30

"So, that was an oddly tender moment back there," Teresa said to Bella as we traversed the rocky countryside.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked skeptically.

"I promise you can come next time," Teresa responded, mocking Bella. "And then you rubbed her hair."

"Was that really a weird thing to do? I should've just given her a hug. I'll give her hugs from now on," Bella responded. She was talking more to herself than Teresa. I could see it getting under Teresa's skin, which made it entertaining to watch.

"See, this is what I'm talking about! Who is this person and what has she done to my sister?" Teresa yelled and gestured toward Bella.

"Whatever, you're just jealous because Mila and I have gotten close," Bella said and waved off Teresa.

"What do you mean by close?" I asked. I hadn't noticed the two of them bonding at all.

"It's hard to explain, she feels like family to me. Like part of me has always known part of her." Bella smiled as she thought about Mila.

"Like a little sister?" Teresa said with her arms folded.

"No, like I said it's weird. For example, when she tells me stories about her past, my first instinct is to scold her, but I also like that she trusts me enough to tell me things and I don't want to lose that. It's like I want to protect her from the whole world, but at the same time I want her to see and learn as much as she can, and then tell me how she grew from it. What would you say that feeling is?" Bella asked the two of us.

"That kinda sounds like something my mother would say," I said with my head slightly tilted.

"So, it's even worse than I thought. I thought you were playing big sister, but it turns out you're playing mommy instead," Teresa said and chuckled.

"Don't be an idiot, I'm not pretending to be anyone's mother," Bella said and let the conversation die.

The playful banter was replaced with awkward silence as we walked along the path of uncertainty. Dagger's End sat to the southeast of Lilyfield. It sat between the southern tip of Mt. Daggerius and the Great Sea. The landscape changed dramatically as we got closer to the village. The trees became shorter and more spread out until they were completely replaced by short bushes. The ground beneath our feet seemed to get harder as the grass became a yellowish color.

"So, this place is kinda shitty," Teresa said as we stopped in the last grouping of trees before the entrance to the village.

"Remember, after I cast these spells, they won't be able to see or hear us, as long as you keep your mouths shut. I'm gonna cast a third spell so we can see each other as well. The last thing we need is Teresa yelling out to find you and giving our presence away," Bella said before she waved her staff a few times.

My heart raced as we walked out of the tree grouping and towards the village gate. I had every reason to trust that the spells had worked but being sneaky always made me anxious. I held my breath as we walked past the heavily armored soldier watching the gate. Once we were past him, I felt safe to breathe again.

"They all live in tents," Teresa whispered as we looked around the village.

It was true, every building was made of animal hide and poles. It looked like the people could just get up and leave whenever they felt like it. I thought about what that meant as we observed our surroundings. The largest tent was located in the center of the area with 2 guards positioned at the entrance.

"That's where we need to go," I said and pointed to the tent.

We quietly made our way to the large tent. When we were a few feet away Bella whispered the word sleep and both of the guards passed out. We walked into the tent without anyone seeing us. There was a redheaded woman sleeping at a wooden table with her back to the door.

"Reveal," Bella said and broke the invisibility spell that concealed our presence.

Teresa cleared her throat loudly and nudged the chair with her foot to wake the sleeping woman. The woman woke up with a start and reached for her sword on her back. Teresa stopped her by pointing her sword in the woman's face.

"We're sorry for startling you, we just came to talk," I said calmly with my hands folded in front of me.

Teresa slowly put her sword away as the woman studied us suspiciously. When she had seen enough, she spoke.

"So, who are you and what do you want?" she asked plainly.

"We're from Lilyfield," I said and stopped.

"Oh, and why is my brother not here with you? Do you have him imprisoned over that stupid squabble at the border?" she asked with irritation in her voice.

"No, actually your brother's dead. I'm sorry to have to tell you this way," I said as sympathetically as I could.

"What, you killed him? Why the hell did you kill him?" She asked and jumped to her feet.

Once she stood up it was clear that she was a massive woman. She stood a full foot taller than me, and her shoulders were as wide as two normal sized people standing next to each other. Tears rolled down her face as it became as red as her hair.

"We didn't kill him, he and his party were killed before we arrived," Bella said with her hands raised in surrender.

"So, someone else in that sorry excuse for a village murdered my flesh and blood and then sent you three here to explain it away?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Well, not exactly. Lilyfield was trapped under the thumb of a maniac until we liberated it. It just so happens that your brother was one of that maniac's casualties," I explained.

"And how exactly did you liberate Lilyfield?" she asked as she began pacing behind her table.

I noticed that Teresa kept her hand near her sword just in case Julia decided to attack. I wasn't getting a hostile vibe from her though. To me she just seemed confused and heartbroken.

"We killed the governor, who just so happens to be the man responsible for your brother's death," Bella said.

"I still don't understand why he killed Julius though? He wasn't a warrior; he didn't pose any kind of threat. I knew I should've gone instead of him," she said and slumped back into her chair.

Her large shoulders heaved pathetically as she wept into her hands. Not having any siblings of my own, I have never known the feeling of losing one, but I was haunted by the way I felt the night I found Gabrielle in her room. I shook my head rapidly to clear the intrusive thoughts that came rushing into my head.

"We're truly sorry things turned out this way. We came here to try and stop any more unnecessary blood from being spilled," I said.

"No, the time for peace died with my brother. I'm gonna make sure Lilyfield pays for his death. When I'm done your village won't even be a memory," Julia said as she looked up at us with pure vengeance in her eyes.

"So, plan b it is? Teresa asked me?