Tara fought hard to keep her eyes open. Normally it was only a day here and there where she'd have to journey from the fortress to Lethra and back, but as soon as they hit the start of Lyra Pass, that was officially the farthest she'd gone east.

She took in her surroundings through tired eyes, seeing the most trees and plants in one area than she'd ever seen during the entirety of her existence. Some held their chins high overhead, their branches acting as sturdy extensions of themselves. Others appeared to be holding on for dear life, twisting and leaning in odd directions in hopes of finding a proper place to land.

     "How did ya come to be a fury?" Twill broke the silence and brought a dirty rag to his nose, blowing loudly.

     "We don't really become one--our future is sealed once we're born," Tara responded. She breathed deep, feeling the comfort of the air as it entered her lungs.

     "That don't make no sense."

     "We're are born there and train there starting from a young age. It's all any of us know."

     They sat in silence, listening to the symphony of noises escaping the three of them asleep in the back of the cart, with an occasional cough from Twill added in. A fork in the pass came up, both sides foreboding and shrouded in darkness. The trees seemed to lessen to the left while the right seemed to remain constant. Twill stopped and looked over at the path leading to the left.

     "What's wrong?" Tara looked over at Twill, disheveled and wide eyed, staring down the dark path. He thought of the boil and the herds of people who would never again travel down it.

     "It's nothing," he replied. He shook the daze out of him and pulled Sylvie to the right, listening to the sound of the crickets grow louder.

~*~

Gwen rose from her nap and peered over to Damien and Erin who had remained out cold. She pulled off the hay covering her leather vest and black pants and wiped the crusted drool that was left on the side of her mouth.

"How much further?" She asked Tara, who had remained awake, still clutching a hand over the map that laid next to her.

"We should be coming up on it soon."

"It's just around the next long curve of the road," Twill added. He hocked up the mucus cluttering his throat and spit loudly to his left.

"Oh no," Tara came to a sudden realization and placed a hand on her forehead, the warmth of her hands helping the chill her face developed.

     Twill turned to look at Tara, confused, and Gwen hopped up in the cart with the same look on her face.

     "What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

     "It's too dark. How are we supposed to get anyone's attention? They'll ignore any sounds we make."

     "Ya could just yell at the top of your lungs, trying to explain?" Twill said," if ya make it clear that you're there to save them from the she beast then maybe, but who knows," he shrugged.

     "That might work. Doesn't hurt to try," Gwen added.

     "Well here's your chance. Velone is up ahead."

     They ended the long curve of Lyra Pass to spot the faint outlines of buildings in the distance hidden behind the trees. It didn't appear to be nearly as large as Lethra, and probably contained fewer people , but at least Tara could get her voice to carry in such a small town.

     As per usual, no candles lit windowsills, and not a shadow belonging to anyone moved against the brick structures that lined their small streets. Erin and Damien woke slowly at the stopping of the cart but remained seating, waiting further instruction.

No gate or wall kept this small town hidden. No guards sat "at the ready" for impending danger, and the smell of the air wasn't ungodly like in Lethra, but rather fresh and untainted, swarming with the earthiness of its surroundings. Tara walked down the road before her, investigating the small huts that sat quietly.

     "I know no one will come out!" She yelled. She spun to see the four others standing beside the cart, looking at her expectantly. Tara removed her hood, exposing her hair and feeling it blow softly against the calming wind. She thought quietly for a moment before taking the cape off entirely and dropping it harshly to the mud beneath her feet.

     "IM HERE TO WARN YOU! ALL OF YOU!" she cried out. The homes remained quiet, and still with no sign of life behind the closed doors and shutters, "THE LEADER OF THE FURIES IS TRYING TO PLAGUE YOU, JUST LIKE SHE PLAGUED TALION WITH THE BOIL!"

     Twill shuddered and watched as Tara, free from her caped coverings held her arms out, belting at the top of her lungs.

     "A MAN WILL COME HERE LOOKING FOR MONEY...TO SAY HE WILL TRY TO BUY YOUR FREEDOM FROM THE FURIES. HE LIES!"

     One candle, newly lit flickered in the home to her right, a shadow moving then remaining still. Tara noticed it and continued.

     "IM A FURY, AND IM NOT HERE TO HARM ANY OF YOU.IM HERE TO SAVE YOU!" More lights were lit one after the other, hesitantly, but still being lit at a constant pace. "DONT GIVE THAT MAN YOUR MONEY. ONCE HE GETS IT YOULL ALL BE KILLED! BUT NOT JUST YOU..no," Tara paced along the road slowly, sending the only noise from the town echoing against the treetops above.

     "THEY PLAN TO DEMOLISH YOU, DRITON, BRINT, AND LONGVIEW!"

     Tara tried to catch her breath, her face red with anger from Dia's plans. She coughed up from the dryness in her throat, feeling the air scratch against it. All the windows that lined the originally quiet and desolate like town sparkled with a candle of acknowledgement. The five of them watched, mesmerized.

     "I CANT WARN ALL OF THEM SO I CAME TO YOU.  PLEASE TELL ME YOU'LL PASS THIS MESSAGE ON--QUICKLY! BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!" The lack of oxygen to Tara's brain from her screams through the town drained her and made her dizzy. She looked around her, noticing the candles that continued to flicker, but what happened next was a sight to behold. Many of them revealed themselves against the small candle in each of their homes and one by one bowed their heads silently at Tara's request.

     Tara attempted to hold back her tears, but she couldn't quite figure out what the tears were for: that she had been able to save these people, that someone finally listened to her, or that she had never in her life seen so many people at one time under so much illumination.