The smallest tower of the Keep but it is in the best shape. It is on the northeast corner of the Keep.

Millie propped her elbows on some stones. She missed her shop. She missed her friend. She missed her siblings. She sank to the floor, her back against the outer wall.

After walking half of the outer wall, Lek had to go into the Garden Tower to continue searching the wall.

"Millie?"

"Lek! You're back!" Millie said, not having mustered a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Lek threw his arms around Millie, sobbing. "I found Papa! But Mama refuses to accept it's him so he's being kept in the dungeon and Mama wants to go back to the convent!"

"Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe she was so badly hurt by this whole thing that she will never trust anyone who looks like...him. She...she wants to return to the convent?"

"We have to stop her!" Lek said. "And I know it's Papa. I was with him all week. It's him. Mama has to give him a chance."

Lek began tugging on Millie's hand to lead he from the tower.

"I want to sit here a little longer. I don't want to face anyone right now," Millie said, pulling her hand back.

"I need you Millie!" Lek cried. He began to realize there was something more going on than he knew about. "What's wrong?"

"Pinja. She wasn't getting any better and is growing weaker by the moment. She can't keep anything down. But she talked Aalyssa into taking her to where she believed Jack and the raiders to be hiding. She told Difyr to tell me goodbye. She couldn't even do it herself. Her friend wasn't even worth a real face to face goodbye."

Lek was shocked.

"If Pinja was so weak she never should have left! Can she even surv- No!" More tears. "She had gone through so much and survived, we did so much for her- especially you! How could she leave us like that?" Lek felt hurt, grief stricken and angry.

"According to Difyr, Pinja felt is was her responsibility to make certain Jack never hurt anyone again. I don't see how she could have survived, Difyr did not seem to hold any hope. It sounded like this was Pinja's deathbed wish." Millie started crying. "I would have wanted to say goodbye."

Lek hugged Millie, also crying. "I liked Pinja... I thought she would be here when I got back... Has Aalyssa come back yet?"

"I don't know. I've been up here all day," Millie replied.

"Let's find her. Maybe..." Even Lek knew he was clutching at straws. "Aalyssa is an elf, she has magic."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Mon 30 May 2016.

"Sometimes even magic is not enough." Millie got to her feet. "But all right, let's see if Aalyssa is back."

Lek headed for the spiral staircase. It wasn't fair. People who survived the raid shouldn't die now.

Millie followed him.

Wulfsen wasn't even winded when he reached the top of Garden Tower, Sileas still in his arms. The air was full of the scent of blooming flowers. Caught in the moment, Wulfsen pressed his lips to Sileas's.

Sileas kissed him back, letting her eyes drift closed for a second. Her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Sileas..." Wulfsen murmured, forgetting why they were there.

"Wulfsen," she whispered. "We...we can't. We need to bar the door in case Yehudit finds us. I don't think she can't hear through it."

Wulfsen sighed heavily and set Sileas down on her feet. He looked at the door. "Do you think she can handle all the stairs?"

"She's highly determined when she wants to follow me somewhere."

Wulfsen shut the door and barred it.

"Now what's this about her being a demon?"

"I was talking to Bai about Galina," which Sileas knew would have to be a whole other conversation. "And he said she sounded like a servant of this demon, Molech. And then he went on to say how Molech could...convince...his followers to create children who belong to him. He went on to say how this demon's children had uncontrollable, unexplained rages, and lustful. Yehudit has these rages that no one knows the cause or what to do for them. And she's always wanting to look at guys with their shirts off. Every thing that Bai said is a symptom, she has exhibited. At one point Galina had said both Yehudit and I were created to destroy the family, but I was able to fight her influence. Most likely the follower she sent didn't manage to create a child with she who gave birth to me, perhaps because she was already pregnant by Keegan Lowell."

"But Yehudit is... human." Wulfsen said, deciding to have a seat on the floor. "Her parents are both good people... Well, Mrs Buckley is... They're not demon worshipers."

Sileas sighed and sat down next to him. This really wasn't her place to talk about, and Aunt Lia would have her head...but then Aunt Lia hated her now anyway. "Uncle Aron isn't Yehudit's father. He loves her like his own, but...she's not."

"What? He dotes on her." Wulfsen said, then remembered he planned on raising a child that wasn't his own. "If he's not then who is?"

Sileas squirmed uncomfortably. "No one knows. Aunt Lia was attacked by a group of men outside the Black Raven when it was still open. Galina used the tavern as her headquarters. It could have been any one of those men. Uncle Aron adores her. It will kill him if we discover she is indeed a demon."

"Whoah... Is that why your Aunt has always been strangely protective of Yehudit?" That family had some serious issues, and this explained some of it. "So they don't know about this demon thing? Yehudit doesn't know?"

"They know what Galina said, but I doubt anyone believed her. And yes, that's why Aunt Lia is so overprotective of her." Sileas rubbed her arms. "Bai doesn't know if there's any way to fix it or not. It's not like the demon possessed her or something."

"What can we do?" Wulfsen asked, putting an arm around Sileas.

Sileas snuggled against him, leaning her head against his shoulder.  "I don't know. Bai is going to look in the books for any answers to that while we are looking for how to stop the mermen. Her rages are getting worse, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm frightened by the prospect of having to face a demon. Galina was bad enough, and she was just a follower."

"But she's still Yehudit." Wulfsen said. "What's it mean that she's Molech's child?"

"I suppose when the rage takes over, she ceases to be Yehudit and is a destruction machine. And if she is intimate with anyone, I suppose any of her children would be Molech's children too."

Wulfsen grimaced. "Do you really think that's going to happen anytime soon?"

"The rage becoming uncontrollable? They are getting worse. Difyr was using a special tea to help but it's taking more and more every day. So far, her only interest in men has been limited to seeing them shirtless."

Wulfsen groaned. "There isn't anything we can do... Besides lock her up?"

"Not unless Bai finds something in the books. And the question is, if she does go completely demonic, is there anything that will be able to contain her?"

"This is Yehudit though." Wulfsen said. "You've known her a long time. Learning this doesn't change her.. and it might not even be true. I'd expect a demon to be less... clumsy."

"That she got from her mother," Sileas replied. "I hope it's not true, but...there's far too much there for me to discount it completely."

"Maybe she got the raging temper from her mother too." Wulfsen said hopefully. "And the wanting to see shirtless, I know a lot of men that aren't demon that like to look at-" He stopped and blushed.

Sileas shook her head. "Her rages are different from Aunt Lia's temper. Even Aunt Lia is concerned about the rages. It's one thing to be angry about something but...Yehudit goes blind and deaf to anyone's voices when she goes into a rage."

"Maybe we should lock he up until we can figure out what to do." Wulfsen said.

"We would have to discuss it with Aunt Lia first. I don't know if we could convince her or not. The other thing is that just locking her up first might trigger the rage."

"Maybe if we disguised it as a nice room with a view to the training field..." Wulfsen suggested.

"Hmm. Maybe. But there will be the knowledge that she can't follow me everywhere."

"We're to be married soon- she has to know you'll need time away from her." Wulfsen said.

"You heard her when we left...I go where you go. I've begged and implored for time to myself. The only reason I had time to myself when I was...hiding...was because I kept my door locked and wouldn't answer it. The only way Larrigan and I had time alone was either by trickery or locking her in a closet."

"How are we ever going to-" Wulfsen felt color creeping up his neck to his face.

The color of Sileas's face matched her hair. "i'll keep trying to reason with her. I guess we run quickly for our room and post a guard."

"Maybe we can live up here." Wulfsen said. "Stairs seem to stop her."

"That should be fun to navigate once I'm close to delivery time," Sileas laughed.

Wulfsen had not been thinking that far ahead.

"Ah, well, it's a good temporary solution. Maybe it will break her of the habit of following you around."

"We'll see if it holds her back." Sileas sighed softly. "Only time and her level of determination wil tell."

"So what do we do now?" Wulfsen asked. "They have Aalyssa and treason is a capital offense."

"That is a very sticky situation. From what I understand, it wasn't due to any action, but when her husband's brother overthrew the throne, she was declared a danger. One would think after all this time, the King would feel secure on the throne, but obviously not. Do you even have the authority to intervene?" Sileas wondered out loud.

"I have more authority than anyone else who would speak up for her, that I know of." Wulfsen said. "I have to do something."

Sileas dipped her head and nodded. "I understand." She couldn't give voice to her fear that she would lose him if it came to a battle or even if he pressed to hard. A tell-tale tear slid down her cheek.

Wulfsen wrapped his arms around her. "I don't want to leave you. If I had any other way to save Aalyssa..."

"I know," Sileas said on a whisper. She had no idea how to get past the wall that kept her from telling him her feelings. "It's just..I'm...I just..." her voice trailed off.

Wulfsen gently lifted Sileas's chin. "It will be all right. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"I know that will be your intention. Everybody always thinks they'll come back," Sileas replied.

"You're afraid I'll get killed like Larrigan or Max." Wulfsen stated.

Sileas nodded. "The day we were raided was the first day that Larrigan stayed behind at the forge. The first day since we had met that we had been truly apart," she finally said, rubbing her arms.

"What can I do to make you feel safer about me leaving?" Wulfsen asked.

"I...I don't know..." Siles said honestly. "Don't go? Send Xavier?"

"Xavier doesn't have the authority I do. If I don't go Aalyssa will die." Wulfsen gently squeezed Sileas's shoulders. It was tearing him apart to leave her. He hoped he got back all right, she wanted her child to have a father instead of being branded a bastard like he was. At least his father acknowledged him, but it was not easy.

"Oh! I can come with you! It will take Bai a while to find anything useful in the books, I'm thinking. Plus he has to set up the area," Sileas said, wanting to guard him.

"It might be-" Wulfsen realized telling Sileas that it might be dangerous would only make her want to go more. "Don't you have to help prepare for our wedding?"

She started to say no but closed her mouth. If she left her mother and Aunt in charge, they would dress her in something disgustingly frilly. Sileas let out a breath. "I would be more useful having your back."

"You have to be careful. It's not just you, or just you and me." Wulfsen said. "You have a child with you."

Sileas' shoulders slumping, the truth of his words slamming in to her. Still, she was unwilling to give up the fight just yet. She couldn't do this all alone. "I know how to be careful," she said in a small voice, even as her mind pointed out that the baby was an unexpected miracle. "What if Difyr says it's safe for me to go along?"

"It's not if you're healthy enough, it's if we're ever in any danger." Wulfsen said.

"Which takes us back to me having your back," Sileas said stubbornly. Even now, though, her hand splayed protectively over the precious life she carried.

Wulfsen sighed and kissed her cheek. "It's up to you."

"That's hardly a good idea. I'm not known for making the best of decisions," Sileas pointed out.  "If I go, I can protect you. If I go, Mama and Aunt Aislyn will make the wedding a frilly concoction of...something frilly and frothy."

"You'll still look beautiful." Wulfsen said.

Sileas blushed. "But I despise ruffles enough to go into a Yehudit style rage," she said.

"Well, there's bound to be a chapel along the way. We can go get married in whatever we're wearing and then you won't have to wear anything frilly."

Sileas was quietly thoughtful for a few moments. "That sounds wonderful to me, but Mama would be sorely disappointed to not witness my wedding. I might, however, be able to find a dress somewhere and that would negate anything they pick out."

Wulfsen nodded. "I'm hoping to leave within an hour, you need to pack quickly."

Sileas got to her feet. "I also have to explain to Bai what is going on." She sighed. "How am I going to keep Yehudit from following?"

"Tie her up and lock her up?" Wulfsen said, only half serious.

Sileas snorted. "The idea would have potential if I wasn't worried about her flying into a  rage."

"Maybe we can slip out without her knowing you're going." Wulfsen said.

Sileas snorted again. She knew they'd been lucky to get away from her for this long.

Wulfsen reached for her hand. "Ready to run?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:00, Sun 24 Sept 2017.

She placed her hand in his. "Yep."

With his free hand, Wulfsen lifted the bar and opened the door.

Yehudit sat on the top step just outside. Her ankle was visibly swollen, but hte look on her face was far more noticeable.

Sileas stopped beside Wulfsen. A string of curse words went through her mind.

Wulfsen stared, trying to figure out how much Yehudit had heard.

Yehudit was upset beyond words. She just looked at them.

Sileas could feel the locket containing Althea growing warm against her flesh. It all made sense now why Yehudit wanted the locket off of Sileas. So many things made sense now, as much as it hurt Sileas' heart to know such things about her best friend. "Yehudit. I...we..." she had no idea what to say, since she didn't have any clue what, if anything, Yehudit had heard. And how on earth she had managed to get up all those stairs.

"I never should have been born." Yehudit said. "I really know that now."

"Oh, Yehudit," Sileas' eyes welled with fresh tears. "Bai will find a way to help you...I'll find a way. There must be a way if you are willing to fight against it," Sileas vowed.

Yehudit shook her head. "I'm a demon, everything about me is wrong."

"There is good in you too, I've seen it. There wasn't only one person involved in this." Sileas's heart hurt. She looked toward Wulfsen. She couldn't leave Yehudit when she was in this state, but she wanted to be there to have his back. Either way, she would be overcome with worry.

"I killed a man... He could have been taken to the guard but I killed him. I was so angry." Yehudit said. "Rage. And they're getting worse."

"But you mustn't give up hope. Now that we know the cause, surely we can find a way to stop them. To expel this from you."

"Next time I kill someone it might be..." Yehudit shook her head. "I'm demon."

"If you were fully demon, you would have no conscience. You would not care if you killed someone or not. Let me  and Bai try to find a way to put an end to the demon without costing us you." As aggravating as Yehudit could be, Sileas couldn't imagine her life without her best friend in it.

"Nothing has worked to stop them." Yehudit said. "I shouldn't exist."

"We didn't know what was causing it before. Now we do," Sileas exclaimed. "It's hard to stop something that you don't know the cause of. We can bring a priest back with us, even."

"I'll still be a demon." Yehudit drew one knee to her chest, the leg with the bad ankle hurt too much to move, and hugged her leg. "I never should have been born."

Sileas sat down next to Yehudit and wrapped her arms around her cousin. "You're still my best friend and cousin. And I will find a way to help you."

"Would you throw me off the tower?" Yehudit asked.

"Throw you off...no, I wouldn't throw you off the tower!" Sileas sputtered.

"It might stop me. You might not get another chance to." Yehudit said.

"I disagree. I think throwing it's body off the tower would cause the demon to come out full force."

"Then I should be locked up." Yehudit said. "Until you can kill me, the demon."

"Aunt Lia would kill me. And I will find a way to kill the demon but spare you. I will."

"I'm too dangerous." Yehudit said.

"We would have to talk to your mother first. I'm not about to lock you up before talking to her first. And it still would only be until we find a way to get rid of the demon."

"She won't want anything more to do with me after she knows what I am." Yehudit said. "Papa either."

"I would tell you you're wrong. Your parents love you completely and totally."

"You know how I came about. You know Papa isn't my father." Yehudit said.

Sileas glowered. "Another one who thinks a parent isn't a parent if they weren't part of the birth process. Anyone can sire a child. It takes someone very special to a be a Papa. Uncle Aron loves you to the ends of the earth."

"Your mother wasn't raped to have you, you're not a demon either." Yehudit said. "Mama's always been strange about me."

"I just figured it was because you were her first born. She comes from a place of love. And nothing will make Uncle Aron love you less."

"You just told Wulfsen that what happened to her is why she's like that with me. Parents are supposed to be overprotective of their youngest children, not the firstborn." Yehudit said. "She despises me, she overcompensates for it by being overprotective of me."

"Yes, I said that's why she's overprotective. And you have that backwards. I've seen it with Aunt Aislyn...she's more protective and stricter with Lek and Millie but let's Kady and the smaller ones run wild."

"She hates me." Yehudit said. "And I don't blame her. She has plenty of reason to."

"She doesn't hate you. If she hated you, she would pay no attention to you just like she who gave birth to me did."

"The woman who gave birth to you was evil. My Mama isn't." Yehudit said.

"Good point," Sileas said quietly.

Wulfsen touched Sileas's shoulder. "If you wish to say you can."

"Either way I'll be wracked with worry, but I probably should stay," Sileas said softly. She got to her feet and wrapped her arms around him. "You tell Xavier if you come back with one hair on your head injured, I will hold him personally responsible. And there will be no where he can hide."

"I'll come back." Wulfsen whispered and kissed Sileas. "I promise... Do you need help getting Yehudit down the stairs?"

"Yes, please. And we need to find new rooms for us and Questa and Oscar. Bai doesn't want anyone around the things from the manor."

"There are a few rooms that are still unoccupied." Wulfsen said, picking Yehudit up.

"Once we get Yehudit settled, I'll find Questa." Her stomach was still tied in knots at the idea of Wulfsen going out after Aalyssa.

Wulfsen nodded and started down the stairs. He wondered why Yehudit felt heavier to carry then Sileas. She was smaller than Sileas.

Sileas followed Wulfsen and Yehudit down the stairs, carrying her cousin's walking stick.

"Sileas?" Wulfsen called hopefully when he reached the top of the tower. His heart sank. She was not there. He doubted that she went back to the feast but he did not know where else she could have gone.