Narda glared at the mother, especially at the words she blurted out, confirming a suspicion she had been having ever since the greasy stepfather opened his mouth. Ysaryn had gone on ahead, up the stairs, which Narda was afraid wouldn’t hold her for long. But Ysaryn’s reaction was promising. She looked at Daryll who, a little more awake now, was looking eagerly ahead. She tensed when she heard Lyta object to opening the door, wondering what kind of cruelty she might have suffered under this roof for her to object to it. The elf confirmed it, and the mention of blood alarmed her. 

“Lyta?” Narda called. “We are not from the [i]Madam.[/i] We are representatives of the Empress Akire. We won’t be taking you to a brothel, and you won’t be harmed. You will be cared for, and if you need to find a new home, we can help with that.” She paused, then added. “Have you heard of [i]The Green Wench[/i]? You’ll find other women there who have escaped lives from brothels and other bad men. They are good people, and if you want to learn to defend yourself, they would gladly help. Or you can join them, too, if you fancy riding ships and giving cruel men a piece of your mind.” She grinned. 

“I saw you in a dream,” Daryll blurted out, and Narda frowned at Daryll. 
“[i]What are you doing? You might scare her.[/i]”
Daryll ignored her. “I saw you in a dream, and in it you needed help. You looked afraid.”

--

Kire tried to refrain from touching her Ringless finger as she walked into the woods. She knew leaving both her weapons behind was foolish, but she couldn’t let anything happen to Envy, nor could she just stand by without getting answers, [i]any[/i] answers to the million questions that arose in her mind. Without the Ring she could still sense signatures, but everything else—her strength, her Portals—she had left behind. It was like that time in Lithilote, only then she didn’t have to deal with a wild goddess whose intentions were suspect. The forest was quiet. No songs, no rustling from mysterious strangers wielding flame. Gods, she wished she didn’t leave her Ring behind. 

She stopped at the spot where they had last seen Envy. Though the walk hadn’t been too long, the tension made the brief journey feel like a whole hour of trudging through forest. If this was really Solaralai with all the anger and pride of a deity, perhaps there was only one form of communication with a mortal she was willing to hear.
“What do you want from me?” Kire asked, trying not to sound as demanding and as angry as she really meant. “What are you asking of me?”