Arrest her? She's been shot!" Triss replied angrily. "She needs a doctor, not a prison!"

  The man held up his hand to stop her. "I can see she's been injured. We will make sure she is treated. In our jail cell."

  "In a jail cell? Are you serious?"

  "Very. One of our men didn't make it back. She'll need to answer for that."

  Triss just barely managed to stop herself from blurting out that Reginald had been the one to kill the man. "She was acting in self defense!"

  "We'll certainly ask her for side of things once she's awake." The man said in a calm, firm tone that said he knew who was in charge here, and it wasn't Triss.

  "Lead on." Reginald said before Triss could argue more. "The sooner we get her to the jail the sooner we can get her help."

  The man turned and led them through the town. They passed by several houses where people stood out front, watching them go by. Mothers held their younger children back, and older kids stepped to the edge of the road to get a closer look at them as they passed. Triss felt like a sideshow freak with all the attention they were getting, and it did nothing to improve her foul mood.

  They soon reached a larger building, obviously some sort of town hall. Nowhere near as impressive as the one in Thalonia, it was still nicer than the surrounding houses. A wide wooden porch wrapped all the way around the stone building, the wood a deep brownish red. Triss took a moment to tie the horses to the railing at the man's instruction and then they all headed in. The iron banded door swung open easily at the man's touch, no squeaking noise like Triss had expected. Lanters hung from the ceiling, thin lines of black soot staining their glass enclosures. Several long tables were set up with chairs on the sides of the room, leaving the center wide open. The man led them to the back of the building and to another wooden door. The small room inside was completely bare except for a couple of brooms and a mop leaning against one wall. The man gathered up the cleaning supplies with a slightly embarrassed smile and ushered them inside. "Wait here. I'll fetch Mother Altruna, and a bed and some food." He turned, closing the door behind him and leaving them all locked in what was definitely a supply closet.

  "This is ridiculous." Triss complained as Reginald laid Naiela out on the floor. "It was self defense!"

  "We weren't there to see how it started." Reginald reminded her. "Maybe Naiela started it."

  Triss started to protest, but then shut her mouth. She didn't know Naiela well. Maybe she had started it. Actually, that probably was the case. She'd likely mouthed off to the men, all rude an demanding. Then resorted to violence when she didn't get the respect she felt she deserved. Still, Naiela was the one who had been shot. That counted for something, right?

  Foolish. It doesn't matter who was injured. Just who started it.

  Stop listening to my thoughts! Triss shot back.

  I desperately wish I could. You have no idea what it's like to be trapped inside the mind of someone who natters on incessantly with absolutely no substance whatsoever. Grounth complained.

  At least I have a body! Triss shot back.

  A soft, frail body. You really should exercise. And cut down on those pastries. You're gaining weight.

  I AM NOT!

  You've gone from 123.5 pounds to 127.2 in the last three months.

  You! You... You deserve the title dark wizard!

  Thank you.

  Triss pushed the voice to a corner of her mind, muting Grounth. Then she kicked the door.

  "That looked painful." Reginald remarked dryly as Triss hopped around the room, holding onto her throbbing foot. "Did the door deserve it at least?"

  "Yes. No. Shut up." Triss slumped down against far wall, crossing her arms and glaring at the door. It opened a second later and two men in leather armor came in carrying a cot. They set the cot down wordlessly against the side wall and left, closing the door behind them.

  "Too good to talk to us?" Triss yelled at the door.

  "Likely they were told not to talk to us." Reginald said. "Their leader will want to be present for any questioning.” He stood and beckoned her over. “Come on, lets get her on the cot.”

  Reginald ended up doing most of the lifting, Naiela being too heavy for Triss to contribute much more than lifting her feet. “It’s not because I need to work out. She’s just heavy.” Triss muttered under her breath as they lay the unconscious woman on the cot. Reginald started to tuck the edges of the blanket under Naiela, so Triss copied his motions and started tucking her in on the other side. As she pushed the blanket under Naiela’s hip she noticed something hard. Curious, she lifted the blanket and found a small square shape just under the waist of Naiela’s pants. The top edge of the shape was barely visible, and Triss grabbed it and pulled it out. It turned out to be a book of some kind, perfectly square and barely bigger than Triss’s palm. Before she could really examine it, the door swung open. Triss hurriedly stuffed the book into her own waist, trying to be quiet and discrete.

  The man who’d first led them here held the door open as an old woman shuffled in. She wore a plain brown dress, her long silver hair cascading down over the pronounced hum on her back. Smile lines drew deep lines in her face, and through the skin around them was wrinkled and sagging, her blue eyes sparkled with a strange intensity. “Got a bit of a cut, do we?” She asked as she shuffled to the cot. “Let Mother Altruna take a look then.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Triss stood and moved aside so for the old woman, Reginald doing the same on the other side of the cot. It took much longer than Triss would have liked for Mother Altruna to make it to the bed, and longer still as she waited for the man to bring her a stool. Reginald stepped forward and pulled the blanket away from Naiela’s wounded shoulder for the old woman. “Thank you, lad. Draconic, eh? Thalonia?”

  Reginald nodded, and the old woman smiled. Then she turned to Naiela, pulling off the blood soaked shirt that had been pressed against the wound. “Packed well. Not your first time then.” Mother Altruna remarked quietly. “My bag, please.”

  The man handed her a satchel he’d had slung over his shoulder. She sat the bag on her lap and loosened the drawstrings, peering so closely inside her head was nearly in the bag. “Hmm…yes.” She pulled out two glass jars with cork lids. One was filled with a dark brown liquid, and the other with what looked like dried daisies. She set down the liquid and tipped a flower into her wrinkled hand, then held it up to Triss. “Open her mouth and put this under her lip. Careful she doesn’t swallow it, yes?”

  “What is it?” Triss asked, taking the flower.

  “A painkiller. She will certainly wake when I get started, and this will help with the pain.” She patted the unconscious woman on the shoulder. “This will hurt my dear. So sorry about that.”

  Triss folded the flower up and stuffed it under Naiela’s bottom lip, pressing a hand gently over it so it would stay in place. “Now what?” She asked.

  “Now, we wait.” The healer smiled. “It will take a few moments for the Witbane to kick in.”

  “Witbane? That’s a strange name.” Triss said.

  The old lady laughed. “Maybe. But certainly accurate.” She winked at Triss. “A few more seconds should do it. She’s quite thin, this one. Won’t take much with her.” She laughed warmly, and it made Triss feel like everything was going to be alright.

  Mother Altruna handed a small white cloth to Triss a moment later. “Here. Take it out and put it in here. You can wipe your fingers off with it too, if you like.”

  Triss pulled the soaking wet flower out with two fingers and placed it in the cloth before handing it back to Mother Altruna. The old lady dropped the cloth unceremoniously on the floor. “Can’t risk it. Need my wits.” She chuckled and then began to pull on the fabric Reginald had stuffed into the wound. The blood soaked cloth came out in a long, thin steam like one of those endless handkerchief tricks magicians sometimes did. Triss felt her stomach lurch, and quickly covered her mouth. She didn’t look away though.

  Thick red blood oozed out of the hole in Naiela’s shoulder as the cloth was pulled free. Mother Altruna unhurriedly grabbed another cloth from her bag and cleaned around the wound, frowning as the blood continued to come. “Still bleeding.” She muttered to herself. “How long ago was it, two hours?”

  “Not quite two, Mother Altruna.” Reginald replied before the man could.

  “Hmm. Must be a larger vein then. This might be difficult.” She glanced sideways at Reginald, one eyebrow just barely raised.

  “I do have some ability.” Reginald said, the hint of a restrained sigh in his tone. “I can stop the blood flow for a few seconds.”

  Mother Altruna smiled, beckoned to the wound, and got to work. She had Triss and the man each grab onto one side of Naiela each, then poured the liquid from the jar all over the wound. Naiela’s eyes flew open and she screamed, thrashing to get free from Triss and the man’s grip. “Hold her. It’ll stop in a second.” Mother Altruna said, pressing a clean cloth to the wound and somehow managing to keep it there as Naiela writhed in pain. True to her word, Naiela calmed down after a few seconds, laying back with her eyes unfocused and dull.

  “If you wouldn’t mind? Mother Altruna said to Reginald as she pulled a needle and thread from her bag. Reginald drew a quick spell with his wand, and the blood seeping from the wound slowed and then stopped. The old woman moved quicker than Triss would have expected, reaching into the wound with nimble fingers and sewing something inside before closing the wound with a tight stitch. “There. She’ll be out of it for a while, but I think she has a good chance. Give her a few sips of water when you can. I’ll be back in the morning to check on it. She placed a clean bandage over the wound and tied it in place with a strip of cloth before slowly standing up. The man picked up her stool and the old lady began to shuffle towards the door. “It was a pleasure to meet you all. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Once Mother Altruna had shuffled her way out the door the man turned to Reginald. “I have some questions for you. Would you mind coming with me?”

  “Of course. Triss, you stay here and take care of Naiela. I’ll be back soon.” He said.

  Triss tried to protest, but Reginald shot her a hard look. She swallowed her words and instead sat beside Naiela. The young woman was still awake, head rolling from side to side. “I’ll take care of her.” She told the draconic.

  “I’ll have food and water brought.” The man said. “And an extra cot. I expect you’ll be here for the night.”

  They left, closing the door behind them and leaving Triss all alone with the drugged up council wizard. Triss sighed, then started tucking Naiela’s blanket back in. “Mmm. No.” Naiela muttered, throwing the blanket off with her good arm. She shivered as the cold in the air met her bare flesh.

  “You need this blanket.” Triss tried to use a soothing voice. “It’s cold.”

  “I…didn drop it.” Naiela murmured. “I’m saving it for later. This later.”

  “Well then, its this later now. Come on, lets get you warmed up.” Triss replied, and tucked the blanket in again. Naiela didn’t struggle this time, and Triss was able to get her tucked in without incident. She noticed the young woman’s hair was all matted with sweat, several long strands running down her face. Triss pulled the wizard’s hair back, picking on stubborn lock out of her eyes.

  “Eyes are icky.” Naiela said, her words slurred and hard to understand. “I don’t want to touch them. They always want you to gouge them out.”

  “Who wants you to gouge them out?” Triss asked, concerned. Naiela didn’t answer, muttering insensibly to herself. Triss wondered what exactly the wizard council’s training had involved. She shuddered at the ideas her mind came up with.

  A young man, likely a few years younger than Triss came by soon after. He gave her a bowl of a thick brown stew and a narrow mouthed water skin. “Elder Groth said to give you this.” He said as he handed the food and water over. He seemed nervous, and Triss's heart ached as she realized the reason why. One man from their village hadn't come home, and one had come back injured. Was he related to either one? In a town this small, it was almost certain.

  "Thanks." Triss replied, taking the food. She almost asked the boy about the man who'd died, but couldn't work up the nerve. He nodded and left quickly, obviously grateful to leave.

  Triss ate the hot stew and took a long drink from the waterskin before dribbling a little water into Naiela's mouth. Then she sat in the corner, her mind filled with gloomy thoughts. Some adventure this had turned out to be. They hadn't even made it two days before everything went wrong. And she still didn't know what was going to happen to them. Would Reginald be in trouble for fireballing that man? The memory made her stomach churn.

  As she thought, she realized there was something digging into her hip. When she checked, she found the book she'd taken from Naiela. She pulled it out and examined it.

  The book was square, with wooden covers and a small silver latch that kept it shut. Swirling runic designs were etched into the wood, inlayed with a dark metal she couldn't quite identify. She flipped the latch and opened the book. There were only two thick paper pages inside. The first was blank, but the second had words written in dark red ink.

  Abandon investigation. Report to Wizard Yurnash in Hortin. Bring the two with you. If they resist, kill them.