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Chapter 24 - On the Way to Lordstown

  The dawn greeted Raeyn and Violetta as they exited the cave. The fire had burned itself out throughout the long night and only the residue and ash remained. Nothing of value remained at the entrance. The camp had been plundered of its goods. Violetta did not seem to care about her pack or the scroll. It was as if the only thing mattered now was returning to the shore.

   Violetta said as her eyes laid upon his body that had been punctured with dozens of stab wounds,

  Lying face down in a pool of his own blood, the leather armor soaked in blackening blood, his final expression buried in the grass at the base of the tree. Raeyn was relieved to have another Mahn’s dying face in her memories. Cade had been so sudden was different from Huron’s burning agony. It was a small mercy to not have another face now. The urge to fight, to go wild, still lurked in her blood. The thought of taking Wilde with her surfaced, but why had she fought so hard to protect Violetta? Some part of her knew she would survive the fire. Was it Belos’ will? Was it something as simple as wanting to not have her die in that place? Nothing made sense. It did not need to make sense. The lingering questions and doubts still were there. Gnawing at her gut and making holes where there should be only firm conviction that what she had done was right.

   Raeyn asked Violetta to push those thoughts away.

   Violetta pointed to the west,

  Two thousand. The number did not make sense. In total, only 123 Gobbos lived in the warren and that was already the merger of two separate tribes. Even counting the fifteen Bura slaves. No that was not right. It was now only 120 with Rock’s death and her departure. For every Gobbo there were ten Mahn. Without tricks and surprise even a lone Mahn, like Wilde, would be more than a match even when outnumbered. Though Wilde was not a Mahn and was no more than a rebelling slave, just a hundred of them alone would destroy the warren several times over.

  Violetta turned and looked down at Raeyn,

   Raeyn was still surprised,

   Violetta had to think of the word herself,

   Raeyn’s question prompted a better explanation.

  

  The words caused visible pain as Raeyn’s mind was forced to commit the new words to her head and the meanings. Hot needles piercing her forehead one after another would have been easier to bear. She stumbled forward and Violetta’s leg became the only thing preventing her from falling on the ground.

   Violetta realized she should not have explained it, but did not realize the severity or the weight those words would have on her,

   Raeyn recovered from the pain,

  

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   Raeyn nodded, knowing the feeling.

  It was still shocking. Violetta was like her in many ways, but two thousand Mahn? Two thousand! Belos’ purpose for her would be to stop them? Could the Dwellin even deal with them? Perhaps getting them to leave the shore peacefully was the goal? It did not matter. Belos' would guide her.

   Violetta said as she stepped away from the body,

   Raeyn questioned.

   Violetta gave her a strange look, as if Gobbos had no such rituals.

  

  Violetta nodded slightly while staring at Stirge’s body,

  Leaving behind the cave and Stirge, and all that had happened did not take it from their minds. Returning to the stream and following it to the west was mindless and only allowed for the long silence to further linger on what had happened. It was hard to take in the beauty of nature or the wind across her bare skin. During a break, she dipped into the water to wash herself off. The outer layer of her skin was burned and would not flake off. Picking at the skin between her fingers, a thin fleck of green appeared only at the point of bleeding. Her skin was dry and strange now, it felt different from when she was in the bath.

   Violetta asked as she watched Raeyn trying to scrub herself clean in the water,

  

   Violetta questioned.

  She explained briefly,

  Violetta crossed her arms seemingly amused and upset at the same time,

  


  

  Coming out of the water and pushing the water off her with her arms, Raeyn fell in behind Violetta as they headed west. The stream gained more little brooks along the way as ground began to slope downwards. Suddenly cresting a hill, a long winding descent led the way down to a large body of water. Tendrils of smoke rose from behind the hills and a few strange white blobs lay behind it.

   Violetta said as she pointed,

  
The word grated on her lips even as she said it.

   Violetta patted Raeyn’s head suddenly and the Gobbo gave a surprising hiss of irritation,

  She had a point, but Belos’ will was all she needed. Belos’s would guide her and prepare her. Whether it would come to be killing her enslaver, Violetta or any Mahn, she would not refuse. She was blade and would strike when needed. She would become whatever Belos' needed to fulfill his will. She turned to Violetta and smirked,

   Violetta laughed knowingly.

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