"You doing ok back there?" Gwen yelled.

"Just wonderful," Tomas muttered quietly. His grip on the empty bag didn't lessen up and a look of discomfort hit his face as soon as the cart drove over a large rock, "ow!"

"That cart's a bit rickety," Twill said, keeping his attention on the tired Sylvie. Tomas squinted his eyes and pursed his lips together, watching the back of Twill and Gwen, who sat directly in front of him.

"How much longer do I need to cope with this incessant bouncing?" Tomas asked.

"Not too much longer. We'll get there right before nightfall," Twill replied. Gwen hid a laugh behind a very forced cough, "and why do I need to be escorted by one of the furies? You aren't supposed to be seen after nightfall," Tomas added.

Gwen instantly stiffened, her fists clenching together in unison with her teeth,"I'm not a fury, Mr. Hilder."

"So then what are you? You had me fooled with the cape and the daggers strapped to every limb."

"A none," she replied softly, staring straight ahead, trying to drown out the memory of that night she was taken.

"What is a none?"

Gwen turned quickly to look at Tomas huddled in the corner behind her with his clammy grip on the empty bag sagging in his lap.

"For a guest, you sure do ask a lot of questions," she said. She stared him down until he averted his eyes and decided to remain quiet. Gwen turned back around to stare into the woods surrounding them. Where would she be now if Dia hadn't taken her?

     The crickets hadn't come out yet, but the birds around made up for the loss of sound with their continual chirping. Gwen sighed softly at their freedom. The trees grew thicker the further they went with no sign of other travelers, just the sounds of Twill's cart against the jagged rocks and Gwen's heart breaking from her recollection of years earlier.

     ~*~

     "Why is it that every time we are together it usually involves having to watch you shovel food in your face?" Erin sat tall watching as Tara ate.

     "Just shut up and look around," she replied.

     "What exactly am I looking for?"

     "Really unhappy furies, antisocial ones, ones who give nasty looks to other furies," Tara pushed a fork full of stew into her mouth slowly, looking carefully at the surrounding peers.

     "Really Tara?"

     "What?" She asked with a full mouth of overly chewed stew.

     "I can't stand watching you eat as it is, but do you need to do it in slow motion?" Erin asked. Tara threw down her fork and wiped a sleeve against her mouth, entirely brushing off Erin's comment .

"What about them?" Tara pointed straight ahead. Erin turned around to investigate the table two rows behind her to see five furies sitting together, not speaking and looking rather glum.

     "They look miserable?"

     Right as Tara was about to speak Mabel walked behind her and dropped off more fresh bread and leaned close to Tara.

     "You'd be miserable too if you had to take out an entire town," Mabel muttered. Tara and Erin looked at Mabel in shock.

     "Those are the Talion furies?" Erin asked quietly. Mabel nodded her head and walked away, bringing more loaves to the surrounding tables.

"That's perfect!" Tara nearly jumped out of her seat with the new development, "we'll get them to go upstairs as soon as Gwen gets back with Tomas."

"How do we get them to go?"

"Like this," Tara rose from her bench and sauntered over to the table holding five distraught furies. All five had black hair and large bags under their eyes. All of them seemed in shape save for the one at the end who held a gluttonous physique and stared deep into her bowl of stew, making no move to pick at it.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Tara, one of the Lethra furies," Tara smiled looking at each of the furies, attempting to get eye contact from at least one. They all stopped fiddling with their food and looked up at Tara, clearly disinterested and unamused. Tara cleared her throat.

"I've been sent by Dia to request your assistance tonight," Tara stated.

Almost simultaneously they stopped and sighed with clear agitation building up. One of them spoke, "what does she want from us?"

"She wasn't specific, but I've been asked to fetch you tonight, so please make yourself readily available."

     The larger fury on the end rolled her eyes and it made Tara's heart skip a beat. These furies clearly didn't like Dia, which would make turning against her so much easier. They just needed that extra push that Tara would provide later tonight, or rather, Dia would provide unknowingly.

~*~

"Tomas, we're here," Gwen yelled back into the cart. She heard the creaking of the wood beneath him as he adjusted his sitting position, ready to hop out as soon as Sylvie stopped. Velone looked less eerie in the daylight, well at least to Gwen. She stared at the townsfolk running around, closing up shops, and chatting loudly to one another on the main road--the same road Tara strolled down yelling to desolate dwellings the night before.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Tomas asked as he plopped out.

"I'm just here to escort you, Mr. Hilder..nothing more," Gwen hopped off the seat and turned her attention to Twill, comforting a tired Sylvie.

A tall man wearing a small brimmed hat walked up behind the cart after spotting the newcomers. Gwen turned to see him walking towards them, able to guess his age from the wrinkles on his face and hands and the newly graying hair that laid well groomed beneath the hat.

"Can I help you folks?" He asked.

"Hello there, we're looking for the head of the town," Tomas responded.

The man smiled, "you're looking at em," he grabbed the brim of his hat and gently tipped it, "Fredrick Denalson, pleased to meet you."

"Good evening Mr. Denalson, my name is Mr. Hilder," Tomas bowed his head softly, "Is there a place that we might be able to discuss a business proposition?"

The pleasant Fredrick went from a smile to an instant stern look, his wrinkles crinkling in the opposite direction. He brought his hands behind his back and wrapped them together before clearing his throat.

     "Right this way, Mr. Hilder."