Kelton sat against the tree and sipped his South Allyander tea as if the world were a perfect place. The sun had yet to begin its rise, though its pending glow softened the land and began adding color. It was his favorite time of the day, disturbed only by the fading memory of his persistent dream. They had traveled for days, moving along trails that were barely there. Along the way, scouts fanned out searching and hunting. Kelton found ample time to plan as many of the duties necessary for survival were taken care of. Power, even undesired, had benefits he hadn't given enough credence. There was a trade-off in his small army; he felt responsible for them and they for him.

"The tea runs low," Lagneer said with a sadness in his eyes. He held up the small bag Kelton had given him and shook it to demonstrate its meager contents. "Leaves can only be reused so much."

Kelton smiled, his memory of Gossamer saying the same thing in a similar environment brought back fond memories. He dug into his pack and retrieved one of the two bags of leaves that he had purchased.

"Mayhap, we will suffer such ills, but it is moons away," Kelton said as he tossed Lagneer the bag. If they were willing to die with him, he was willing to share his tea.

Lagneer opened the bag and took a long sniff. "The Goddess truly shines upon you. If O'fan returns with meat, it will be a grand day."

"He is on his way," Kelton said, pointing to the west. O'fan was returning with another, the Knowing proving itself useful again. It was not a perfect thing, O'fan being identified by logic, not surety. The isolation of the area and the speed at which the two moved denied a threat. That, and there were two returning after two left.

"It is strange, this thing you share with the white robes," Lagneer said. "Do you see all in the whole land?"

"Nay," Kelton replied. Trust had become strong over the days, so he held little back. "Aways out all around, not forever."

"The same as the Brethren?"

"Mayhap," Kelton said, Lagneer's words triggering ideas he hadn't considered. "It would seem so, though it could be like eyes; some better than others."

"Mayhap, the same," Lagneer said. His sly smile supported what Kelton was thinking.

"Mayhap, it is best if we know how far," Taggert said, joining the conversation.

"Aye," Kelton agreed, surprised that the idea spread so quickly. "It is best if we know when they can and cannot see." His mind traveled back to the Nagada, where signals, silent and voiced, controlled many. Knowledge and training are needed. He had put off the beginning long enough. The army may be small, but it needn't be weak and defenseless. Spiders-bite required friends. "We will find that space as we travel this day and exchange signals as well."

Kelton put down his tea and moved to a small clearing. Spiders-bite found air, and he began the dance of shared-wind. It reminded his muscles, centered his mind, and strengthened his resolve. They had killed Joycelyn and took the lash to Juno. They were Barrankee on an unimaginable scale, a blight upon the land. Spiders-bite began to sing as his tempo increased. He needed fear to invade the minds of King and Brethren, to set them back on their heels and force errors. He needed hope to stiffen the backs of those who will stand at his side.

Gossamer had taught him to hide in the trees, and so it would begin. Emerge, strike, and retreat. That is how it will start. Let the words grow through deeds. The real power of King and Brethren lie in their placid sheep. Now they will learn to fear those who would become wolves.

"I am ready," Kelton said as he resheathed spiders-bite. Sweet sweat of exertion painted his body.

"Goddess," Taggert said, his mouth hanging. His army had gathered as one, watching the patterns his swords had cut through the air. "Can you teach such a thing?"

"There is not the time," Kelton said. He did not have the resources of skilled Nagadas, nor the weapons necessary. In half a year, maybe he could train a few. It would be many years before the numbers grew large enough to be worthy of the effort. "But know that these swords will be at your side. We rise or fall together, of that, I promise."

"I intend to stay close," O'fan said, holding two rabbits he had snared. That brought chuckling agreement from all around.

"Let us speed our morning and be on our way," Kelton ordered. It felt odd to say it in such a way, though his men moved as if it were natural.

Spears, Kelton thought as he watched them hustle to do his bidding, blades upon poles as he had hunted in the past. It would create distance between Knowing swords and those who are blind to intent. A Brother surrounded by many with such weapons would be hard-pressed to succeed, Knowing or not. Bows would be better still, if they could be built well enough. The memory of the two Brother's terror in the face of flying arrows made him smile. Shafts in flight have no intent.

Juno rose from the bed, her body moving slowly so not to disturb the sleeping man. She gathered her skirts and the three coppers for her night's duty. Tears formed as the coin's weight fell heavily on her soul—one more copper than usual. Like others, the man wished her for the scars on her back, an obsession for some.

She shivered as she remembered his finger tracing them. It was not the remembered pain; it was the powerlessness that she found vile. The proof that the world decided her fate and she had no say in it. Juno left the tavern in silence, her eyes drifting to the trees. It was becoming harder not to drop all and hide in their embrace. Run from shame, run from all the others, and die in solitary peace. None would miss her, and the winters would roll forward unhindered by the loss. Juno wiped her eyes and trudged toward the nighthouse to find her bed. Sleep was her only solace. She prayed to the Goddess that it would be dreamless.

"Juno," Bilana, a cursed sister, called as she ran up to Juno. "Mother awaits you, and you are not to dally."

"It is my time," Juno argued, no longer a slave to her Mother's whims. She was a wagon mule who pulled now, and that was it. No longer did she strive to be a driver, as Floren wished. Juno would perpetuate things no longer.

"There is a meeting," Bilana insisted. "They demand you there."

"I seek my bed," Juno said. She looked at Bilana with determination. "If they wish me, they will find me there." She smiled at the tiny spark of power that grew inside. "Better still, let them wait until I wake." Considerable leeway had been given since the lashing, and she meant to stretch it to its limits. The pain of the whip was gone. The defeat of it was not.

"There are other mothers there. It is you they seek."

"Other mothers?" Juno asked, then thought better of it. "I do not need their sorrows. Let them know that sleep calls me, and I find it more pleasing."

"I do not think it is sorrows they bring," Bilana said. "Mother is most insistent, and there is a fire in her. You must come."

"Must?" Juno asked as if it were a curse atop the wilted-rose she bore. After she said it, she wondered if it was worth the risk of Floren's anger. Then again, a stand would sate Juno's rage, which was growing as of late. She sighed. It would probably ruin a night's sleep with the argument that would follow. "I will go there."

"They meet in the kitchen," Bilana said. "All others have been told to stay clear."

Juno's eyebrows peaked. Rarely did another mother bring news. The Whispering Way was typically done by a trusted one. Rarer still to not be meeting in Floren's room. Maybe they have come to warn of the Brother returning. The idea sent a chill through her. She doubted his cruelty could be easier a second time.

"Sit," Floren instructed Juno. The house had been cleared, or the others had found their beds as she desired. Four cursed sat at the table next to Floren, three older and one not much older than Juno. "News has been brought." She gestured again for Juno to sit. Juno did, and the eyes of the room watched her do so with intensity. The glares were uncomfortable.

"Three mothers of the houses between here and Fikin Crossing have ridden hard to reach us. Our sister, Sanlina," Floren indicated the younger cursed, "has brought news from there. In this, there can only be truth, Juno. Do not hold back." Juno nodded as she absorbed the words. They were spoken as an order, with indifference to her desires, and as if dissent were not possible.

"Are you the last-of-the-line?" Sanlina asked with seriousness.

Juno's palm covered her mouth as the ramifications of the question became apparent. There was only one reason for so many mothers to ask such a thing. She looked at Floren as her eyes began to water. "He has returned," she said. Floren nodded.

"Are you her?" another asked.

Juno stood, her eyes streaming as she hid her smile behind her hand. She turned from them as the news woke something inside her she thought had fled. There is a reason she had struggled on, a reason to return each day to her bed. And that reason had red hair.

"Where is he?" Juno demanded as she turned. No longer did she care of her curse, or King, or Brethren.

"Are you her?" Sanlina asked. The other mothers leaned in to hear the response. Floren sighed, knowing well the answer. She must have spoken it early and wasn't believed.

"If I am, I know it not," Juno said. "Never did my mother tell me, nor her mother tell her."

"Goddess," the mother with short hair said. They all four deflated at her words.

"Where is he?" Juno asked again.

"South of here," Sanlina said. "He moves slow, off the roads."

"Sit," Floren said, this time it was more of a request. Juno complied. "There is much to talk of, and for you to think on."

"I will not hide my desire to see him," Juno warned. She wiped her eyes and sat tall. "If you mean to stop me, it will not be."

Sanlina exchanged knowing glances with the mothers who nodded for her to take the lead. "It would be easier to stop you, then him. He means to find you."

Juno's heart lost its weight and floated high in her chest. The world had been so ugly a moment ago, and now beauty covered the land. She tried to keep it from her face and failed. A smile grew at the thought of Kelton seeking her out.

Floren reached out and grasped Juno's hand. "I know your dreams as you know mine, but there is more to this then our needs." Floren smiled with softness. "Listen well." Floren nodded for Sanlina to continue.

"Three have fallen, and a witness declared," Salina said. "He travels with two blades and swings them as if they were born to him. It was said that the four he faced were felled with ease."

"Four Brothers?" Juno questioned. The first time was a thing of luck if Kelton was to be believed. "Four at one time?"

"Aye," Sanlina said. "One was wounded and ran. Kleton could not give chase since he had suffered a slash."

"He is cut?" Juno's heart thumped.

"A minor thing to his side. It was well sewn by my mother." Salina shifted in her seat as if she was unconfident in the next part. "It was said the Brothers angered him, claiming they had killed his witness. It was their undoing. After it was done, he had no intent to claim his fated duty, and meant only to find you."

Juno couldn't imagine the boy she knew could do such a thing. It would not sit in his mind well. But he had grown over the winters, perhaps so much so he had changed. Doubts began to sneak into her. Maybe he would no longer see her the same.

"When he was told of your lashing, something changed in him. It was then his anger rose, and he declared himself the Answer." A forced smile grew on Sanlina's face. "You have power over him, and he will need a guide."

Juno retracted her hand from Floren. She looked at each face, four mothers, and Sanlina. They all looked as if they were hoping her to act as they desired. A guide, they said. It smelled of something entirely different. They wished to control the Answer, as if it could be done. They had misjudged things, not realizing it was Kelton who held the power, and he reigned over her.

"A guide, you say," Juno said. "Know that my heart jumps knowing that he seeks me. It is a cursed heart, and if he wishes to bless it, I shall let him." She stood and backed away from the scheming women. "You know my dreams, Mother. He has always been my answer."

Floren stood. "And you would leave this land to its fate for a moment's joy?"

"Aye," Juno said. Kelton would be more than a moment. "It is a land of sheep, and I no longer wish to be among them. It is what I learned on that pole. Schemes all around, yet it was my back getting stung. Now you wish to lash my heart as well." She held up her arm, displaying the wilted-rose. "I will cut this curse from my skin for that moment's joy."

"Juno, you must..." Floren began.

"Mayhap, I should speak to her alone, Mother," Sanlina interrupted. "It is best she hears words from one who sees as she does." It was a reference to age, though Juno sensed something more devious in the words.

"Aye," Juno agreed. Being outnumbered was doing nothing but raising her fury. Kelton was back, and she was tired of anger. Her heart dreamed of softer feelings, the ones that floated atop her skin and tickled her soul.

The mothers traded glances and decided as one to allow Sanlina to speak alone. Floren was the last to leave and required a smile and nod from Juno to alleviate lingering concerns. Juno felt some guilt for the way she had treated Floren over the previous moons. Kelton was back, and it now seemed petty to lump Floren in with the world. Juno took a deep breath to settle the passions that were flopping about like air-bound fish. Glee and anger were an odd duo to decipher.

"I tried to be his guide," Sanlina said, her voice low as if there was regret in it. Juno, still standing, gave Sanlina her full attention while entwining her arms across her chest. Sanlina shook her head and looked down at the table. "It is rare to find a man not led by his parts, at least for a night. Mayhap, when their hair grays, but not one whose body still trembles at my touch." She looked up. "He denied me. He has denied all. You are the only one he desires, though I do not know why it is so after so many winters."

Juno felt tears fighting to emerge again. "All?"

"All. He knows nothing of the pleasures other men covet. You hold his heart, and thus the direction he will travel."

Juno felt dirty. Anger had sullied her soul, and her curse ruined her innocence. Kelton was the Answer, and she feared that he would see her for what she was, a used woman without the goodness he deserved. It would have been easier if he had sought out others between then and now. She wasn't worthy of pureness.

"I am scarred," Juno whispered, as all her faults, physical and mental, came forward with a vengeance. Kelton would see a woman aged beyond her time. One whose back bore the ugliness of the land.

Sanlina chuckled, which angered Juno. Sanlina raised her palm in apology and regained her composure. "Do not fear your scars with this man, Juno. His body has seen more than the lash. Mayhap, he worries about displeasing your eyes."

The dreams came back to Juno. She dropped her arms and sat at the table. "His side, is it torn from shoulder to thigh?"

Sanlina's eyes widened. "Shoulder to waist. Though I tried, he would not allow me to lower his trousers." She tilted her head. "How do you know of this?"

Juno held her breath a moment, then sunk her heart into a question that should never be. "His good side - is it marked with greenish lines?" She drew imaginary lines with her finger across her shoulder and arm.

"Who told you this?" Sanlina said. There was anger rising in her voice as if she thought schemes were encompassing her.

"He has been in my dreams," Juno replied, her thoughts becoming lighter as she began to feel Kelton was meant to be hers. They were joined deeper than any knew.

"The Goddess has sent you to him," Sanlina inferred, the shock of it evident in her eyes. "Do you not see? You must be his guide, or you are the last-of-the-line."

"I am his healer, and he is mine," Juno said. Her heart was mending itself as visions Kelton embracing her filled her head. Maybe his mind was as troubled as hers and joined together they will both be repaired. Waking dreams merging with sleeping ones, the conjunction holding happiness she once thought impossible.

"Aye, healer," Sanlina said. "It is you who will guide him, for he is for this land. All require him, thus all require you." She reached out, taking Juno's hand in hers. "He is the Answer and must end the scourge of the Brethren. No more Choosings, no more cursing, no more lashings. Do you not see your importance?" She was begging.

"I...I desire him for myself," Juno said with reluctant honesty.

"It can not be," Sanlina said. Her voice softened. "Would you allow all to suffer for a moment's joy."

"He will not be a moment," Juno argued, struggling not to envision lashings and Choosings. She knew it was greed that put her desires ahead of others. Yet, she grasped at the idea that her suffering had earned her such things. Kelton was her gift, and she didn't want to share it.

"A mere moment in all of time," Sanlina said. "Great misery will linger well past your joy."

"It was not your skin carved by the whip."

"Nay." Sanlina's eyes fell, and she released Juno's hand.

Juno's emotions rolled on violent winds. Happiness beyond dreams, anger at the demands of others, and ugly greed beginning to grow. Kelton was everything, and they wanted him as much as she. They wanted her to be strong, and she desired to lose herself in him and live off his strength. Still, the truth of the Brethren was well known.

"He will run from his duty if you ask it of him," Sanlina whispered. Her head rose again. "You are the Answer's answer."

"I am not the last-of-the-line."

"Then you must help him find her," Sanlina said.

Juno's eyes betrayed her again as the reality of the words sunk in. They meant her to give him to another. To suffer a lashing that would scar her far more deeply. The world was broken, and they were laying the yoke of it upon her back.

"You do not know what you ask," Juno said.

"Nay, I do not." Sanlina leaned forward. "I have no one who thinks me better than others. I can make a man forget himself for a romp, but the next morn he remembers only my curse. No one would die for me." Her voice lowered. "It is a shameful thing I do, to ask you to give up what I can never hope to possess." It seemed to Juno that Sanlina desired her own dream, and to feel what Juno felt.

Juno sighed and sat, letting her shoulders relax. "He was fearful in the beginning, when we first met. A boy still, new to his manhood." She smiled at the memories. "I had heard the stories of what he had done and thought myself lucky he was stricken with pox so I could care for him. It was then, when he was deep in the pox sleep, that I started dreaming of what wasn't. I lay with him many nights, listening to his murmurs and imaging they were something more." Sanlina listened with absorbing patience.