When Nela said yesterday she'd rather be healing, she'd been half joking. Ronny should know, no, they all should know she wasn't about to abandon them. Besides, none of the patients there were currently in any danger. They could survive for another morning without her.

  Looking at her companions, there was no doubt now that Nela needed to be there for their meeting with the captain and the Witch of Wrath. Both Edeline and Ronny looked grim and worn, the truth of what Nela had told them having caught up to them. As for Hamond...if Nela had her way, she would have just told him to not bother getting up. He had clearly not slept one bit.

  The true problem was the other person Nela didn't think should be there. But with Merytuya having run off after the Witch's threat, and no idea where the woman was, Nela didn't think it smart to leave Jylania on her own. The last time they did, when the rest of them had gone foraging while leaving the girl behind in the camp...

  ...well, that had been one way to learn that Jylania was good at climbing up trees.

  Jylania would just have to stay with them, and hopefully this would go the way Ronny had said. Nela could see both his and Hamond's points. Takhat wasn't going to stand for a big fight, but it didn't hurt to prepare for things to go to shit. Shame they hadn't had the time to settle that, but that's how it went sometimes.

  The time for thinking about what to do was up as well, as they'd arrived. The Witch of Wrath, or Floire, or whoever she really was, had better be ready. Something told Nela that no one was going to be entirely happy with how this would turn out.

  Seeing as no one else wanted to be the first to enter, Nela figured she might as well take the lead. Stepping forward, she pushed through the door, with a slamming sound as the door hit the nearby wall. Trying to hide that she hadn't meant to push on it that hard, Nela walked into the room.

  Captain Takhat was there, along with Senby of all people. Guess that whole thing with Hamond finding him had worked out after all. Good for them then. What was missing was the Witch of Wrath, who was nowhere to be seen. Wouldn't it be nice if she didn't show her face, Nela thought, although she knew better.

  The others followed her in, Edeline stopping to close the door behind them. "What happened to you?" Takhat asked on seeing Hamond.

  "Long night," Hamond grunted. That hardly explained it, but Hamond wasn't in a condition to explain much of anything. Might be a good thing the Witch of Wrath was late, if it gave him time to wake up.

  "The day's longer still, so maybe don't be up and about at night?" The captain turned to Nela. "Do you have like an herb or something to help people sleep?"

  "Something like that." Nela wasn't about to cast that spell on Hamond without his approval. Besides, it didn't last long enough to cover a full night's rest anyway.

  "So, when is the Witch getting here?" Edeline asked.

  "Excuse me?" Takhat gave Edeline a disbelieving glare.

  "What?" Edeline stared back, confused.

  "You don't just call someone that." The captain crossed her arms.

  Nela was just as confused. Floire was the Witch of Wrath. That wasn't some opinion up for the debate. She had actually said that to Nela's face yesterday. Why was the captain...wait...

  ...Takhat had to be kidding. This had to be some sort of strange joke...no, looking at Takhat's face, Nela could see the woman wasn't lying. Captain Takhat had no idea that she'd been working with the Witch of Wrath. But that in turn meant...

  Nela had to hold in her laughter. "Today's going to be full of surprising shit," she said, a chuckle escaping. "The first of it being-"

  The Witch of Wrath walked straight out of the wall to their left.

  It took everything Nela had to avoid doing more than taking a single step back at the sight. Better than Hamond managed, as he fell backwards to the ground with a gasp. Tired though he may be, Nela wasn't about to hold it against him. Everyone else looked shocked in their own way.

  "How...how did you do that?" Takhat reached one hand for her spear, probably out of reflex.

  "The same way anyone walks," the Witch of Wrath answered, "I put one foot in front of the other."

  In hindsight, they should've expected such. They'd all seen the Witch's spell that let her move through the ground effortlessly. The stone bricks that made up these buildings would probably allow for that as well. The danger was that it mean that no walls here could keep them safe. If the Witch wanted them dead, she could kill them at any time.

  Edeline took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Captain Takhat, I would like to introduce you. This is the Witch of Wrath."

  "What do you..." Takhat's mouth dropped open as the truth of just who she'd been dealing with struck hard. Grasping her spear, the captain held it in front of her. "Of all the heavens..."

  "Wait..." Senby spoke up. The young man was staring at the Witch of Wrath. "You!"

  "Me." Floire smiled at Senby.

  Since when did Senby recognize the Witch of Wrath? Or rather, Floire, Nela corrected herself. If the Witch of Wrath hadn't told Takhat just who she was, she probably wouldn't be telling a random person such as Senby that either.

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  Recovering a bit, Takhat set her spear back down. "Are you really the Witch of Wrath?"

  "Some people have called me that," the older woman answered, "Eventually, I figured if they do, why should I stop them?"

  "Why...why didn't you tell me?" Takhat seemed completely lost. "I would've offered you-"

  "And that's why I didn't. So many people think, oh, she outwitted this other thaumaturge this one time, she clearly is the strongest spell tosser around and can solve any magical problem instantly. It doesn't work like that. Never has and never will. Not that it would stop certain people from opening their mouths anyway."

  The Witch of Wrath shot a glare at Edeline with those words. Edeline, flustered, was struggling to find an answer. However, Nela already had one of her own.

  "Everyone," Nela said, trying as best she could to shift her voice to sound like the Witch. "The First Ascension rite is being held in this grove."

  If the glare given to Edeline was annoyed, the one the Witch of Wrath sent in Nela's direction was pure uncontained fury. Nela didn't mind, as she'd made her point. You didn't get to call people out for being secretive and then turn around and try to act the same way.

  "That's enough." Ronny moved over to the table the captain's papers were on. "We came here for a meeting, so let's stop trading volleys and get to it."

  "Wait, let me be clear on something," Takhat said, "You all have met before, haven't you?"

  They'd made that obvious, Nela noted. "We did encounter each other before," Ronny said, "We've more important matters to deal with, so I'll spare the exact details. Though, to be honest, it was not the friendliest of meetings."

  That was certainly one way to say it. However, glancing over at the Witch of Wrath again, Nela got the impression that they were all in agreement on one thing. None of them wanted Takhat to know that they had fought each other in Kelshir, if for different reasons.

  "And what about you?" Takhat asked Senby. "You met her before as well."

  "I told you about the woman who distracted those guards chasing me," Senby explained, "I recognized the voice. She's the one who did it."

  "Oh, I did a bit more than distract them." Floire looked down at her one hand. "So you can be assured they won't be bothering you again."

  In other words, they were very much not alive. Something the four of them would've expected, but probably neither Takhat nor Senby thought of as a possibility. Nela supposed they'd learn quickly, and soon. At the same time, it was a reminder that the Witch of Wrath did try to help people. She had saved those survivors from that one village near Kelshir, and now Senby as well.

  "I suppose you owe her some gratitude then," Takhat said. To Nela it seemed almost motherly the way she said it, a hint for Senby.

  Senby got the message. "Thank you," he said.

  "With that done with, let's get to work." Takhat walked to take a place opposite Ronny. As they gathered around the table, the captain shuffled aside some of the papers to reveal a sketched map of Lasfont.

  A number of areas on the map were marked with circles, with roughly written labels indicating the circled parts of the map either as safe or...something else. Nela couldn't quite make out what some of them said. If the captain had been the one who made these notes, her skill with a quill could use some work. Not that Nela could complain - she wasn't that much better herself.

  "This is the results of what my men, as well as Floire here, have searched of Lasfont so far. It isn't much, and with the creatures likely to move around, what they've found out is probably no longer the truth. Still, it's a start to try and narrow down where the spell might have been cast."

  "Once again, that'll take forever." Tracing one of the circles with a finger, the Witch of Wrath looked over at Edeline and Hamond, who were standing close together. "But I think this lot knows something that will make this search faster."

  Guess there was no more delaying it then.

  Edeline sighed, drawing herself back. "Before we begin, there is one more thing we need to discuss."

  "And that is?" Takhat said warily.

  "When you made your assessment of us, you were only partially correct." Edeline lifted one hand. "Phosphaira."

  The familiar little light came out, dancing around Edeline's hand. The only carefree thing in this room right now. After a moment, Edeline willed it back to the tip of her finger, and it faded away.

  Gritting her teeth, the captain let out some sort of strangled sound Nela didn't think a person could make. "How...you...curse it all."

  "I told you today was going be full of surprising shit," Nela remarked.

  "That you did." Takhat wiped a hand across her brow.

  Edeline nodded, then continued. "While me hiding it is not without reason, there is no point maintaining the deception since she could just tell you that I am a thaumaturge." She indicated the Witch of Wrath with a gesture.

  And would, Nela thought to herself.

  "So, on to the main topic. We do have a rough idea of what this spell is and why it was-"

  The door swung open behind them.

  Nela turned at the sound, wondering just what the interruption was. To her surprise, there was no one there. The door swung in the air, as if the wind was keeping it open...but there was no air blowing in.

  "What caused that?" Takhat said.

  "A stray cat, perhaps," Floire answered, "Shall I scare it off?"

  Wait, cats couldn't open doors...oh, that was what she meant. Along with that, Nela understood that the Witch of Wrath would do far more than scaring their unseen visitor. Ugotlas or not, that would cause all kinds of problems for them.

  Edeline apparently realized it as well. "Wait," she said, stepping in front of them. "If you are who I believe you are, then honor our agreement. Show yourself."

  The air distorted, shimmering as it revealed the familiar form of Ugotlas standing in the doorway. "Given your present company, and the information you were about to reveal to them, I am starting to question if you intend to continue honoring our deal."

  "Take it up with your fellows then," Edeline retorted, "They already revealed some of the details to her."

  "My fellows are dead or missing." The sphinx focused his gaze on the Witch of Wrath. "And I believe I know just who is to blame."

  "I can hardly be blamed for all of that," the Witch of Wrath retorted, "Though there's room for the actual number to go up by one."

  If they'd wanted to avoid a fight, too bad, they were about to get one. Nela couldn't even blame Ugotlas. The real problem was getting herself and the others out of here before the spells started flying back and forth. A bit hard, since Ugotlas was blocking the only way out.

  "Alright, you can tear each other apart later...after you all tell me just what is going on here!" Takhat moved into the middle of the room, face a mix of anger and confusion. "I am not going to stand here and listen to you fools all trade threats instead of dealing with the actual shit in the streets! The next one of you who even thinks about starting a fight, I will shove my spear so far down your throat you'll have to learn to walk on it like a wooden leg!"

  That was certainly a side of the captain they hadn't seen so far. They were all staring now, some astonished, some amused. For her part, Nela wished she could be that creative with threats. Then again, probably not a good thing to be teaching Jylania by example.

  At least it had stopped the argument for now.

  Ronny was first to recover. "If we're done exchanging...pleasantries, we have a lot of matters to discuss. Some of us may dislike each other, but none of us are going to be able to solve this alone. So let's continue."

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