12.4 Circles on Circles

General Summary

Day 114

Once the rest of Ishvael’s fist has been restored, we leave the town behind us. Eager to put some distance between us, we walk quickly and Ishvael pulls up beside me to have a word.   The leader of the Severed, Petaran, hasn’t been seen in a week. The other inner circle members have been noticeably keeping people away from him and she fears he might be ill or even dead. The most influential member now is Lurick.   He’s unusual because he sought out the Severed, carrying the heads of human priests with him. Nearly all the members of the Severed joined them by happenstance. Since Lurick joined, the Severed has gotten more aggressive and violent whereas originally they focused on seeking out lost elves and freeing those in bondage. She thinks that perhaps her fist was sent to this human town to die, given how strong the human mystics are.   “You saved me, but Petaran saved me too,” she says sincerely, “I think he may need saving too now”   As we find our way to a camp that she’s scouted ahead of time, I have time to think about the way forward. They’ve told me that they can’t infiltrate the Severed now that they’ve been restored. They sense the lack of shadows and to be around someone whole is nearly painful. Selfishly, I wonder if I had remembered this beforehand...would I have asked any of them to volunteer to stay like this for just a few more days to gather information? I shake the thought away. It wouldn’t make a difference. From what Ishvael says, there’s nothing to be learned simply by lurking around the Deep Keep where they are all sequestered. And for such a defensible location, they won’t be moving out anytime soon.   We set up camp and I take the opportunity to familiarize myself a bit with our new people. There are six professional soldiers, including one weak healer and a scribe (Sieren), of all things, with a minor talent for motion magic. He tells me he served in one of the Imperial Court’s armies. I recognize the name of his general, and am not terribly impressed by the memory. Regardless, I’m happy to have Sieren with us.   After dinner we gather around to discuss. Me, Tira, Bran, Camellia, Knotrael, Willow, and Ishvael.   Knotrael remarks that the Deep Keep may be impenetrable to humans, dwarves, and nearly anyone else who might want to attack, but it is no obstacle to shadow-stepping elves. Deep and cavelike, it would be easy to slip deeper and deeper into the keep. We likely have 2-3 days before they get suspicious of Ishvael’s vanishment, which I think is enough time to approach and have Haze fetch Zadiyah, Alder, and Hella and Kadia.   Ishvael outlines the numbers we can expect: An inner circle of 6, 10-15 unskilled warriors in the keep, and 20 of the more senior warriors out and about in the surrounding countryside. This is eminently more manageable than I had thought, and I lay out a plan:   Me, Tira, Alder, Ishvael, Knotrael, and Zadiyah will shadow-step into the inner circle’s area and confront them. Even if all of them are active and alert, I wouldn’t bet against our group in a fight. With some luck we can persuade them, otherwise I am willing to lose a few of them if it means gaining access to the 30-40 other Severed who we can save. This is it. We’ve reached the point where I’m willing to lose people to gain people.   Ishvael’s newly restored fists will be transferred to Willow, and they will occupy the outer contingents of the Severed with Bran, Camellia, and Hella and Kadia’s help. Bran, of course, objects to us not bringing a healer with us and I’m about to reassure him when Tira cuts in.   “Maybe we can bring Bran’s magic with us,” she says, “in a Greater Circle,”   And this is why I’ve missed her and the rest of my family. We have been getting by with our independent skills and our loyalty to one another but the long practice of this sort of work….that has been missing. Naturally, if we join together in a Circle then not only can we share magic, but Bran can be a well of strength for us and Camellia can heal him even without being part of the Circle.   The power of my two wise apprentices and me together...Bran looks a little concerned when Tira laughs and says we wouldn’t be able to bring down an entire fortress without Alwen. But with him? Of course, that’s doable. I give him a smile; he’s part of a family that is so much larger and more powerful than he’ll get a chance to experience for a while, I think. But for now, a Circle.   Tomorrow Haze will fetch our three missing people and I am especially anxious to hear Zadiyah’s thoughts on this manouevre. This is just the right size to be her specialty. Then we will move towards our target and attack when the time is right.   Despite the plans for battle in my head, sleep is peaceful. This feels right.