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Darian

With Daxia, she caught the Romana bird and gently laid her down then moved away. She called Longtooth to her and gave him a good scritching. "Good hunt today."

She hiked back up to the top and began to look for and collect the arrows she had used. Good ones were set aside for cleaning and others had the heads and fletching removed to make more.

Bekkah

She looked at him and shook her head as if it were a silly question.

"You took a couple of tremendous blows in that battle. Are you hurt? And tell me the truth." she commanded.

Daxia

Daxia heard Bekkah.

Daxia heard Dean.

Daxia heard Bekkah again.

Daxia sighed.

"Fine, Dazi help Mikal," she muttered as she picked up her shield.

"Never mind poor old lady in well," she continued to mutter as she started up the slope towards the well.

"Dazi not tell Lady Kay Squire too busy falling on self for Lady Bekkah, no no." She reached the top of the ruins.

"Dazi not tell Lady Kay Squire too busy help Mikal move ugly beastie." She walked across the ruins towards the well.

"Dazi not say anything." She stopped at the well and looked at the hellsteed. She looked at Mikal trying valiantly to move it himself.

"Hoi, Mikal! You break things inside try moving beast alone." She looked over her shoulder at Morning Star.

"Would Morning Star please help move hell beast from well edge?" Her jaw tightened, and anger flared for a moment again in her eyes. "That... THING... should not be allowed to touch our kin below." She looked down into the black of the well; not needing to see in order to know what lay at the bottom.

"Dazi will not have happy time clean well. Must be done. Very much must be done. Morning Star Brother and kin, Dazi Sisters...

"Not...

"Belong...

"In well!"

She stood in silence for a handful of heartbeats.

"Not belong in well," she whispered. "Too many... too many..."

Only a unicorn and a Jvrillian might note the silent tears running down her cheeks.

"How I not supposed to grieve, Tashka? So many... how I not grieve?"

The Dayalan looked up, looked at her Sisters above. And by chance, her gaze crossed the Dark Patch.

And only by chance because there are no stars in the Dark Patch; why else call it the Dark Patch?

She stood perfectly still looking up at the two glittering lights in the vast Darkness, amazement reflected on her face. The tears continued to roll down her cheeks, but she managed a smile... small, but still a smile.

"Of course you would stand there," she whispered. "Of course you would."

Still looking up at the two defiant stars in the patch of inky darkness, she shook her head and whispered so very softly to herself.

"I won't tear myself up, Tashka, at least not too much I hope. But I do need to grieve for the many, for the ones whose names we don't know. But I will celebrate you and Linette, and my partner's Brother, Evening Star, and honor your courage. I promise."

[12T]

Kadri:

She moved up to Daxia.

"I apologize ... I just didn't want to say anything at the time. I ... I was angry, and ... I didn't want a distraction at the time."

She's digging one toe into the ground, almost like a scolded kid.

Daxia

Daxia looked down at Kadri with surprise.

"Kadri," she said, sounding perhaps... confused?

"There's no need to apologize.

"Having seen the main temple hall, corridors and chapel; having heard Tashka's tale of that night; knowing what very, very little I know of unicorns; seeing Paths actually move backwards in time..." She shrugged. "How could things be any other way than they are? If you had told me then, my friend, you would not have told me anything I didn't already know to be true."

The Dayalan impulsively hugged her friend.

"I understand your anger. I understand why you didn't want to tell me. There is peace between us, Kadri, and no need for apologies."

Mikal

As Daxia arrives, Mikal has just about given up trying to drag the huge horse carcass off the edge of the well by himself and has started looking among the dead Chaos Riders scattered around for a good axe. His second option is to rig a rope and get Talia to help pull it off.

He sees Daxia arrive, with the Unicorn, seemingly named "Morning Star", and decides that if it is willing, the rope idea would be much faster.

He doesn't interrupt her as she vents, having seen such activities after battle many times before. He simply takes the rope and makes a timber hitch around the Hellsteed's neck then holds the loose end out to Daxia, nodding towards the Unicorn and twitching an eyebrow up questioningly.

All he asks is, "Is Romana alright?"

Dean

He stares at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, then looks down at his gore covered body and looks back at her. "I...I'm fine." and then a little quieter, "I'm fine...if you have no immediate need of me, Lady Bekkah, I will go back to helping your sister?"

Bekkah

She was surprised that he was unhurt and looked at him for a few moments, before nodding.

"If you are certain, then yes, help Daxia."

She headed off to tend to any of the other men who might need her help.

Cesare

He sees Darian return and start looking for arrows. He considers for a moment and then decides that there is no need for a look out any more, instead he makes use of the rope and moves to join Darian so he can hunt for his knives closer to the tower. But first he needs to know and asks his question of her.

"Did you find Romana? Is she alright?"

Darian

She pauses to answer Cesare's questions.

"Aye, she be in tree. Dazi, Darian, catch. Hunter no see injury. Healer check."

Cesare

He is relieved. It seems incredible to him that everyone seems to survived and relatively unscathed.

"Everyone else is OK?"

He thinks so but better to check.

Darian

"Of our pack, aye," she answered as she pulled a bloody arrow from one of the fallen chaos riders.

Cesare

He smiles at her, nodding, pleased to have that confirmed. They may be an odd bunch to any outsider but he has a feeling of belonging now.

"I hope it worked for the two below."

Daxia

"Yah, Romana good. Fall into tree. Kadri untangle, Darian and Dazi catch when she let go. Some scratches, but Bekkah fix." She looked at the rope Mikal held out to her.

"Um..." Daxia looked at Morning Star, then Mikal, then the rope, then back to Mikal.

"Mikal see hand for holding rope on Morning Star? No, think not. Dazi think maybe Morning Star can push beastie away from well edge. If Morning Star willing; Dazi not say what he will, will not do."

She looked more closely at him. "You ok? Need see Bekkah?" The redhead looked down at her own chest and sighed. "Think Dazi need see Bekkah, but get Lady Kay out of well first, yah? Bekkah not be happy with Dazi. Good idea avoid Bekkah, yah?" She grinned at him. "We get Lady Kay, ask Lady Kay fix parts not feeling so good."

Mikal

He glances at the chaotic fighting still going on in the plains below, then back to Daxia. He flexes his fingers with only a slight grimace. "When it is safe. Til then, I can move it, that's all that matters."

He looks to the Unicorn, still holding the rope. "I have never dealt with such...., creatures. I will take your word he can do it on his own."

As he talks, he scans the plains below, looking for Molkhavin or Donner or another officer. They should report what has happened, even though the result seems clear, and receive an update fro their allies.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Midnight
Hasday, The Twenty-Second Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Cesare, Darian, Longtooth, Bekkah, Dean, Kadri, Romana and Morning Star

It was more than a few scrapes and bruises. there was definitely one broken arm - the one NOT holding the branch and a gash across the top of her head. It, however, like most head wounds, looked a whole lot worse than it did, though it had bled all over the place, washing over Romana's face and both marring and tangling her hair.

"Pancakes ..." She quietly offered the Lady Bekkah in return for her gentle touch; it did not take much to seal the wound, set the one and cleanse away the pain.

"Still don't fly goods ..."

After Romana, all those except Squire Dean would benefit from the Priestess' attention, to at least curb the pain and seal their wounds. The Squire, somehow, had managed to escape unharmed. His shield, however, had two fist sized holes in it and he. himself, looked like a sloppy butcher preparing for the Midsummer's feast and it was not just the blood and sinews that soaked him ... but the scent of offal and gizzards.

And there he was, following Lady Bekkah about.

Down below, on the plains, the fighting seemed to be breaking up. many of the riders... seeing the bloody turn of the tide, started to melt back into their forest. Mohlkavin's cavalry was doing what cavalry did best; running down the retreating stragglers, cutting down those riders who were too concerned for finding out who the new avatar would be.

They could be reached, but it would be a climb down from the tower; each moment, however they were a little bit further spread and the way there treacherous; only reachable directly back down the flame strewn path the avatar had taken to get to the top of the temple.

Which burned furiously.

Donner's men, they held the town walls. The demon's breach was still a knot of combat; that and teams of mercenaries and guard chasing down the few that had slipped into the town; a wild hunt through the town's alleys and shops.

To report to them would mean returning to the town.

Leaving the dead horse at the well, that and the Priestess still down below.

The unicorn cast a look between Mikal and Daxia, between Daxia and the fallen horse, , back to the mercenary,and then returning to the carcass at the well.

He tossed back his head, his mane flying wildly, as if to summon fair magics to lift the dead creature from the ground and send it to some equine enlightenment, or at least a better place with lotsa grass meadows and cool streams to drink from.

The great black destrier then lowered his head.

And just looked at Daxia.

That kind of look.

One step, two, and then he reached out to experimentally tap the carcass with his hoof.

And gave Daxia another ... look.

Darian and Longtooth could find most of their arrows; in fact they would find most of them in one outrider, the one whose face was crushed by Kadri's rock. The shafts were hopeless, twisted, cracked and worse, some were charred. The arrowheads, they were salvageable, and some of the fletching. By the time they had completed her collection Lady Bekkah has finished her tasks too.

For Kadri and Cesare, it was a moment's quiet, or as quiet as it could get atop the temple. The temple top was stone, and enough of a firebreak to protect the stables, tower and small manor house. Cesare's question was answered by the two stars glittering in the Dark Path far above, two ne stars now watching down upon them.

At the base of the tower, some bangings and rustling could be heard, as if an elderly brother was working to unlatch the big and very heavy door/

Romana's hand rose, rising to her own shoulder.

"Cloak!

"Cloaks gone!"

Daxia

She just looked at the unicorn, rather suspiciously, for a moment. Then watched his theatrics.

"Oh, yes. Dazi led to believe so. Not matter. You push, stronger all us together. We pull..." She pointed to the blonde in white robes approaching. "...hurt selves, sister angry, never stop nag nag nag Dazi."

The Dayalan put her fists on her hips and looked at her partner.

"Dazi know YOU not stop nag nag nag, so Dazi like Bekkah NOT nag. So much."

She took the rope from Mikal, as she heard Romana's cry. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed...

...shook her head, and muttered something under her breath in Ancient...

"Kadri help Romana with Darian cloak?"

She opened her eyes.

"Dean, Cesare, Darian help Dazi, Mikal move horse." She glanced over at her sister.

"Bekkah not say one word until Dazi finish work. Dazi not want to hear."

She continued muttering under her breath in Ancient, as she looked into the well to see if Lady Kay's light was visible yet.

Kadri fetches Darian's cloak, and runs it over to romana.

Darian

The Hunter looks to the horse in question.

"Pieces easier."

Daxia

Daxia also looked at the horse, then looked at Darian.

"Hunter do. We move pieces."

She looked up at Bekkah again, her face tight with worry.

"Please keep Kadri away... she doesn't need to see this. If she argues about it, tell her..." Daxia looked at the horse, at her partner, into the darkness of the well. "...tell her I want her to have peace." Daxia looked up at her sister again and nodded towards the slope where Romana and Kadri were. "Go... we'll do this as quickly as we can. Then we can get your fellow Priestess out of the well. Oh, and if you could direct Brother Random over here, away from Romana... that would be a good thing, da?"

Then the Dayalan nodded to the Hunter.

"Do. We hurry."

Cesare

He moves in as requested and stands ready with his sharp blades. He has cut up many an animal in the past though never a horse and, given its size, it might go quicker with two of them.

"I can help, just say."

Important though that one directs otherwise they could fill the well with horse and he would comfortably put money on Daxia not liking that a lot.

Mikal

He waits to see if Cesare or Darian need any help butchering the horse. As he does he mentions to Daxia. "Now might be a good time for Kadri to tell us what she saw at the bottom of the well. I suspect that I was not completely able to keep from further befouling it. While the horse rests here, it's rider almost certainly toppled down into the well as he tried to have the horse leap over the lip."

Darian

She gives a nod to Daxia and pulls her blades made for such work.

"Need buckets to catch...blood, insides."

Left unsaid was that such could easily spill over into the well causing more spoilage.

She knelt by the horses head and chanted over it though it was not her kill. She paused before starting and looked to Daxia and Mikal and Cesare knowing they would not like her words.

"Much good meat."

It was the waste she did not like..it could go to feed hounds and such if the people would not eat it.

Daxia

"No need to ask Kadri, Mikal," she said softly, pain clear in her voice. "Tashka's partner, Evening Star... brother to my partner, Morning Star... lies in the well." Daxia paused, looking at the well; she took a deep breath before continuing. "As are all the Dayalans and their partners who stayed to defend this temple; those who were sacrificed to call the Coveners' God and Goddess." She closed her eyes and her jaw clenched; she stood there for a handful of breaths, before she pushed the anger away.

She opened her eyes again and looked at her Second. "It is the kind of wrong that should make me want to go on a killing spree against anyone and everyone from the East. It should fill me with hatred.

"But all I want to do is get them out; honor them." The Dayalan shook her head. "I understand Morning Star's anger; but hatred and anger serve no purpose for me. There is a wrong here that must be righted, however."

She turned to Darian, assessing her practical words for a moment, then nodded.

"Save what you can. Saw buckets in stable. Will fetch."

Should she happen upon the elderly Eye on her way to the stable, she would merely encourage him to head towards the well where the Lady Kay will need assistance, and will no doubt have an interesting tale for him to record. And affirm that yes, that was indeed a unicorn atop the ruins.

Cesare

Although one of his many aims is to own a horse of his own, he has little qualms in eating one and agrees to Darian's comment with a nod. Meat is meat, and travelling teaches people to utilise what comes their way.