Jebidiah's Change Bk. 02 Ch. 10

Welcome back gentle reader

The ratings on the last chapter didn't start out so well. Hopefully this chapter will resonate better with my early readers. I'm breaking what is apparently a cardinal sin by introducing some new people this late in the book. Also, after giving the Valors some recovery time from all the combat, things get a bit dark, a small dip into the Ravenloft style of gaming. Hope you enjoy it.

I referred to this in my profile, but I want to restate it here. I've been editing Book 1, slowly but surely, to get it where it should have been. I say slowly because, good lord above, there are soooo many errors in it. Thanks for sticking with me.

Standard disclaimer, multiply ages by roughly two to get equivalent Earth ages. Everyone is a consenting adult.

— Somewhen, Somewhere —

Avellar calmed herself. Contact had been made, the situation could still be salvaged. She glanced at the woman pacing beside her, ignoring the stream of oaths being screamed.

Bora seethed. The news of what happened to her followers had shaken her more than she thought possible. The desecration and level of depravity would have been expected from Iztar, who knew exactly how to goad Bora, but this... Magard was tapping into her mastery over the Demonic. Despite Bora being the embodiment of Life and Peace, she wanted nothing more than to wage war—eradicate the evil through whatever means possible.

Both women were of the Light, but neither of them cared for the rules or orderliness like Comlain and Darido did. The war between the Light and the Dark had been ongoing for millennia, long before the Divine ascended to embody the twelve aspects of Humanity. The difference now was the warfare had become more structured, the enemy more visible.

Racism among humans, based on trivialities like skin or hair color, had become non-existent. With so many actual races, humanity had bonded together against easily distinguished common foes; the Dark. With the Great Rendering, when humans Changed en masse, they tended to transform into something they felt an affinity with deep inside, something their psyche resonated with even if deep within their subconscious. Evil women and men tended to become the Dark races and, before the Tallies, those Dark escaped destruction, banding together in the wilds. Now, centuries later, those non-human civilizations embraced their inner nature. Goblinkind were Evil, invariably, and preyed on everyone.

Racial prejudices existed for a reason.

So, while Bora ranted and screamed, Avellar contemplated the Valor Goblin. Where did this one fit within the Light? There was no doubt that Bora's pet House was doing the Light's work, but Avellar sensed the Darkness in the Goblin as well. She was a lighter Grey, much like Comlain, but Grey nonetheless. Avellar was beginning to see wisdom in bringing in more perspective to the conflict, maybe even their supposed Divine partners.

How best could Avellar use this Goblin— this... Crystal?

— Chapter 10: South of Fort Mylar —

— Sixth Tenday of Juntaen 813 AGR —

"They'll never expect this" means "I want to try something stupid."

- Taylor

Jebidiah fumed. He paced in a circle that changed in size on a whim, kicking at rocks he found objectionable. He wanted nothing more than to be at the woman's side, hear her voice—touch her. The image of her was burned into his brain, and he found himself reviewing every aspect of it, admiring the perfection he saw. But he couldn't go to her side. He stopped his pacing, to make another attempt at commanding the women before him.

"No." Olga didn't even let him get a breath out as he began to speak. She was the polar opposite of the vision of beauty he wanted to see, and it angered him again. He might have attempted to get past her, but Michelle, Lana, and Rebecca stood by her side, creating a wall of strong, stern women. Aside from that, Olga looked seriously pissed off and he wasn't sure if he was the source or just the destination of her anger.

"Under other circumstances, Your Grace, I'd find this whole thing rather funny, but your wives will have to deal with this." Deep in his mind, he knew Michelle spoke with reason, something that should have resonated with him, but his desires overrode reason. His face darkened as he stared unblinking at Michelle, but she matched his glare without faltering.

Dana chose that moment to intrude in their silent contest of wills.

"For fucks sake, Jeb, do we have to perform an exorcism or something? I'm starting to get really pissed you don't act this way about us. Crystal is your number one and you just ignore her!"

Jebidiah turned his glare from Michelle to Dana, but unlike Michelle's stoic response, Dana matched his anger. "Are we going to be able to talk now? Or is your dick still in charge?"

Externally, Jebidiah just glared, but internally he waged war against himself. Dana's words had registered. He had been snubbing everyone, including Crystal. The thought of her being upset brought her image to mind, pouting, sad. Instead, the priestess invaded his memory, shoving Crystal somewhere deep within his mind. He recoiled, wincing. This was wrong and he knew it, but he couldn't find a way around it.

Dana noticed his reaction and eyed him wearily. "Jeb? Speak to me, what's going on in there?"

Jebidiah sat on the ground, holding his head in his hands as he rocked back and forth, fighting against his emotions. The sense of wrongness grew, and he latched onto the uneasiness, using it as an anchor, pushing back with his anger. He would die for Crystal, gladly sacrifice himself if it meant she lived, and had nearly done so at the Keep. How dare something shove her to the side in his own mind? It was more manipulation, someone else forcing him to do what he didn't want. Comlain, Bora, Darido, this new one, Avellar, all of them forcing him to do what he didn't want.

Something within him snapped. He physically felt his thoughts rearrange. There was a pattern there, surrounding his thoughts, something he could mentally see but would never be able to describe. It reminded him of... the Weave.

With the mental digits of a non-existent hand, he picked at the pattern, pulling threads, unwinding what was done. The pattern fought back, splicing itself back together when he wasn't concentrating on it, but eventually the instability he was creating grew too great. The pattern collapsed.

He stopped rocking and just sat there, hunched over, holding his head, as his world settled around him.

Dana didn't know what to do. Fear laced her bond as she searched for a way to handle the situation. It was her fear that finally focused Jebidiah.

"Fuck, my head hurts."

His words were a balm for Dana's fear. It fled, replaced by relief as she exhaled, releasing built up tension. "By the Dark, Jeb, what is going on?"

He brought his hands down to his knees as he looked up at Dana. She was slightly blurry, and he had to rub at his eyes to bring his vision back into focus. When he could see her clearly, he gave her a brief smile but then frowned. "I'm tired of being used, Dee. Tired of being forced to do this or that, tired of people dying."

She knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Firsts shuffled their feet, looking uncomfortable at listening in on his confessions of weakness.

He glanced at the Firsts then back to Dana. "That woman, who is she?" When visions of her failed to flood his mind, he felt his confidence grow.

"Her name is Syllia Homish, daughter of Enrieth. She is one of the head priestesses for Avellar, who the Elves call Hanali Celanil." Dana waited for her words to register. It didn't take long.

"Fucking Divine!" he ground out between clenched teeth. "She's the one that sent Idril to us. She's probably the one that broke Greta! This whole fucking mess has been part of their plan all along!"

Dana nodded, for once grateful to see his anger. Relief flooded her bond. "Apparently, Magard has been sacrificing the Elven children, who aren't exactly children. They are older than us, but they are all virgins. 'Unspoiled' is the term they use. Syllia says one of Magard's spheres of influence is over demonic forces and she's using the sacrifices to bolster her army."

"The Barghests."

Dana nodded again. "The Barghests. That's how someone managed to create so many and send them in a pack."

The sound of a throat being cleared drew their attention. Michelle looked sheepish, but she spoke with confidence. "If Magard was willing to make something that took so much power and threw it against us in the woods, what does she have in store for us here, for defense?"

"And what was strong enough to wipe out a temple?" Dana added, not enjoying the line of reason.

"What does the high priestess Syllia say about it?" Jebidiah was regaining enough of his emotional center that he raised himself off the ground, using Dana for support. "Why is she even here?"

"I'm not sure we should let you near her to ask questions, Jeb. But we did ask her that. She is the last of her party, who was sent to try and release the children. When they failed to send any word back to their villages, Idril was steered to us for help."

Jebidiah shook his head at Dana's story. "That doesn't make sense. She'd have to be here at least a month! How many tendays did she say she was here?"

"They trapped her. We think the same way they trapped Crystal and Shirley, but she was strong enough to eventually escape. They tracked her and she's been giving them a running battle, trying to weaken them, but still stick around in case she could help the children. Then Avellar told her help was on the way and she grew confident and fucked up. She was knocked out and bundled up, on her way back to captivity when Kelek killed Syllia's captors and brought her back to us." Jebidiah quirked a smile at the pride he heard in Dana's voice when she reached Kelek's portion of the tale.

"I'd say we need to send her back to Gentry, but we have men there." He frowned as a thought struck him. "Fuck, how is Holone holding up? How is Stern?"

Dana snorted in disgust. "They're like little lost puppies. Holone just follows her around everywhere. I can't get any help from him now, he's more of a liability. You weren't much better. Stern is, well... there's other issues there."

He thought for a moment, then remembered Olga's anger and gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Olga," he whispered.

Dana nodded.

"Well, love, if it helps, you were a major reason I snapped out of it."

She snorted again. "Fuck off. It wasn't until I brought up Crystal that you reacted."

Jebidiah kept his gaze on her, but out of the corner of his eye he caught the Firsts quietly slipping away, trying to give them privacy.

"We should be long past jealousy, Dee. You know I love you, and the others."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, get over yourself, Jeb. All of us have come to grips with the pecking order. We know who's on top and who's on bottom, though the bottom has gotten murky lately. I'm fine playing second fiddle. That was established months ago. But you have to stop trying to juggle us all with kid gloves and just embrace your true feelings. Unless Syllia is now number one?"

Jebidiah scowled. "That's not fair, she used some sort of magic."

Dana snorted, "Yeah, okay. Likely excuse, and way to dodge the question."

Jebidiah's anger flared briefly. "I know it was magic, because I had to undo it. And there was no question to dodge."

Dana just stared at him, with a stunned look. "You undid it?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "There was magic in my head, I just poked at it until it went away."

Dana wouldn't let it go. "Have you ever done that before?"

Jebidiah shrugged, "I've grabbed magic before, so why not? I don't know, Dee, it wasn't something I thought about before I did it, but it worked."

"Ok, well... we're getting off-track." Dana acted like she was setting the issue to the side, but her face said otherwise. "Syllia says Bora's temple must be cleansed, that Magard's priestesses are using it to perform the sacrifices and it's boosting their power in this region. Greta is chomping at the bit to go, and she's still pissed at you for sucker punching her."

"And how exactly do we cleanse the temple? We have Mila and Greta, but they're not exactly religious representatives for Bora. Well, maybe Great is. I don't think any of us even know how to pray to her other than Greta. The most I know is how to use her anatomy to cuss."

Dana snickered. "We're all pretty good at that." She quickly sobered back to anger. "When I asked about the cleansing, Syllia just did the whole cryptic elvish bullshit thing and said, 'We will know.' Real boost of confidence."

Rejoining the others proved to be... interesting for Jebidiah.

Syllia was chatting with Greta and Tenner, her diaphanous wardrobe seemed even more alluring in the sunlight and breeze. He at least found he could examine her and move on, a major improvement from earlier. He regarded Greta and Tenner, who both appeared to be equally participating in the discussion. It was a marked change from the last tenday, since Greta's personality had changed. Mila sat nearby, keeping a steady eye on both Greta and Tenner.

Holone hovered nearby, never letting Syllia out of his sight. Stern sat near him, crossed legged on the ground, a goofy grin on his face as he unabashedly leered at Syllia.

Jebidiah moved over to Crystal, who gladly accepted his hug. "I felt the bond change. How did you snap out of it? We weren't sure we'd get you back."

He sighed and kissed her head. "It was some sort of magic. I understand Holone and Stern are having issues?"

Crystal nodded. "We need Stern. However you snapped out of it, can you do the same for him?"

"Let's go find out, shall we?"

Crystal frowned as he took her hand to lead her behind him. "That sounds ominous, Jeb."

He smiled at Shirley as he passed her. Her face brightened and she moved to follow them over to where Syllia was speaking.

"Lady Syllia, I need your assistance."

She broke off her conversation, and turned a beautiful smile to Jebidiah, searching his eyes. Then her smile faltered. "How may I be of assistance, Your Grace." Her voice was still melodic, but there was a hint of concern in it.

"I need you to remove whatever magic it is you used on Stern and Holone—and me." He made his face a mask of stone, letting his words sink in. Shirley gasped at the accusation. "I need every hand available, and you're giving me a huge handicap." Syllia's smile turned into a frown as he spoke, and for once he saw a small imperfection in her face. A very small one, frown lines at the corners of her mouth. Small but noticeable.

"I'm not sure I understand, Your Grace." She kept probing him with her eyes, searching for something she couldn't find.

"We can drop the charade, Lady Syllia. I don't have time for stupid games. You may be used to men being, well... men, but we're not that sort of House or family. I need my men. They are not playthings."

Her frown turned to one of concern, then her face brightened, as if she had come to a decision. "Her Lady of Perfection did say you were strong, but I had assumed she just meant physical strength. You do make a fine specimen of masculinity, but I see now that I erred in my assumptions." She eyed Dana. "Just what purpose do men serve in House Valor?"

Jebidiah wouldn't let her redirect and control the conversation. "My House treats men as equals, as they serve just as much as any woman. Now, this is not up for debate. I don't care what Avellar thinks, or how much Bora doesn't like what I do. Release. My. Men."

Syllia kept her smile, she even laughed. "Very well, Your Grace. It is done."

The reactions from Stern and Holone were immediate. Holone looked around, confused, obviously trying to determine what was going on and how he got where he was. Stern, however, quickly resorted to anger. It was rare to see him display it outside of combat and was a glaring sign of just how mad he was. Tenner quickly stepped up to him, trying to calm him down.

"Listen, Lady Syllia, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot, nor do I want to add to the list of our enemies, but I don't have time for minotaur shit. Sadly, that's all that has happened so far. It pissed me off." His voice was firm, hard, on the edge of cutting and the spike of arousal he felt from Dana's bond almost knocked him off stride. "I've gotten a lot of good people killed in a very short period of time and my patience can only go so far."

She kept up the same smile, one normally reserved for good times—for happiness—and it grated on his nerves even more than her flippant behavior towards men. "If you want to help, that's great. Wonderful, even. But if you're not going to help, I will gladly see you on your way so I can do what I need to do. If you want, I can find new captors and deliver you to them, all wrapped up the way we found you."

Syllia regarded him in silence, her smile had faded at his veiled threat. She didn't search his eyes as she had done previously, but it still felt like her gaze was boring into his soul. "It is a rare man that can speak to me that way. It's not something I am used to. I'm beginning to understand what 'strong' means." Her face toyed with a frown, then became neutral. "Just what is it you need to do, Duke Valor?"

Jebidiah sighed, releasing some of his tension. He felt like he had reached a turning point in the conversation. "I'm figuring that out."

Syllia burst out laughing. "What!?"

Despite his misgivings, Jebidiah smiled. "Didn't expect that one, did you?"

"We were just discussing what could be done, Jeb, when you came over." Tenner's voice was hesitant, and he picked up on a mixture of fear and misgivings in her bond. She still had a restraining hand on Stern's arm. The bond held nothing from Greta, who was still standing next to Syllia.

Jebidiah decided to test the waters. "What did you and Greta figure out?"

He saw Tenner's slight flinch when he mentioned Greta's name and assumed there hadn't been any breakthrough in their dynamics.

Instead of Tenner, Greta answered. "We're going to need to secure the temple, then clear it out, and once all that is done, purify it." Greta listed out the steps in a matter-of-fact manner, like she was reading off a grocery list. Her nonchalant tone gave him pause.

"And how do we purify it, Greta? Has Bora given you direction?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Greta frowned as if she was concentrating on something that kept escaping her thoughts. "It will require a sacrifice, something we must give up, but I'm not sure what that is."

Muttering started at her declaration, nobody wanted to hear those words.

"Sacrifice?" Dana was highly agitated, spitting on the ground after she spoke. "What else do we have to sacrifice? How many more lives must be given?"

"Bora is the giver of Life," Shirley's interjection caused everyone to stop their grumbling and listen. "Surely she wouldn't require us to sacrifice more."

"The desecration of the temple is not something that can be undone with the wave of a hand." Syllia leveled her gaze on everyone as she spoke, making sure she had everyone's attention. "I have lived a long life, over a century, and in all my years I have never heard of one of the Divine acting in this manner. There is no easy fix for something like this and I'm afraid hard choices will have to be made."

Jebidiah could sense the mounting frustration in Tenner, too many emotions were flickering through the bond, and anger seemed to be winning. He turned to her, searching for words of comfort when she broke.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?!" She nearly screeched the words out, and Dana beat Jebidiah to her side, trying to calm her.

"It's okay, Ten," Dana said in as soothing a voice as she could muster.

"No, Dee, no it's not okay. We are far from okay. At least fifty dead from okay." She focused her anger on Syllia, and for once the woman looked concerned. "What are we supposed to do?!" Tenner began making aggressive moves with her arms, punctuating her words as she took a couple steps towards the priestess. Syllia subtly shuffled back a couple steps to keep out of reach.

"Is Jeb supposed to just fuck all this away in some big orgy where Mila is Bora and Greta loses the rest of her mind? More sex magic? Is that what all this is about? Because all the Divine have been doing is FUCKING WITH US!" Dana and Jebidiah found themselves restraining Tenner as she tried to move into Syllia's space, but with the last scream of anger, Tenner fell against Jebidiah like she had released all her energy with her final cry of rage. He caught her and held her as she sobbed.

"If you can't tell, Lady Syllia, most of us are at our breaking point." Normally, Jebidiah would have smiled, using humor to lighten the mood, but he wasn't in the mood for smiling.

Syllia composed herself, since Tenner relented her advance, and considered Jebidiah. "Well, obviously the purification will not require you to have sex with anyone. While semen can be as powerful as blood in some rituals, there's no such thing as 'sex magic'."

Everybody either snorted, chuckled, scoffed, or in Stern's case, laughed outright. Syllia's confusion grew. "You all can't be serious. I would know if sex could be used for magic."

Dana finally answered for everyone with amusement in her eyes, "We're not your normal House."

Syllia hesitated, "Maybe... maybe Bora chose you for a reason."

Jebidiah shook his head. "Nope. Bora chose her," he pointed at Mila, then at Greta, "and her, but one of the Divine broke Greta's mind, so I'm not sure how much help she can be."

He abruptly stopped, as a thought popped into his head and a chill ran down his spine. "What color eyes does Avellar have?" He knew the answer but dreaded the thought that he was right.

Syllia was caught off guard and answered without considering the question or the reason for asking, "Her Lady's eyes are of the clearest blue, like the purest sapphire."

"And they glow with an inner light," Jebidiah stated, deadpan.

Syllia hesitated again, realizing she was being interrogated instead of just answering a question, "Yes..."

"Fucking Divines!" Jebidiah stomped, nearly losing hold of Tenner. "You can tell your Lady of Perfection," he spoke her title as if it were dipped in sarcasm, "that I will not forget what she has done."

For the first time, Syllia showed anger. "How dare you even think to speak of Her Lady in such a manner or even presume she would care what a mere man says!" She huffed so much her cheeks actually popped out from the air. "You should count your blessings that she doesn't strike you down herself. The impertinence! I have never thought to hear such an utterance."

Jebidiah stared her down, the intensity of his gaze making her shift her eyes from him until he spoke. "Let me make this absolutely clear so that we understand each other fully. If I cannot find a way to fix whatever Avellar messed up inside Greta, I will find a way to hurt her. Personally. She better count her blessings that she's a Divine and not a mortal, because I may test that."

The contest of wills between Jebidiah and Syllia came to a swift end when Stern cut into the conversation. "Gals, we have company."

Everyone turned to see Vera and Melissa escorting two women, both warriors by the look of their weapons and armor, wearing the livery of House Starn.

"Lana, Rebecca, you're on overwatch." The two Firsts nodded and moved away from their gathering, resuming the perimeter watch. Jebidiah noticed how Michelle's orders were being followed without question and took comfort in how Michelle was sliding into Hiro's role.

Jebidiah examined the two Starns as they approached, curious at their appearance. They were heavily armed, several javelins and two bows strapped to their backs and a sword, dagger, and hand axes snugly strapped to their waists. He had no idea how they managed to draw whatever they needed without getting in the way of the other weapons, and everything was strapped down tightly, he assumed to make as little noise as possible.

Their armor was much like what he and his wives wore, finely cured leather cuirasses, bracers for archery, and padded leggings with high-topped leather boots tightly wrapped to their legs. The Starn's armor was trimmed in their steel-grey House color, with the Starn crest emblazoned on their chest instead of centered on the right breast like on the Valor armor. Both women sported the short hair common to his own armswomen, both of them a platinum blonde, but each had one side of their head styled in a shaved pattern. They had left thin lines of hair running horizontally, separated by bare strips of their scalps, reminding him of a tilled field. The rest of their hair was styled to look like what one would expect from a bob cut, only it was angled to one side, like a hat worn at a jaunt.

The look was unique, he had never encountered the like, but all of it was overshadowed by the intense tattoo work on their faces. Each of them had what looked like bat wings tattooed around their eyes, spreading out from the bridge of their nose in blood red ink. There were other tattoos on their cheeks and necks, visibly extending down their bodies, the remainder hidden by their clothing.

If the wing tattoos weren't distracting enough, the black dye they used on their lids and lashes, much like charcoal, accentuated the whites and bright icy-blue color of their eyes, making them pop out. They both had broad foreheads, a robust jawline, strong, straight noses, high cheekbones, and almond shaped eyes. It was all set off with black lipstick, something not many in the kingdom used. They had an exotic beauty together with a dangerous allure that Jebidiah found intriguing.

"Well met," the older of the pair said in greeting, "House Starn sends their regards. By your colors it looks like we've found House Valor, though from the warnings and stories, I expected more."

"More?" Dana asked, her curiosity piqued. "And what warnings and stories."

The warrior regarded Dana before replying, sizing her up. "You have the look of a Tonstar."

Mila chuckled, "Good this will be."

Dana's nostrils flared but as she opened her mouth, Jebidiah spiked her bond with caution while he tried to warn her away from an angry reply. "Dana..."

The name surprised the Starn woman. "Duchess Dana Tonstar?"

At the same time, Syllia focused on Jebidiah, "What did you just do?" Her tone was so accusatory, Jebidiah looked around him to see what happened. Her accusation brought Dana up short as well, interrupting her conversation with the Starns.

The lead Starn warrior glanced at Syllia, and again looked surprised, apparently having missed her presence. "A priestess of Avellar? What is going on here?"

Just then Kelek pulsed a vision to Jebidiah through her bond. A woman, cleverly camouflaged, lay on a limb not far away from them, silently spying on his party. Based on the angle of the lurker's position related to where he stood in Kelek's vision, he turned in that direction, looked into the tree, and shouted, "You can come down and join us!"

Again Syllia's accusation rang out, "What are you doing?"

Everyone began talking at once, except Mila and Shirley. Mila was smiling, amused at the proceedings, but Shirley was clearly apprehensive. Greta and Tenner were starting a shouting match while Dana focused her anger on Syllia. Crystal moved up to Jebidiah's side, wrapping an arm around him, sensing he was about to lose his anger.

"Enough!"

He didn't shout, not quite, but he spoke with enough volume to cut over the chatter. All eyes turned to him.

"As much ruckus as everyone is causing, stealth is out the window. By the Dark, we might as well have Mila put her giant pair of tits over us."

Dana and Tenner chuckled, but the Starn woman just looked at him like he had sprung an extra pair of arms. "What?"

"Long story for another day. Now, if everyone would please shut the fuck up, we can do introductions, answer questions, and try to survive the day." Syllia began to speak but he held up a hand to stop her. The indignation in her face was worth whatever it was going to cost him. "We'll start when everyone is here."

Confused looks passed around and Jebidiah ignored them, turning once again to the general area of the interloper. "If you don't come down, I'll have to get you down and the landing won't be soft."

A green and brown blob detached from a tree, one tree over from where he was looking, and unfolded into a humanoid shape covered in foliage like some kind of living bush. As it drew closer, they could make out the whites of the figure's eyes, and when the woman smiled, the brilliant white of her teeth showed through the camouflage.

It was hard to make out any features the woman might have had, as covered as she was in brambles. Branches, and leaves. Some of the thorny brambles that clung to her leather armor even had small white blooms on them. She had a bow strapped to her back, but one unlike any Jebidiah had ever seen. It looked like a gnarled tree branch and perfectly blended in with her outfit.

"Well met, Duke Valor."

"Well met indeed," Jebidiah said as he let out a sigh of frustration. "Since we're in your neck of the woods, so to speak, Lady Ranger, would you be able to tell me if anyone else is coming to the party?"

The woman shook her head, dislodging a couple leaves. "No, not that I'm aware of, though I have no idea how you spotted me. There's also signs of a displacer running around here, juvenile, but still highly dangerous. This is not their normal hunting grounds."

He couldn't suppress his chuckle, "Stewie will leave you alone."

The ranger raised an eyebrow, which was comical as it made several sticks shoot up over her hairline, making him want to progress from a chuckle to a laugh. "Since we're all here, let's begin with introductions, shall we? As you've rightly pointed out, I am Duke Jebidiah Valor, this," he patted Crystal on her shoulder, "is my Prime, Duchess Crystal Valor. As you've already pointed out... is it Captain?" The Starn woman nodded, dumbfounded. "As the Captain already pointed out, this is Duchess Dana Valor-Tonstar, and the rest of my wives, Lady Tenner Stockmar-Valor, Lady Greta Stockmar-Valor, Lady Mila Hairfoot-Valor," Mila snorted in amusement at being introduced as a Lady, but Jebidiah ignored it. "Lady Shirley Jessup-Valor and our husband, Stern Blackrock-Valor. The Firsts here are..."

He never got to finish introductions as the ranger interrupted him. "Are you mad? This is almost your entire House! Here! In Mylar, with what, four or five Bh'orel as guards? You risk everything!"

"There are a few more of us around here, but we're not here on some sight-seeing tour."

The ranger snorted, "You mean the two Bh'orel on the picket? That's not going to be enough. They had no idea I was here. It was too easy to bypass them and get close to you."

"And yet, you didn't find everyone and I found you. Now, can we continue introductions? We have urgent business to attend to, and I could really use your help." He waited for the ranger to continue arguing, and just when it looked like she was going to say something more, he cut her off. "This is Lady Syllia, umm... Forgive me," he said with a shrug, "but I forget your official title, but she is head priestess to Avellar, and you are?"

The ranger regarded him as she peeled some of the mud from her, revealing a pleasant face. Young, though at least several years older than Jebidiah, she had a familiar facial structure but he couldn't place it. "Horizon Walker Jasmine Crag-Faltha, at your service, Your Grace. From what I've heard, my grove is now part of your holdings."

"If you're local, then yes." He eyed her for another moment, gauging the woman. The Battle of Soldier's Rest and the action in the days leading up to it were all centered on Houses Faltha and Crag attempting to kill Jebidiah. And here was one of his new subjects, a skilled woman by the looks of her, carrying the surnames of both of those houses.

"What kind of loyalty can we expect from a Faltha and a Crag?" He expected the skepticism from Dana, but when Crystal questioned the woman's loyalties, Dana's bond felt pleased that Crystal had stepped up.

"I renounced my nobility when I left the Academy. City life, especially in Silvertoe, does not suit me, nor did any of my podmates wish to leave their comforts. I have little use for the politics of women."

Syllia chose to interject, something flashing across her face quicker than Jebidiah could register the emotion. "She speaks the truth."

Again, Crystal jumped in before him as she pushed away from his side, but stayed within touching distance, standing on her own. "You have little basis to assume we'll trust your answers. You immediately spelled our men, the head of our House! You have a long way to go to earn our trust."

The silence stretched out as Crystal stared down Syllia, who finally glanced at the others, seeking support that wasn't there.

"I have heard many rumors about House Valor." The Starn Captain's words broke the tension, but Crystal kept her gaze on Syllia, pinning the woman with her stare. "I must say, the rumors do not do justice to the truth." She gave a salute as she introduced herself, pulling an axe from her belt more quickly than he could follow and bracing it against the center of her chest. "Captain Oda Mylar-Alvadóttir of the Seventh Scouts at your service, Your Grace. With me is Corporal Astrid Kjellrundóttir-Dagnydóttir also with the Seventh." Astrid mimicked the salute, drawing her axe with matching speed.

Oda leveled an amused grin at Jebidiah when she was done, and despite the outlandish look her hair and facial markings gave her, he found himself instantly warming to the woman.

"When we have time, you have to tell me of these rumors and stories, but you are welcome allies. Do you bring word of the Darkhunt?"

Oda regarded Syllia and Jasmine before speaking. "Would you like to discuss this in private? It seems like your guests are of questionable repute, and we really are deep in enemy territory."

"I don't have time to worry about it, nor do I have time to repeat everything if I have to later." He glanced at Syllia, "Besides, if they prove unfaithful, I'll just kill them like the rest of my enemies."

It was amazing how quickly the genial smiles on both Syllia's and Jasmine's faces fled.

Kelek's hiss made Syllia flinch and Jasmine actually jumped. A second axe magically appeared in the Starn women's offhands as they whirled about, looking for the creature that made the sound.

Crystal chuckled, "Come on out, Kelek, meet our new friends."

Jebidiah pulsed his amusement through Kelek's bond for spooking the newcomers, hoping she appreciated his enjoyment of her fun.

Syllia whirled back to face Jebidiah, her eyes wide. "Again! What did you do?"

Kelek smoothly moved out of the underbrush she had been using for cover. The move even made Jebidiah blink. It should have been physically impossible for Kelek to hide her massive body within such a small amount of cover. Dana and Tenner laughed out loud, giving Kelek a slow round of applause. The gasps and consternation from the newcomers were compounded when Kelek upped the ante and gave a small bow for her performance, laughing in her hissing form.

"By the Divine, who is that?" Oda's confidence sounded shaken as she looked back and forth between Kelek and Jebidiah.

Jasmine let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Now those tracks make sense."

"Everyone, meet another one of my wives, Friend Kelek Valor." Kelek hissed more amusement, Jebidiah was taking liberties adding the Valor House name to Kelek but she didn't seem to mind.

The priestess, who was still glaring at Jebidiah and waiting for an answer to her question, froze, her mouth open mid-word. This time Jasmine laughed, and the Starns simply reattached their axes to their sides.

"Well, Your Grace, it seems at least one of the stories has proven to be true."

"You are bonded to this!" Syllia looked shaken to her core. It almost made Jebidiah feel sorry for her, but so far their introduction had hit several sour notes. "Is that what I keep sensing? Your bonds? This goes against everything Avellar tells us! The bond shouldn't even be able to attach to one such as this creature!"

Dana bristled at the insult to Kelek, placing a hand on her hilt, but Crystal answered with a wry smile, "If we haven't already mentioned it, we are not a normal House."

Jebidiah just sighed, growing tired of everyone telling him what should or should not be done. "Lady Syllia, I promise you, by the end of tonight, Kelek will be the least shocking thing that will happen."

He turned his attention to the Ranger, "Horizon Walker, can you take us to this temple of Bora?"

Jasmine eyed him and nodded, "Yes... but before we do, I think it might behoove us to see an old friend of mine."

"Great," Tenner mumbled, "all we need is someone else tagging along."

Stern chuckled at her remark, having cooled his anger while he listened in on the conversation.

Greta finally spoke up, surprising Jebidiah until he heard what prompted her to speak. "We must go to the Lady's temple without delay!"

Jebidiah ignored Greta's impatience. "Will this take us long?" he asked Jasmine.

Jasmine shook her head, but he cut off her reply. "Good, then let's head out. And on the way, I need for you to explain to us what's going on around here."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, "You think I have those answers?"

Jebidiah nodded, "I do." He next turned his gaze to the Starns. "Did you two really come here alone?"

There was a slight hesitancy before the Captain decided to answer. "No, but my forces are scattered."

Kelek made a snorting sound, one Jebidiah always found amusing, "Threesss."

Jebidiah turned a questioning gaze to the lizard, "Three? Three more?"

Kelek hissed a laugh and pointed off in three directions to the obvious consternation of the Starns.

"By Uther's swingin' balls, how does she know that?" Astrid seemed more upset than Oda but Jasmine was speechless.

She stammered as she tried to find words, "She... I... There's no way she could spot ones I missed. These are my woods!" Jebidiah merely grinned as Jasmine tried to come to grips with Kelek's claims.

He chuckled as he flashed a smile at Kelek. "Friend Kelek, I think you're going to develop a reputation. Can you reach these others and tell them to link up with us?"

"Sendsss kittyss."

Jebidiah snorted, "Really? Won't that cause more issues?" He glanced at Dana, seeking her reaction. She had her brow scrunched up, staring at his feet instead of his face, looking like she was thinking really hard about something. She held up a hand to wave off discussion.

After a moment, she returned Jebidiah's gaze. "Stewie says she can spook them and see if they follow."

Tenner looked at her, baffled. "You can speak to it now?"

"Her, and sort of. I've been working it out." She sighed heavily, her voice heavy and tired, "Bora's tits, this whole world is turning upside down." Holone moved to her side, whispering.

"Who is this Stewie?" asked Oda. "I sense this may be a risky thing? How will my scouts react?"

Dana held a hand up to Holone's face, ending their debate. She let out a short, sharp whistle. Stewpot dropped from a tree, landing directly behind the two Starn scouts. They both startled, turning at the thumping sound so close behind them and while Oda kept her senses about her, it did not take long for her axe to materialize in her hand.

Astrid did not keep her senses. Her scream joined Syllia's.

"Stewie! Bad Stewie!" Dana yelled out as an arrow shot through Stewpot's body to stick into the ground a few feet away. Jasmine began cursing.

"By everything fucking Dark, are all of you trying to attract every enemy around here?" Jebidiah didn't quite yell, but he didn't have much choice to raise the volume of his voice higher than he wanted.

Stewpot blinked out of existence, appearing behind Dana's legs, carefully peeking between her legs at the strangers. "Shoot one more fucking arrow at my cat and you'll find out how far up your favorite tree I can string your carcass." Dana's threat caused most of those around her to stop and stare in shocked surprise.

Everyone calmed down to a more respectable level, but it took a good amount of time to stop Kelek's laughter. She was hissing out something, slapping her thigh, tears streaming down her face.

"Wait. Just hold on a minute!" There were too many emotions in Jasmine's voice to figure out what she was feeling or what direction her conversation was going to go. "Is that displacer your companion? What specialization have you chosen?"

Dana shrugged and instead of answering, she spoke to Holone in Elvish in what ended up being a slightly heated, contentious discussion. Finally she sighed heavily again and responded to the Ranger, "I haven't chosen a specialization, but apparently maybe one has been decided for me." She made a gesture toward Kelek, who had finally begun to collect her composure. "Kelek brought me Stewpot and well, there's some sort of bond now."

Jasmine began nodding as Dana explained, waiting until she finished to say, "Beastmaster. That is a rare specialization, especially for someone from a city."

Dana snorted. "Awesome, we figured that out, now let's get moving. Jasmine, lead the way and start explaining."

Jasmine sighed and shrugged, looking resigned as she frowned. "As you wish, Your Grace."

She began walking off toward the north as Jebidiah kept stride beside her. Crystal and Dana followed close behind while the rest formed a column following behind.

Jasmine glanced at Jebidiah as she talked—but only for a moment. Her gaze constantly scanned their immediate surroundings. "I've heard only recently that you had been granted your peerage and moved into the region, how much do you know about Mylar?"

Jebidiah shook his head. "Not nearly as much as I need to. What can you tell me?"

"Well, to start, House Balron was granted leave to establish Mylar in 790."

"That's really recent, I was under the impression it was older." Crystal didn't sound accusatory, but her words held enough skepticism.

Jasmine merely nodded, "There has been someone here for a long time, close to a century now, since House Mylar surveyed the region. It was only recently that someone—my House Faltha to be exact—figured out how to make lumbering profitable enough to get a royal grant in place, along with all the contracts and funding needed."

"Wait," Dana said, "this is all confusing. House Faltha was granted Silvertoe, and Balron holdings are the western neighbor of Soldier's Rest. How did two Houses from the deep south end up here?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Politics? All I can tell you is the history. I would think your family would know the most about it, Your Grace."

Dana waved a hand dismissively, "I'll figure it out later, please continue."

"The Balron's have held the mayoral seat since before the charter was granted, for the last three generations, while a Falthan has always been in charge of the Regal Trading Corporation, established by Faltha to harvest the lumber. It was a solid arrangement between our Houses, until late last year. In the last tenday of Byntaen, there was a change in management of Regal, my cousin Jezzrah took over in a move that surprised everyone."

"Surprising how?" Crystal asked.

"There was no reason for it. Everything was running smoothly, that I or anyone else could see, and Jezzrah is a highly... abrasive personality. It didn't make sense, especially at the time, why Lady Faltha deemed it necessary to install Jezzrah, a niece, over her own daughter. Anyways, things went downhill fast from there."

Jasmine didn't continue her history lesson, instead she dropped into a crouch without uttering a word of warning. Everyone else had to stop themselves quickly but mimicked her by crouching as well. Everyone except Syllia.

They crouched in silence, waiting for the Ranger to say something. Jebidiah glanced back down the line to check on everyone, briefly stopping his gaze in annoyance at Syllia's exposed form. He sighed but didn't say anything, since even though Stern and Olga had 'crouched', they were nearly as tall as a normal person. Speaking of tall... he thought to himself as he noticed that Kelek was missing.

Jasmine jerked her head to the left, staring intently into the light woods when a muffled cry rang out from that direction. Everyone tensed and weapons were drawn when Kelek came into view, holding a struggling armswomen in one arm while her other hand was clamped tight over the woman's mouth, muffling her shouts. Kelek strode up to where the two Starn women crouched at the end of the line and unceremoniously dropped the struggling woman. It was not a pleasant drop as the woman was very short—shorter than Crystal by a few inches if not more.

By now everyone else had resumed standing, and they formed a semi-circle around the commotion, allowing Jebidiah, Dana, and Crystal to move forward.

"What gift have you brought me now, Friend Kelek?" Jebidiah tried to keep his voice light despite all the tension. Dana gave one of her characteristic snorts while Kelek laughed.

"This is one of ours," Oda said. "Your Grace, allow me to introduce Lance Corporal Liv Nannadóttir-Oldadóttir, also of the Seventh Scouts." It took a test of Jebidiah's will not to roll his eyes at yet more lengthy Starn names. He needed to ask Stern about their origins.

"Well met, Liv. You'll have to excuse the abruptness of my wife's greeting, but I'm afraid we must be on our way. I'm sure your captain will fill you in." The new arrival was cute, pixy-ish in body and shape, strawberry-blonde haired with the same crystal blue eyes he was growing accustomed to on the Starn women. Surprisingly, her stature was smaller than either Mila or Joy. He regarded her face, a possum caught in the firelight expression frozen upon it, before offering a hand to help her stand.

Liv utilized Jebidiah's extended hand to rise, looking back and forth between him and her captain. "Your... wife?"

Jebidiah was impatient to get on their way and was not pleased with the number of newcomers they were adding to their party. He found himself skipping the normal pleasantries. "Most of these are my wives. Now, if you'll excuse me, we must be on our way. Captain, I trust you'll handle this?" He raised an eyebrow as he asked but before Oda could reply, he had already turned to resume the lead with Jasmine.

As he headed back to the point position, he overheard Astrid whispering to someone, "Is he always like this?"

He walked past Jasmine, who was standing still, watching the Starns, catching the Ranger by surprise. She let out a small 'yip' of shock before quickly catching up to Jebidiah's stride. "We're never going to keep ourselves unnoticed like this," she said as she caught up to him.

"If it's not in the cards, then we play the hand we have. I was never good at cheating at cards." He gave Jasmine a quick glance as he prompted her, "Where were we with your tale? Things went downhill?"

Jasmine nodded, "The goblin attacks started first, before we even reached Winter's Grip. They cut off the traders, and kept the garrison at the Keep busy, but then the elves started as well."

Jebidiah nearly paused to make sure he understood her. "The elves? Homish?"

Jasmine shook her head, "Wild elves. There are thousands that roam the Woods, living off the land. It was unusual to see more than three of them at once."

Jebidiah prompted her to continue, "Was..."

"Yes, was. They began to band together a few tendays after the goblins' attacks began, launching their own raids on the village and the garrison. Just when things really became chaotic, Ian—I mean mayor Balron—vanished without a trace."

Crystal's curiosity intervened in Jasmine's narrative, "When was this?"

"That's an easy one, Planting Day. It was a muted festival, everyone has been living in fear for months by now, but we were going to at least have some sort of celebration, but Ian never showed up to start the ceremony. I searched for tracks for two tendays, any sort of sign, but could not find anything. He was just... gone." Jasmine's voice trailed off, lost in her memories.

"Why was a man appointed mayor? Was he bonded?" Crystal's question should have come to Jebidiah's mind, but his own circumstances made him overlook it.

Jasmine shrugged. "Politics."

Dana was next with a nudge, "What happened then?"

"Jezzrah appointed herself Mayor, of course. The winter wasn't as harsh as normal, but we have few fields here, everything is imported, traded for lumber. With trade being cut down, people were starting to get hungry. Ian had at least worked with the Fort to get patrols where they needed to be to protect some of the caravans, but when Jezzrah took over, all the protection stopped. We no longer saw patrols, or any of the armswomen..."

"Jasmine?" His question startled her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, just, I can't help thinking there were so many signs, things I could have done before it all got out of hand."

On one hand, Jebidiah could appreciate those thoughts, for he had similar ones all the time, but something about her tale bothered him.

"She's not telling us half of what happened." Crystal's thought mirrored his own musings. "How do you want to handle this? Dana's not going to let things go."

"Head on. We have no idea where she is taking us. I'm more expecting an ambush and betrayal than a friend."

"I understand those kinds of reactions to what was happening, Jasmine," Jebidiah said with sincerity and a hint of compassion, "but I have one question I keep asking myself."

"And that is Your Grace?"

"Why are you here?" The question brought Jasmine up short, and they once again halted their procession, this time everyone surrounded Jasmine and Jebidiah's portion of the group. "I lied, Jasmine, I have more questions. What in the Dark have you been doing out here? Granted, while maybe you did just sit back and think it can't be all that bad, at some point, by your own admission, you did. What then?"

Jasmine hesitated—too long for Jebidiah's liking. "Here's the thing, Jasmine. I've had a lot of friends, some really close friends, die in the last three months. And not just one of 'Did you hear about...' things. They died. Violently. At my side." His anger began to rise, despite the effort he expended to keep it in check. "Two days ago, one of my best friends, someone like a father to me, died trying to save me." His voice caught, it was hard for him to work through his emotions around Hiro's death, there hadn't been enough time to deal with the raw pain. "We all," he gestured at those around him, "all of us Valors have experienced loss, sacrificed much, to fight our enemies and make our way here. So, think hard about your answer. What have you been doing while everyone around here has been suffering?"

She cast her eyes down at her boots, her cheeks turning red, burning with shame. "I... I didn't know what to do. There were—are—too many to fight, anyone who spoke out like the miller just vanished as completely as Ian did. There was no one to rescue."

"Minotaur shit," Dana spit on the ground, emphasizing her disgust.

Jasmine looked up at her, something more than shame in her eyes, a flash of anger. "What would you have me do, die?"

"You named Jezzrah cousin," Crystal said, her own anger hardening her voice. "Why didn't you talk to her about what was going on?"

"Or contact your family," Tenner piped in.

"Hiding you be, slipped away you could. Tonstar come help they would," Mila added, her own frown more forgiving than the other's angry glares.

As the accusations came, Jasmine became more agitated, her eyes growing wider, darting around, like she was searching for an escape, but she was surrounded.

"Why have you not mentioned that the Fort was compromised? Or that prisoners were being moved around Mylar?" Jebidiah hammered the questions home with a relentless pounding. "None of them could be aided?" He was pushing her to break.

There was enough of a commotion to make him temporarily take his gaze off Jasmine, to see the captain trying to move forward, presumably to make Jebidiah stop. Michelle had her hand squarely planted on the captain's chest, holding her advance, as she tersely whispered something to the Starns. The other Firsts had arranged themselves to stop any attempted interference from the Starn scouts.

"There was no... I couldn't go near... I..." Jasmine had stopped making sense, beginning to babble as she shrunk down, grabbing her knees. Hiding her face against them.

"How could you not know what happened to the temple?" Dana's voice cracked like a whip and Jasmine flinched as if the strike had drawn blood.

She began whimpering something, repeating it in a quiet voice, forcing Jebidiah to lean forward to hear, "the voice... the voices..."

He knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop the rocking motion she had begun. "Horizon Walker Jasmine Crag-Faltha." The command tone of his voice caused her to raise her head, stopping her muttering. "Where are you taking us?"

Her eyes bulged, straining so far they reddened at the edges, and she nearly screamed out, "The voices tell us what to do! It's the voices! I swear!"

Syllia pushed her way through the onlookers until she stood in front of Jasmine. "I've seen this before. She is possessed. Her mind is not fully her own."

"Like Greta?" Tenner's question came out before she could think about it, and she looked at Greta with a horrified expression when she realized what she said.

Greta just stood impassively watching everything, seemingly bored.

Jebidiah sighed, already fed up with the whole excursion into Mylar. "Great! Let me guess, this is the work of a Divine? Something we are powerless to do anything about?"

Syllia gave him a quizzical look. "No... I just need a few minutes of preparation. Are you... is it normal for you to run into Divine interference?"

Jebidiah couldn't keep the shock from his expression. "You can help her? Just like that?"

"I am a High Priestess, you know. The bigger question is how did you spot it when I did not?"

Her tone was chastising, but he chose to ignore it—for now. "I trust all of you as much as I know you."

She chose to ignore his non-answer. "I'll need to Bless everyone first, so the spirit or whatever has her cannot jump to a new host." She surveyed those gathered, moving her lips as she did so, and Jebidiah realized she was counting. "This will take several castings." She grunted in agitation. "Lady Paladin, can you handle Blessing your family?"

Greta's response was short and calm. "The Lady's will shall be done."

To Jebidiah's eyes, clerical magic looked different than wizardry did. Mage magic was all about threads, colors, and patterns. Those patterns were very orderly, geometric, mathematical in design and appearance, whereas clerical magic was more about muted glows of varying colors. There were swirls within the glows, ostensibly the equivalent to patterns, but the swirls reminded him more of oil in water, or patterns in smoke rings. Very fluid in nature compared to the solidity of the thread patterns.

It struck him then, watching the two casters Blessing everyone, that clerical magic was very feminine, curvy and soft, while wizardry was harsh lines and angles, more masculine. Even the Talent had a male title, Mage instead Magess. He would have to follow up on that with Shirley.

When they had finished, Syllia cautioned everyone, "Whatever happens, do not touch her. Physical contact may be enough to counter the Bless effects. I'll begin my casting."

Casting was a misnomer. What she ended up doing more resembled a ritual involving candles, incense, chanting, and quite a few very tantalizing gyrations which were energetic enough to finally brush aside the very small flap of cloth that had hidden her womanhood. Jebidiah took notice she was clean shaven, much like Dana had taken to doing. He liked it because it was different—very Dana now—but, being so used to women with pubic hair, it was still shocking to see another woman bare like this.

Because she was shaven, with nothing left to the imagination, it was also very clear that Syllia was highly aroused. He had to admit, her perfection in form extended to every part of her and he found himself captivated by the vision of her pouty lower lips, a part of him wishing he could sink his tongue between her folds, making him harden—even though they were in the middle of trying to remove some possessive spirit from Jasmine.

Syllia had begun to gather a large number of globes of magic, swirling in a circular pattern around Jasmine. Jebidiah wondered what the ritual looked like to the others. They would only see Syllia swaying about, shaking her breasts, flailing her arms, but without the magic globes they would have no idea if the swaying and gesturing served a purpose. Syllia had to look incredibly silly. Beautiful, alluring, but silly nonetheless. Her flailing hands began hitting the globes as they passed her, pushing them forward where they sunk into Jasmine.

The Ranger's body began to glow, at least in Jebidiah's vision, and soon a second, larger figure emerged from within Jasmine, somehow glowing black. The Priestess spoke then, words of power rushing forth. They struck the figure, cutting thin lines of light into the blackness—wounds that widened across its dark form. The figure twisted as if in pain, and its head lifted, possibly roaring, either in defiance or pain. Jebidiah had no idea which and would never know as the ritual came to an end.

The figure dissolved.

Jasmine passed out.

"What was that?" Tenner's voice was shaky—Jebidiah could sense just how stretched her nerves were.

"I'm not sure..." Syllia pursed her lips as she considered Jasmine's prone body lying before her. "It was definitely evil, possibly demonic but I can't say for certain. Magard has assumed dominion over the demonic forces, but she also dabbles with the undead."

"It was not an undead spirit, nor was it any form of necromancy." Crystal's confidence surprised him, but while he didn't doubt her and wasn't about to question her conclusions, Syllia had no such compunction.

"And how would you know of these things?"

Jebidiah bristled at her tone, "Question my House's abilities at your own peril." His immediate reaction to defend Crystal brought a smile to her face, but Syllia frowned, upset with the rebuke. He didn't really care. "Why did this ritual to remove a possession require so much... sensuality?"

Syllia's frown deepened. "I do not question Avellar's requirements."

Dana snorted. "You question everything else."

Michelle pointed at Jasmine, trying to diffuse the situation. "Well, what do we do with her now?"

Jebidiah's frustration was pushing to be set free. He ran his hand through his hair, then scratched at the short beard that he had grown over the last few days. They had a cantrip to 'freshen up' every morning—a magical hair and body wash along with a sweat remover—but it wasn't going to give him a shave and there had been no time to worry about it. The beard itched.

He was down to six Firsts to cover the nine Valors with Holone as the one other 'known'. Then there was Syllia, the Starn women, and Jasmine. Considering Jasmine's possession, he couldn't exactly trust any of the others. Even Syllia could be using the exorcism of Jasmine as a ruse to gain trust. "Michelle, pick three of the others to take Jasmine back to where we had the horses tied up."

Michelle made to protest but he cut her off, motioning for her to follow him off to the side, away from the others. When they were far enough away, he spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper. "There's at least two more Starn scouts out there. I trust your women to be able to handle the two of them, but I want to make sure they have an edge."

Michelle looked at the others while she considered his words. Finally she sighed, speaking without looking at him, "I'm not happy about this but I don't see many other options. Couldn't we sling her up and bring her with us?"

"And when we face our next combat? Hobble some of our numbers by guarding her?"

Michelle frowned, looking down at a stone she moved with her toe. "I hate it when you use logic. He always warned me about that." She finally looked up to meet Jebidiah's gaze. "Very well, I'll send Lana, Rebecca, and Melissa back. But I'm not happy about this."

He clasped her shoulder before he turned back to rejoin the others. "I'm not happy about anything."

Thirty minutes later, after too much discussion for Jebidiah's liking, they approached the grounds where Kelek said she had found the temple. It wasn't much to look at. While it was a larger building, it reminded him more of a better inn or tavern rather than a temple to a Divine. He had never seen a temple dedicated to Bora, so he had nothing to judge it against, but it just seemed... underwhelming. Situated on the southern edge of the village proper, it was on the east side of the main north-south road leading into town. Their party was hunched down behind a hedgerow on the west side of the road, debating their next steps.

"This place looks run down." Tenner quipped, using her hands to move aside enough foliage to look through.

"Joy's cunt reminds me of." All the muted conversation stopped as everyone's head swiveled to look at Mila in shock. Mila shrugged, her cheeks coloring as all the attention. "Run down, not she is. Unkept. Hair everywhere, my nose it tickles."

The Valors began to chuckle. Dana nodded in agreement, "I'll give you that she could use a trim, but..." She looked around, not just across the road, but the other parts of the village they could see. "I agree this place has an unkempt look about it, unruly even. A lot of the grass is overgrown, these hedges look like they are in desperate need of a trim. You can't even see the base of the wizard's tower over there."

Jebidiah followed her gaze. To the east, also on the very southern border of the village, sat a squat tower, with only the upper two layers visible. "Did anyone ever figure out why Mages require towers?" He turned back to look at Shirley. "Is it the roundness?" Shirley stuck out her lower lip and shrugged.

"This is getting us nowhere." Greta's agitation had been rising the closer they came to their objective. Her annoyance was reaching a point where it was becoming an issue.

"Okay, let's play leapfrog. We cross in pairs, wait between crossings to make sure we aren't seen. I'm going first with Michelle. Dana you're next with Greta, the rest of you can decide how you want to go. Stern, Olga, you go last. Are we good?" He looked around at the others, looking for any objections while searching out Kelek to make sure she understood. "Bora's tits, where is Kelek?"

Everyone looked at each other, equal parts confused and concerned.

Holone spoke and Dana translated. "She's already over."

Jebidiah mumbled a few curses. "Fuck, she can be aggravating at times. Okay everyone, stick to the plan."

The Starn women were exchanging glances which Jebidiah chose to ignore. No doubt their thoughts were along the lines of "How do these people stay alive."

Jebidiah and Michelle moved to an opening in the hedge and without further ceremony, Jebidiah charged through the opening and stayed low as he crossed the road to take cover behind a similar hedge in front of the temple. As they crossed the road, he took the opportunity to look along the road to the north which extended a good half mile before a curve hid the rest of the village. The entire road was lined with the unruly hedges, all of them at least six feet high now, none of them trimmed. He thought it odd there was no regular fencing, no wood or stone in use, just packed hedges. He could only make out the roofs or occasional second story of the few buildings and saw no one else on the road. It sent a chill up his spine.

When they reached the safety of the hedge, he helped Michelle keep an eye out on the road as he occasionally let his gaze wander, searching for a sign of Kelek. The chill that had begun creeping up his spine when he crossed the road did not diminish, it stayed with him. The air had a wrongness to it. By the time Dana and Greta finally joined them, he felt the hairs on his neck rising. He became convinced something was watching them.

Greta hissed as she stared intently at the temple. "There is evil here. Everywhere."

Dana nodded in agreement but began scanning the road instead of staring at the temple, her words mirroring his thoughts. "There is something wrong here."

With more eyes on the road, Jebidiah shifted to give him a better view of the temple while he could focus more on finding his troublesome lizard wife. His foot caught on something when he turned, and he shoved a toe to move the rock or whatever it was, but when it moved under his pressure, it felt off. He glanced down and saw a wooden signboard, like what would have been hung in the front of an establishment. He glanced up at the front of the temple and sure enough, there was a length of post with broken chains dangling where he would expect someone to hang such a sign.

He stooped to pull at the board, working it out from where it had been wedged under the hedge. It was a symbol of some kind, not easily discernible because someone had gotten very offended by it if the number of axe or sword gouges were any indication.

Crystal and Mila were then next to join them and Crystal noticed what he was doing. "What is that?"

Jebidiah shrugged. "I think the sign for this place."

Greta hissed, causing Jebidiah to twist and look at her. Her face was a thunderhead of anger, her gaze fixated on the sign he was examining. "Blasphemy." That single word was loaded with so much vitriol that he wouldn't have been surprised if her words would melt the sign in his hand.

"What is it, Greta?" He watched her expression closely, examining her bond. This close to the temple, and with the uneasy feeling in the air, he was increasingly concerned about how everything was going to affect Greta.

"That is the Embrace of Summer, sacred symbol of Lady Bora."

He examined what was left of the sign closer, trying to imagine what it would look like undamaged. Some of the features were easily visible while others had been marred too much to be certain. Greta leaned down and began at what he supposed was the top, working her finger through the grooves as she spoke.

"At the top is the serene sun that watches over all, its golden face aglow with the warmth of summer." He could make out the remains of yellow paint that must have been used for the sun, roughly spherical in shape.

Greta's finger moved on, tracing a pattern that started on the left then swooped down to the center, all the way to the bottom where it looped around then returned back through the center before swooping back up to the right. "The flowering vine curls into the eternal loop, reminding us of the cycle of birth and renewal. The branches of the vine embrace the whole, caressing the sun that feeds it." She pointed at three spots in the center of the board, three points of a triangle where the wood still showed signs of flowers in full bloom. "The blossoms are symbols of Bora's grace." She pointed at each flower as she named them in turn. "Love. Trust. Life."

Greta looked into Jebidiah's eyes and he saw the trail of tears down her cheeks. "She is love and peace and everything that is good in life. She doesn't deserve this. We must cleanse this place."

Jebidiah's words failed him. He opened his mouth to speak, but his thoughts were too scattered. Greta looked at him pleadingly, her description of Bora's symbol was spoken lovingly, and her fingers had gingerly traced the pattern, soft as a lover's touch. It was the first sign of real tenderness he had seen with anything regarding Bora, despite what her spheres of influence were.

Oda and Syllia had joined them as well, and Syllia loudly inhaled a breath to hold it when she saw the damaged sign.

"Blasphemy."

Jebidiah nodded, still keeping his gaze fixed on Greta's. "We've established that, Lady Syllia, but not how to cleanse the temple."

Tenner and Shirley were next across, but Jebidiah had lost track of what was going on, his entire focus was the bond between him and Greta as he continued to stare into her eyes. It wasn't a contest of wills, more a soul searching as she searched for love and support and he searched for an answer to the problem.

It was another five tense minutes before Olga and Stern tried to stealthily cross the road. There was no way the two would ever be inconspicuous and their attempt was almost comical.

Stern sniffed and looked at Jebidiah. "I don't like this place, it feels wrong and smells worse."

Jebidiah sniffed, but didn't smell much past the hedge they hunkered against. "What do you smell?"

It was Olga that replied, "Death."

"Well, we're all here now. Might as well go in and see what this is all about." Jebidiah placed the sign down gently and made his way toward the front steps of the temple.

It really did remind him of a higher class tavern or inn. The structure was nearly completely wooden, as was to be expected in a lumbering community, but the wood was nicely finished, not rough hewn. He couldn't see any of the telltale axe signs you normally find on wood siding and corner posts. It was also stained and painted, an extravagance rarely seen. It was two storied with a wrap-around porch whose roof served as a balcony for the upper floor. Slate shingles couldn't have been cheap to import, most of the other building rooftops he hand glimpsed were the more common thatch. There were even window boxes with now dead and wilted flowers in them which would have been a charming and inviting touch to the building's ambiance.

When they crested the stair to the wide front porch, Jebidiah spotted several bench swings suspended from the porch supports, spaced evenly down the entire front of the building. He imagined sitting outside at night under the torchlight, Crystal and Dana held against him while they stared at the stars.

"Jeb." Dana's tense whisper made him shake his head of the image and refocus. He realized he had stopped to stare at one of the swings.

"Sorry," he said with a frown. "Something triggered a thought."

"Anything we should be worried about?" Crystal asked.

He shook his head as he moved to position himself beside the door frame. "No." The others had spread out some on the porch, leery of the center portions where boards were more likely to creak under weight. It took a moment to spot Mila. "You have any ideas on how to see what's inside before we go in?"

Mila shook her head in a jerky fashion, showing signs of just how disturbed she was. "Seeing not what you want to be. Desecration, blasphemy."

"I get that," he nodded, "but we need to see if something is waiting for us."

The front door handle began to creak as the knob slowly turned. Everyone quietly backed away from the door, drawing weapons, waiting to see what was coming out. The tension was nearly unbearable and Jebidiah wanted nothing more than to just yank the door open and get the confrontation over with. Finally, after what felt like years, the door unlatched itself and slowly, quietly began to swing inward, revealing... nothing.

Jebidiah glanced at Michelle beside him, both had their swords held engarde but neither made a move to enter the building. Jebidiah finally sighed and began inching his way to the darkness behind the door, his anxiety spiking. When he was only a couple feet from the threshold, a huge shape jumped out of the darkness, filling the entire doorway, making Jebidiah's heart leap as he nearly fell backwards, but training and muscle memory still swung his sword forward. A hissing laugh made him stop his strike midway, and his mouth fell open as Kelek strolled into the light streaming into the building.

"Sssboooo!" She said, raising her hands up palm forward with claws extended looking like she was going to strike. She swiveled a hand in a mocking motion of clawing at something and repeated her "Boo!" laughing the whole time.

"Not funny!" Dana seethed in a harsh whisper.

Jebidiah resheathed his sword and looked at Kelek with more frustration than he thought was possible. "Friend Kelek, we really need to have a long talk about what is funny and what isn't."

"Bora's cunt, I think my heart stopped," exclaimed Oda but Liv wasn't to be outdone by her Captain. "I think I shat my pants."

Jebidiah couldn't help himself but to chuckle. "What's inside, Friend Kelek?"

Kelek merely waved at them to follow as her laughter faded into the interior.

The first thing Jebidiah noticed was the smell. Once he crossed the threshold into the main sitting room, the smell hit him like a hammer and he nearly vomited. As the others entered, Tenner's stomach wasn't as strong, and she vomited in a planter near the front doorway.

The second thing Jebidiah noticed was the blood. It took a moment to notice it, because at first he thought the walls had been painted red. In a way they had been, just not with paint. There were even congealed drips hanging down from above where the blood had dripped back onto the floor which, despite a lush, thick carpet, was sticky.

It was only when Greta let out an angry yelp that he noticed the first body. He assumed it was a female from the musculature that remained, but the body was completely flailed. Not a scrap of skin remained. The remains were seated on a stool behind the reception desk, elbows resting on the desk surface, hands clasped as if waiting to help someone asking for information. The eyes were gone, as was most of the teeth—which were shattered and jagged—and apparently the tongue.

It horrified him.

"Who would do such a thing?" Oda sounded shaken to her core, and her hand shook as she raised it to cover her horrified expression. At least Jebidiah and his wives had Kelek's images to prepare them, but the others were coming into this fresh.

"Magard." Greta made the name sound like the worst curse imaginable, and maybe it was.

"This was most likely the madam." Syllia said, calmer than the Starn women but her voice still held a quiver.

"Madam?" Dana asked, not understanding what she meant. "What's a madam?"

Greta answered her, "Bora's temples are houses dedicated to life. What's the best way to celebrate life?"

"This is a brothel?" Crystal's voice rose with incredulity.

Dana scoffed, "Is this why we've never heard of her temples?"

"This is not a brothel," Syllia retorted. "you do not pay for sex with some commoner. You donate to the church and receive training and comfort in the finer ways to celebrate life."

If the situation hadn't been so dire, and he wasn't trying to hold onto his stomach contents, he would have laughed at Syllia's interpretation of Bora's brothel.

"I'm guessing we need to go into the inner sanctum?" He raised a brow at Syllia, then Greta.

Syllia nodded, "It would probably be the best place to determine how to cleanse this building."

They made their way through several mid-sized rooms, all ransacked and trashed, until they found a finely carpeted, broad stairwell that led them down, the railings carved to look like vines. "I think this might lead somewhere important." Jebidiah almost chuckled at Tenner's obvious statement.

They moved down the stairs slowly, into a much larger ornately decorated chamber, each wall probably sixty feet in length, with a huge, padded bedding area slightly sunk into the center of the floor. The space was even more luxurious than his own rooms which he felt went overboard. There were also obvious sexual aids, slings, well placed stockades complete with padding, and padded cuffs hanging from ceiling chains. The entire setup invited countless sexual innuendos and jokes, but none would come to him.

There were more flailed remains of people here. Spread around the room, setup in a grotesque masquerade of a sexual orgy, they were set up in pairs and trios, in various states of coupling. In the center of it all, lashed to the central bedding with arms and legs spread wide, was a woman. It was the only figure he could determine the sex because, while she was flailed like the others, her face remained intact, twisted into a rictus of pain.

Syllia raised a shaky hand to her mouth, her composure completely broken. "It is the High Priestess."

"Well, fuck." Jebidiah didn't know what to expect, but this definitely wasn't on his list.

Someone began to laugh, a low chuckling laugh that slowly built, and everyone looked at the others, seeing who had finally broken. Everyone except Jebidiah and Syllia, who had been staring intently at the woman strapped to the bed. They were the first to notice the body begin to shake with the eerie laughter that filled the room.

Stars and comments are greatly appreciated. I edit my bio with updates and if you follow me you'll get notifications of changes. This book will stay to a bi-weekly release of chapters instead of weekly.