During the trip, Celeste learned the woman’s name, Kaskeh. And that was about all she managed to glean out of her before she gave up asking her anything. The woman was never rude about it, she just didn’t answer her questions, choosing to talk about something like the weather or riding tips. Iza did pretty well to keep up with the horse she was tied with, but they did have to stop once so she could rest.

It was a little after noon before Celeste saw any signs of civilization. They arrived at a clearing with a few tents scattered across it. Kaskeh let out a whistle as they approached the border of the camp.

“Your back early, sister.” A guard came up to them, also carrying a spear. “Was the chase a success?”

"We found the bandits, but I had to break off the chase to help a bandit victim." She nodded down at Celeste. "But we downed a few before we split up and the others should have no trouble thinning the remaining ones."

"And why did you bring her back here?" The guard looked at Celeste with suspicion, similar to the kind the Revivers gave to her. "Is she injured?"

Kaskeh shook her head. "No, but she was all alone and I couldn't just let her continue. She doesn't even know how to hold a dagger properly!"

"Then you should've just taken her back to wherever she came from and let them deal with it."

"But it's our duty to help those in need, especially women!"

"In dire need. Someone not knowing how to wield a simple dagger isn't our problem." The guard insisted as she slammed the butt of the spear on the ground. "For all you know, she could be a spy!"

"From who? The Revivers have good relations with us and the Renewers have no interest in our territory. And we know for a fact that the Unifiers don't have any civilians with them."

Celeste looked between the two women before dismounting from the horse.

"I didn't want to come here in the first place." She started to untie Iza. "Since you don't want me here anyway, I'll save you the trouble and leave. It's not like the bandits took anything from me. Just point me in the direction of Rusty’s and I’ll be able to make it on my own.”

Kaskeh caught the back of her dress before she could walk away. She let go once Celeste made it clear that she would stay before addressing the guard again.

"She claims to be going to Hammerforged's place. You know that's at least a day and a half’s journey from here.

The guard sighed. “Fine, she can stay the night, but she goes the first thing in the morning. But you’ll have to tell Dela about her in person. I’m sure she would love to hear your explanation about why you decided to bring a random stranger into camp without permission.” After that, the guard went away.

Kaskeh handed her horse and Iza off to someone and guided Celeste toward the center. The pair got curious looks, but they didn’t seem as on edge as the Revivers had been. But none of the women she saw were what could be classified as normal people. They all carried weapons and walked around in the same strange cloth with metal studs that Kaskeh did. There was probably a good reason that the Reviers stayed away from them. These women looked like more of an army than they did, the few of them she had seen.

They came to a tent that was slightly larger than the others and Kaskeh stepped in, leaving Celeste alone outside. She leaned against one of the posts and looked up at the sky. The clouds moved along with the wind, as they always did. At least one thing remained the same after all this time. The flap opened and Kaskeh motioned for her to come in.

Celeste had to wonder what this Dela was like. No one had spoken about her when talking about the other camps. What was this camp even called? She hadn’t heard anyone say its name, just scant mentions of an all-woman camp.

She barely stepped in when the door shut. Kaskeh wasn’t planning to be a part of the conversation. Celeste wasn’t sure if that made her feel better.

“Well, that was certainly quick. And here I was thinking that I would have to go all the way to Hammerforged’s to even get a message to you.” A voice from the center of the tent (which was bare save a sleeping mat) drew Celeste’s attention. “But I’m glad that Kaskeh remembered my request.”

She whirled to see the owner of the voice. She could only assume that it was the Dela the guard outside mentioned. Unlike Davik who had sat on a throne and Orsic who sat behind a desk, Dela had no seat in sight. She simply stood in the middle of the tent, wearing what reminded Celeste of what Derrick wore under his Guard armor, though this was tailored to fit her better than Derrick’s had fit him. The length had been fine, but it had been tight in some places he didn’t have the money to have it altered any.

“Welcome to the Sisterhood of Clarice. I’m Dela, the leader.” She greeted wiping her forehead with a rag. She had probably been practicing something before Celeste arrived. “I honestly can say that I didn’t expect to meet you this soon, Dreamer. Or do you prefer Celeste?”

“How do you know my name!?” She didn’t mean to sound so panicked, but the fact that she knew next to nothing about this Sisterhood bothered her. At least with the Revivers and Renewers Rusty had talked about them. With these people, she was completely blind. “Has word gotten around that fast?”

“I don’t listen to word. I find the truth behind it as soon as I can with my sources. Word can be dangerous, especially in the hands of someone like Malatar, as I’m sure you’ve experienced.” She hung the rag on her shoulder. “And it helps that we regularly trade with Roth and Yoth. They are quite the conversationalists, especially for elves. We probably heard of you from a more reliable source than either the Revivers or Renewers did at first. And once Davik sent for you, that was a definite sign that something there was something there.”

“And how do you know about that?”

“Goblins gossip, a lot. You wouldn’t think it, but they’re very chatty. Nothing stays a secret once a goblin hears it. You have to take what they say skeptically, but there’s always a bit of truth in their rumors. They’re in every camp and settlement, even if you never see or hear them.”

Dela put on some thin shoes, also similar to the ones that Derrick had once he got into the Guard. It was what they wore during training so that they didn’t accidentally hurt someone with their heavy boots, which could easily break a person’s foot if they stepped on it.

“How many other people know about me?”

“Around here? Mostly just me, Kaskeh, the one who talked to the goblins, and probably one other person, but I don’t know for sure. Rest assured, the others think you’re someone Kaskeh decided to bring in. I thought you might stay with the Revivers a bit longer, but clearly whatever Tundar and Seraque had to say made you leave.”

Dela sat down on the mat, not that there was much of a choice given the barren tent. Celeste remained standing, making sure to keep her distance. The woman hadn’t made any sort of threatening movement, but Celeste felt it was best not to leave anything to chance.

“So Kaskeh didn’t kidnap me because she thought I shouldn’t be out by myself completely defenseless?”

“She needed a good excuse since we’re trying to keep this quiet. If the others found out, they would accuse me of bringing you here for personal reasons. They wouldn’t be completely wrong, I’ll admit.”

“Personal reasons? But I’ve never known anyone by the name of Dela… Unless you changed it like Derrick and Owain did.” Dela’s face wasn’t familiar to her, even if she had aged twenty-five years since Celeste might’ve seen her.

“No, we never met. But I did hear a lot about you from Davik, or Derrick as I first knew him.” Dela’s expression dropped a bit before changing back to a more neutral one. “I’ve always wanted to meet the other woman in my husband’s life. Now, I get to.”