The forest surrounding the Keep.

Difyr walked into the trees. She remembered going into the forest with the healer Ertzel as a girl to gather wild roots and herbs. Difyr fought back tears and blinked to clear her vision.

Sileas ventured into the woods. She stood quietly for a moment, barely breathing, to listen if anyone had followed her or not. Hearing nothing, she continued deeper into the trees. She wondered how long it would take her to get back home. She needed to give her family a proper burial. She closed her eyes against the threatening tears. And then she could keep right on going, wherever her feet would take her, searching for a new life. A new home. But she would never, ever, open her heart to anyone again. It hurt too much when she inevitably lost them. That was the only reason she wasn't going to Haroth and Samantha. Oh they would welcome her with open arms, but she would only bring a disaster down upon them.

Disappointed barely began to describe how Tabor was feeling. He was supposed to be on the way to the nearest beach with his wife. He could not believe that his plan had failed. The Aislyn he knew all those years ago would have thrown herself into his arms for comfort after seeing who she called her husband with another woman. Had Mazi messed up somehow? It sounded like Mazi had been captured so he must have messed up at some point. Tabor hoped he had enough potion to maintain his disguise until he could free him.

Tabor needed to make another plan.

Then Tabor realized that someone else was in the woods with him, a girl. Tabor grabbed her arms from behind her back. He saw red hair and thought Liadan Wynn and what he wanted to do to her, but realized she was young enough to be Liadan Wynn's daughter.

"Which one are you?" Tabor demanded, pulling her red hair.

Sileas screamed, taken by surprise. She had a sudden flashback to Andy and all he had done to her. "Ouch!" she yelled. "Who the hell are you?" Sileas demanded. "Let go of my hair!" She twisted in his grip, already feeling bruising on the fair skin of her upper arms. Panic began to well up but she figured it was pointless to scream for Questa, she was pretty certain she was out of hearing distance. Was this one of the men who had attacked the village? Had they followed the refugees, intending to finish them off?

"Be a proper woman, only speak to answer what I'm asking you." Tabor shoved her against a tree. "You can't be one of Liadan Wynn's daughters because her two oldest have dark hair, same for Nelek's whelp. Who are you?"

Her air left her in whoosh when her back hit the tree. "The hell with speaking only to answer your questions," Sileas hissed. "I speak my find, I am my own woman." Her eyes blazed with an angry green. "Sileas, Sileas Spenser. Now you tell me who you are? Besides one giant arsehole."

The name barely rang a bell. Tabor had heard it but he could not remember who she was. Tabor slapped her, ignoring her question. The women had become more disrespectful since he left land. "Are you kin to the Buckleys?"

Sileas frowned. If she was in a better position, she would have kneed him. "No, I am kin to no one. I was a street kid. You still haven't told me who you are!"

Liadan Wynn had been a street kid too, no wonder this girl was so loudmouthed and rude. Tabor was proud that his people had no street kids because there were no streets under the ocean.

"You are useless to me, unless you will bear sons for my people." Tabor had drawn an iron knife.

"Oh, well if that's what you're after, you are really after the wrong person. I can't have children." Sileas eyed the knife. "There's no reason to kill me though."

"Eh up, Sileas, where 'ave yer gone muckin' off ter wivout yor mate?" Questa's voice drifted through the trees.

"There are too many mouthy women already." Tabor made as if to use the knife, then heard the voice. "Who the hell is that?"

"I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine, buster," Sileas said. Then she heard Questa's voice. "Questa! For for help! Get Wulfsen's men!" she shouted out. "Questa's my best friend," she said, not wanting to reveal any connection to the family.

Questa of course did no such thing. She followed the sound of Sileas's voice.

Tabor swore, then punched Sileas in the stomach. "I should cut out your tongue."

Sileas doubled over in pain with a cry. When the pain subsided, since she was still bent over, she rammed her head into his stomach to drive him back.

Tabor gasped, the swung his knife downward to stab the girl.

Crack! Questa smashed the man's hand with her weighted sock. "Get oray from 'er! Sileas, right, wot'd 'e do ter yer?"

"He manhandled me and brought back some very unpleasant memories," Sileas stated, reaching for her own knife while Questa had him distracted. "Then he was going to kill me and there was also a threat to cut out my tongue."

She waved the knife menacingly at Tabor. "I nearly killed before, I'm not afraid to succeed this time."

Tabor clutched his injured hand, his iron knife lost. "Damned landwomen. You'll both regret this."

Questa pulled her own shiv. "Let's cut 'im up. I don't like bad pigs attackin' me muckers."

"He's certainly a danger. He asked if I was related to the Buckleys. Aye, let's finish him off."

Tabor turned and fled. He had to get back to the sea and determine what to do next.

Questa whooped and proceeded to give chase. It was like the old days when they had fought a rival gang and routed them out of their territory.

Sileas hurried after her. She wasn't about to let Questa have all of the fun. She was tired of being a victim.

Tabor reached a river. All rivers reach the sea eventually. Tabor stripped off his clothes to his loincloth and dove in.

"Damn it. I'm not that good of a swimmer," Sileas growled.

"Maybe 'e'll drown, the water's pretty deep and movin' fast." Questa said hopefully. She could swim, but did not think she could swim and cut that guy up at the same time.

"One can hope. Not only was he dangerous, he was very strange."

"Probably some rich toff, right, used ter gettin' 'is own way wiv us poor girls." Questa said, still looking at the river. "He 'asn't come up for air."

Sileas shook her head. "No, he didn't act like a rich toff. He acted like women should just throw themselves at him. And not speak unless spoken to. What an arsehole."

"He smelled like low tide at the docks." Questa noted. "Want ter go back to the Keep now?"

Sileas sighed softly. "I suppose so." The encounter had shaken Sileas more than she cared to admit and she was realizing running off on her own might not be a really good idea. She started walking back the way they came. "Do you think he and his people may have been the ones behind the attack on the village?"

"I don't know. Maybe. He were a bad enough man to." Questa said as they walked back towards the keep.

"Hold up," Wulfsen called out. "Your surprise is almost here," he said to Sileas.

As far as Questa was concerned, there was no such thing as a good surprise. "She already got 'er surprise."

Wulfsen looked confused. "What are you talking about? What happened?" he asked. His brow furrowed as his gaze filled with concern.

"We beat the kegs off 'im so don't yer worry." Questa said coolly.

Wulfsen glanced at Sileas. "Sileas?"

Sileas let out a small puff. "Some strange man. He grabbed me from behind. He asked a lot of questions about Aislyn and which one I was. When I said I wasn't kin to the Buckleys, he was going to kill me. Questa's right, we fought him off, he jumped in the river."

"Stark bloody naked." Questa added, exaggerating slightly.

"And really really scary," Sileas said with a slight shake to her voice.

"I will have the men on the lookout. I think you will really need this." He took Sileas's hand and led her to a cart that had just rolled up and stopped. He smiled when Shawn hopped off, baby in his arms.

Sileas couldn't believe her eyes. Tear filled her eyes as her mouth worked soundlessly. "Papa! Oh Papa!" she flew to her father and wrapped her arms around him, mindful of Olivia between them.

Shawn wrapped his arms around her and held her close, his head resting on hers, his own tears flowing.

"Woss this, isit?I fought 'e were dead!" Questa exclaimed.

"From what little Shawn told me, he was trapped under some rubble and didn't want Sileas to waste time digging him out, he wanted her to get to safety especially when he thought he could be seriously injured. One of my men that knows healing, he cleaned him up and gave him a brief examination. He did have a head injury. Your healer should take a look up at him."

Ila shook her head in disbelief. Guards never died.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 05:15, Wed 03 June 2015.

Wulfsen stood quietly off to the side, letting the father and daughter have their reunion. He knew Shawn to be worried and he was certain Sileas was devastated believing she had lost her entire family.

Sileas let out a tearful laugh when Olivia wailed loudly. She wiped her eyes. "I am glad she is not a newborn any longer. We need to find something for her to eat," she told her father. "I wish Mama and the rest of my sisters were here, but I am thankful I still have you and Olivia."

Shawn hugged Olivia close. "Wulfsen and his men grabbed all of the food they could find at the forge. It's not much but it will at least get everyone through the night. We're going back tomorrow to see what we can salvage along with any food."

He pulled Sileas against him with his free arm. "I am grateful to have the two of you with me as well." Shawn's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "My heart will forever ache for your mother and sisters."

Shawn began walking the remains of his family to Wulfsen so they could return to the keep.

Questa gave Shawn Spenser a suspicious look. "Yor not some livin' dead ghost, are yer?"

Shawn shook his head. He loosened his hold on Sileas but didn't let her go. "I was buried under a lot of rubble and I wanted Sileas to get to safety instead of putting herself at risk by taking time to dig me out." His eyes darkened for a moment. "Also I wasn't sure I would even make it, so it was better to send her off. I managed to free my arms and got enough off of me that I could get out."

Questa squeezed the handle of her shiv. "Yer crorled out of yor own grave!" She exclaimed.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 04:11, Wed 22 July 2015.

"He wasn't that buried, Questa. The rubble was on him from the waist down," Sileas pointed out.

 "He were buried and dead." Questa insisted, becoming uncharacteristically superstitious.

"No, he wasn't dead. He told me to go because he didn't believe he would make it." Sileas scowled. "If I had had any idea he was lying to me, I wouldn't have gone."

"Could 'ave made sure and put 'im ter rest." Questa drew a finger over her throat.

Sileas glowered at Questa. "I'm glad I didn't. At least I still have Papa and Elizabeth," she said, stroking the baby's head.

Questa shivered. Ghost guard and ghost baby, it was like the stories she and hte other kids in her gang made up to scare each other. "Let's go hammer and tack inside, get some food, right, I'm bloody well 'ungry."

"We should get Olivia out of the night air as well," Shawn said as Sileas took her sister and wrapped her beneath her cloak.

Wulfsen put an arm around Sileas's shoulders. "It should be warmer inside."

Sileas had accomplished what she had come outside to do. And she had experienced a miracle, thanks in no small part to Wulfsen. She managed a small smile when his hand rested on her shoulder, it was nice having her old friend here. Having lost so much in the past day, it was nice to be with someone familiar. "Yes, you're right." She held Olivia close, even as the baby began to fuss a bit.

"Keep them 'ands where I can spot ffem, guv." Questa said warningly.

"Questa? Did Difyr survive? Do you know where she is?" Shawn inquired, trying to distract the girl.

"That 'ealer that's always pokin' blokes, then, guv? Yes, right, she's alive." Questa continued to watch Wulfsen in case he tried anything.

"Good. I want her to look Olivia over." Whether Shawn was aware that he was bleeding was unknown. So much had happened and his entire attention had been on finding his family.

"All right, my hands are here and here." Wulfsen said, giving Sileas's shoulder a gentle squeeze and taking her hand with his free hand.

"Questa tends to be very protective," Sileas explained, slipping her free hand in to his. She made certain she had a good hold on her sister. "Especially since everything that's happened over the past few years."

"Will I be all right if I make no sudden moves?" Wulfsen asked.

Sileas nodded. "I believe so. As long as I can assure her that I am safe and not frightened, you'll be all right."

"What would she do if someone tried to kiss you?" Wulfsen asked.

Sileas's eyes widened. Kiss me! She cleared her throat. "She was accepting of Larrigan kissing me but he's lost to me now," Sileas admitted.

Wulfsen's face turned red and he could have kicked himself for reminding Sileas of her recent loss.

"I heard... I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," she said quietly, blinking back the tears that threatened. Those could wait until she could hopefully find a few quiet moments all to herself. "I suppose my happy ending was never in the plans of the universe."

"Oh, I don't believe that." Wulfsen said, then felt even more awkward. "I mean... I think you should be happy, just not today. Er... Happy someday."

"I wish I could be as confident in that," Sileas said with a wistful note. "But I suppose time will tell," she added.

"Someday..." Wulfsen said, also wistful. He was gratefully distracted by arriving at the keep, he could smell something cooking. "How about something to eat?"

"I could probably eat a little something after I help Papa find Difyr," Sileas replied. She couldn't truthfully remember when she had eaten last. And what she had eaten she had lost.

"You must be famished after your journey." Wulfsen said. "But get the babe to the healer first, it looks like your father can do with a visit with her too."

Sileas glanced at her father and saw the bleeding. "Yes, he certainly does. That was where he was injured so badly before." Fear sliced through her heart.

"You have a good healer, I'm sure he will be all right." Wulfsen assured her.

"I hope so. I don't think I could bear losing him again after just finding him," Sileas said. "But you are right, Difyr is an excellent healer. I doubt anyone else could have saved him the last time."

Questa thought Sileas and Wulfsen were getting to chummy. "Enough blather. Get the bleedin' baby ter the bloomin' pokin' and proddin' 'ealer."

Sileas rolled her eyes but wasn't facing Questa. "We're going, we're going."

Questa prodded Sileas into moving more quickly by swatting her backside with her weight sock.

If it hadn't been for her sister in her arms, Sileas would have spun around and slugged Questa. But Sileas knew it was time for her to be more mature, after all, she would need to help her father raise her little sister. She did turn her head slightly to hiss "Stoppit."

"Then move it! Blimey!" Questa hissed back.

Sileas rolled her eyes again. "She can be pushy and bossy too," she whispered to Wulfsen as they neared the doorway.

Wulfsen opened the door and stepped back to let Sileas and Questa enter.

To The Keep- Main Hall?>

Mazi darted through the trees.