"Maybe they're survivors." Yehudit said hopefully.

"Maybe." Sileas glanced at Wulfsen. "What are your thoughts on it?"

"We have to be careful." Wulfsen set the boy down on some soft grass. "I'll go over and see who's at that fire."

"I'll come with you," Sileas offered. "Yehudit, why don't you stay here and watch over James?"

"Okay, but be very quiet." Wulfsen's voice was already hushed as he began walking towards the woods.

Sileas pulled some arrows from her quiver and her bow out from beneath her cloak as she quietly followed Wulfsen. She was careful to make no sound whatsoever.

"Don't look into the fire, it will mess up your vision." Wulfsen warned in a low voice as they approached the camp. When they got close enough to see who was around the campfire Wulfsen stopped. "Do you recognize any of these men?"

Sileas looked over the men. "No....wait...I think that one, I think Papa had arrested him for abusing his wife. What are they doing...I think they have someone over there that they're raping." She dug her fingernails into his arm.

Wulfsen drew his sword, even though he knew if any light hit the blade he would be spotted. There was some activity going on under a tree, and it looked like what Sileas suspected. Wulfsen hurried through the woods, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Sileas hurried after him, even though she knew she was going to have to deal with flashbacks without her calming tea. Maybe she would find someone at the keep who would just knock her out. Questa maybe, she was good at knocking people out. She tossed her cloak over shoulder to allow access to her quiver.

A woman, covered in blood and tattered clothes was tied to a tree and there was no mistaking what the man was doing. Wulfsen probably should have given some warning but he was fed up. This man had to be one of the raiders, there were so many dead and injured. So Wulfsen swung his sword to lop off the man's head.

Noting the direction Wulfsen was heading in, Sileas focused on the men who were approaching. She began firing arrows at them. Sileas was trying to only injure so Wulfsen could punish them properly but her heart wouldn't be broken if she killed them.

Sileas turned just in time to see the man's head flying through the air but that wasn't what turned her stomach. "Mama!" she half-whispered. She longed to fly to her side but her brain told her she needed to wait until it was clear to do so.

Wulfsen threw the man's decapitated body aside and used his sword to cut through the ropes.

"We're going to get you out of here, ma'am." Wulfsen did not even recognize Brighid Spenser. After the ropes were cut off he offered her his hand to help her up. "Can you run?"

Brie was shaky and hurt all over. "I can certainly try," she replied. Of all the people she might have expected to see, Wulfsen wasn't one of them. Brie rubbed her wrists for a few moments before trying to hold her clothing closed.

Sileas hurried over, removing her cloak as she ran. She wrapped it around her mother. "I'll carry her if I have to." As tired as she was of having to be the strong one, she needed to persevere even longer for her mother.

Brie kissed her daughter's temple as she slipped her arm around her. "Let's go."

"I can carry if need be." Wulfsen said, putting a thick arm around the woman to help support her. The woman seemed familiar. "Let's get her to Star- don't hesitate to kill any bastard that tries to stop us!"

"What the hell is this?" Jack stood mostly behind a tree to protect himself. "Your rescue is late, she's a whore now. I've been with her myself. Twice."

"I won't hesitate." Wulfsen of course didn't know she had killed before, to protect Yehudit. "I will not let anyone further hurt my mother," Sileas snarled emphatically, walking as quickly as her mother could go toward Star.

"Hold on Mama," she said quietly when the man appeared. Sileas notched her arrow, holding it level at his head. "She is no whore! I remember you. You beat and attacked your wife over and over, the woman you forced into a marriage. It was a sham of a marriage."

Jack ducked his head along with the rest of himself behind the tree.

"I never beat Pinja, I seduced her! The marriage is over because she committed adultery!" Jack shouted. "Go ahead and take that whore of your mother with you. We're done with her. We can find a whore less used up in a brothel. She'll never look at your crippled father the same way again, not after finding out what real men are like."

Sileas was seething. She knew full well her parents would work their way through this. She itched to kill the man but she would have to get closer to do so and that would put herself at risk. "Let's get Mama out of here. We can take care of that garbage later," Sileas said. "Seduced my arse."

Then she stopped walking and looked at Wulfsen. "I can't let him live."

Now Wulfsen recognized the woman. He scooped her up as gently as he could. He burned in anger at what Jack said, he wanted to kill him, but Jack's family outnumbered him and Sileas. And Brighid Spenser was badly injured. They had to get out of there.

"Sileas, let's get your mother to Star. Now." Wulfsen said. "We came here to save your mother, she's badly hurt and needs a healer. I want to kill him too but we're outnumbered- if we fight him one of use could get hurt or even killed. When we come back with more men he will die."

"You are right. He's crazy and we don't know how many more people he has with him. We're going to take you to Difyr, Mama. Papa and Olivia are already there." Sileas tried her best to keep her voice from breaking. "Aunt Lia to, she'll know how to help. And don't even think of trying to hide. I can tell you from experience that it does not help at all, it only allows everything to fester inside you," Sileas said as they walked. She reached up to touch her mother's hair. I should have come sooner. I shouldn't have run.

Jack called a parting shot. "What hurts your crippled husband now- his wife being an unfaithful whore, or his twins getting sliced up like a loaf of bread? Of course a cripple can't father children." Jack laughed. "But maybe he convinced himself they were his."

In reply to Sileas (msg # 72):

Wulfsen ignored Jack, and took the moment to watch Sileas while she was occupied with talking to her mother.

"Aunt Lia to, she'll know how to help. And don't even think of trying to hide. I can tell you from experience that it does not help at all, it only allows everything to fester inside you,"

The confirmed what Wulfsen had suspected of happening to Sileas. He knew seeing her mother in this condition had to be especially hard on Sileas because of what she went through. Wulfsen wanted to hug Sileas, to comfort her. But his arms were full of Brighid.

"Mrs Spenser, do you feel able to ride or should we make a litter or try to find a small cart?" Wulfsen asked.

"I'm not sure," Brie admitted, her voice weak and tired. "Everything hurts so much." She felt heartsick. "Did he say two of my babies are gone?" she whispered.

Sileas glanced at Wulfsen and shook her head. "She's not going to be able to ride, not with what they...with her...injuries." Sileas kissed her mother. "We will talk about that later, you just conserve your strength so we can get you to Difyr."