Thread Closed
Lately I've been,
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
Liadan emerged from the dark corridors of the inner Fane with a tired frown on her face. Â Though she'd searched for hours, she could find no records of any void-tainted individuals being cleansed, much less those shredded by extended time in the void, as were the two Duskwights. Â A shudder ran through her at the mental image of the woman's ruined face - no one deserved that. Â No one. Â And try as she might, she simply couldn't see the Duskwight before the harm that had been inflicted upon her. Â She couldn't find it in her heart to justify such a fate, even to one she'd been taught all her life to hate and despise. Â Because Liadan knew, in a bone-deep way, that it was simply wrong.
She paused inside the foyer leading to the teaching platform where E-Sumi-Yan was holding a session, blinking as she caught sight of a particular Miqo'te. Â Now whatever was she doing here?
I see this life like a swinging vine,
Swing my heart across the line
In my face is flashing signs,
Seek it out and ye shall find.
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
Liadan was in a foul mood after she got done speaking with Leanne, her expression set into a stubborn mien, booted feet tromping on the grassy cobbles as she nearly stomped her way towards the headquarters of the Wood Wailers. Â It took her a few minutes on the path to remember why she was even headed in that direction in the first place. Â But then - ah, yes. Â The disturbing thing she'd uncovered during hours of research, attempting to ascertain the mysterious identity of the last prisoner incarcerated into the ward before the prisoners were "taken" by the void. Â She'd thought she would at least find records of Wailers transporting the prisoner into the now-defunct Toto-Rak, but even that was missing. Â In fact, it was all missing. Â The entire year was gone. Â Just...gone. Â Gone in a way that couldn't be explained by Calamity damage. Â Even corroborating information was missing. Â Which suggested that the records weren't lost...but suppressed.
A concerning thing, indeed.
The Wailer in the records office was very polite, and not at all helpful.
Oh, what a pity. Â We'll look into it. Â Come back later.
She was beginning to smell a rat. Â When she pointed out she was acting on the authority of the Fane, that the fate of the Shroud could very well be on the line and she needed that information, the man paled. Â But he didn't change his story.
She left with a huff of disgust.
And I feel something so right
By doing the wrong thing
And I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
"You need to redirect your interests elsewhere, Hearer Summerfield."
Liadan had no idea who the man was, though she recognized the white leather armor immediately - one of the Entwined Serpents, the Seedseer's personal guard. Â She'd never seen him before, and the last place she expected to encounter a guard of his caliber was in one of the study rooms in the heart of the Fane. Â Come to think of it, hadn't she locked that door? Â For reasons she didn't entirely understand, she toyed with her hair for a moment, using the motion to disguise activating the linkpearl tucked out of sight into her ear.
She cleared her throat almost nervously, focusing on her inner mantra to be polite, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Â Who are you?"
"You need to redirect your interests elsewhere."
She was annoyed at this point, the tiniest hint of fear sliding through her, though she fought to hide hide it, "I'm not sure what you're speaking of."
The man said nothing, and merely stared at her. Â She made a sound of frustration, "The forest burns. Â It won't stop burning until we stop this person, whoever he may be. Â We need to know who he is to have any hope of apprehending him!"
The man said nothing for a long moment, just stared silently at her from behind his anonymous mask, only speaking up after a long moment, "Would you like to return to your duties as a Hearer? Â Somewhere quiet...peaceful?" Â There was a long pause, "Else, you should return your focus to capturing and eliminating the remaining escapees."
Left unsaid was the implication that she should stop looking into the identity of the final prisoner in the ward taken by the void.
I could lie, couldn't I
Couldn't I?
Every thing that kills me
Makes me feel alive.
"When did you begin to believe that Hearers abandoned all duty to the Forest and sought only their own well-being and their own personal power?"
Liadan's voice shook with rage as she pinned the stranger with her outraged green gaze, sheer rage flooding through her at the man's words. Â She continued in the same quietly enraged tone, pushing herself to her feet, hands planted on the desk before her, "You may know many Hearers who take that path, but I am not among them. Â The forest burns, and the elementals cry out for aid. Â I was born to Hear them, and because I Hear them, I cannot and will not turn from them in their hour of need. Â There is nothing I will not do to save the Shroud, ser. Â You know that this will not end with these prisoners. Â Until we find the root, the forest will continue to burn, and it cannot survive much more. Â Wood's will be done, ser. Â Now get out."
Lately I've been,
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
It wasn't until after the man left in silence that she let her own words sink in.
What had she been thinking to speak so to one of the Seedseer's personal guard? Â She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders slumping. Â There was something she was missing. Â She started to pace the room, ticking what she knew off on her fingers.
Thirteen were taken - Twelve to torment, one who sold them out.
Many were unjustly punished.
Shortly before "the taking," a final prisoner had been brought to the ward in Toto-Rak.
This prisoner was under the most extreme security.
One man who tried to see who was in the cell had his eyes burned from his skull and was publicly gutted to discourage the other prisoners.
Now the Entwined Serpents were threatening her, trying to discourage her investigation.
And somewhere in the Shroud, someone managed to murder a Padjal.
But who could do such a thing? Â For Liadan knew better than perhaps most the capability of a Padjal within the Shroud. Murdering one would be no small task - even if you managed to take them unaware. Â Even then...it would be a nightmare of a proposition.
It made no sense.
Who could possibly have merited such security - such that no one was even allowed to see their face within the prison?
Why were the Entwined Serpents trying to discourage her from looking into the prisoner's identity?
Who could possibly kill a Padjal?
And why take his horns?
Except...except...
"Oh, no. Â No, it can't be. Â No!"
Liadan stood stock still in the middle of the room, both hands covering her mouth as she shook her head mutely, staring at the wall.
I feel her love
And I feel it burn
Down this river every time
Hope is our four-letter word,
Make that money, watch it burn
Old but, I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
Grief was a heavy burden in her chest even as she made her way through the gates of the city into the North Shroud. Â Once there, she quietly asked the spirits to shroud her passage, blur her from prying eyes, and then walked into the underbrush. Â She took the most obscure route she could think of, finding unused paths and trails, and keeping her eyes open and her senses sharp - she needed to know if she was being followed. Â It took her perhaps less time than it should have to make her way back to the tear that led to the cave sheltering Mermin Carter and Nicolae Lynch, and she took only a moment to reinforce her ward against void influence and double check her surroundings before she took a flying leap off the cliff and vanished into mid air.
And I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
I could lie, couldn't I,
Couldn't I?
Everything that drowns me
Makes me wanna fly
Three hours later, she made her way through the brush, a list of names in her hand. Â She'd calmed enough to finally do what she should have done in the first place, and contact O-Rhen.
"Oh-Rehn, are you there?"
Only moments later, the eternal youth's voice echoed over the linkpearl, ""Lady Liadan. Yes, I am here." There was clear discontent in his voice. "The conversation you broadcasted to me was . . . disturbing, to say the least."
Liadan glanced up at the sky, took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I think I know why I was visited and subtly threatened, but I don't think you are going to like my theory."
"Pray, go on."
"I spoke with two Duskwights who had been incarcerated in the same ward as Mermin Carter, two who were also taken by the void. Â They said that shortly before the 'taking,' as they called it, a new prisoner was brought into the ward. Â A prisoner under the strictest of security, to the point that another prisoner who attempted to see who it was had his eyes burned from his skull and was publicly gutted to discourage the other prisoners."
The Padjal sounded vaguely sorrowful when he replied, "The brutality of the old gaols never ceases to dismay me. It was, I think, the wisest of the decisions of the former Seedseer to seal that place away."
She ducked under a tree branch as she headed down to a nearby stream, choosing to pick her way along the banks, "Both Mermin Carter and Nicolae Lynch spoke of one singular individual - the thirteenth of those taken - who was protected from all harm in the void, for whom the voidsent seemed to care, who watched everything that was done to them - every torture, every degradation - with glee. Â I have the names and descriptions of all but two of those who were incarcerated in that ward, and I cannot see two unnamed Miqo'te warranting that sort of security - not to mention that Nicolae Lynch identifies them as being part of the ward beforehand."
"Certainly the . . . commonality of Keepers in the poaching trade would make their presence in the gaol at the time quite ordinary."
And here it was - the part she had hoped to avoid. Â She took a deep breath, and began to speak once more, "O-Rhen...who would warrant such security as to have the mere attempt at seeing who was in that cell lead to a man's eyes being burned from his skull and his guts torn out on the floor as an example to the others? Â The records from the entire -year- are completely gone. Â They're just not there, and no ordinary person could have accomplished that. Â Now the Seedseer's personal guard is warning me away from investigating further. Â Wise one, I can think of only one reason that might be."
"Who would be strong enough to kill a Padjal?"
O-Rehn hesitated before replying, his tone one of disbelief...but not dismissive, "Surely not... Â And yet... "
Lately I've been,
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
"If this is true, the entire Shroud is in grave danger. Â Someone with mastery of both Succor and the void...this is a nightmare." Â Liadan's voice shook as she made the statement, her fingers digging into the bark of the tree she was leaning against. Â How could anything be so solid when everything she knew to be true was falling to pieces around her?
O-Rehn sounded as distressed as she felt, "In many ways. I fear for your captives, Lady Liadan."
"There has to be a way to undo this! Â Succor was not brought into this world to stand idly by while the void - or anyone else - takes the souls of men and women and twists and torments them."
And then the Padjal said something she had not expected, "I share your hope. But I also fear what the Entwined Serpents might do, given your refusal. Should they see them as a risk, a way of exposing what may have occurred in the past, they may act in spite of your wishes."
Liadan felt the blood drain from her face, panic beginning to slide through her as she pulled away from the tree. Â She nearly stammered when she replied, "...they don't know where Carter and Lynch are, but Ursuline and Gueriqque are in the Fane. Â Should I...would they even let me take them from there? Â I do not think they would. Â Matron preserve us, they do not deserve eternity as a voidsent's plaything." Â She swallowed convulsively, "I don't even care to expose this, but we need to stop this. Â Regardless of the risk of exposure, he will not stop with these twelve. Â He wants to see the forest burn, and I daresay he may have had a hand in the murder of the Padjal deep in the Shroud.
O-Rehn's voice came back over the linkpearl, clear as a bell, "I am in agreement. The spirits are still weakened following the devastation. Neither they nor I can ill-afford the danger." Â He paused, then continued, "But that said, your captives can ill-afford the danger of remaining in the Fane, if you are under the eye of the Serpents."
You are not forgotten, Ursuline. Â The light has not forsaken you, and I will do everything I can to find a way to mend what the void has broken in you.
Her eyes filled with tears as her own words echoed back at her. Â They trusted her. Â They believed in her. Â She couldn't abandon them...not when they'd already been abandoned once.
"I am out of options. Â I can try to get them out, but I need to contact Anstarra and let her know not to bring any further captives to the Fane." Â She paused, taking a deep breath, "O-Rehn I think this might end up being more trouble than I've ever gotten myself into before." She almost laughed as she said the last, "What do they do to Hearers who go rogue, anyway?"
The Padjal sounded concerned, but responded readily enough, "Stripping of authority is the more typical result. In extreme cases, exile. Grave offenses like those of your arsonist quarry are more likely to result in the most severe punishments."
Why was it that exile sounded worse than all the rest? Â Yet, it was her greatest fear - to never be able to go home, "I don't want to be exiled...if this goes as high as I think it does, I don't think..." Â She closed her eyes, the song of the spirits of the land, air, and water swirling around her senses, and cleared her throat, "The wood is more important."
O-Rhen still sounded grave when he tried to reassure her, "Let me assure you of this much - I very much doubt that the Seedseer knows of this. She is not a woman who would condone such behavior, but she is also a woman confronted with matters of great import. I do not believe they will act in such a way that they undermine her authority in order to protect it. In this, you have some security."
Liadan wasn't sure where it came from, or how she had come to sound so very jaded as she replied with a quiet sigh, "I don't want to believe she would condone such, either. Â But..."
"O-Rehn, my whole life I've trusted in the Padjal, in the innate goodness of Gridania. Â But good cannot come from evil. Â Secrets beget lies beget worse."
Oh, take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
"Anstarra, this is Liadan. Â Listen, I don't have much time." Â She ducked under another branch as she walked a rapid clip through a path most would never have seen, much less been able to navigate, but that inexplicably became clear for her, "Do not bring anymore captives to the Fane. I repeat, do not bring anymore captives to the Fane. Â If you can, get them out of the Shroud."
"I'm sorry, I can't explain. Â I can only say they are not safe here."
"The Fane is not the danger."
"I can't explain right now. Â I will try to contact you tomorrow. Â I may be bringing two with me."
Liadan glanced up at the trees around her after cutting the linkpearl off, despair marring her features.
Everything that kills me
Makes me feel alive
If even the Children of the Forest could succumb to the hubris that brought Amdapor to its knees, what hope did she have?
And yet she did not have time for tears, or self-pity. Â She had two souls to save.
"I will not fail you."
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
Liadan emerged from the dark corridors of the inner Fane with a tired frown on her face. Â Though she'd searched for hours, she could find no records of any void-tainted individuals being cleansed, much less those shredded by extended time in the void, as were the two Duskwights. Â A shudder ran through her at the mental image of the woman's ruined face - no one deserved that. Â No one. Â And try as she might, she simply couldn't see the Duskwight before the harm that had been inflicted upon her. Â She couldn't find it in her heart to justify such a fate, even to one she'd been taught all her life to hate and despise. Â Because Liadan knew, in a bone-deep way, that it was simply wrong.
She paused inside the foyer leading to the teaching platform where E-Sumi-Yan was holding a session, blinking as she caught sight of a particular Miqo'te. Â Now whatever was she doing here?
I see this life like a swinging vine,
Swing my heart across the line
In my face is flashing signs,
Seek it out and ye shall find.
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
Liadan was in a foul mood after she got done speaking with Leanne, her expression set into a stubborn mien, booted feet tromping on the grassy cobbles as she nearly stomped her way towards the headquarters of the Wood Wailers. Â It took her a few minutes on the path to remember why she was even headed in that direction in the first place. Â But then - ah, yes. Â The disturbing thing she'd uncovered during hours of research, attempting to ascertain the mysterious identity of the last prisoner incarcerated into the ward before the prisoners were "taken" by the void. Â She'd thought she would at least find records of Wailers transporting the prisoner into the now-defunct Toto-Rak, but even that was missing. Â In fact, it was all missing. Â The entire year was gone. Â Just...gone. Â Gone in a way that couldn't be explained by Calamity damage. Â Even corroborating information was missing. Â Which suggested that the records weren't lost...but suppressed.
A concerning thing, indeed.
The Wailer in the records office was very polite, and not at all helpful.
Oh, what a pity. Â We'll look into it. Â Come back later.
She was beginning to smell a rat. Â When she pointed out she was acting on the authority of the Fane, that the fate of the Shroud could very well be on the line and she needed that information, the man paled. Â But he didn't change his story.
She left with a huff of disgust.
And I feel something so right
By doing the wrong thing
And I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
"You need to redirect your interests elsewhere, Hearer Summerfield."
Liadan had no idea who the man was, though she recognized the white leather armor immediately - one of the Entwined Serpents, the Seedseer's personal guard. Â She'd never seen him before, and the last place she expected to encounter a guard of his caliber was in one of the study rooms in the heart of the Fane. Â Come to think of it, hadn't she locked that door? Â For reasons she didn't entirely understand, she toyed with her hair for a moment, using the motion to disguise activating the linkpearl tucked out of sight into her ear.
She cleared her throat almost nervously, focusing on her inner mantra to be polite, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Â Who are you?"
"You need to redirect your interests elsewhere."
She was annoyed at this point, the tiniest hint of fear sliding through her, though she fought to hide hide it, "I'm not sure what you're speaking of."
The man said nothing, and merely stared at her. Â She made a sound of frustration, "The forest burns. Â It won't stop burning until we stop this person, whoever he may be. Â We need to know who he is to have any hope of apprehending him!"
The man said nothing for a long moment, just stared silently at her from behind his anonymous mask, only speaking up after a long moment, "Would you like to return to your duties as a Hearer? Â Somewhere quiet...peaceful?" Â There was a long pause, "Else, you should return your focus to capturing and eliminating the remaining escapees."
Left unsaid was the implication that she should stop looking into the identity of the final prisoner in the ward taken by the void.
I could lie, couldn't I
Couldn't I?
Every thing that kills me
Makes me feel alive.
"When did you begin to believe that Hearers abandoned all duty to the Forest and sought only their own well-being and their own personal power?"
Liadan's voice shook with rage as she pinned the stranger with her outraged green gaze, sheer rage flooding through her at the man's words. Â She continued in the same quietly enraged tone, pushing herself to her feet, hands planted on the desk before her, "You may know many Hearers who take that path, but I am not among them. Â The forest burns, and the elementals cry out for aid. Â I was born to Hear them, and because I Hear them, I cannot and will not turn from them in their hour of need. Â There is nothing I will not do to save the Shroud, ser. Â You know that this will not end with these prisoners. Â Until we find the root, the forest will continue to burn, and it cannot survive much more. Â Wood's will be done, ser. Â Now get out."
Lately I've been,
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
It wasn't until after the man left in silence that she let her own words sink in.
What had she been thinking to speak so to one of the Seedseer's personal guard? Â She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders slumping. Â There was something she was missing. Â She started to pace the room, ticking what she knew off on her fingers.
Thirteen were taken - Twelve to torment, one who sold them out.
Many were unjustly punished.
Shortly before "the taking," a final prisoner had been brought to the ward in Toto-Rak.
This prisoner was under the most extreme security.
One man who tried to see who was in the cell had his eyes burned from his skull and was publicly gutted to discourage the other prisoners.
Now the Entwined Serpents were threatening her, trying to discourage her investigation.
And somewhere in the Shroud, someone managed to murder a Padjal.
But who could do such a thing? Â For Liadan knew better than perhaps most the capability of a Padjal within the Shroud. Murdering one would be no small task - even if you managed to take them unaware. Â Even then...it would be a nightmare of a proposition.
It made no sense.
Who could possibly have merited such security - such that no one was even allowed to see their face within the prison?
Why were the Entwined Serpents trying to discourage her from looking into the prisoner's identity?
Who could possibly kill a Padjal?
And why take his horns?
Except...except...
"Oh, no. Â No, it can't be. Â No!"
Liadan stood stock still in the middle of the room, both hands covering her mouth as she shook her head mutely, staring at the wall.
I feel her love
And I feel it burn
Down this river every time
Hope is our four-letter word,
Make that money, watch it burn
Old but, I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
Grief was a heavy burden in her chest even as she made her way through the gates of the city into the North Shroud. Â Once there, she quietly asked the spirits to shroud her passage, blur her from prying eyes, and then walked into the underbrush. Â She took the most obscure route she could think of, finding unused paths and trails, and keeping her eyes open and her senses sharp - she needed to know if she was being followed. Â It took her perhaps less time than it should have to make her way back to the tear that led to the cave sheltering Mermin Carter and Nicolae Lynch, and she took only a moment to reinforce her ward against void influence and double check her surroundings before she took a flying leap off the cliff and vanished into mid air.
And I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
I could lie, couldn't I,
Couldn't I?
Everything that drowns me
Makes me wanna fly
Three hours later, she made her way through the brush, a list of names in her hand. Â She'd calmed enough to finally do what she should have done in the first place, and contact O-Rhen.
"Oh-Rehn, are you there?"
Only moments later, the eternal youth's voice echoed over the linkpearl, ""Lady Liadan. Yes, I am here." There was clear discontent in his voice. "The conversation you broadcasted to me was . . . disturbing, to say the least."
Liadan glanced up at the sky, took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I think I know why I was visited and subtly threatened, but I don't think you are going to like my theory."
"Pray, go on."
"I spoke with two Duskwights who had been incarcerated in the same ward as Mermin Carter, two who were also taken by the void. Â They said that shortly before the 'taking,' as they called it, a new prisoner was brought into the ward. Â A prisoner under the strictest of security, to the point that another prisoner who attempted to see who it was had his eyes burned from his skull and was publicly gutted to discourage the other prisoners."
The Padjal sounded vaguely sorrowful when he replied, "The brutality of the old gaols never ceases to dismay me. It was, I think, the wisest of the decisions of the former Seedseer to seal that place away."
She ducked under a tree branch as she headed down to a nearby stream, choosing to pick her way along the banks, "Both Mermin Carter and Nicolae Lynch spoke of one singular individual - the thirteenth of those taken - who was protected from all harm in the void, for whom the voidsent seemed to care, who watched everything that was done to them - every torture, every degradation - with glee. Â I have the names and descriptions of all but two of those who were incarcerated in that ward, and I cannot see two unnamed Miqo'te warranting that sort of security - not to mention that Nicolae Lynch identifies them as being part of the ward beforehand."
"Certainly the . . . commonality of Keepers in the poaching trade would make their presence in the gaol at the time quite ordinary."
And here it was - the part she had hoped to avoid. Â She took a deep breath, and began to speak once more, "O-Rhen...who would warrant such security as to have the mere attempt at seeing who was in that cell lead to a man's eyes being burned from his skull and his guts torn out on the floor as an example to the others? Â The records from the entire -year- are completely gone. Â They're just not there, and no ordinary person could have accomplished that. Â Now the Seedseer's personal guard is warning me away from investigating further. Â Wise one, I can think of only one reason that might be."
"Who would be strong enough to kill a Padjal?"
O-Rehn hesitated before replying, his tone one of disbelief...but not dismissive, "Surely not... Â And yet... "
Lately I've been,
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But, baby I've been,
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars,
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
"If this is true, the entire Shroud is in grave danger. Â Someone with mastery of both Succor and the void...this is a nightmare." Â Liadan's voice shook as she made the statement, her fingers digging into the bark of the tree she was leaning against. Â How could anything be so solid when everything she knew to be true was falling to pieces around her?
O-Rehn sounded as distressed as she felt, "In many ways. I fear for your captives, Lady Liadan."
"There has to be a way to undo this! Â Succor was not brought into this world to stand idly by while the void - or anyone else - takes the souls of men and women and twists and torments them."
And then the Padjal said something she had not expected, "I share your hope. But I also fear what the Entwined Serpents might do, given your refusal. Should they see them as a risk, a way of exposing what may have occurred in the past, they may act in spite of your wishes."
Liadan felt the blood drain from her face, panic beginning to slide through her as she pulled away from the tree. Â She nearly stammered when she replied, "...they don't know where Carter and Lynch are, but Ursuline and Gueriqque are in the Fane. Â Should I...would they even let me take them from there? Â I do not think they would. Â Matron preserve us, they do not deserve eternity as a voidsent's plaything." Â She swallowed convulsively, "I don't even care to expose this, but we need to stop this. Â Regardless of the risk of exposure, he will not stop with these twelve. Â He wants to see the forest burn, and I daresay he may have had a hand in the murder of the Padjal deep in the Shroud.
O-Rehn's voice came back over the linkpearl, clear as a bell, "I am in agreement. The spirits are still weakened following the devastation. Neither they nor I can ill-afford the danger." Â He paused, then continued, "But that said, your captives can ill-afford the danger of remaining in the Fane, if you are under the eye of the Serpents."
You are not forgotten, Ursuline. Â The light has not forsaken you, and I will do everything I can to find a way to mend what the void has broken in you.
Her eyes filled with tears as her own words echoed back at her. Â They trusted her. Â They believed in her. Â She couldn't abandon them...not when they'd already been abandoned once.
"I am out of options. Â I can try to get them out, but I need to contact Anstarra and let her know not to bring any further captives to the Fane." Â She paused, taking a deep breath, "O-Rehn I think this might end up being more trouble than I've ever gotten myself into before." She almost laughed as she said the last, "What do they do to Hearers who go rogue, anyway?"
The Padjal sounded concerned, but responded readily enough, "Stripping of authority is the more typical result. In extreme cases, exile. Grave offenses like those of your arsonist quarry are more likely to result in the most severe punishments."
Why was it that exile sounded worse than all the rest? Â Yet, it was her greatest fear - to never be able to go home, "I don't want to be exiled...if this goes as high as I think it does, I don't think..." Â She closed her eyes, the song of the spirits of the land, air, and water swirling around her senses, and cleared her throat, "The wood is more important."
O-Rhen still sounded grave when he tried to reassure her, "Let me assure you of this much - I very much doubt that the Seedseer knows of this. She is not a woman who would condone such behavior, but she is also a woman confronted with matters of great import. I do not believe they will act in such a way that they undermine her authority in order to protect it. In this, you have some security."
Liadan wasn't sure where it came from, or how she had come to sound so very jaded as she replied with a quiet sigh, "I don't want to believe she would condone such, either. Â But..."
"O-Rehn, my whole life I've trusted in the Padjal, in the innate goodness of Gridania. Â But good cannot come from evil. Â Secrets beget lies beget worse."
Oh, take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money watch it burn,
Sing in the river the lessons I learned
"Anstarra, this is Liadan. Â Listen, I don't have much time." Â She ducked under another branch as she walked a rapid clip through a path most would never have seen, much less been able to navigate, but that inexplicably became clear for her, "Do not bring anymore captives to the Fane. I repeat, do not bring anymore captives to the Fane. Â If you can, get them out of the Shroud."
"I'm sorry, I can't explain. Â I can only say they are not safe here."
"The Fane is not the danger."
"I can't explain right now. Â I will try to contact you tomorrow. Â I may be bringing two with me."
Liadan glanced up at the trees around her after cutting the linkpearl off, despair marring her features.
Everything that kills me
Makes me feel alive
If even the Children of the Forest could succumb to the hubris that brought Amdapor to its knees, what hope did she have?
And yet she did not have time for tears, or self-pity. Â She had two souls to save.
"I will not fail you."
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)