Chapter 37

Afiona stole a second to glance down at the battlefield before looking back to the boy under her hands. His blood surged against her fingers as she battled to stem the flow. His pale eyes stared sightlessly upwards at what would be a beautiful late summer sky, unaware of her attempts to save him as he slipped out of her grasp.

Releasing her grip she sagged against the cot for a second before straightening. The dull throb of the headache that never left flashed into a blinding pain as she looked down at the blood that oozed sluggishly from the wound now that his heart no longer beat.

Wiping her hair from her eyes she stood and looked around to find another patient waiting for her hands. Washing quickly but thoroughly she moved to their side, this time a young woman Afiona had spoken to not a week earlier about her home in northern Valdemar. The woman's eyes were blessedly closed and she wasn't screaming like so many others. Afiona gently lifted the makeshift bandage someone had pressed to her shoulder and winced at the damage underneath. All that held her arm in place was some muscle.

Afiona gestured one of the other healers over. "Remove her arm and cauterize the wound." She ordered dully. "And see about getting the dead out of here."

The older man nodded and took Afiona's place as Afiona moved on again. The coppery smell of blood made her want to gag and summoned up half forgotten memories. Pushing the thoughts away she knelt next to the next patient, a Herald.

"Don't touch me!" She shouted and batted at Afiona's hands. Her grief grated on Afiona's worn nerves. "He's gone!"

Afiona took a moment to touch her shoulder and offer what sympathy she could. "Lie down."

The woman was sobbing as she collapsed back.

"Mama-Afi?" One of the young Healers knelt next to her. "What do we do about the Heralds who've lost Companions?"

Afiona sat back on her heels. "If they aren't dead already the psychic shock will carry them off soon." She said as she stood. "Let their friends comfort them and try to ease their physical pain."

"We can't just ignore their injuries." He protested.

Afiona wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek with her blood-blackened sleeve. "Don't argue with me." She said wearily. "Just use your gifts where they will do the most good."

"But we could save her!" He protested.

Afiona grabbed his arm and used her empathy to show him exactly what the Herald was feeling. "We can't."

He staggered back and stared at her for a long second before hurrying away.

Afiona knelt again next to the young Herald. "Look at me." She said softly.

The Herald turned her head, her eyes blood shot and empty. Afiona wasn't certain whether she saw her or just her Companion's dead body.

"I understand." Afiona said softly and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Afiona." She sobbed brokenly and buried her head in her arms. "He's dead."

Afiona stroked her hair away from her face. "He's not gone, he's waiting for you. You can still wield a sword, go help the others protect Valdemar as long as you can."

The Herald nodded and stood slowly and limped from the tent. Afiona prayed no one stopped the Herald as she moved on.

Around her other Healers moved in grim determination among the wounded she couldn't even fit inside the tents.

Closing her eyes briefly she watched the battle as if she was standing among them.

"Afiona?" Leander touched her arm making her jump. "You're going to drop if you keep this up, just stick to bandaging for a while."

Afiona shook her head and brushed off his hand. "Start moving them into the mess tents and have those who can start ripping up sheets to use to bind splints."

Leander stopped her again, this time forcing her to face him. "You aren't all powerful, you are going to have to stop before you drop."

"The longer you sit here and argue with me the more they are slipping away from us." Afiona pulled herself free and went to the next untended cot.

Daric was in the Companion Barn watching everything and lending her what power he could. She watched through his eyes as well as her own as she tended both the Companions and the humans. In the back of her mind she could feel his concern but she knew he could feel her determination and conviction that if she faltered the ones paying the price wouldn't be her.

Faces blurred together in an endless parade of pain, blood and death as she worked until she realized that the tide of wounded was ebbing and the battle was over for the day at least. She could hear the survivors celebrating their survival of another day or drinking to forget fallen friends. There were never any such celebrations among the Healers. They were too busy trying to save the fallen friends to stop and mourn those they couldn't save.

Afiona stopped and watched her Healers for a moment, trying to spot any sign of weakness. Poor food, little sleep, and constant use of their Gifts were weighing on them all. None had so much as an ounce of fat left and all had dark shadows under their eyes.

"Healer Afiona?" One of the older Healers touched her shoulder hesitantly.

"How many more are coming?" Afiona asked.

"We have to search the battlefield." He said. "We won't know until after that."

"Find Olgi and the other riders while you're at it and make certain their alright." Afiona ordered. "They did well today."

"Well is an understatement." He agreed. "You should be."

Afiona looked around and spotted one of the dogs that hung about the camp and called him over. :Can you help us?: She asked.

The dog wagged his tail and barked. :Help? I help.:

:We need to find those who are alive down there.: Afiona pointed to the battlefield and the strewn bodies. :Can you smell them?:

He sniffed the air and barked again. :I will find.:

"He'll lead you to survivors." Afiona said as she tied the bright yellow scarf she always wore about her waist around the dog's neck so he'd be more visible to his followers. "And take a couple horses. If the Karsites make any move towards you mount up and high tail it out of the way."

The Healer nodded and led the dog away.

Afiona headed for the tents when Leander stopped her again.

"We have it under control." He said firmly. "Get some rest or you'll be no use to anybody."

Afiona sighed tiredly. "I'll check the Companions first."

"Then you'll rest?" He pressed.

"Yes." Afiona promised even though resting was the last thing she wanted to do. Her nightmares were back full force only they weren't just warped childhood memories, now they were merged with the endless wounded and the war. Every time she tried to sleep Daric was forced to wake her to keep her from wandering and wasting her energy.

In the Barn she found her healers performing admirably and only had to correct them in a few places. Unless these Companions lost their Chosen they would recover.

"You look like death." Stef observed as she left the barn.

Afiona shrieked and grabbed the door for support. She had been so absorbed by her thoughts she hadn't noticed him leaning against the doorframe.

"Come on, you need to get some sleep." Stef said as he took her arm and half led, half dragged her to her little cottage.

"Been talking to Leander?" She asked as she shed the bloodied greens and collapsed on her bed.

"No. I don't need to be a Healer to see how hard you're working yourself." Stef placed her chair next to the bed. "I figure you're lucky to get four candlemarks of sleep in a day."

Afiona couldn't protest, he was right. "So what are you going to do?"

Stef grinned crookedly and picked up the lute he had probably placed there earlier. Before Afiona could protest he started a lullaby the sent her tumbling into blessed darkness.

It was dark when she woke up from a blessedly dreamless sleep to hear raised voices.

"One more step and you'll be wearing my lute as a hat." Stefen threatened.

"I am going to speak to her, bard, no matter what you do so you may as well move." Seviot ordered imperiously.

Afiona growled into her pillow and wondered which speech she was about to be subjected to; the 'the real healers are over at the tents while you sit here doing nothing' speech, the 'if you're so tired you should leave and let Healer Leander take over as the Senior Healer for the camp', or his favorite 'you're a disgrace to your greens' speech.

Standing she pulled on a clean but stained pair of greens, she didn't have any that were unstained now, and opened the door. "Don't waste your lute." She advised Stef who was leaning against the door jam.

"It's not my good lute." Stef pointed out earning a slight smile from Afiona.

Afiona shook her head. "He's still not worth it." She stepped around Stef and strode past Seviot towards the barn on her way back to the tents.

"She's right." Stef said and Afiona heard a thump. Spinning about she saw Stef looking innocent and Seviot doubled over.

"Bardic immunity." Stef drawled.

"I can't believe you hit him!" Afiona exclaimed, aghast at Stef's actions.

Stef shrugged. "Someone had to do it. Out of curiosity, do you think idiot and Seviot rhyme?"

Afiona shook her head in disbelief as she resumed her path to the barn. Stef quickly followed.

"You're going to make things worse." Afiona protested.

"Hardly. There aren't many sitting on the fence when it comes to you and most think you are a talented young woman who didn't deserve the rumors that were hurled at her." Stef pointed out. "Did I tell you that I tracked down a source of the worst of the rumors?"

Afiona stopped. "Why did you bother?"

"Hey, it wasn't just me that was curious. But are you aware that our friend Seviot has been the worst of the ones speaking against you? He's had it in for you since before he arrived here. You have several of his students here and all remember him pointing at you as an example of the odd bad Healer. Many of the teachers remember him speaking ill of you as well." Stef explained. "And before you say I shouldn't meddle, that's what bards do, find the heart of the story."

Afiona looked back at Seviot who was leaning against her door jam trying to catch his breath. "You aren't going to make this a song." Afiona said. "It's not romantic or exciting."

"A fair damsel being torment by a human toad? With a little imagination this could become a good ballad." Stef said thoughtfully. "Change the names of course, maybe Fiona and the Idiot. Think the listeners could identify you from that?"

Afiona rolled her eyes. "I have work to do."

"I thought the night shift was still Shain's." Stef commented.

"We all pitch in when we can." Afiona reminded him. "Speaking of pitching in, would you mind singing for the Companions?"

"Why do you Healers think everybody wants to work themselves to death like you?" Stef asked in exasperation.

"Because you offered." Afiona pointed out. "And since there are several Heralds hanging about there you can probably dig up a story or two about 'just' Heralds. I keep the other healers off your back, don't I?"

"For which I am grateful, I'm tired of being studied like a specimen." Stefen groused. "I'll get my gittern and play in the barn I guess. You do remember I'm a master bard, I could be playing for kings."

Afiona laughed at his mock-injured attitude. "Wasn't it you who was saying that an uncritical crowd was better than playing at court? They won't expect you to make small talk or play any court games and you can just lose yourself in your music."

Stef's eyes grew distant and smile tugged at his lips. Afiona had seen him disappear into his music before and how much more relaxed he was afterwards. "See you around later." He promised as he turned off towards his tent and other instruments leaving Afiona to continue her duties alone.

----

Shain sighed and shook his head when he found Afiona with the wounded Heralds, again. As far as he was concerned Afiona was showing more and more Heraldic traits, such as the inability to tell anyone who asked for her help 'no'. She was called to the Lord Marshall at all hours and always came back worse for wear. She worked longer and harder than pretty much anybody else with complete disregard for shifts or any of the rules she laid out for the others, such as regular meals or going to sleep after shifts. She was powerful, astonishingly so, he had seen wounds seal before his eyes, but to keep up such a pace would run her into the ground sooner rather than later.

"Hey, Mama-Afi. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" He asked lightly.

Afiona looked over her shoulder at him. "Playing mother hen again?" She asked just as lightly.

"Someone has to or you'd never stop." Shain pointed out. He held out a hand to help her up. When she accepted it he was startled to find it cool to the touch.

She missed the brief frown on his face as he helped her up and released her hand.

"Why don't you go lie down in the office tent? No one else is there at the moment and you're close if we need you." Shain suggested.

Afiona looked around. Almost everyone was sleeping, including the Herald she was just tending. "Why does everyone think I need to lie down?"

"Because you look tired." Shain pointed out.

"That, boy-healer, is stress." Afiona corrected him. "I just woke up actually."

"Then I have the previous shifts list of necessary supplies along with my own, and I have a stack of 'return to Haven' forms for you to sign." Shain started towards her office tent. There she found the promised stack of forms along with more lists.

"What are these?" Afiona asked as she picked up a list of names that she didn't recognize.

"Those are the dead. You have to tell the various officers so they can write their families and explain why their wonderful child is dead." Shain explained grimly. "I know they used to be able to keep track on their own, but now there are so many we have to make yet another list."

Afiona flopped down in her chair and studied the lists. "I don't envy them that chore."

"Who in their right mind would?" Shain asked as he sat on the other chair and propped his feet up on the corner of the desk. "I envy them sometimes. They don't stay behind and wait for the leftovers of war, they go and actually make a difference. Sometimes I actually consider taking up my sword again and joining them."

"You can fight?" Afiona asked in surprise.

"My father had all of us taught." Shain explained. "Including my two sisters. I kept it up because it's good exercise. I'm not that bad actually."

"The way I see it, if you were on the battlefield you wouldn't be able to Heal here." Afiona pointed out. "So is taking the lives of Karsites more important to you than saving the lives of your fellow Valdemarans?"

"That's a low blow, Mama-Afi." Shain complained. "You know exactly how a Healer will answer, saving lives is always more important."

Afiona started sorting her desk into piles of 'do now', 'do as soon as possible' and 'probably never get done'. "You shouldn't think of them as the leftovers of war."

"How about fertilizer then? Their blood is going to feed that field for years to come." Shain picked up one of her the lists from the 'probably never get done' pile. "All because Karse thinks we're a bunch of demon loving mages when we haven't had a mage for half a decade."

"From what I understand the Prophet needs an outside enemy to rally the people and solidify his position." Afiona said. "To distract them from the Fires and hangings."

"What exactly is he the prophet of? Death and disaster?" Shain asked acidly.

Afiona propped her own feet on the desk and leaned back. "You don't need to be a prophet to do that. I think he's just a power hungry, charismatic man who is now in charge of all of Karse's mages."

"I thought they killed all the mages." Shain said in confusion.

"All, except those in the priesthood. Thankfully there aren't many and they haven't been able to stay inside our borders long enough to make trouble. Even when we retreat they can't enter the occupied land without going mad." Afiona had seen enough of them run screaming back across the border to know it wasn't a fluke. "They think it's because the land is tainted by us 'demon worshippers'."

"Remind me to thank the demons then." Shain chuckled but stopped abruptly when he saw she wasn't amused. "Oh, come on, it's not like they're real."

"Trust me. They are." Afiona insisted. "And the Karsites are using them. Not all are big drooling monsters, some you can't even see but you can feel. Thankfully those have been kept on their side of the border."

"How do you know?" Shain asked.

"I've felt them before. I was young but it's not something you'll ever forget." Afiona said with a slight shudder.

"Right, your family was mostly mages." Shain said thoughtfully. "Too bad you aren't. We could really use a mage here."

"No, we don't." Afiona corrected him. "We just have to learn to use what we have. Farseers are nearly impossible to detect, unlike scrying. Fetchers can reach through most mage born shields."

"Then why can't they do anything now?" Shain challenged.

"They probably have someone with powerful mind gifts shielding us out." Afiona knew for a fact they did, she was having a demon of a time trying to get a lock on that particular priest because he was so well shielded. Either that or he felt nothing. She had heard of people who had no emotions, they were considered incredibly dangerous because they were completely unpredictable.

"So even if we did know how to use them properly they'd still be useless." Shain complained. "All the other side needs is one strong person to shield them out."

"Gifts that strong in that number are incredibly rare. We're talking about someone with Herald Vanyel's strength and variety of Gifts and he was unmatched by anyone in the records. They have to be young or they would have faced him before this." Afiona immediately knew she said too much and bit her lip to keep from cursing aloud.

Shain dropped his feet of the desk and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "One person whose probably come into his powers since Vanyel's death? How hard is he to find and stop?"

"Very hard obviously." Afiona picked up the lists of the dead. "I have to get going."

Shain stood. "So do I. I'll talk to you again before I find a corner to sleep in."

"Don't overwork." Afiona reminded him as he left the tent.

"Take your own advice." Shain called back over his shoulder.

Afiona made certain she had all the necessary lists, both of the wounded and the dead so the officers could figure out who was missing, before she left the tent and hurried down the long rows of tents to locate the officers.

----

Afiona gasped softly as she came back to herself and opened her eyes to find the Lord Marshall was hovering over her eagerly.

"Well?"

"They are going to try to slip men up through the forest to get at us from behind." Afiona said grimly. She had finally learned what all those little marks on the maps meant, which made her task easier to do, but harder to bear. Now it wasn't just Heralds who were at higher risk because of what she saw, there were also Valdemaran and Karsite soldiers.

The pronouncement was met with a flurry of accusations over who had chosen the spot and demands of what was to be done.

Jisa alone noticed Afiona stand and walk slowly from the tent and quickly followed.

"Don't you want to know what they're going to plan?" Jisa asked.

"No, not really." Afiona said as she walked back towards the woods. "If I listen to one more casualty estimate I will shove the tent poles down their throats."

Jisa chuckled and fell into step next to her. "I know what you mean."

Afiona stopped and turned to face her. "Do me a favor, go back to them and leave me alone."

Jisa stepped back in surprise at Afiona's request. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Afiona bit off as she started walking again. This time Jisa didn't follow.

At the edge of the forest she stopped and looked back at the camp. These weren't the tents of the soldiers but those of civilians. She leaned back against a tree and glared down at the camp and beyond at the Karsite camp.

She hadn't even had a chance to go to Lance since he left, instead she spent what energy she could spare comforting Nico.

:You have me to talk to.: Daric reminded her.

Afiona smiled as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the tree. :Where are you?:

:Behind you actually.: Daric snorted making her jump.

Turning she found him standing just a few feet behind her. :Something as big as you should not be so quiet.: She grumbled.

:I'll try to be louder in the future.: Daric said with half hearted amusement. :Are you alright?:

:You live in my head, what do you think?: Afiona snapped.

:I think you're in a bad mood.: Daric lowered his head so she could scratch his ears. :Perfectly understandable of course.:

:Mia was brought in today.: Afiona said as she found the itchy spot behind one of his ears. :An arrow.:

:I heard. How's she doing?: Daric asked.

:She'll survive but she's not a good patient. Constantly complaining or trying to sneak out. Shain tied a bell on her cot so we'd hear it when she moved. Just a couple inches up and it would have been her lung and she would have drowned in her own blood before we could have reached her.: Afiona rested her cheek on his neck. :Olgi was injured when they shot her horse out from under her. Have you ever tried to keep a healer in bed when there are injured she could be tending? It's not easy.:

:About as easy as keeping a Herald in a bed I suppose.: Daric commented. :What about your spying?:

:Lately I've been watching the officer's tents, reading their maps and reporting what I see which is a lot better than what I could be watching. But I still haven't found whoever it is that's blocking the others. You'd think he'd be with the officers and commanders.: Afiona griped.

:Maybe he's like you and has what seems to be an alternate reason to be there.: Daric suggested.

:Well, he'd have to be a priest and they are rather easy to spot by their robes if not their religious zealotry.: Afiona pointed out.

:Unless he joined them simply to save his own skin.: Daric pointed out. :It's the only safe place for the gifted over there.:

:But he'd still be wearing robes and I should be able to sense the drain on him. But Mages can draw on outside power, like my father drew on the rest of the family, so if he's a mage I won't sense it unless he raises power using blood magic.: Afiona groaned. :My head hurts now.:

:So does mine.: Daric sighed. :I'm sure you'll figure it out who they are eventually. For now focus on what you can do.:

Afiona stared down at the tents flying the bright green pennants. :Like heal? Not that it seems to be doing any good.:

:Like go talk to Nico. I want to know what mischief he's been up to.: Daric suggested.

Afiona smiled slightly as she settled comfortably and fell into another trance.

:Mama-Afi!: Nico greeted her enthusiastically.

:Hey sweetie, are you being good?: Afiona asked.

:Almost.: Nico assured her making her laugh. :I play with Lista and blankie. And I got stories today.:

:What story?: She prodded.

Nico happily regaled her with every minute detail of his day. Afiona's heart twisted as she listened, wishing she were there to actually see everything. She was careful not to let Nico sense her emotions or he'd probably come running back to her.

Nico finally reached the end of his recount with :...And then you came and talked to me.:

:Sounds like a full day.: Afiona commented. :I'm glad you're having fun.:

:Are you helping the hurted people?: Nico asked.

:Yes.: Afiona answered, hoping he wouldn't decide to come down and help.

:That's good.: Nico said with a mental sigh. :Come home soon.:

:I'll try, baby.: Afiona promised. :I have to go now. And you need to get back to sleep.:

:Love you.: Nico said sad that the conversation was ending.

:I love you, too, sweetling.: Afiona answered as she dropped the connection and opened her eyes.

The eastern horizon was starting to color with the promise of another warm day.

"Blast it." Afiona scrambled to her feet. :We have to get out of here.:

:What? Why?: Daric asked in confusion.

:Because they were going to attack at dawn.: Afiona explained as she jogged away from the trees and towards the tents.

:Ah, you need to get the Healers ready, a pep speech and all that.: Daric said as he trotted after her.

:No, they are going to attack back here this morning.: Afiona explained.

:Oh.: Daric paused and looked back at the shadow shrouded trees. :Then what on earth were you thinking sitting back here!:

:I was thinking this time they are attacking civilians.: Afiona snapped as she stopped and looked back. :Do you see them?:

Around her people were trickling out of their tents. Many had probably already left to tend their duties but many more were probably still abed, sleeping until their shift came.

:Did they move any soldiers up here?: Afiona demanded of Daric.

:No, there is no way they could do it unseen. The area is too open. They're down the hill a ways or in the trees themselves.: Daric said after a brief hesitation where he consulted the other Companions.

:Which means they didn't remove the civilians or else they'd be seen.: Afiona grumbled.

Daric consulted the others again. :They plan on intercepting them before they get close enough to cause damage.:

:Idiots.: Afiona cursed. Reaching out she touched every mind within the tents and jerked them awake and impressed upon them the need to get down the hill. :The cursed, thrice damned, idiots!:

Daric couldn't help but agree. :What're you thinking?:

:That they are getting so desperate to win that they are willing to sacrifice these people to gain the element of surprise.: Afiona snarled.

:I'm sure they have a plan for protecting them.:

Afiona threaded her fingers through his mane and closed her eyes. Daric was familiar with the routine and stood stock-still.

:What are you doing?: Daric asked.

:Getting rid of them before they become a threat.: Afiona said as she used her Farsight to locate the well hidden Karsites. She wouldn't have noticed them if not for the fear of two of their youngest members.

:Now what?: Daric asked. :Are you going to alert the Heralds near there?: Daric asked.

Afiona watched them for several moments, they had probably been huddling there all night. :They aren't far from here, and there is only ten, there was supposed to be thirty.:

:Maybe they've already had a run in with some of our men.: Daric suggested.

:Or there are two other groups. Can you relay to the Heralds that they are most likely looking for three groups of ten?: Afiona studied them for a few more minutes. :Those boys are nearly scared to death.:

:Those older ones are watching you.: Daric observed. :Let's get you out of here.:

Afiona refused to leave her trance. :Let me try something first. They have been ordered to take no prisoners and those boys are too young to even be in the army.:

:Afiona...: Daric said hesitantly.

Afiona Looked around and located a young buck who was unaware of how close he was to humans and charged him towards the tight knot of men. The loud crashing panicked the two boys and all it took was a gentle 'nudge' from her to have them flee straight into the camp while the others turned and attacked the deer. The noise was enough to alert the searchers.

Both boys, perhaps fifteen, slammed to a halt when they realized they had broken cover and stood there quivering with fear and uncertainty.

Afiona opened her eyes and smiled at them. "Lost?" She asked in Karsite.

They looked at each other and stared at her.

:Now what are you planning?: Daric asked.

Afiona stepped away from him to walk up the hill to the boys, the entire time she projected an air of peace and calm. The boys responded so readily she suspected they might be gifted, or perhaps just had potential. "Are you two alright?"

They each reached for their weapons but hesitated and let their hands fall away. Behind them the others in their party had given up all attempts at silence and were fighting for their lives.

Afiona stopped five feet from them and waited to see how they'd react.

"We should fight." One hissed.

"She's a woman!" The other protested.

"We can't surrender. They will torture us!" The first boy protested.

"Hardly." Afiona chuckled. "You must be hungry."

Turning she started walking down the hill, leaving them to follow.

:The Lord Marshall is going to have kittens when he hears about this.: Daric observed. :I want to be there when he hears.:

The boys followed a few feet behind her watching absolutely everything.

Afiona led them straight to the Healers mess tent where breakfast was being served. They were stared at as she handed each of them a plate and told them to fill it. There was always plenty of food in this tent, she had demanded it from the Lord Marshall after the last battle had left her Healers badly drained, so the boys didn't even make a noticeable dent in the piles of food. She led them to a corner where they could have their backs to the wall and the promptly started devouring the food.

"I imagine those army rations are pretty horrible." Afiona observed.

Both boys nodded.

"Uh, Mama-Afi, should I ask?" Shain said from behind her.

Afiona looked over her shoulder at him. "I found some hungry boys."

"But..." Shain looked at them then down at her. "But they're Karsite."

"They're boys." Afiona corrected.

Both stared up at Shain with mixtures of fear and defiance.

"Out of curiosity, do you know how to test for gifts?" Afiona asked.

"Of course, I was taught at the Collegium. Why?" Shain asked suspiciously.

"Do you need to touch them?" Afiona asked.

"No, it's just much more difficult if you don't. Why?" Shain asked again.

"Could you please test them?" Afiona asked, still not answering his question.

Shain's eyes became unfocused and he swayed slightly. Finally he blinked rapidly and looked down at Afiona. "Leave to you to find a couple budding Gifted. The one on the right looks like Farsight and the one on the left looks like a mindspeaker primarily."

They were staring at both of them worriedly and unable to understand their speech.

"Good thing we found them before they were discovered. The priests must be too busy." She turned back to the boys. "Eat up, then we'll see about some clean clothing and rest."

"Why?" The taller of the two asked. "I mean why are you being so nice to us Ma'am."

"Because you need it." Afiona said as she continued to eat. "Shain, if you could find them some clothing..."

"Sure, no problem, anything else I can do while I'm at it? Anything, so long as I get to see you defend your decision." He grinned as he walked away.