Siren's Reach - Fallen Lands Book 3

Chapter seventeen

The Fox, The Witch, and the Warband

Evelyn

I stood with Sibylla, watching Dawn's Light sail into the distance. It had been kind of sad sending Amélie on her own adventure without us, but I knew that we all would eventually need to get used to separating from time to time. I knew she'd be okay, and I was mostly sure that she wouldn't cause any trouble. Probably.

"Ten bucks says she burns down half the coast," Sibyl said as if she heard my thoughts.

"What? No, it's fine. She'll be fine. Everything… is fine."

Sibyl giggled, "Yeah, you sound super confident of that."

"Shush you. We really should get ready to go soon. I mean, if you were serious about coming with me. I know this is my problem."

"As if! Do you know how long I've been waiting to be able to go on all these crazy adventures with you two? I'm coming whether you like it or not."

I grinned at her, but before I could reply, Lilith called out, "And so are we. Who knows what kind of trouble you two will get into without some sort of supervision!"

I spun and saw Lilith and Haunt walking toward us. Sibylla called out, "HAUNT!" and sprinted like a bolt of lightning to his side, leaping up to hug him before giving him pets and scratches all over, "Look at this giant fluffy love machine!"

I shook my head with amusement and walked to meet Lilith, "Are you sure? I was thinking of just sneaking through one of those narrow paths the raiders were using. We can move pretty quick as foxes, and I don't think a horse can make it through."

"I thought you might say that," Lilith said before nodding toward Haunt, "I was just testing his riding harness with him, and he's finally grown into it. If you're alright with it, I think he could carry me."

I blinked and looked back to Haunt. He was definitely big enough to carry someone now, something I knew because I climbed all over him while we wrestled and played and because Sibylla was on his back at that very moment, scratching him behind his ears. Still, he'd never carried anyone for any distance before. I thought about it for a moment before giving her a half-shrug, "I'm okay with it. I've been keeping up with his training, but it'd be the first time he's actually carried someone like that. I guess we could just walk normally if it turns out to be too much for him."

Haunt huffed, and Sibyl stuck her nose up in the air, "Don't you go doubting Haunt! He's super tough. Aren't you, buddy? You are! You're super tough!" Her cooing words trailed off as she went back to ruffling his fur.

I just shook my head, "Well, I guess we should get our things, warn Kira and Septimia, and get going."

Lilith nodded, leading the way back into the town. Haunt turned and, as if to prove he could easily carry someone, began walking with us while Sibylla was still sprawled facedown across his back, her face squished into his fluffy fur while she smiled in pure puppy-loving bliss. When we told Kira and Septimia our plan, Kira seemed a little relieved to be able to stay behind and offered to help Septimia with things until we returned. I think after joining us in that last battle, she was still recovering, and Septimia was glad to have someone to help with the administration of things. Packing our things was quick, too. Lilith insisted we both put on armor, so we were wearing matching gambesons with a light cuirass over them, but Sibylla refused to wear anything more, and I only put on some vambraces and grieves. We weren't expecting to fight, and we had a long way to go – but she was adamant that any travel needed at least that much. I also found a dimensional storage bag for Sibylla before we left our house, and I could see in Lilith's eyes that she was ready to give her the same "Don't even try to climb into that bag" speech again – but Sibyl just looked at the bag and burst into laughter. She turned around, leaving me standing there, bag in hand, as she headed out of the house, demeaning laughter pouring out of her as an oversized witch hat appeared on her head. As she took her next step, a giant cloak billowed into existence around her, and a moment later, she was suddenly carrying an ornate wizard staff that just seemed to flash into existence. I sighed, put the bag down, and went outside so we could all help get Haunt into his harness.

We left the town shortly afterward, walking together up the road. Sibyl was doing something with a few vials and concoctions she had appearing and floating around her randomly, but I knew better than to start asking questions. Every time I did, I either regretted knowing or ended up as a test dummy. Instead, I was going to start giving her some of the little traveling tips that everyone had been giving me since we'd gotten here, but she surprised me.

"Evie, how are you doing with Mom?"

Her question caught me entirely off guard, and I nearly stumbled, "Uh, What do you mean?"

She shrugged and focused on adding some blue powder to the bubbling vial she was holding, "I mean, is it weird for you? I grew up with no family, just going from one foster home or shelter to the next. Amélie grew up in a stable home, but she wasn't close with her adoptive parents. Only you had someone there. It seems like it would be the most awkward for you."

"That.. is a little bit of a downer, but I get it. It is a little awkward, I guess. I mean, I found out my 'mom' was actually our aunt from a psychotic demon, so that was a little jarring. And, well, I think it helps how much our memories are dulled. I know it doesn't feel like it was more than sixteen years ago sometimes, but it was… I still miss her."

Sibyl surprised me with a sad smile instead of a teasing remark, "Maybe when Amélie is back, we should all sit down, and you can tell us about her. I wouldn't mind knowing what kind of person my aunt was. But you have to stop calling her Mom. It will get very confusing."

I shook my head with a helpless, quiet laugh, "Yeah. I guess so. It's Miriam – Aunt Miriam now, I guess." I sighed, "It isn't too awkward with Chiasa – or, well, Mom. It helped that even with her disguise, my instincts were basically telling me she was… I don't know. I guess it just felt like a feeling of safety when she was around from the very beginning. I'm sure you know what I mean. And we had months to get used to her being around while knowing who she was, so it doesn't bother me at all. I like her." A few seconds passed in quiet, but then I asked, "What about you? How are you handling everything?"

She swirled her mixture in front of her face, peering at it intently before setting a small brazier out in the air like she had a floating workbench and putting her potion over it to heat up. "I have never been so happy in my entire life," She said with deceptive calm. "Not just to escape the scrutiny of Elder Haruka, either. I spent my entire life dreaming of finding out I had a family – that they made a mistake and would come find me someday. I was adopted, you know. When I was a baby. But by the time I was four, I was back in the system. I don't know what happened, just that it was bad. One day, someone different picked me up late from daycare, and that was it. Things were never stable for me again, family-wise." She spotted me before I could take her hand, so she stepped a little further away, taking out more of her alchemy supplies to fill them and continuing her work. "I don't want to sound like a pity party. I'm just trying to explain. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is you're not all total idiots. Not all the time, anyway. And I'm glad I have you both and Mom. I'm really glad."

"Yeah. Me too," I agreed, looking at her with a hopeful expression. She tried to pretend she didn't notice at first, but after a few seconds of my best giant puppy eyes, she huffed and let go of her other vials to float in the air, accepting her fate, and I squeezed her in a huge hug.

"Okay, okay!" she sputtered a moment later, "I need to breathe!"

I let go with a grin, and we walked together in silence for a few minutes as she finished what she was working on. She lifted the vial for another inspection, and a gleeful smile filled her face. And that's when Lilith made the biggest mistake of her life.

"What're you working on, Sibylla?"

Without any hesitation at all, Sibyl turned and put the vial into Lilith's hand, "It's for you, actually! I was thinking about sweet Haunt and how this might be stressful for him since it's his first trip out carrying someone – so I made a potion that'll make you lighter! Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. That way, we can spend more time moving quickly, and you and Haunt will have plenty of time to practice riding together before we get anywhere dangerous without wearing him out! Give it a shot!"

I hadn't expected that last bit, and before I could ask any questions, Lilith shrugged and put the potion to her lips. I think she intended to take a sip, but the entire potion rushed into her mouth at once, and she swallowed it by reflex. That, I knew from experience, was an enchantment on Sibyl's vials. It was very helpful in combat when you needed to quickly drink a healing potion and not spill it, but very much not helpful when Sibylla was tricking you into being a guinea pig.

Lilith coughed slightly, patting her chest at the surprise near-choking experience, and said, "That was odd." Only, her voice came out a little higher pitched than usual. Lilith blinked a few times and then raised her hands up to look at them before she suddenly stopped walking, bringing our entire group to a standstill. "I feel like I'm tingling all over. Is that normal?"

Sibylla nodded, "Yeah, it's nothing to worry about. It is a very fast-acting potion. You should hop up on Haunt's back."

Lilith nodded, seeming to miss the straps and stirrups at first before shaking herself out and climbing up. "Yeah, I'm a little dizzy. That won't last, will it?"

Sibyl shook her head, "Nope, just a few more seconds, I think."

There was something in her tone that I didn't like, and I took a step toward Lilith, "Are you okay?"

But I shouldn't have asked. As I watched, Lilith began to shrink. I realized then that she must have been shrinking the entire time at a slower rate, and I just hadn't really noticed how gradual it was, but now she was really shrinking. My mouth fell open in shock.

"Sibylla! What did you do to me?!" She asked as she watched the world grow around her.

Sibyl gave her a look of confused innocence. "I told you what the potion did. It's working great! Don't worry, it will last a couple of days, so we won't have any issues with traveling!"

"This is not what you said that potion did! I'm three feet tall!"

Sibylla nodded, "Yes, and very light. Haunt can carry you for days without breaking a sweat!"

Lilith stared at her, but when she started to reach for one of her tiny arrows over her shoulder, Sibylla yelped, flashing into a fox and darting off into the distance.

"Uh," I said intelligently.

We sat there in silence for a few seconds before Lilith asked, "Can you... do anything, Evie?"

I shook my head, looking between her and the disappearing form of Sibylla far up the path ahead of us. "No… no, I have no idea how to fix that." Then I blinked and put on my most reassuring smile, "It's okay, kid. I know things are a little scary right now, but she said it'll go back to normal in a couple of days. So let's put on our big girl pants and just–" I yelped as I dodged a tiny arrow, flashed into a fox, and ran after my sister.

The next several hours passed without much conversation and as much vigilance against raider ambushes as Lilith's wrath. Even without her hood up, she would have looked like a lost child, so other than Haunt's impressive size giving him the mass of a quarter horse, our party would really look like just a non-threatening child riding an exotic mount with two foxes nearby. Still, we were as careful as we could be while still making good time. Sibyl's potion really did help a lot, despite the mischief. The pass through the mountains was more difficult than expected, and we'd have definitely made a much slower time of it if we were walking or if Lilith had to dismount for all the more dangerous sections. But, as advertised, Lilith only weighed a little over twenty pounds with her – and all her equipment – shrunken down to size. Haunt didn't even notice that tiny bit of weight. By nightfall, even Lilith had to admit that it really was helping a lot. We camped piled up in a sheltered alcove for the night, and as soon as the sun was up, we were moving again. It was nearly noon when we made it through the pass and could finally look out onto Blackstone. Rocky hills were the only thing nearby, but the climate was the same, and it wasn't anything too surprising. The land was perhaps not as optimal as our valley, at least not in this rocky area, but it wasn't too different, nor anything that couldn't be improved with a little work. It took me a few minutes looking at the stars and a map to figure out where we were, and then we headed out. There was a road nearby, so we headed directly for it as if we owned the place. We'd need to pass through one crossroads town, and then it would be a straight shot to the first coastal village we wanted to investigate.

Just a glance at the map was a big reminder of how much larger of a territory Blackstone was than Siren's Reach. Where Siren's Reach was a Manor Estate of average size, Blackstone encompassed four similar sized estates, with Blackstone Keep being the greater manor and distributing its supporting territories as fiefs to their vassals. This was part of the reason why we wanted to avoid a direct conflict – they most likely outnumbered us significantly. The territory that was supposedly attacked was part of the greater manor, though, and while they could call on their vassals to support them, it was entirely possible that those nobles would drag their feet or do their best to delay levying soldiers until after spring to avoid hindering their ability to plant crops. And even if Blackstone managed to fill their army, they'd still have issues with the spring rains. Summer would bring an end to both of those issues, though, and it was creeping up on us faster than I'd like. I wanted to resolve this before they had a chance to form a proper army and turn this into a real conflict. Enough people had died already.

We moved quickly toward the crossroads, testing our speed and seeing how well Haunt was able to keep up. I let Sibylla set our pace at first, but I was surprised at how fast she was. She started at a burst but then quickly remembered to set a pace suitable for Haunt, and we adjusted a few times until we found the best sustainable speed for him. It was still faster than any horse, even on the road, and we flew toward our target. It was nearly sunset when the town came into view. We'd spotted the smoke from their cookfires and craftsmen long before we could see the buildings, and we'd slowed to leave the road and creep to the top of the last hill, protecting us from the view of the residents below. Sibyl and I had to shift back to be able to communicate with Lilith, and we all crawled the last few inches in the tall grass to look down on the town. It was sitting on a crossroads, as expected, and the land around it was perfectly flat, allowing for a lot of farmland to begin just past the buildings. What we did not expect to see was that one of those farmer's fields was being used as a large camp full of mercenaries, and I was shocked to actually hear Lilith curse.

She politely cleared her throat and clarified, "Those are Drolian mercenaries. How did they even get out here?"

Sibyl looked at her with a raised eyebrow, gesturing toward the rows of horses tied up nearby, "On the road. Why is that special? Better yet, why are they special?"

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Lilith shot her a tiny glare, but she reluctantly answered, "Drolia is a very different kind of kingdom. They have fewer external threats, and they are much more likely to have wars like this one. It is a way of life for them, and because they have far fewer monsters than many other nations, their mercenaries are all professionals who specialize in fighting other people. They are far more dangerous than a normal army. They also have different views on how to treat the territories they conquer. If Blackstone were to take Siren's Reach, we'd be forced out, but the people would likely be fine, just paying their taxes to someone new. The Drolian mercenaries will pillage the entire town and every farmstead they come across, leaving a wake of widows and bastards behind them."

That made both of our faces go cold, and Sibyl sounded angry for the first time I'd ever heard when she said, "We should kill them."

I took a deep breath, seriously considering it. But I breathed out slowly and asked, "Why are they even allowed in the spires if they're so awful? I doubt their conduct is legal here. Why would we even let them in?"

Lilith shook her head, "I don't know. You're right; it is illegal here, but the only person anyone would have to go to would be their lord, and if they win, that would be Lord Edgar Batanero of Blackstone Keep. Normally mercenaries from Drolia are not allowed in unless they have sponsorship. His Baron would have needed to grant permission. Still, I'm surprised they're even letting them fly their own banners with their reputation."

Sibyl looked between us, waiting for a response to her previous suggestion before sighing. "Fine. If we're not going to murder them all in their sleep, what do you propose we do about them? And just so we're clear, I would like to vote a second time for murder."

My vision shimmered with spiritual sight as I looked over the army. "They're not good people. But I think we need to get more information before we just start killing everyone. There are hundreds of soldiers down there, and we don't know anything about them. Let's see if we can figure out their plans and see what kind of differences we can actually make before we make a decision we can't take back."

Lilith nodded, "Yes. If we go down there and just start killing soldiers, Blackstone will know it was us launching an attack. We should make sure they're actually here to fight us and not someone else like the pirates or monsters. And if they are coming after us, we can see about something else worse than killing them, like sabotaging their supplies or equipment. Mercenaries will usually have a provision in their contract that those types of losses are at the expense of the hiring lord. It might even bankrupt him with the high quality of their gear. That would put a quick end to the war."

Her words hung in the air as we each took our own meaning from them. I saw the wheels spinning in Sibylla's eyes, so I quickly moved on. "In that case, we're going to need to disguise ourselves. We should just be adventurers, probably human. We can claim we're just passing through on a quest investigating sea monsters on the coastline and gathering information while we're in town. Then we can make decisions."

We both looked at Lilith and her tiny frame for a moment, but before anyone could state the obvious problem with the plan, Sibyl raised a hand and wrapped her in a nearly perfect illusion of her former self, only slightly shorter than usual. She looked to be wearing dark makeup. I raised an eyebrow, but Sibyl only looked her over and said, "Perfect."

Lilith obviously couldn't see herself, so she turned to me for confirmation, and I only shrugged and nodded. "Don't worry. She's not pulling anything."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? She looks really nice!" Sibyl objected immediately.

I only shook my head and focused on myself. It took a minute to figure out a new, truly human form, but I sorted it out, and Sibyl followed suit only a moment later after giving Lilith one last appreciative look. We made our way back over to the road out of sight and crested the hill like a normal band of adventurers. No one paid us any mind at all, and we walked right into the center of the little town, stopping at what looked to be the only inn. Haunt lay down outside the front door as we made our way inside. The tap room was full of boisterous soldiers, and we noticed right away that there was not a single other woman in the room. Before we'd taken two steps in, a man who had to be the innkeeper quickly rushed in our direction, shooing us back out the door as politely and inconspicuously as possible. The moment we were back in the street, he gestured for us to follow him to the side, and after sharing a look of confusion, we did. Haunt just tipped his head to the side for a moment before hopping up to follow us as we passed. There was a small storehouse beside the inn, and as he stepped through the door, we could hear that it sounded a lot like another pub. I motioned for Haunt to wait while we followed him inside. I was surprised a moment later when the scent of food, ale, and people were joined by a subtle flowery aroma.

He spun just inside the door, looking over our shoulders before waving us further into the room. "I'm sorry, ladies. I didn't mean to be rude, but you certainly did not want to give that crowd a moment to see you. Every one of them is from that Drolian mercenary force. They're supposed to be staying out of the town, but they've taken over the pub the past two days since they're marching out tomorrow. The guards are having trouble keeping them from dragging every girl in town right out to their camp as it is."

Lilith looked around, seeing what looked like normal town folk at simple picnic tables, sitting and eating, chatting, and drinking like any other pub. "Looks like you sorted that out. They're an odd force to see around here. Do you know where they're off to?"

He looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard, "Rumor has it they're going to march up the road and break down the gates into Siren's Reach as revenge for the destruction of a few of the coastal villages down south. I think it sounds a bit strange myself, we've never had any issues with them before. A lot of people think it's just another land grab by Lord Batanero. He's done that in the past, but this might be biting off more than he can chew. Siren's Reach hasn't kept itself a freehold for so long by chance."

Lilith nodded, seeming a little surprised that he was being so open with strangers. Not willing to give up the opportunity, she pressed, "Perhaps. But he must have some support from the baron if he was able to get Drolian mercenaries across the border."

The man looked down thoughtfully as he nodded, "Yeah, that does make sense. I've heard that the former lord of Siren's Reach was also Drolian, though he never visited the place after acquiring the deed. The Baron is half Drolian himself, might be that they know each other, and he doesn't appreciate a proper noble from the spires becoming his neighbor."

I snorted, feeling like he might be closer to the mark than he expected, "Maybe not. Do you know when the soldiers are going to begin marching?"

He looked concerned with my question, but then his face just fell back to its normal helpful demeanor, "They have all been complaining about how they're going to start marching as soon as the sun rises, so I expect it won't be much later than that. Their leaders are quite strict and disciplined, at least." There was a sudden crash from the direction of the inn, and he looked out the door and back to us, "I'd best get back. There are some temporary rooms here, just look for William behind that bar if you need a place to stay."

I watched him hurry off, and then a moment later, the air seemed to clear, and my focus came back to normal in such a way that I barely noticed it had been somewhat foggy before. I looked around to see Sibylla putting a metallic vial back on her belt.

"Sibyl.. did you drug us?"

She barked a laugh, "Ha, no! That's just the essence of a Veritas Bloom. It only has a real impact on men. You'll be fine."

Lilith looked out the door after the innkeeper and back to Sibyl, "If we noticed, how will he not?"

She shrugged, "He wont remember much more than he was kind to three young women that really needed his help. He won't remember our faces or what was said. It's fine."

I blinked at her, "That sounds a little shady. Why would you even have something like that?"

Sibyl grinned, "I got it from a dryad in the spirit realm as a gift. She even showed me how to turn the flower into its purified essence form. Neat, huh?"

Lilith sighed, "No wonder I'd never heard of it before. But how did you know to use it? I hadn't even started asking questions when you took it out."

Sibyl crossed her arms, "I didn't. After I saw he had all those soldiers in there and then he was trying to take us somewhere safer, I was going to use it to question him myself. You just got to it quicker."

I looked after the man, stepping back into his Inn, "Still, he seemed really nice. It seems a little immoral to use some kind of drug on him without his consent."

She raised an incredulous eyebrow, "Why? It just made him more willing to do what he already wanted to do. It can't make him go against his nature, and it's for his own benefit that he doesn't remember that he just gave out their secrets like that. He'd be a nervous wreck all night. They might even think he was being suspicious and interrogate him. Besides, it was important that we know what's going on. I'm just being practical."

I sighed, "Okay. Sorry. It's just.." I tried to articulate my thoughts but gave up. "Alright. I guess let's get some food and maybe a room for the night so we can figure out what we're going to do, if we can do anything."

A few minutes later, we'd ordered food and sat down in the only somewhat quiet corner we could find, and both Sibyl and I put up illusions to keep the sound of our conversation confined to our table.

"So, about my plan to just kill them all," Sibyl began, and I rolled my eyes.

"I think we should see if we can steal all their supplies without them noticing."

Sibyl sighed, "Fine. I'll go get rid of all their stuff, but you're not allowed to get mad at me."

Lilith shook her head, "You shouldn't go alone. I know you have that strange storage ability, but it will be dangerous. If someone spots you, you'll be surrounded by enemies."

Sibyl waved away her concerns, "If someone spots me, they'll be wondering what a fox is doing sneaking around in their camp. It will be fine. This isn't about some prank. This is serious, and I'm a [Hero]. It's time I put that to use."

I couldn't help but feel there was more to this than she was saying, so I asked, "Can I come with you at least? Two foxes are better than one. And then, if you need help with something, you won't be alone. Besides, we said we'd go adventuring together, remember? I think it might be fun."

That put a crack in her demeanor, and she gave me a small grin. "Well, alright. But this is my show – no interrupting me or asking dumb questions, or second-guessing me, got it?"

I was a little taken aback, but I nodded, "Okay. If that's what you want."

She nodded, and just then, the server arrived to hand us our plates of food. She accepted hers and said, "I will show you both that I'm more than capable."

And then I understood. "Okay… It's your show. But just so we're clear, no one in their right mind would ever doubt you, Sibyl. Just because you are a little late to the party, don't think we'd doubt your ability. I've seen you do enough impossible stuff already to know better."

She snorted, waving a spoonful of stew and taking an ominous tone, "You've seen a few parlor tricks. This will be justice."

Well, that wasn't terrifying at all... It was hard to eat just imagining what horrors she might be planning, but I pushed the thoughts of people's flesh melting off their bones or massive alchemical explosions out of my head so I could eat. I just had to think happy, somewhat unrealistic thoughts, like maybe she'd take the other ideas into consideration and she had some scheme to stop the army without resorting directly to violence and torment. We'd gotten some fresh cooked meat for Haunt as well, and after he ate, we brought him over to our new room. It was a temporary walled-off section of the warehouse, but it was enough for some privacy, and it was cheap, so we didn't complain. From what I understood, it was above average for low-level adventurers starting out anyway, even if the beds were like soft pallets on the floor. So, we brushed out Haunt, got changed, pushed our beds together, and piled in, using Haunt for a pillow while we chatted for a bit. Lilith asked Sibyl some more questions about things she'd seen in the spirit world, and I tried to get her to tell me her plan, but she refused. Our conversation gradually became more mundane, and eventually, we fell asleep.

It was a little past midnight when Sibyl and I woke up and carefully extracted ourselves from the room. We snuck out of the building through a window that we left slightly ajar so we could get back in and were foxes in the shadows only a moment later. I only remembered then that, as far as I knew, Sibyl didn't have any magic items to help her hide, and I'd never seen her use any skills related to stealth, but before I could make any suggestions, she disappeared into the shadows. I blinked and looked around, but when I turned back, her eyes appeared in the darkness, and she chirped, "Hurry up!" so I started after her as best I could. She was so sneaky that she had to leave little fox pawprints from time to time to guide me and I was feeling a little embarrassed. All this time, I'd been thinking of myself as the master of stealth, and by the time we made it to the camp, I was pretty sure I didn't even know what the word meant. The whole camp was surrounded by braziers on stands to light up the perimeter, with a few more throughout the camp marking paths. She stopped us in the shadow of a pair of crates near the edge of the camp and looked around.

"Evie, the fog is coming in really slow. Can you make more?"

I looked around, and she was right. A touch of magic let me know that it wouldn't actually get much worse on its own, so I nodded, "Ok. I'll need a couple minutes."

She waited, and the moment it became more dense, she said, "Ok. Perfect. Wait here. I'll be right back."

That wasn't what we'd discussed, but I knew if I went after her, she'd be upset. So, I laid down a little more snug to the ground and focused on thickening the fog a bit. I thought I saw a shadow breeze past a few of the braziers over the next few minutes, but then she just disappeared completely. I looked around, but that was it. I was alone. I listened for anything out of the ordinary and tried to see if there was any abnormal behavior by the patrols, but everything was exactly how it'd been when we arrived. I sighed, kept the fog in place, and waited. It was almost twenty minutes later when I felt her squeeze in beside me, and I finally let go of my spell.

"You ditched me," I grumble chirped, but she just rubbed her face into mine.

"I'm sorry. They had a stealth detection ward. They might have spotted you. I would have explained but I saw a break in the guard rotation I wanted to take. But I'm done now. We can go back."

I blinked, looking around and seeing no chaos or screaming soldiers. Confused, I asked, "You are?"

She nodded, "Let's get back. That bed was deceptively comfortable."

The next morning, we were up with the sunrise. By the time we were packed up and ready to go, we could hear the soldiers outside the town calling out orders and the stomping of hundreds of boots. We made our way along, showing perhaps slightly more curiosity than the others around us, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Well, almost nothing. It was still a little foggy in the field where the soldiers had been camping, but they marched right out of the mist and onto the road in minutes. Not only were they all walking just fine, they even seemed to be abnormally full of energy. I noticed they were still all very well equipped, and their supply carts still looked plenty full. My eyes lingered, watching them go in utter confusion.

Once we were outside the town, Lilith finally broke the silence.

"What happened last night?"

Sibyl giggled, "Evie and I went out and completely destroyed that entire mercenary company. It was masterfully done. Not even their reputation will survive."

Lilith looked at the army disappearing in the distance, "Maybe I'm missing something. I'm fairly certain that army marching away from us wasn't an illusion."

Sibyl began to skip along, "Nope! Not one bit! I'm sure glad they're going in the other direction, though. Anyway, we should plan out what we're going to do when we get to the coast. I bet we could be there in no time at all!"

"Oh no, you don't. I've dealt with your sisters enough to know an obvious evasion when I hear it. What did you do?"

I blinked, not sure if I should be insulted or not, but asked, "And what did I do? I was feeling kind of useless last night."

"Oh, no! Not at all! When I put that Meridian Elixir of Dissolution into the braziers, the smoke wasn't going to keep it around long enough or spread it enough, so when you summoned all that fog for me, it was a great help! It was the perfect medium for the elixir to soak into everything. I only had to use a hex of stillness to keep it there until daybreak when they'd all pack up their tents and get it on the rest of their stuff. I didn't want to risk it not spreading onto their clothes or something. So, yeah! You were a great help!"

My mouth slowly fell open. "Sibylla, does that do what it sounds like it does?"

She shrugged, "If you mean does it make all their weapons and armor rust down to dust, rot their clothes into tatters that will fall off of them as they walk, and make their wagons fall apart into scraps and garbage as soon as the noon sun is overhead, then yes."

Lilith's expression softened, and she nodded, "I'm proud of you, Sibyl. That was a very easy way to achieve our goals without a lot of bloodshed. I am curious how you made one elixir so powerful, though."

Sibyl brightened, "Oh! When I hit level twenty, I got a trait that lets me imbue my potions and elixirs with more magic so their effects are stronger, last longer, and, in this case, retain potency when they spread."

I shook my head, "Okay, so now there will be a naked army lost in the middle of nowhere soon. I guess that works. Uh. Why did you make a potion that activated at noon, though?"

She shook her head and sighed, "Oh, Evie. There were little kids in that town. No one needs to see that."

Lilith chuckled, "Okay, that's fair. I guess we can discuss what we'll do when we get to-"

"Wait." I interrupted her. "Sibylla, I saw how fast you were going through that camp. It couldn't have possibly taken you that long to throw your elixirs into those braziers. What else were you doing?"

"Oh, uh, nothing important?" she tried, but I just kept staring. "Oh, alright. Fine. So I was going to poison their water supply and give them the runs, too. But it had a ward that would alert them if I poisoned it. It even looked like it would alert them if I used any kind of potion that would give them a harmful status effect… so I added a stamina-boosting potion instead." I kept staring, and Lilith joined me. Finally, Sibylla groaned, "Okay, okay, fine. I also added a Meridian Elixir of Boundless Lust. It was going to be a surprise!"

I gaped at her, "Why did you even have that?!"

"Oh, I didn't. I made it special! I wanted to make sure that powdered love potion I mixed into their food supplies didn't go to waste!"

Lilith spun to face her, "Sibylla! Love potions are illegal! Gods, mainly because they don't work, and charlatans use them to trick people out of their money, but still!"

Sibyl blinked, "Mine work just fine. Well, they take an hour or two to kick in, and they wear off after a few hours.. a day at most, but they work. Besides, you guys won't rat me out, right?"

I had no words. I just kept staring at her for a long time. Eventually, I shook my head, "So, somewhere between here and Blackstone Keep are five hundred soon-to-be naked, lustful men who happen to be in love with each other and are hopped up on stamina potions?"

"…Yes..?" She tried. When I continued my disbelieving stare, Sibyl slumped. "Oh, come on! I didn't kill anyone. And with everything you two have told me about Drolia and these people, especially how they treat women, I'm pretty sure they really deserved to be killed. Besides, those potions can't really make them do anything against their nature. I won't make something that'd do that. So maybe it's gonna be awkward if they don't all decide they're as open-minded as the Romans, but that's all. And hey, if they need a ride back to town, they won't have to hold out a thumb, you know? … Okay, bad joke… You're not really mad, are you?"

I slowly shook my head, "Uh. No. I mean, I don't think so. I think I'm mildly in shock. I can't believe you just destroyed an army with a prank, and no one was even seriously hurt… Oh, man… Probably."

Lilith snorted, "I think it's perfect. Let those vile monsters try to live that down."

I just shook my head. "Okay. I.. I just won't think about it." I sighed and was about to change the subject when I remembered something really important. "And please, please, please don't tell Amélie that you can make love potions!"

Sibyl's eyes went wide, and she picked up the pace ever so slightly, looking determinedly ahead, "Alright! From this day forward, I will not tell Amélie about my love potions."

"Oh no."

"Not the normal potions, or the perfume, or the powdered sugars, and definitely not the candies. Not one bit."