"…are we really camping?" Clara asked for the third time.

"Do you really trust any of the accommodations in that town?" Ludmila replied.

"Well, no," Clara admitted, "but sleeping out here does not seem much safer…"

The place that Ludmila had selected was a ridge which rose a few hundred metres distant from the highway, approximately two kilometres from the walls of Fassett Town. The flat, windswept hilltop had a cliff on one side overlooking the lights of the distant buildings below, and both north and south approaches of the highway could be clearly observed from their vantage. The carriages were arranged in a perimeter on one side of the camp, and the servants in their entourage were busily working to erect tents and barricades according to Ludmila's directions as she oversaw the establishment of a defensible position.

The four young noblewomen stood looking out over the cliff towards the town as they discussed amongst themselves.

"It will be, once we are done entrenching ourselves," Ludmila said. "Those prices were ridiculous, as well – I could have us living out here for a year with what they charge for a week. I don't think any of us would have liked to stay in town anyways; I can still taste whatever that was in the air. At least here we command our surroundings."

The twelve footmen and six drivers were divided into three watches to cover all the hours of the day. It was not unlike organizing a patrol, so when she started to issue instructions after their arrival, everyone had quickly deferred to Ludmila's apparent expertise. The maids which had accompanied them had set about making the site more comfortable with mixed degrees of enthusiasm: some viewed it with an excited sense of adventure, while others were reluctant at the idea of sleeping out in the 'wilderness'.

Liane and Florine were a part of the latter group, having been raised in their luxurious city manors and travelling in similarly comfortable conditions. Clara, who had been exposed to House Zahradnik since childhood, had at least been dragged out several times on childhood adventures over the years – though their present surroundings were markedly more dangerous than the impromptu romps with Ludmila and their brothers through the well-managed vineyards and woodlands in Corelyn Barony.

"These are the best footmen between your households, aren't they?" Ludmila said, "We should be fine; they seem at least as proficient as the best of the city militia."

Two of the men patrolling the perimeter nearby straightened as her voice drifted over them.

"They are," Clara replied, "but what if a mob is roused against us?"

"Lady Shalltear sent three of her servants to accompany us as well," Ludmila said. "I'm confident that the footmen can fulfil their assignments – Lady Shalltear's servants will deal with any large, hostile groups should the need arise."

She had spent the better part of the previous night speaking with Lady Shalltear about her new duties, and they had parted in the early hours in the morning. Three Shadow Demons appeared at the foot of her bed shortly after, just as she was drifting off to sleep. Her Talent allowed her to see them clearly even as they lurked in the darkness and they wouldn't leave her alone; the unfamiliar and eerie presences had her give up on sneaking in an hour or two of rest before departing E-Rantel.

"So you really did tell her…" Florine's amber eyes reflected the light of the campfire along with her apprehension, "We were supposed to keep this out of the Royal Court's notice, weren't we?"

"My liege will not be informing the rest of the Royal Court," Ludmila reassured her. "Not until we make our attempt at resolving this issue ourselves. We should be here for the next week or so, yes? Perhaps we can convince one or both of them by then."

"I guess…" Liane shifted in her mantle as they watched moonlight and shadows play over the forests enveloping the town, "We did just show up uninvited to deliver the will of the House of Lords. Maybe time to digest things will make them more amenable, but I'm not optimistic. What will we do if–"

Seeing Ludmila's raised hand, Liane abruptly stopped speaking.

"What is it?" Clara asked.

"There's a group of people coming up the road from the town." Ludmila replied, "They're at the base of the hill leading up to us."

Clara, Liane and Florine all turned their attention to the road. The sentries posted around the camp did not yet show any indication of having noticed the group approaching in the darkness.

"Footman," Ludmila called.

All the way at the perimeter of the camp, a tall man in the livery of House Wagner reacted to her voice. Even from their distance, he somehow knew exactly who had called him and strode directly towards her.

"Yes, Lady Camilla?" He said with a slight bow.

"There are four coming up the road from the north," she said. "Let the others know."

The footman turned to peer out over the cliff down at the road, but confirmation of her claim did not enter his expression. He did not dispute her words, though. Heading out to the perimeter, he started to inform the other sentries and soon the edge of the camp was abuzz with activity.

Three footmen stepped out onto the road: two held winged spears while the third raised a torch aloft in one hand, brandishing his warhammer in the other. The remaining three men on watch unlimbered their longbows and stood on the edge of the half-built perimeter. The maids and noblewomen were instructed to enter the safety of the carriages, but Ludmila stopped them.

"Wait," she said, "they look like children."

"My Lady," Lluluvien spoke up at her words. "Even children can be dangerous – especially in Fassett County."

Heads turned to the Half-Elf maid with incredulous expressions. The driver nearby took her words to heart, however, and ushered them into the opened doors. Ludmila retrieved her longbow from where it rested against one of the carriages, bracing it between her legs to string it.

"Go on ahead," she told the others. "I'll take care of things outside."

She picked up one of her quivers of arrows nearby and hooked it to its place on her kidney belt before heading off to wait against the carriage nearest to the road. Her fingers idly ran over the shaft of the arrow she had drawn from her quiver as she watched the children approach, but her expression soon changed from suspicion to concern.

Ludmila checked herself as she reflexively moved to help them, recalling Lluluvien's words. Ever since they had entered Fassett County, the disturbing sensation that permeated the villages and towns had put her constantly on her guard. The feeling from the town, especially, had been overpowering: causing her to physically retch when disembarking at Jacqueline Fassett's manor. The other noblewomen seemed to have handled it better, but it still lent an antagonistic edge to their thoughts and words, making it a challenge to negotiate with both Campbell and Jacqueline Fassett.

She eyed the children as they approached. There was one boy and three girls. The girls seemed to be slowing their pace so that the boy who was shuffling along could keep up. They all had a disheveled appearance, but the boy was degrees worse. His clothing was soiled and he looked battered as he limped along. There was a clear injury where his shirt was stained with blood and stuck to his side.

This couldn't be a ruse, could it? A convincing performance to make them drop their guard for an ambush from the trees? Ludmila scanned their surroundings but saw no one. She had quickly come to learn that most who used the cover of darkness to conceal their presence tended to rely on it too much, often standing out in the open where darkness would conceal their forms. Her Talent allowed her to see with perfect clarity regardless of lighting, so their doing so made them stand out conspicuously to her while they remained oblivious to the fact that they had been detected – as long as she did not give her awareness of them away.

After one last scan of their surroundings, Ludmila decided that they presented no threat. She turned and knocked on the door of the carriage which sheltered several of the maids. After a moment it opened, and Wiluvien poked her head out.

"Yes, my lady?"

"There's an injured child coming," Ludmila said. "What methods do we have available to treat him?"

Wiluvien's head disappeared back into the carriage and the murmur of voices could be heard as the maids within spoke between themselves. A moment later, her chambermaid's head reappeared.

"There's a small chest of light healing potions – two dozen vials in total." She reported, "There's also two wands of Light Cure wounds in case of emergencies."

"A potion should be fine," Ludmila said. "He looks severely injured, but he was able to walk all the way out here. Get some clean clothes ready for them, as well as warm food – you and your sister's work starts here."

"Yes, my lady," Wiluvien nodded, "we'll begin preparing right away."

The carriage door closed and Ludmila turned back to watch the children as they approached the footmen on the road. After a brief exchange, the man with the torch turned to look over the carriages until their eyes met and he gave her a questioning look. Ludmila nodded and the men brought the children up towards the perimeter of the campsite. The man with the torch put away his weapon and handed the torch over to his fellow, then trotted ahead over to her.

"That one asked for you by name, Lady Camilla," he said, motioning to one of the girls in the group walking up the slope to the camp.

"Did they say anything else?" Ludmila asked.

"No, my lady," he replied. "She immediately asked for you, and wouldn't say anything else. Did you know they were coming?"

"I sent someone to retrieve one of them," she said, "but it looked like something happened before that. The maids will take care of them from here. The next watch should be ready to take over soon as well, so make sure the men on your watch get food and rest when they do."

The footman bowed slightly and returned to his post. Ludmila knocked on the door of the carriage again.

"They're here," she said after Wiluvien opened the door. "Get the girls cleaned up and changed, and bring out their meals."

With the state of alarm lowered, the noblewomen returned to where they had been standing near the fire.

"Why did children come out to us in the middle of the night?" Florine wondered, "They looked quite wretched from what I saw of them: all skin and bone and rags."

Though she said this aloud, they all had a vague idea of the reasons from their passage through the county. The land was in a terrible state that anyone could recognize on sight and, to those present with well-managed fiefs, it gave off a disgusting sensation bordering on being outright offensive.

While the highway and the buildings nearest to it had been cleaned up and made to look festive and inviting, the people looked anything but. Common were sallow faces that did not look up at their surroundings. Men and women were not dressed to reflect the celebratory atmosphere that was suggested by the colourful flags that fluttered over the streets. The streets themselves were only frequented by adults and emaciated children who looked entirely uncared for.

Warden's Vale was poor and humble, but it's people were well cared for, proud and resolute. The territories to the east near the city of E-Rantel had been arrayed in the same festive manner as the main thoroughfares in Fassett County, but their people carried bright and lively expressions and were adorned in the colourful fashions of spring.

The further west they travelled, the more it seemed that they were entering into a different world: the capital of Fassett County, which lay closest to the border with Re-Estize, seemed to teeter on the edge of ruin. The shallow attempt to fool passers-by only had the effect of making things look even worse.

Large population centres rose as a result of the industries that grew in the territories surrounding them. They represented the wealth and productivity of a demesne, be it a minor fee managed by a member of the gentry, or a duchy ruled by royalty. Looking upon the sickening caricature that was Fassett Town, Ludmila could not imagine what course of action House Fassett could have taken to turn it into the very image of destitution and helpless despair. To accomplish this, it would take far more effort than simply administering one's demesne in a proper manner.

"I sent for one of them," Ludmila told them. "The boy was spying on our meeting with Lady Fassett."

"You're…you're not planning on doing something to him, I hope," Florine looked at her fearfully with wide eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're thinking when you say that," Ludmila frowned, "but it's not anything terrible. The chambermaids that accompanied me were originally from Fassett County, so I'm relying on them to help paint a more complete picture of what is really going on here. They suggested that I find people willing to work with us to provide the information that we need. That boy was willing to infiltrate the guarded estate of a Countess, so I thought he must know other things as well."

There was a rustle through the grass behind them and Ludmila turned to see Wiluvien bringing three children towards them. They had been scrubbed pink and dressed in clean, white smocks; damp hair left loose to dry in the wind. Though rushed through their attentions, they still looked far improved compared to before.

"How's the boy?" Ludmila asked.

"He's resting at the moment, my lady," Wiluvien said. "His injuries were quite severe: several broken ribs; his breath was ragged and gurgling. The healing potion has already done its work – he should be fine when he awakens."

The boy had walked all the way here with those injuries? He was far tougher than he looked. Her instructions to the Shadow Demon had not been thorough enough, as well.

Ludmila nodded, and Wiluvien led them to a row of seats arranged around the fire opposite the noblewomen. The three of them looked back and forth uncertainly between the adults before one of the girls visibly resolved herself.

"Are you Camilla?" She asked loudly, and Clara jumped.

Liane tried to hold back a laugh but it came out through her nose. The girl had ventured that the most prominent-looking among them was who she was looking for. She backed away, glancing at Liane, and sat down again with an uncertain look.

Lluluvien appeared from the tents beyond them, carrying a silver tray in her hands. Two other maids carried their own behind her. Together they held the trays in front of the girls and lifted the covers. Plates containing fresh bread, steamed vegetables and sweetened meats filled the air with their aroma.

The girls visibly swallowed.

"Let's leave them to their dinner," Liane said with a smirk. "They should be less...eager, once their hunger is sated."