ale felt her gentle hand on the cuts on her arm. She felt a drowsiness fall over her as the monk said a few soothing words. The sting left the infected cuts and with a slight glitter of azure the bruises and insults of her day faded away. She nearly slumped into the monk’s arm from relief, sadness and sheer exhaustion. For a moment the monk held her up before she regained some composure.

“Come with me, I think this Kada can defend herself if needed. You need a bed and somewhere to hide. I worry we may have been seen.”

She woke with little memory of the night before in a room with clean white-washed walls. Dale stretched out on clean linen. Someone had washed her hair with something perfumed, bathed her and dressed her in a plain white shift. Outside the wide windows seabirds spiraled in a pale blue sky. Dale slowly recalled the monk and hiding under the dock. She relaxed and let the aches of her body settle into the soft feathers of the mattress. Dale had never experienced such creature comforts and felt that it would not take much to get used to. The woman’s name was Arilee. She was a visitor at the guild hall of Twelve Stars. She was safe for now behind gates and guards.

Dale smiled at the thought of Arilee; the type of person who if she found a nestling on the ground would rescue and nurse it from certain death. She was determined to help people in an oblivious way that Dale was sure infuriated her friends. Twistwood would likely cause a great deal of trouble to any guild that harbored what they felt was a threat. Arilee was taking a tremendous risk for her. She watched the gulls for awhile before finally sitting up.

There was fruit in a bowl and more of the lemon water that seemed to be a staple of Lion’s Arch, possibly because the well water was brackish. Dale ate for a few minutes and listened to people coming and going in the hallway outside. It may be best if she left quietly and without fanfare. The thought of the sweet and loving monk getting in trouble because of her was more than she could countenance.

She looked around the room for her shirt and trousers but found nothing. She was stuck in what were basically pajamas. Sighing, she opened the door and peered into the hall; there were a half dozen doors in the corridor and it led into a central court where a garden glowed green in the sun. There was more white wash and plain woodwork. In the airy hallway a few silvery chimes rang with the wind and the sound of the sea. Of course she had no idea how to leave.

“Dale.”

Arilee was at the other end of the hall approaching. With her was a man in a pale grey coat, a brilliant sash bound at his hips. His handsome face flashed a grin as he set eyes on Dale. She stepped back and let the pair of them into the room. The tall man shook her hand with a firmness that made her blink.

“So you are Ari’s little secret eh? Came in here yesterday and there you were sleeping while she was praying. She would not let me awaken you. I’m Risal Jadetree…the officer of hospitality and occasional brutality…should it come to that.”

“I’m sorry to be trouble.”

“Trouble? No, you are our guest. Whoever Ari sees fit to bring home is fine with me.” He rubbed at his freshly shaved chin. “Well that is we need to figure out what to do with you. I am afraid we cannot let you stay. The Twistwood have posted a reward for your whereabouts. I don’t take bribes but unfortunately I can never speak for everyone in the guild.”

“I’ll gladly leave without a word. I can survive on my own.”

“In a nightgown?” The man chuckled softly. “You need at least some basic equipment.”

“I can’t repay you and I have no friends.” Dale had mentally crossed Kouric from her list of possible allies; he had fled when she had needed him most.

“An enemy of Twistwood is an ally of all others. They are tyrants. We will help you. First of all we will make sure there is difficulty in recognizing you. Which is why Ari brought me here...dubious as my hairdressing skills are. If you have any complaints, this was her idea.”

She had her doubts as Risal produced a pair of sheers and promised her he would do no lasting harm. Dale decided she had no choice but to submit. A great deal of hair fell to the floor. Risal fell into a children’s song about a duckling as he snipped away. Arilee held up a mirror when Risal announced he was finished. Dale was shocked to see how short it was and made a small sound of alarm. She was not vain, but had always had a little pride in her hair.

“I look like a boy!”

“That is the point, I believe. That, and while we do have some armor…it is all for men.”

“I’m going to be a boy? I can't be a boy!”

“They are looking for a girl with curly golden hair. You are too easy to spot, Dale…a bit too pretty.”

The rest of the day Risal and Arilee shuttled her around the hall from the armory to the livery where the armor they had was adjusted to her stature. They also found her a few sets of extra clothing. The armor was rigid enough that it was a relief she did not have to bind her breasts or add padding around the waist. It was fine armor, well worn and comfortable once it had been worked. Risal brought her to his chambers and had her look at it in a mirror.

“Its canthan armor…they’ll never guess it is you even if they walk right past.” Risal smiled as he adjusted it a little. “Nice thing is it hides your behind a bit…you still look good…even a little successful.”

Dale sighed, feeling somewhat befuddled by the entire change. Risal was setting out a few bows on a table, unwrapping some from soft velvet and richly pattered reptilian hides. She stood up at the sight of them and Risal gestured to the collection like a merchant.

“These belonged to our old guild leader. He’s been missing…oh a long while now. One of them ought to be to your liking. I believe he will forgive us if he shows up again.”

She looked immediately at a short bow made of delicate grayish wood. It was small and delicate in her hands, but the draw was incredibly heavy when she tried it. Its owner had been a powerfully built man and this weapon was tailored to his hand. The next one Dale picked up reminded her of her very first bow, the one that she had dropped at Calou’s side in the pass. It was a recurve made of blackened wood and carved with tiny symbols. She turned it over in her hands and saw how little wear it had; something collected and adored, but not used. She tried the string and found it pliant in her hand…a little adjustment and it would serve well and soon become familiar.

“This one.”

“Did you look at all of them?” Risal asked, apparently surprised how quickly she had chosen.

“This is the kind I trained with….”

“Ah. I’ll make sure you have some cash for arrows…you’ll need ones a little shorter than what we have here.”

“I can make my own if you have the materials…used to spend the evenings working on them….” Dale frowned, thinking of her old quiver and all the hours she had put into its embroidery and leather stamping, not to mention the arrows themselves. Materials had been hard to come by in Ascalon. She could only imagine that the Twistwood warrior had thrown it out or sold it to some merchant. Such humble things as a ranger’s quiver she imagined had no value to the powerful and cruel.

“We do.” Risal nodded. “We have a few archers as guards and there is a box full of points in the armory…some bodkins and broadheads as I recall. “

Dale spent another few days in the hall, staying in the little white washed room while she worked on fletching and pointing arrows. It was tedious work but she found it calmed her and let her think clearly. She chose green and white feathers as a departure from her old blue ones. As she worked she pondered a new name and what she was going to do next. She needed to find Galyew and figure out how to free Ursula. It had been the last thing Gared asked of her.

The last evening she was to stay in the hall she saw Risal leaning in the door way watching her, his expression thoughtful. Dale had been thinking about the amber orb most of the day. What was it exactly and how did you get a person out of it?

“Risal?”

“Hmmm?” Risal seemed to snap out of whatever it was he had been thinking. He was an odd man, a mixture of apt magi and daydreaming mystic. Today he had a shadow of unshaved beard on his chin and his overcoat was rumpled red velvet with a glossy black sash and trousers. She set aside the arrow she was working on. She explained about the orb and decided to tell the entire tale of Gared.

“I don’t know Dale.” Risal looked at a loss. “I would say though that it would require a great deal of energy to maintain. If you remove the source of energy it will likely dissolve like most enchantments and she would be free.”

“So if I kill him?”

“Do not speak so lightly of killing.”

“He’s done such evil.”

“Perhaps. I would say yes, killing him or causing him to be unable to renew whatever enchantment he is using will cause it to fade eventually. However from what you describe, she is somewhere else completely and might still be imprisoned by physical walls. My first guess would be somewhere safe like a guildhall. Someone with the appropriate skill could shatter such an enchantment if you could find her.”

“I don’t think I can do that. I don’t know anyone.”

“Well you know me.” Risal smirked. “Though I am afraid my work is here. I like the quiet.”

“So…can you show me how?”

“Dale…you are a bit…mentally undisciplined I would say.” Dale could tell he was trying to be tactful, but he was smirking at the humor he found in her request.

“You think I am stupid?”

Risal laughed aloud. “No. Certainly you’d be dead already if that were the case. You are a ranger…I would say a few of your kind have figured out some little tricks here and there, but the more difficult magics…influencing chaos and so on…no.”

“Then I am out of luck?”

“Surely you don’t plan to besiege Iron Thorn’s hall on your own?”

“I don’t know.” Dale sighed loudly. “I don’t know what I am doing.”

“As I said yesterday…go to the desert. There you will discover something of yourself. It is the nature of power, and I feel it in you.”

“Always the desert. What about Gared? Its been nearly a week…”

“Let me let you in on a little secret. The Isle of Fog is under the ownership of another guild currently. The reason I guess they don’t want you running around is that they don’t want anyone telling the new owners they are sitting on a fortune. I suspect they will have Gared in a cell until they get it back. You have time. You need allies.”

“What guild?”

“No idea. I heard about it second hand and did not realize the significance at the time. I was merely amused to hear they were beaten.”