Azkadellia caught herself quickly. Cain was surprised at how quickly she'd gone from evil sorceress to hesitant little girl to a second DG. "Come on, DG, we still have to take care of all the Long Coats," she said, taking her little sister's hand.

Ahamo and the Queen looked at each other, and, smiling faintly, followed their daughters out the door. The three friends paused a few moments, and decided to follow DG. By the time they all reached the fields outside, the Long Coats were scattered. When the sun had come out, over half the troops fled. The little order that had remained was shattered by Az showing up with her sister beside her.

The rebels had already set up a makeshift infirmary for the wounded. There were no casualties in so far as anyone knew yet, which took very much weight off of everyone's shoulders. Cain began to ask around for his son, until things caught up with DG and she dragged him to the infirmary. He nearly escaped, when Az, somewhat apologetically, brought up the rear, giving him no escape route.

It turned out this wasn't so bad after all. Jeb was also in the infirmary, insisting he was perfectly fine while a girl about DG's age dragged him to a bed. His head was bandaged, and he was obviously just barely conscious, because the girl was hardly trying. She shoved him onto the bed, where he finally slumped over. The girl groaned and lifted his legs into the bed, covering him up affectionately.

"Well, I can see which parent he takes after," DG proclaimed.

The girl flicked her light auburn hair out of her round face. She was small and lightly built, though her arms showed the faint muscle that came from hard work. She surveyed DG, then looked at Cain. "Ah. You must be the famous Wyatt Cain," she said happily.

Cain showed an uncharacteristic degree of worry. "Is he…" he asked immediately.

"He's fine," she cut in. "It's not like the idiot has much brain left to damage." She patted his arm lightly and smiled. "You got to love a Cain."

DG nodded. "I think I've found a soulmate," she told Az.

Cain wasn't sure who to scowl at more. The girl laughed. "'Course, I'm not one to talk, am I?" she said. She extended her hand. "Mathia Cain."

DG shook her hand and looked at her questioningly. "And you're Jeb's… wife?"

"Sister," Mathia corrected without skipping a beat. "Adopted sister. The Cains took me in a few years ago. I've never known anything about my family, so I've never really been anythin' but a Cain. I'm as bad as any of 'em. I probably give Jeb more problems than he gives me." She grinned at Cain, looking at his wound as she chattered on. "Anyway, Adora called me her daughter and Jeb calls me his sister, so I 'spose you're welcome to call me whatever you like, Mr. Wyatt Cain."

Cain gave her a scrutinizing look. DG felt that in Mathia's place she would have melted, but the girl wasn't phased in the least. "Were you the one who was there in the fight? The one who beat the Long Coat up with a stick?"

"That was me, indeed. Sadly, I'm not as good at bowling people over with my bare fists as some of the men, so they give me a stick."

Cain had to smile at that. "That's my girl," he said.

Mathia smiled and went for bandages. "That makes me officially a Cain, then," she said happily as she went.

DG grinned. "I think I'm in love…" she joked.

Az, who had until now been looking awkward and staying quiet, giggled. Raw sniggered, insofar as the seers were prone to snigger. Glitch was watching her with an awed expression on his face. DG elbowed him. "Sure you haven't got any wounds?" she asked with the subtlety of a drunken rhinoceros.

Luckily, this was lost on Glitch. "What?" he asked.

DG backpedaled. "Oh, nevermind."

-X-

Somewhere in the depths of the O.Z. past the Eastern Guilds, something stirred. Now that the Witch of the West was gone, it was time for the East to rise.