. It was, after all, very late.

Mrs. Sherman threw the door open and flung her arms around the two. "Oh thank goodness! I was so worried. Come in! I'll send someone to take care of your horse and cart in a moment." She ushered the girls inside and began fussing over them before she paused.

"Where is Riley?" She asked with a sudden gravity and trepidation.

"He got jealous of Finn's hero status and joined up with the army to go fight. Said he's going to save everyone." Mayra rolled her eyes, using her criticism of her brother to mask her fear and worry for his safety.

Mrs. Sherman nodded seriously, "I see. Well, I'm glad to have you two here with us for now. I hope this whole mess is resolved quickly, the city's in something of an uproar."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked anxiously.

"Well, the General revealed to the council that the carrier pigeons had gone missing, and about your letter, though he didn't name you," Mrs. Sherman wanted Finn to rest assured in her anonymity, "and the Provider all but demanded that he only send the recruits and not a substantial force to go deal with things, claiming there was likely no threat at all."

Both girls held their breath with wide eyes as she continued.

"The General agreed, asking that for the people's peace of mind the Provider bring the accounting of all the emergency stores to assure the people that if there IS a threat, Klain is amply supplied and there is no cause for concern.

"Unfortunately, the main stores were ransacked overnight. The Provider demanded the Peacekeeper launch an immediate investigation to discover the perpetrator, but that doesn't change the fact that the city's emergency supplies aren't nearly what they should be. The citizens are deep in argument over who would do such a thing. People are blaming everyone from the one who stole the carrier pigeons, to an invading force already present in the city, to sabotage from a member of the Council to affect the Provider's reelection chances."

"What's being done?" Finn questioned, growing more and more concerned

"The Provider has asked for emergency resources to refill the stores. All the citizens and surrounding towns are offering what they can to bring the emergency supplies back to an acceptable level." Mrs. Sherman bit her lip.

"But won't that keep the towns from having enough?" Mayra didn't understand how rearranging the storage of food was better than leaving it as it was now.

"In a true emergency, the citizens of the towns refugee into the city and we all shelter together." The older woman explained. "It's in their best interest to not be burdened down with excessive supplies if they have to flee suddenly. The storage is made to hold enough to provide for that possibility."

"That makes sense," agreed Finn, though she still felt an inexplicable uneasiness about it. "Is the doctor home?"

"Not at the moment, he's out visiting a patient. It's best you go to bed and rest well, I expect the General will want a report from you tomorrow with more detail about what you've seen. Off with you two now, take the back bedroom and rest well. I'll bring you some food soon so you don't go to sleep hungry."

The tired girls agreed and retired for the evening after retrieving their things from the cart.

"Finn? Are you still awake?" Mayra asked after a while through the darkness.

"Mmmmhmm," came the exhausted answer.

"Do you think they'll all be ok?" Her voice was small and insecure.

Finn opened her eyes and leaned up on her elbow. "I hope so. But I don't know. And you should know that's driving me absolutely crazy inside. I want to scream and rant and run off and save them all even though I'd have no chance at succeeding. All of this is far beyond our control. But for now, we're together. You're not alone, and neither am I."

________________________________________

The sun was already high in the sky when Finn woke up the next morning. It had been years since she'd slept past sunrise without being sick, but the several nights preceding had ranged from merely restless to fully traumatic. Her body and mind ached to escape for a while and readjust to life as it currently stood. She stretched, sore all over, inside and out, and sniffed the air to discover the aroma of something freshly baked.

Deciding it was worth it to leave the comfort of the bed, Finn quickly dressed and made her way out to the common area of the home. Mrs. Sherman was prepared with a plate of delicious biscuits and eggs.

"I don't suppose there's any news yet?" Finn asked between bites. "I mean, of the army or my village."

"No, dear, not that I'm aware, but you can ask the General. The morning's Council meeting should be over soon and then you can go with the doctor to meet with him."

Over soon? Just how late had Finn slept?

"Where is Mayra?" She'd expected to see her friend already eating, but Mayra was nowhere in sight.

"That sweet girl is helping out by cleaning and organizing the patients' quarters while the doctor is out. Such a helpful thing." Mrs. Sherman smiled.

Finn smiled in return, "Yes, she is."

The front door opened and closed as an exhausted Dr. Sherman made his way inside. He gave his wife a brief kiss and gently patted Finn on the back.

"I'm glad you're here. We were all so worried about you." He offered. He looked years older today than he had last time Finn saw him. He must be very busy and stressed; he looked like he hadn't slept at all. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, but are you? You don't need to lay down for a while?" She was concerned over his haggard appearance.

"Psh. You should have seen him last time we had a big sickness come through the city. He looks miles better now than he did then," winked Mrs. Sherman.

"My lovely wife is right, I will be fine. The General wants us to hurry, apparently the Treasurer has something he would like to discuss as well."

The pair left shortly for the General's residence and were allowed entry when they arrived. As seemed to be his habit, The General was in his study, perusing papers on his desk. Dr. Sherman bowed and Finn curtsied as the entered.

"Come in!" He boomed when he saw them. "Child, I'm overjoyed that you are well. Your missive was timely and informative. What an excellent honorary soldier I appointed." He said the last sentence to Dr. Sherman, who nodded in complete agreement.

"Indeed, she's done exceedingly well and been unbelievably brave."

The praise brought tears to Finn's eyes. She didn't believe she deserved any of it, but their pride in her reminded her of Father, and those emotions bubbled closely to the surface despite her pushing back against them.

"Thank you both, but I haven't done anything special. I just want to save my family."

"A true hero almost never recognizes they are special," The General said with a wink, "but on to business. Tell me everything that happened. I know not everything could fit on a paper carried by a bird."

Starting at the third day on the road, Finn described in detail how something had seemed wrong in the forest as they turned off the main road. She recounted the fires, all burning at the same time, the crowd surrounded by wolves, the uniforms of the enemy, the whistle that seemed to rebuke one of the canines, and the speech of the leader who held it. She moved on to their escape and to when they met up with the recruits, and Riley volunteering to join them.

As she got to the part about the sword, she paused.

"I think they called it... a Valiant Sword?" She wasn't sure if she got the wording right. "What is that? I don't think Riley knew. Mayra doesn't know at all, I asked her later."

The General's brow furrowed. "Are you sure that's what they called it?"

"I... I think so? No, Valor Sword maybe. It was only after that when Captain Grayson let Riley join the troops."

"Did you know the boy's father? The sword owner?"

"Not well," Finn admitted, "I mean, he was our neighbor and part of the village, but he never talked about his past. Nobody pried, that I know of." She shrugged. "Do you know what it is? Was he someone special?"

"Such a sword is rare, and only given to those who have been of great service to Klain. I will have to think on this." The General closed the matter.

"The Treasurer asked to meet with me. I would like to bring the two of you along, as you are both trustworthy with sharp minds. I mean to get to the bottom of the problems facing our people."

The General led them out of the study and the home. They walked, followed by the General's personal guards through some narrow alleys and towards an old, stately building. Just inside, a studious-looking man in spectacles awaited them. Dr. Sherman bowed, and Finn took the cue to curtsy.

The General reached out to shake the man's hand in a professional greeting of equals.

"Good Afternoon, Treasurer."

"General," The man nodded in return, "Thank you for coming. And bringing...?"

"This is Dr. Sherman, a trusted friend, and Serafina, my messenger whose village was destroyed. They are trustworthy and you may speak in front of them." The General assured.

Finn's eyes widened. How had she attained trustworthy status? She hadn't done anything so important as to deserve it, had she? Especially considering the goings-on within the city and the possibility of a traitor in the government itself. Surely she did not earn such an honor as the trust of great men.

The Treasurer turned to her. "My condolences on the destruction of your village. I trust the recruits will remedy what they can." He squinted at the girl. "The village is far to the border, I think The General said in the Council meeting, correct?"

Finn swallowed and nodded, and the Treasurer continued, gesturing that they should follow him down a hallway.

"Then I doubt you are familiar with Klain's customs and systems. I am the Treasurer. Most citizens think of me as the tax collector, but the position is really much more nuanced. A more fitting title might be Keeper. I collect and keep the treasures of Klain, including the money, precious artifacts, and the knowledge."

He opened a set of double doors and led the group into a large room. Each wall was covered in books from the floor to high, vaulted ceilings. Ladders on wheels were placed to aid reach to the higher volumes. Pedestals around the room displayed valuable items under glass cloches. Finn saw fine necklaces inlaid with precious jewels, ancient-looking carved objects, and more. The sheer size of the room made it impossible to take it all in at once.

The Treasurer led them to a table where a very old, very large leather-bound tome lay open. The pages were thin, almost translucent, and seemed ready to turn to dust at the slightest mistreatment.

"Your news disturbed me greatly, General." The Treasurer said. "Your words rang such a dim bell in my mind that I could not place why they unsettled me so. I began researching, and last night, I found the answer."

The three others in the room leaned forward to peer at the book as the Treasurer turned a few pages.

"My findings were very grave indeed."