Chapter Eight – Vortex of Strategy

Our unexpected detour put us out of the way by only half a day, it seems, as we have reached Caelin's border at long last. I should be happier about that than I am, but I can't help but fret. We know Lundgren is controlling Caelin, essentially, and I know he hasn't given up yet. The greatest challenge is still upon us.

Truth be told, I'm not quite so certain if I'm up for this. But I will see it to the end with my head high, and do what it took to get everyone out of this alive.

Bright beautiful day. Crisp breeze. Barely a cloud in the sky. And here I was, not even able to read as my brain generated countless numbers of scenarios for just why Lundgren hadn't sent anyone to fight us. Not even the stop for a quick meal on the roadside did anything for my thoughts. What was going on? We had to be close. There was no way he was giving up. So…

"Katri!" Lyn's laughing voice jolted me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see her behind me. "Look!" She leaned on my shoulder, pointing back the way we came. "The mountains are so far away now." That they were. Just along the horizon. "We've come such a long way." And the end was in sight. "Kent says that we should be at the castle in two days." Two days, huh? "…Hold on, Grandfather…" The laughter in her eyes was replaced with dark, dark worry. "Please…"

"Oh, Lyn, cheer up!" Florina slid to our sides, smiling brightly. "If everyone sees you looking so sad, the entire company will lose heart," she reminded her. She poked Lyn's cheek, making her squirm. "It'll be okay."

"She's right, you know," I added. I ruffled Florina's hair, making her giggle, and smiled at Lyn. "Leave the worrying to me. You think of the stories you'll tell your grandfather when you meet him." Smiling, Lyn nodded. "Go on and get food. Make sure Dorcas, Erk, and Rath actually get some." Dorcas tended to wait until everyone was done eating, Erk just flat out forgot food was a thing, and Rath sometimes was so uncomfortable being around everyone he purposely stayed away.

"We'll take care of it!" Florina took Lyn's hand and tugged her to the others, and I smiled at how at ease they were. That was the only good thing about not getting attacked. Everyone was finally able to rest.

"Is it safe to approach?" I glanced to my side to see Matthew standing a short distance away. "I didn't want to interrupt," he explained, smiling cheekily. I tilted my head to the side in confusion, and he actually looked startled. "You haven't figured it out?" Figured out what? "Ah, well. Can't say it's really important to this lovely little campaign." Then why did you bring it up? "Anyway, though, first things first." He pointed to the side, where Serra was unrolling some bandages. "Time for your daily check up." I nodded, expecting it. Serra had been very insistent. "Second thing is that I need to leave for a bit." What. "I have some minor business to attend to." I gave him a look and he grinned. "Shouldn't be long, in theory."

"Just make sure to tell me about this 'minor business' when you get back." What else could I say? He'd leave no matter what.

"Of course." He hesitated before adding, "anything specific?"

Well… "Make sure Lyn's grandfather is even still alive." He nodded, understanding immediately, and bolted off. Right then.

Glancing at the others, noting with a smile that everyone save Serra and I were eating. I even noted, with no little amusement, the conversation groupings. Wil was babbling at an increasingly confused Rath, Sain and Lyn were chatting about something that made them both laugh, while Kent and Florina talked more quietly about something, the two both smiling. Erk and Lucius seemed to be discussing magic theory, based on the open book and Erk's bright eyes. Ninian and Nils both were actually discussing something with Dorcas; based on his eyes, I wondered if it was Natalie. I wanted to sneak a little closer and eavesdrop, but a glance at Serra's sulk told me that would be a very bad idea.

"I'm in your care again, Serra," I told her softly as I went to her at last. She huffed, cheeks all puffed out like a squirrel's to emphasize her silent indignation at having to wait. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry. Thank you, greatly, for taking the time out of your busy day to tend to me."

"Well, since you said it so nicely…" she sighed. She was smiling, though, preening a little. "I'm going to unlace your shirt now, so sit with your back to me." I did as she said, used to it by now. After leaving the fortress, Serra had insisted we stop by a church we passed to pick up new shirts for me, shirts designed to make it easier on both the healer and patient to remove clothing for long-term treatment. She'd spent the better part of an hour picking them out for me, all colors that suited me well, and all that laced up in the back. I couldn't fully dress without help, especially with the injury, but it made the thrice-daily checks on my wound much less troublesome. Besides, between Lyn, Florina, and Serra, I always had someone ready to help me. "How is your arm?"

"It's fine." Until the injury healed fully, I wasn't allowed to raise it too high, but I could read, write, and eat, so I could deal. "Is it healing well?"

"Yes." She removed the bandage easily and began rubbing a small bit of vulnerary on it. "Since we applied that second dose of antitoxin, there's been nothing unusual." My fever that day had been the result of trace amounts of poison, and general wound infection. Which was why Serra checked on my injury three times a day.

"And how are we on bandages?" I was keenly aware of how much I was using up again, but Serra had told me healing it with a staff might result in debilitating scar tissue, so it was better to let it heal as it was, with careful supervision.

"We have plenty left." I breathed a small sigh of relief as she finished cleaning the wound and began bandaging it up again. "Katri?" I made some sound of acknowledgement. "Why did you do it?" Huh? "Why did you protect me?" Uh… "It… was a lot of pain, yeah?" Serra, you are my attending healer. You're aware of how much my body was still recovering from the shock of it all. "And you could've died." I would not lie and say that wasn't a possibility. "So, why?" Shouldn't she be acting haughty right about now? "Why would you…?"

"…You're one of mine," I answered after a moment. Her hands stilled on my back. "You are a healer under my care, who tends to the soldiers I command. I protect my own, however I have to." Her hands were shaking, but I dared not turn back to look at her expression. "And, besides, despite your haughtiness, you're a very kind and sweet girl. You fret over everyone's injuries silently, and you're very empathetic, from what I've seen." What else was there to say? "So, that's why."

I nearly yelped when I felt Serra rest her head on my back. What the…? "…Whenever you're hurt or sick, come to me." Oh… kay…? "Promise." Uh…

"Yes, I promise." I felt her nod. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thank you." Why did I have the feeling she was thanking me for way too many things? "You're all bandaged up, by the way."

"I see." I twisted carefully, making sure to not jar her off me. She looked a little fragile when she stared back at me. "Thank you, Serra. I appreciate it." She smiled, and I stroked her hair like I would Anastasia. "Go and get some food. Looks like Florina saved you some of your favorites."

"Well, of course she did, the darling~" With a laugh, she was back to the Serra I was used to. But I wouldn't forget that fragile look any time soon. "I'll go do that. Make sure you eat too, my dear!" She stood up, curtseyed a little, and bounced over to Florina, instantly engaging her in some conversation that made them both laugh, and they quickly dragged Lyn and Sain into it. Good.

I pushed myself up and brushed the dirt off my pants, glancing around the area again. Conversations were still going, slowly dragging everyone into a common topic, but I stepped back, to observe everything with an impartial eye. Something was going to happen. I highly doubted Lundgren would stop until someone beheaded him, and if that had happened, we'd no doubt have Caelin knights racing for us right now, so he had to be alive and-

"Miss Katri?" It took me a second to realize Ninian was talking to me. I should be glad she was talking to me, even if she still didn't look me in the eye. "Are you not going to eat?" she asked softly, hands clasped in front of her, head bowed. She still favored a side as her ankle continued to heal, but Serra had stated it, too, was mending well.

"I'll nibble on something as we continue traveling." It was easy to eat and read, after all. …Providing I went with one of my older, a-little-more-easily-replaced books. "Rath's mare walks smooth enough for that." Since I continued riding with him. I was almost starting to like the mare for her gentleness. Almost.

"I see." She fell silent, fiddling with her hands, and I checked over the others, smiling as I saw most of them laughing at some joke Sain told. I wondered what it had been? "Nils is… happy here." Hmm? "You all are bright and cheerful, even with everything going wrong. And you don't… care about how odd we seem."

"Ninian, none of us are in any place to judge anyone on oddities." She giggled slightly, covering her mouth to hide the small smile. "But I'm glad he's happy." I was also glad he seemed to be filling out again. "Are you?"

"I…" She hesitated before whispering, "I think I am still in some shock over things." Understandable. "But I am very grateful to everyone." She still fiddled with her hands, though. And didn't look me in the eye.

Might as well be a bit blunt. "Have I done something to scare you?" She squeaked in surprise. "Unlike everyone else, you don't look me in the eye." Even now, she seemed to be looking everywhere but me. "It's fine if that's the case. It's also fine if you don't want to tell me. But, if you can, I'd like to try and adjust my behavior to not be so scary."

"Oh, it's not that at all!" She looked me in the eye briefly before ducking her head again. "Um… d-did Nils tell you about our powers? The… not the dance or songs, but…"

"He mentioned foresight." I thought she relaxed a little? "He offered to look at the bonds between people, but I thought that was unnecessary." Maybe if the group was larger, but we were still small. "He also mentioned an ability to sense danger, but it's often vague."

"Yes." With the way she kept clasping and unclasping her hands, I thought the rings she wore danced in the sunlight. "I… often see the future, when I look at you directly." Huh? "It can be… bewildering."

"Does that happen with others?" Why would it happen with me? I was just a tactician of skill who was rapidly becoming aware of her limitations. How many mistakes now would've cost someone their life?

"Sometimes." Well, that made me feel a little better. "But not… every time…" Seriously? "You have so many different possible futures. Every time I blink, there is another one." …Okay, what in all the bloody hells? That made no sense! After this, I was just going to serve Etruria. I had been training for years for that goal. "That is why. I meant no offense."

"I'm not offended." I was just baffled. "Any commonality to them?" Were they all just different campaigns I'd be running?

"W-well…" She bit her lip, and I waited for her to answer. "Honestly, I see a lot of them where you're coughing a lot." …Coughing? "F-forgive me, that's all I would like to say." Something told me that coughing wasn't… you know… just something like 'choking on a laugh'. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"I asked, Ninian." I was just wondering what was going on. Why would she see so many futures? Why would so many of them involve 'coughing', presumably of some sort of illness? Was I going to catch a plague in the Western Isles or something? It was an exotic location, after all. Many soldiers ended up sick there. "You simply answered. Please, don't apologize for that." She nodded, slumping slightly. "I suppose I'm a bit relieved to learn, though, that I had not scared you."

"Oh, not at all!" She was definitely smiling. "If anything, I admire you." Huh? Wait, what? Hold up, in the short time we'd known each other, what did I do to deserve-?

"Ninian! Katri!" Lyn's call cut my thoughts short and both of us turned to look at her as she waved. "What are you two doing?" she laughed, picking her way out of the group to come towards us. "Come on! Sain is telling us stories from when he and Kent were in training under someone named Eagler and another person named Wallace." That did sound like-

"Lady Lyn!" Ninian? What was going on? "Please, don't move!" she shouted, to everyone's confusion. Uh… Ninian, what the…?

The answer was rather dramatic. A giant arrow thudded into the ground right in from of Lyn, close enough to actually graze her leg.

As the blood trickled down her leg and everyone stared in stunned silence, I walked over to inspect the arrow, not quite believing my eyes. "You have got to be kidding me." That was a ballista bolt. That was a ballista bolt. WHO THE HELL SENT OUT SIEGE WEAPONS AGAINST A SMALL GROUP LIKE THIS?! "Well, this is going to be interesting." THIS WAS UTTERLY BONKERS! "They have a ballista."

"What's a ballista?" Lyn asked, even as everyone else tossed the remains of the picnic to the side and gathered up their weapons. She poked the bolt still embedded in the dirty, hand trembling slightly. "A giant bow?"

"Not a bad mental image, though it is a gross oversimplification." I looked around the area, gritting my teeth as I realized there was no clear view of any enemies, much less the ballista. "Archers can choose to train in them." And I was rather mad Lundgren had access, even if I couldn't figure out why they would be used against such a small group.

"Oh." She fell silent, and I listened to the others get ready, checking weapons and counting arrows and pages. "If archers can use them…

"Ballista users literally train for a good portion of their lives to use them," I cut off, knowing what she was going to say. "No offense to Wil and Rath, but they have no training, and we don't have time for them to learn on the fly." Unless we were fighting a ridiculously large army where even an errant bolt was going to hit something.

"Okay." Glad she didn't sound offended I interrupted her. "…What's that in the sky?" I glanced up and hissed when I realized it was another bolt.

I snatched her arm and tugged us both back, grimacing when the bolt thudded into the ground again, not far from where we'd been standing. "Keep an eye on the skies during this fight." Ballista weren't known for having a lot of ammunition storage, but depending on how many they had, and how many bolts they had in reserve… "Go tell the others." Based on that arc, though, I'd guess we were just within range. If so, that gave me a little bit more to work with.

"Right!" And she was off. Glad she was willing to listen to me so quickly.

Sighing as I felt my head keen a little, I looked around and found Rath not too far away. "Rath?" He glanced at me, so I took it as an invitation to come over. "Sorry to ask, but do you happen to have more of that headache remedy?" I whispered, feeling more than a little embarrassed. I almost thought I saw him smile as he dug into his pack and handed me a ceramic jar not unlike the first one. "Thank you." Even as I took a sip of it, though, I was kicking myself for letting Matthew leave. Damn it… "Okay, Wil in the air, Florina keeping away from the ballista…" Something told me this was going to be a very, very long day.

The battle was going well, despite the siege weapon. Or, I should say, because of the siege weapon. There were so few of us that the ballista user had a much higher chance of hitting their own side, which they did a couple of times. Add in some convenient woods, and really, the ballista was a non-entity in the fight. Something was definitely, definitely going on. Damn the fact I couldn't see it.

"How is everyone?" I asked Wil. With Matthew absent, he was serving as my eyes, and the guard for Serra, Nils, Ninian, and myself. The non-combat horses were a bit further in the trees, tired securely. The five of us were perched on some of the higher branches. With Serra clinging to the trunk because she didn't tell me until we were up here that she was afraid of heights. I felt horrible about it.

"Lyn and Dorcas are pulling in the foot-soldiers, while Kent, Sain, and Rath are basically riding circles around the cavalry," he reported with a smile. I should be happy about hearing that, but I… I honestly couldn't help noticing how, from this distance, the armor the cavaliers were wearing was identical to what Kent and Sain wore. "Erk and Lucius have almost gotten all the archers." Now, hopefully, with all of them focused on them, they'd ignore the pegasus knight high, high up in the clouds. I hoped she could see the battle clearly, and I hoped she remembered her signal. "There are some injuries, but no one looks ready to fall over." That was only barely reassuring. "There!" Wil pointed at the magic suddenly glittering in the sky. Two fireballs with one lightning flash. All archers dead. So, if Florina was situated then…

I held my breath as I saw a white shape suddenly plummet from the clouds, terrified something would shoot her out of the sky. At those speeds, the fall would kill her. Even if by some miracle she were caught, it would likely kill her and the catcher. It had to go absolutely right, and there were so, so many things that could go wrong.

But she disappeared from sight, and I heard the terrified scream of people who'd been ambushed. She was inside the ballista range. They couldn't hurt her with them. And if they were unarmed, as was typical, then her only danger was from the guards. …Ha, 'only'. That was still a lot.

"Wil, remain on guard duty," I ordered. The others were charging ahead, following my strategy. I did not want Florina to be fighting alone for long. "I'll be heading out to see better." I glanced at Serra, and winced at how tight her grip was. "Help Serra down, will you?" He nodded and I turned to Nils. "You know the drill by now. Play at your discretion." Nils smiled at me. "Ninian, keep an eye on the horses." With that, I dropped down, swinging from branch to branch until I hit the ground. I was so glad Jono taught me how to quickly climb and descend from trees. I really was.

As fast as I could with my limp, I made my way to where the others were fighting, going through the plan in my head. After Florina hit, priority would be reaching her to make sure she wasn't overwhelmed. Dorcas would turn his attention to any armored knights, as his axe had an advantage to their lances. Lyn would take out any archers there, while Erk and Lucius would switch their focus to foot-soldiers. Kent, Sain, and Rath would stay on the cavalry. Simple, but simple often worked, so…

"Katri." Oh, Dorcas. What was he doing here? And I did not like the blood dripping from his shoulder and chest. Shallow injuries, thankfully, but they had to hurt. "The lance that armor knight is using," he began. When he hesitated, I simply waited. "It looks 'off'." What did he mean by that? "See?" He pointed the knight out, easy since they were standing apart from the fighting. "That one there."

It only took a second's look for me to figure out what he was talking about, and I cursed myself for not taking that possibility into account. "He's wielding an axereaver," I answered. Lances actually designed to combat axes. However, because of it, they traded off the advantages lances typically had over swords. "That's why it looks off." And didn't the stories of the Mani Katti say…? "Dorcas, switch places with Lyn." He nodded, unquestioning, and went to tell her. "Someone give me a report on those ballista!" I couldn't see from here. Not with all the horses in the way. Where was Florina? Was she all right?

"Katri!" There was Erk. I grimaced when I saw the blood dripping down his cheek. Serra was going to have her work cut out for her after this. "Last ballista is shut down," he told me. I nodded, not allowing myself to relax. "Florina took a bad hit to her side, but Serra says it's non-fatal." I see. "With permission, though, Lucius and I need to fall back." I almost asked why, but then I realized he was grey with exhaustion. Lucius was likely just as bad.

"Switch guard duty with Wil," I ordered. He nodded, and went off without another word. I focused on everyone else, grimacing as I saw the injuries. Kent and Sain seemed to be staying on their horses by sheer force of will, given the blood seeping from their leg and arm injuries. I couldn't help but wonder if their injuries were because the enemy had reaver weapons, something I hadn't accounted for. Rath's neck was bleeding sluggishly, though nowhere near anything that looked vital, and his arm was injured enough that his hand shook slightly as he aimed. And even from here, I could see the blood still dripping down Lyn's leg, even as she fought the leader. Though, she was doing well, thankfully, so I could try and find the others and… and did her sword just start glowing?

Not believing my eyes, I could only watch in awe as a misty light swirled around the blade, flickering like a candle's flame in the wind. But as Lyn swung, that gentle, unsteady light ripped through the knight's armor as if it were simple air, sliding into the cracks and burrowing deep.

By the time Lyn completed the swing, the knight's chest was nothing but crimson blotches. By the time she sheathed the sword, dissipating the light, the knight was flat on the ground, deader than stone. What the…? Holy… okay, anything and everything I might've thought about spirits… I greatly apologized for. Now.

Apparently, though, that knight had been the leader of the group. With them dead, the rest of the attacking force fled, and that led to quickly everyone grouping up to make it easier on a still pale, but stubbornly determined Serra to assess injuries. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw half of Wil's face was bloodstained, but it was due to a pair of cuts to his forehead that bled a lot. Ninian, Serra, and Nils had thankfully escaped injury, but Nils was teetering even where he stood. Though he looked better than Lucius. I could pick out the individual veins in his face, and I made him lean against Florina once she was cleared. This was just bad. And to top it off, looking at the armor of the fallen, I was almost certain…

"Permission to speak?" Kent asked wearily. I nodded, biting back the urge to ask how he was. I could tell just by looking; He and Sain both had to lean against their horses to stand. Yeah, there was no way I was letting them ride for a couple of days, even if Serra deemed the wounds safe for staff healing. "Have you noticed, Lady Katri?" Kent, I didn't like how serious you sounded. "Our opponents were soldiers of Caelin." Especially when you confirmed that observation of mine. "I recognized some of those we fought. I trained with many of them." And here everyone was. Injured and fleeing, or dead and rotting.

"They're blackhearted traitors who joined Lundgren," Sain growled. Okay, note to self. Anyone that threatens Kent and Lyn meets a very angry Sain. "Good riddance. Less resistance at the castle too." But this had been a sizable force. Either Caelin had a lot of soldiers or something was just wrong. There couldn't be such a sizable percentage of traitors, right?

"Whoa, I missed a lot, huh?" It took all my willpower to not glower at Matthew as he came racing up. I knew it wasn't his fault, but I still couldn't help but feel aggravated. "If you're wondering why I'm so late, the village I went to decided to lock their gates tight, so I had to find another way out," he explained. I just sighed. "I also come baring gifts?" He held up, to my infinite surprise, elixirs, along with bandages and other various useful healing things. Including what looked to be a mend staff for Serra. "Based on what I heard, I figured they might be useful." I honestly wondered if he stole them. I also honestly didn't care if that was the case. "Along with a couple of interesting and hilarious-"

"Matthew," I interrupted. He glanced at me as he handed everything over. "Please, just give your information. For once, I'm the only one not injured, exhausted, or both."

"I'd argue you're both, given the arrow wound." I did glower then and he waved his hand. "Yes, yes, information for the Lady Wolf." …Lady Wolf? Where did that…? Oh, wait a second, didn't he call me a wolf when comparing me to Hector? …HEY! "That's a great look!" He flashed a grin, but dropped it for serious eyes. I'd get him later. "Firstly, let me confirm that Marquess Hausen is still alive." I heard a breath of relief from just about everyone. "I went into town to get more information about his illness." And? "He really is unwell, been abed for nigh on three months." That would be… half a month less than how long Kent and Sain would've been away from Caelin. "I heard an interesting rumor, though." Having an idea of what he'd say next, I gripped Lyn's shoulder reassuringly. "The people believe their beloved marquess is being poisoned." Lyn immediately paled, and I held her steady. "Now, everyone is too afraid to mention a name, but…"

"But Lundgren has been seizing power left and right since then, so they know it has to be him." I almost sighed. This was so typical. "And the loyal retainers who might've helped amplify the whispers of the common people to something that can be used in court are nowhere to be found."

"Correct." Stereotypical as hell. "But that's actually not the worst news." Oh? …Oh, I had a really bad feeling suddenly. "There's this certain story that Lundgren will tell all who will listen. An imposter, claiming to be the marquess's granddaughter, helped by two treacherous knights." Kent and Sain both looked like something knocked the breath from them. "I'm sure you can figure it out from there."

"…He's sending for reinforcements from the neighboring provinces, isn't he?" Matthew nodded. "Son of a bitch, that's actually bloody clever, much as I hate to admit it."

"Might be able to punch a hole through it," Matthew pointed out. "If there is any physical proof of Lyn's lineage…"

"If… if there was, the Taliver would have it," Lyn whispered. I rubbed her back as I saw her shaking. "He… is saying I'm an imposter? That I'm lying?" …I really needed to ask someone about Sacaeans and lies. She looked devastated by it.

"And to use Lady Lyndis's resemblance would only lead to people saying we found a look-alike," Kent sighed. He winced as he rolled his shoulder. "Our word means nothing. We will have to get to our lord in order to prove ourselves."

"Damn him." Sain, you just summed up everyone's thoughts. "To twist the story this much, and deny our lord happiness," he growled. "Should we push ahead?" Are you serious?

"There's going to be patrols all over the damn place," I reminded. Everyone drooped. "Just… give me a moment to think, everyone. Please." It was flattering and almost heartbreaking how everyone nodded and smiled so reassuringly at me. All this trust… did I really deserve it?

But still, what could I do? Think, tactician. There was a job. Think. The most important thing was to try and head off those reinforcements. Trying to avoid all the patrols would simply do nothing, if we had to watch everywhere for enemies. Think, think, think. Anything, any little thread that I could just pull. What things did I know? We were in Caelin. We were in Lycia. We had Lundgren being stupidly clever, and dragging… the other provinces in a…

Lycian provinces had a vow to not interfere in internal affairs. Lundgren had spun it so that it didn't seem like an internal affair. I just needed to counter that story. Lyn couldn't do it, not in the time we had. But I knew two that could.

"Matthew." He glanced at me, straightening at my serious tone. "Will Eliwood and Hector still be in Kathelet?" I asked him, looking him right in the eye. I heard a couple of murmurs in confusion, but this wasn't the time for anyone to play games.

He knew it too. "Providing you ride fast, you should," he answered easily. He pointed to the sky. "Weather might prove troublesome, though, so you'd have to leave now."

"Very well." I turned to Lyn, who still looked pale, but her jaw was set stubbornly. "You willing to take that offer of help?" I asked her. She nodded without even hesitating. "Then get ready to ride." She bolted for the horses, checking the saddles, and as I looked over everyone, I realized something dreadful. I had to go with her. The only other people here who could explain what was going on were Kent and Sain, both injured and couldn't ride fast. And to ride two on a horse might slow us down too much. "Pack anything extraneous with the others, Lyn. You and I will ride ahead of everyone." I was sick. I was going to be so, so sick. But it had to be done! "The rest of you will rest for the day and then make your way back to Kathelet. Kent, you're in charge." I passed him my pack. It was too heavy for me to take. I almost laughed when he grunted at the weight. "Matthew, Wil, Rath, make sure to keep track of enemies. Florina, do not fly unless there's no choice. Serra, keep everyone healthy. Erk and Lucius, help her make sure everyone is a good patient." Rattling off. That way I didn't have to think. "Dorcas and Sain, you're in charge, specifically, of guarding Ninian and Nils." Had to do this. Had to do this. "Rearrange items now." And everyone moved.

"Will you be all right?" I glanced down to see Erk at my side. He frowned in worry, and I knew why. He was well aware of my fear. "You're going to… I mean…" I smiled, and ruffled his hair, but I couldn't actually answer him as I walked to the horses, each step so heavy. It didn't matter if I would be all right or not. I just had to do it.

"Here." Reins in front of my face. I blinked slowly before realizing Rath was handing me them. More to the point, they were the reins for his horse. "She's intelligent," he said, pressing them into my hands. "She'll know to follow Lyn. You'll just have to focus on staying on." Which, honestly, would be a feat onto itself. But…

"She's yours, though." Ah, my voice was already a croak. My mouth was so dry, and if I had the energy, I'd be shaking. "She's important to you, yes?"

"Which is why I know she'll adapt if you fall into a panic." Yes, but…

"Why are you willing to help me this much?" Let's focus there.

"…Because you need someone to." Eh? "And it is rare I see someone not of the Sacae go through so much to help one of the plains." Ahaha… ha… "I'll help you up."

"…Thank you…" I hoped he heard me. I think he did as he helped me swing up and settle into the saddle, noting he'd removed the saddlebags to lighten the load. Lyn was already mounted, talking quickly and quietly to Sain and Kent. I focused on that instead of how high up I was. "Everyone, stay safe!" I made my voice light, teasing, even though I really just wanted to faint. "I will be most vexed if anyone gets grievously hurt." Time to be extra teasing. "I mean it, Sain."

"Why me?!" he groaned, sparking a laugh from the tired group. "Alack, alay! Woe is me, to bear the scorn of the Lady Moon!" Yeah, yeah. "…Stay safe too."

"We will," Lyn promised. She glanced at me, and I nodded, hoping she didn't see how tense I was, or how tightly I gripped the reins. I had to do this. "We're off." And both the horses surged into a terrifying gallop that nearly made me scream. I bit my lip to keep quiet, and used the pain to keep my vision a little steadier. I wouldn't falter. Not here. I refused to leave this job half-done. No matter what.

Notes on Ballista

· Long-range artillery weapon that require extensive archery skill and knowledge of physics to use properly.

· Like normal bows, there are many variations, such as 'iron' and 'killer' with differing strengths and weaknesses. Typically, though, all share the weakness of not being able to fire at close ranges.

· As they are siege weaponry, it's very rare for them to be deployed, and not a lot areas even HAVE them. Just our luck Caelin is one of the few who do.

Author's note: Well, we're getting very close to the end of Lyn's tale now. I really am mean to Katri sometimes, aren't I? No, I do not get why they went with 'oh, it is just a giant bow, right?' to justify your very-untrained-in-siege-weaponry knowing how to use ballista. As such, I will not have them use them.

Next Chapter – Interlude, Kathelet