Champion

Chapter 56

"Phoebe we don't have time to explain. Every moment we delay increases the chance we will be attacked here. Gather only what you need, change into something appropriate, and be ready to leave in ten minutes. Laurena, lock this door and help her. DO. NOT. LEAVE. THIS. ROOM. Sapphire and I will prepare the horses and come back to get you both. Do you understand?"

The acolyte paled at the force of his less than subtle mention of her failure to follow his instructions, but nodded in confirmation that she would do what he said. David stepped out of the room, waited to hear the lock clicking into place, and then moved to the stables, Sapphire trailing behind him.

Their mounts were less than thrilled to be awakened at this late of an hour, but they were able to prepare and saddle them with only a little fuss. Sapphire helped by pulling apples from her bag and placating the horses through bribery. They led the prepared mounts to the back door of the temple, and David left Sapphire to secure them while he gathered the two clergy members. He half expected them to resist his plan, or even be gone from the room when he arrived. Instead he found the door locked, and both of the women ready to follow him upon his return.

Phoebe shared Meadowgrass with Laurena as the troop made their way to Varus' home. He had a small but immaculately maintained house in one of the nicer neighborhoods of the city. During the ride Phoebe had insisted on hearing what had happened, and David had allowed Sapphire and Laurena to brief her. By the time they arrived, she was shocked by the severity of the attacks, as well as David's lethal response. They noticed candlelight in one of the lower rooms as they rode up. David had exchanged his boonie hat for his helmet back at the temple and affixed his NODs to the front. He used the night observation device to scan the area, and he saw no movement in the surrounding neighborhood. After he tied up his mount to the fence in front of the home he chose to remain outside while Laurena and Sapphire escorted Phoebe to her fiancé's door.

Varus was slow to answer, but shortly after their third knock he opened the front door and stood there shocked to see them. Phoebe rushed to hug him, while Sapphire and Laurena gave him an abbreviated version of the evening's events. He began to argue with them after a few moments, but just when David felt he may need to intervene he saw Phoebe do so instead. He couldn't tell what the young priestess was saying to her fiancé, but he could see that the man was calming quickly, and finally nodded in acquiescence to David's two companions. Phoebe separated from her love to hug Laurena, and then a surprised Sapphire, before returning to the doorway to wave goodbye to them as they returned to David and their horses. Mounting up, the trio rode away as the couple closed their front door on the encroaching night.

The trip out of the city was uneventful. The guard at the exit tried to halt them, but Laurena explained she was a member of the clergy - which was already fairly obvious from her white robes - and they had just left both Priestess Phoebe and Sheriff Varus who were well aware of their travel plans. The man looked as though he still wanted to stop them, but he was apparently too afraid of the barely restrained menace that David was projecting to risk trying. The trio traveled in silence, past the few farms that lay to the west of Exitibus along the Calavius road.

They rode slowly, having no desire to risk an injury to one of their mounts in the darkness. It was well past midnight before David felt they were far enough from the city to stop for the night, and he still led them nearly half a mile into the thinly wooded hills north of the road before they made camp. He doubted that the people who attacked them in town would allow them so easy an escape. He also knew that they had killed the last priest - and probably more than a few others - along this very road.

*** Reflection ***

260243MAR13 DW

A Small Campsite North of the Calavius Road, Erosius

The women were exhausted when the trio finally stopped for the night. After they unsaddled and tended the horses Sapphire erected her tent, and David suggested they get some sleep while he kept watch. Sapphire countered by warning that he was going to sleep in the tent...with her...right now...or he was going to sleep outside for the next two weeks. When he counter-argued that someone needed to stand guard, especially after the attack, Laurena surprised them both by volunteering. She had never volunteered for guard duty before.

David took a close look at the acolyte; she was well illuminated now that both moons had taken their place in the night sky. She looked thoroughly worn out. The stress of the attacks and her obviously emotional reactions to them had taken most of her strength, and the ride had taken the rest. She was dead on her feet, but still determined to help them.

"Thank you Laurena. I truly appreciate the offer, but you are the most exhausted of all of us. You need to rest now, not stand guard," David told her gently, grateful for the offer but surprising himself at his concern for her wellbeing. When did he start caring about her?

"Please," she begged, near tears, "I was useless. If it were not for you both I would have died tonight. It is not much, but at least this is something I can do."

Moving to comfort Laurena, Sapphire spoke to her gently, "There was little you could do before. Even with all my power I was nearly useless. They were protected from magic. If it weren't for David's weapons, which he kept a secret, we would probably all be dead now. It was his quick thinking and skill that kept us safe. Don't be too hard on yourself. You followed instructions and stayed out of the fighting. You listened to us and trusted us to keep you safe. That was what you needed to do, and you did it well."