Otonia, Dione and Astera followed Charis at a distance. While they knew Charis would spot them, they weren’t trying to avoid her; they were trying to avoid being detected by The White Lady and her guards. They didn’t think The Lady would hurt or intended to hurt Charis but they wouldn’t be loyal sisters if they didn’t at least follow to make sure.

They split up and watched from different vantage points and all drew the same conclusion. The Lady in White and Charis were in discussions with Charis listening with great interest, no outwards signs she was concerned about her safety.

Astera left last and only after Otonia and Dione met her and convinced her, did they all leave.

---

“Sisters I would like to return to a place I fear, although I don’t think I can do it alone.” Otonia whispered the words, until the last few were very difficult for Dione and Astera to actually hear.

“We are fully dressed for trouble, seems a shame to go back to the elder’s cottage.” suggested Astera.

“I owe you my life Otonia so for that reason alone if you ask for my help I would never say no.”

“Thank you Dione and I welcome your help Astera. You both will have to be my strength as it is the place where I was almost murdered and only saved from that fate by Charis.” admitted Otonia.

Otonia led them to the western trail out of the village, looking for a marked tree that would then lead to a certain pathway. They passed a number of farms and then in the distance began a large group of trees. Was it a grove, wood or forest, for Otonia it didn’t matter? For her it was a return to face her fear, to make sure the evil that would have enjoyed using her life and then disposed of that very same life was truly destroyed.

“I warn you the place smells of death, Charis and the elder were quick to leave as was I.”

Astera and Dione waited for Otonia as they were looking into the forest grove, searching for an entry point probably marked by a now healed notch in a tree. Otonia left them to walk towards the grove, searching for the tree, wanting to find it, but not wanting to find it. Then Otonia was grasping the tree, knowing she needed to let it go. Her eyes were closed and her knees weak, she was starting to crumple, she couldn’t do this. Her eyes were wild, straining to see into the shadows of the trees further in. She felt her two sisters, one each side holding her up, whispering words of support. She felt braver and with their support pushed off from the tree.

Astera handed Otonia her spear, a warrior always felt better with a weapon in hand thought Astera. Astera flanked Otonia on her right, spear in hand and shield across her back. Dione carried her rope on her belt and held her spear to hand and flanked Otonia on her left hand side. Otonia was slightly ahead of them both, she needed to lead, needed to demonstrate to her sisters that her bravery had returned and she was ready to face her fear.

“Don’t follow the path through those boulders. It was a trap that Charis disarmed but who knows if it has been destroyed or repaired, so we will walk around.” guided Otonia, silently relieved that seeing this trap confirmed her memory was sound so far and they were on the right path.

They lost some time while Otonia tried to find the path again as it was overgrown a little. Astera didn’t know tracking but returning to a place of death and the path to it being overgrown was a good sign. It would mean it wasn’t being used even a little bit, if at all. She told Otonia so to lift her spirits.

Otonia knew she arrived at the right place. She was at the end of her test when she found her binding tree. She bent over to study the bark, the concentric rope mark, so well-worn given its regular use was healed, although scarred forever. It was like a game of tag, she touched the tree and forced her hand to linger on the scarred bark and closed her eyes.

She turned away from her binding tree, smiling as she thought about her sisters and their comfort. As she turned and opened her eyes she saw them and paused, all of a sudden filled with childhood fear, a monster was found under her bed, she squeaked in surprised fright. She somehow knew they would be there but didn’t expect them all the same, the seven apple trees, they were tall now, taller than Astera. She remembered the elder saying they would be boosted by the spell and there was an affinity, the tress and the magic knew each other.

They were before her, she needed to approach them as the apple trees were a wonder she was somehow attracted to. Dione looked at Astera, they were concerned about their warrior-sister, her spear was left behind at the first tree she touched and now she was creeping, yes that was it, sometimes on her feet only, sometimes using her hands as well, approaching the small grove of apple trees.

The wave or pulse of evil startled her, she felt some of her water go, which shocked her out of her fear, because of the shame of it. Then she heard his laugh.

Her anger rose and her knives went to her hands without thought; her head looking wildly left and then right, even up! The evil knew fear itself then as it sensed her knives and recognised them, it knew what they could do. The laughter stopped. Otonia stood, courage returned, she marched determined towards the grove looking for his tree. Under the watchful eye of Dione and Astera she found his tree and her knives knew the task before them.

Otonia felt a slight chill and turned to her sisters. They were rubbing their hands together trying to warm them.

“Was this place always this cold Otonia?” asked Dione as she warmed her hands as best she could.

“I don’t wish to seem a coward but night is not far away and this forest and especially this place doesn’t seem ‘right’, there is something wicked here, I can feel it in the cold.” declared Astera.

Otonia screamed and dropped to the ground releasing her knives, her hands pulling at her hair.

“Get out of my head you evil bastard, you are dead, you were killed. Charis slit your throat and you choked to death on your own blood!”

“Astera we must get her away from here, you hold her up on one side and I will grab the other.” commanded Dione.

“It is not my fault you are trapped here, you should be with Jury being punished you evil bastard!”

Otonia was standing and being supported by her sisters who scoped up her knives as well.

“The elder wouldn’t have known you weren’t dead before she returned you to the earth, you should have been dead after the wound Charis gave you! Get out of my head!”

Astera and Dione were preparing to leave, making sure they left with everything they carried in.

“You should feel blessed that an apple tree grabbed your dark soul. It stopped you being punished, you have yet to face Jury you bastard!”

Otonia felt strength return to her and gently brushed off her sister’s support to stand on her own two legs. Her back straight, her arms strong, each hand held one of her knives taken back from her sister, they were hers, they were her power. The cold was the last of his manipulations she was sure.

“I am listening and I do not fear you. I am not the frail supple victim fawning over your every word. I am deciding, which fate is worse, leaving you here as you are or sending you to Jury for your due punishment.” Otonia then smiled. A smile that showed her teeth in a clenched jaw, the victim was gone. She realised he was a voice only, his only influence being what he convinced her of and she knew she could ignore him without his bronze loops. Then she remembered, she now wore one of his bronze loops, how could she forget her bronze loop.

“What knowledge do you have that would save you, you evil spawn?” Her hands relaxed their grip on her knives a little, as she stood before his tree.

“You tell us nothing, of course your kind has been hunting the enlightened to kill them and weaken the Duchy, we known that. Oh not killing, abducting, so where do they take them? That is not enough to stay my hand, you go to Jury now.”

Otonia approached his tree, one strong fearless step closer. The bark dark, the leaves thin and scattered while the other trees burst with life. The tree shook a little, was that fear? Then the one branch still on it tried to swat her. She dodged it and laughed, confirmation she choose correctly and he was a fool.

“So you know more now, interesting. They are taken east, always taken east. You were instructed to leave them in the cave close by and they were always gone overnight. Why are you in my head, why can you only sense me?”

Astera and Dione looked on and occasionally looked around them as the sun was fading and the gloom of the forest darkened, starting to envelop them. They would need to leave and soon, otherwise they would need to spend the night here, they carried no lantern so they would need to stumble in the dark if they attempted to leave.

“That is irony! The bronze loop, of course! Well I will leave you here for now, remain vigilant and if your information is fruitful, in the future you may survive my return!”

“You didn’t say fruitful did you?” asked Dione. Otonia smiled and laughed, almost a cackle. Astera was over talk and dragged them both in the right direction, let them go and ran, looking over her shoulder to ensure they followed. Astera followed the marks she left, learnt from hunting with Charis when her spear was used on boars and not young men.

Astera stopped. It was too dark to be certain of the marks now. They were past the trap Charis disarmed as she sensed the curved route taken, so they weren’t far from the trail.

“I am sorry sisters, I did not intend to stay past dusk and we have no torches or lanterns. Could we use some of our clothes around a branch?” asked Otonia.

“I think we will find that none of us thought to bring flint.” Dione’s voice wavered a little. Being in the dark in a forest grove or a cabin prison there wasn’t much difference, not enough when fear grew in your stomach and started to reach up into your throat.

“We will be well, the evil place is far away, we are much closer to the village and although in the middle of nowhere, it also means, no one will accidently find us either. We can wait until morning. Be brave sisters.” Although Otonia and Dione couldn’t see Astera’s face they drew strength from her voice of certainty.

Feeling for both of them, she pushed them both gently to the ground and ensured they sat leaning against each other.

“I will take first watch and while your sleeping position isn’t comfortable, if I need to wake you both quickly I can.” With that Astera made sure her boot was touching both of their legs, high near their buttocks, not only for their comfort but also for her own. Her other comfort was her spear, gripped tightly and prepared to defend her sisters with it, to her death if needs be. She knew the love of a mother and a father, an unconditional love; she protected her sisters once, needing to kill for the first time. That was instinctive, her training taking over when her brain paused in indecision. She was determine now protected new love.

Astera was getting tired and only brought back by Dione tossing and turning in her half sleep and then that caused Otonia to lose her support and fall.

“Quiet, I see a light, a wisp perhaps.” Otonia and Dione were starting to make noises but instantly went silent at Astera’s urging.

Astera crouched close to them both; keeping low they observed the light dancing towards them as if it sensed their presence and location. No thought was given to running, they couldn’t see, so they waited. Dione and Otonia placed a hand each on Astera’s shoulder, part encouragement for her, part to embolden them. The only helpful thought Astera could think of, was the light wasn’t coming from the apple tree grove.

Astera was starting to rise and preparing to throw her spear.

“No Astera, you will need your spear to fend it off as I will need my knives to get under its guard while you distract it.”

The light from the wisp was upon them, Astera rushed forward to keep it from her sisters, while Otonia hid behind her ready to spring out and try to surprise it and get under its guard. They both stopped stunned.

Behind the light was a relieved and smiling face. The four sisters embraced each other.

“Follow me.” Astera, Otonia and Dione closely followed Charis, her lantern in hand.

They reached the trail easily enough, one after the other like ducklings, following a shining light. Dione knew before she saw him, her beautiful black stallion was waiting for her, she knew he was worried about her, for her even, it was a strange feeling, this closeness she felt towards an animal. Upon seeing him in the lantern glow her stallion ripped its reins free from where he was tied and reached her and nuzzled her. She felt his joy in their reunion as she sensed he felt hers.

They started the walk back, the stallion only moving when Dione climbed on his bare back to ride him. Her hands on either side of his neck, her face joined them. She felt a shiver of oneness; excitement, trust and loyalty absolute. This was a reward worth more to Dione then she could imagine. Two became as one. As one her stallion knew her fear because of her secret and while he did not know the details in a human sense he knew it was an illness within her and sympathised. Her burden of guilt doubled as she drew another innocent into her secret. With her head bowed over the neck of her stallion no one noticed the quiet steady flow of tears.

“Your horse is special Dione, it came and found me and not in a quiet way. He created a stir in the stables and they let him out before he destroyed them. He followed that up by nearly destroying the elder’s cottage door until I came out and tried to sooth him. The elder and I were trying to work out where you three went at the time so weren’t really in the horse listening mood.”

Charis couldn’t really see her sister’s faces but she knew by their silence they just went through an ordeal, so she needed to keep talking, give them time to recover.

“Your horse would not settle until I climbed onto its bare back, the elder only just managed to pass me a lantern before he was away. I am not sure how he expected to see without a lantern, but it sure helped me. While I can ride with a saddle I was always in danger of falling off without, especially as I needed one hand for the lantern. Once we were on the trail and heading in a certain direction I felt I knew where you went. So I tied your stallion to a tree and found the tree mark not far away. Then I found a trap line mark and then another and followed them hopeful as they reminded me of mine. The rest you know.”

Time passes quickly when you are worried and concerned. The four sisters were soon at the elder’s cottage. Dione took the lantern and rode her horse back to the stable. Once there she rewarded him with oats and water and then a hug around his neck before lightly grooming him. She felt their contentment as one but also his pity of her and her walk back to the elder’s cottage was heavy in thought. She was only happy when she figured, not only would the sisters have her back, but so would a magnificent beast of a black stallion. She hung on to that for now.

As Dione entered the elder’s cottage she was given a cup of tea and like the elder and her sisters she huddled around the stove. It wasn’t cold in the elder’s cottage, but the warmth felt necessary after the night they experienced.

The elder let them know that the Minstrel performed in the Inn, although the common room was largely empty, only the merchant husband and wife team and their guards spent any significant time there. The mothers and sons weren’t seen all day. The down and out warriors were skulking around the bar and then in the afternoon they left the common room.

“Charis we thank you for finding us, but I think the real credit for making it possible was Astera, because she marked some trees as she was shown.” Dione hugged Astera, followed by Otonia who shed some tears. The both of them not letting her go for the longest time. Astera was in a welcome delirium returning her sister’s embraces and returning Charis’ proud smile triggering an emotional warmth that spread through her; core muscles tightening, desire rising within her.

With the tea done, it was late. The elder took the loft bed as was her right. The warrior-sisters camped, cramped on the floor of the cottage. If the floor wasn’t so hard they would have thought of occupying themselves in another activity for relief, but Charis, although relieved at finding them, returned to her own thoughts once it was decided that all should sleep.

---

Dione tossed and turned, strangers were tugging at her and others were there trying to ride her. None around her were her friends. It was a nightmare perhaps and she couldn’t wake herself from it.

“Dione, awake!” and she felt a hand on her.

“Dione, wake you are having a dream!” and the hand on her was more insistent.

She sat up, but she could still feel these strangers around her and trying to ride her. She was resisting. Dione put her head in her hands, wondering if she was going mad.

“I am here but I am also elsewhere. It is a strange feeling. It is dark there.” Dione stated.

“Concentrate, go back to your dream Dione.” urged Charis.

Calm, be calm Dione thought, as she went back to her dream. Calm now, accept them, the strangers, and don’t get hurt. She could make out a shape with a raised arm; it was too dark to see any more than that. Then a sack or weight was placed on her back, Dione felt it but she knew it couldn’t be true as she instinctively looked over her shoulder. Then she felt the presence others, they were horses! They were being led away from the long building. Another horse was carrying a weight; some light from a nearby building was enough. It was one of the boys. Could she have a boy on her? Stay calm, stay calm, I will be with you soon; dig your hoof in deep every so often. We are one. We will not be separated for long. I am following, my stallion.

Dione came out of the dream. All her warrior-sisters were looking at her concerned, a lantern being lit while she rode her dream.

“I think I was with my horse, in my horse’s head? There was something like it when we were in the forest; feelings, oneness but not as clear as this.” she exclaimed.

“Yes the link, there was definitely going to be more between you and your horse, considering what I witnessed when a horse went with purpose around the messenger. There was absolute control between the stranger and his horse.” stated Charis.

“Someone has kidnapped the young boys; I saw them or at least one of them on the back of another horse.”

“Astera grab an ember from the stove and light another lantern. Go to the Inn, wake everyone up if you have to, but check the room the mothers and sons were staying in.” commended Charis.

“Yes Mistress.”

“Dione and Otonia, get geared up grab the last lantern and saddle up two of our horses and try to follow them, they would feel confident and not gallop off, plus I don’t think they can with the boys thrown over saddles.” Otonia paused for a heartbeat and then started getting ready with Dione. As they were getting ready Astera was already at the Inn door, banging on it loud enough to be heard from the cottage, armed with spear and shield and cloth under armour.

Charis was considering her options; she wanted to go against the prediction but didn’t see how she couldn’t join the pursuit.

“Saddle a third horse, but don’t wait for me.”

Dione and Otonia were gone by the time Charis finished armouring up and heading out of the cottage door, hoping that the Inn would have started to light its various lanterns and torches because of Astera’s alert. Using the light cast by them she walked into the common room and met Astera running past her. Then she heard Astera vomit. Charis waited for her to return.

“Sorry mistress, both mothers have their throats slit, they choked on their own blood and are sitting in a great deal of it. It was everywhere and the look of horror on their faces I will never forget. The two strangers Dione wished to kill have gone.”

“Astera, they must be able to see in the dark like the other two.”