"I told you you don't have to come along," Sileas pointed out. "Look, truthfully I would rather have had Papa or Wulfsen come along, but Papa's in no condition and I have no idea where Wulfsen is. If I stay to hunt for him, Papa will catch up and forbid me to go."

"Wulfsen is walkin' funny, like 'is bits are up in 'is ribs. He wouldn't be any 'elp any roads." Questa wished Max and Ben were still around, or even Larrigan. But those raiders killed Larrigan. "We're gonna die 'orribly there, right, yer know."

"We aren't!" Sileas stated emphatically. "We are strong and we know how to fight. We are armed."

"We know 'ow ter fight- but 'ave yer forgotten 'ow ter avoid fights yer can't win, then, eh? Them dirty lads 'ave us outnumbered and they're all strong an armed too. Then there's them weird mermen, right, we might not even make it ter the chuffin' village."

"The mermen are one reason I should go alone. They're no threat to me. They want women and girls who can give them children. One of those rare times that I find myself grateful for being barren." Sileas sighed. "If there were any other way to defeat them and find Uncle Nelek, don't you think I would look for it?"

"Do yer fink they even know yor barren, Sileas? And wot about me- I'm not barren... I'm bloody well gonna wind up wiv a belly full of fish." Questa flushed angrily.

"They know, I told them." She pulled the horses to a stop. "For the last time, you don't have to go along. Go ahead and get off. Go back to the keep."

Four of the knights rode up. "Halt. No women are allowed to go to the village and the men need all the wagons. Dismount at once."

"Why would they believe yer?" Questa asked, then sighed with relief when the knights rode up.

"All I can tell you is the one that grabbed me declared me useless." She glanced at the knights. "I will only be a few hours. I need to get some very specific things from Lowell Manor."

"There's more than one of them. Anuvver might want ter try yer first." Questa scowled at the knights. "Let us go, we want ter find us dooms outside of the keep."

"I am not going," Sileas said stubbornly. "I need those things to try to find Uncle Nelek." Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Get down Miss, or we'll have to arrest you for theft and take you to the dungeon," the head knight stated.

"Yer've gotten right soft, yer can't even nick wivout getting caught anymore." Questa said sadly.

"I didn't nick it," Sileas seethed. "The squire gave me permission and even loaded the trunks on the wagon."

"Which he shouldn't have done. All wagons are needed to salvaging or going to Portside to procure supplies. Down. Now."

"They're not gonna let us leave wiv this wagon, it's too big ter sneak out under yor shirt." Questa pointed out.

"I can run them over with the horses and the wagons. They won't be surviving that," Sileas stated.

Questa didn't buy it. "Yor gonna murder them?" She snorted.

"Why doesn't anyone understand why this is important?" Sileas uttered, fighting the urge to wail with frustration. "I need the things from the manor. I must have them."

Xavier wandered up after having secured Mazi in the depths of the dungeon with several guards on him. He glanced at the knights and the girls in the wagon. "Think you're going somewhere do you?"

"It's probably important... Just yor gahn about it all wrong and are gonna get yorself and me done dirty and probably killed this way." Questa said.

"I keep telling you not to come along." Sileas with exasperation. "I need the things out of the manor. The books and all of the objects...boxes, talismans and the like," she said to Xavier. There must be something in Kegan's magical items that can help us defeat the mermen and find Uncle Nelek. But these knights refuse to allow me to leave. They're about to arrest me for stealing the cart  even though the squire gave me permission."

Xavier rubbed his temple. Wulfsen was going to have his hands full with this one. "That is because with the mermen on the loose along with the bandits, Wulfsen and I have told the men to not allow any of the women to leave. And despite your expertise with fighting and weapons, you are both women. If you like, I will take some men to the manor, we will pack up everything that is there and bring it here to you. Will that suffice?"

"I'm bloody well not gonna let yer get yorself killed alone, even if yor bein' right stewpid." Questa said. She hoped Sileas would let Xavier and his knights risk their own necks.