Liam insisted on a long walk. By the time he took Mira home, the sun was already setting. "Mira, with all the upheaval and distress that has been plaguing our people, a celebration of any kind would be well received."
"But so soon?" Mira tried not to sound upset, but knew that she was failing miserably.
"You'll see." Liam refused to be put off. She had agreed. Nothing could possibly break his good mood. "I'll speak with my sisters about helping you," he added, knowing she had no real family. "And I'm sure if you tell the other girls," he said, nodding to the curious faces who were watching as he left her on the doorstep of the round house the sacrifices shared, "you'll find plenty of other willing hands."
There was some giggling as the girls realized a secret was being kept.
Liam kissed Mira sweetly on the cheek and disappeared into the night. Mira found it strange that she felt more awake as the sun set than she felt with it up. She couldn't seem to get her body to go back to living in the sunlight.
All I wanted when I was in his caves was to see outside. Now I have it and it doesn't feel right any longer. I wonder how long it will take for me to adjust.
More girls gathered to see what was going on now that Mira had returned. She found that she was somewhat of a celebrity. Most of the girls in the current generation of sacrifices knew her before she went into his caves. No one ever expected to see her back alive. When it became clear that he sent her back to train the new generation properly, they all began following her around waiting for her to be ready to start teaching. The elders insisted that the girls leave her alone for the time being. But not being allowed to ask her questions didn't preclude watching and waiting. They were all curious about what they would face and excited that someone survived. Mira gave them hope.
"What was Liam talking about Mira?" They may not be able to ask about Rillan Tiernay, but no one said anything about Liam.
Mira hesitated. Something about actually saying it out loud made her stomach turn a bit. She cleared her throat. "I'm getting married."
A squeal went up through the room and the girls began murmuring excitedly. Mira felt as though she was in the middle of a bad dream.
* * * *
Rillan read the note three times; then read it again. He had never been summoned to a meeting with the elders before.
Whatever their problem is, it must be complex.
There was no hint of the issue to be discussed. Rillan considered, with a grim kind of acceptance and relief that this could mean the end of this era of his life.
This may be why a new girl hasn't been sent yet.
Rillan spent most of the next day considering the possibilities that the note and the meeting presented. For the first time in a long while he was at a loss for the right answer, and there was something very nice about that.
Approaching the cave entrance Rillan could see the druids standing about nervously long before they could see him. Although he never met her, he easily picked out the one who must be Lilith. He had read enough of her notes to know that the woman must be ancient by now. Over the years her handwriting had grown in size and became more steady with each name she wrote. The white haired woman in the plain brown skirt and soft white chemise was the only one not fidgeting.
Rillan walked into the lantern light without hesitation, causing all of the elders to take a step back. He knew that they weren't expecting what they saw.
Perhaps I should have come to them as the demon,
he thought sardonically. Rillan held out the note he had received. "My curiosity at this meeting is without bounds."
"Lord Tiernay," one of the men squeaked out.
Grinning at the man, Rillan exposed his fangs, amused when the man flinched. "It's unlikely that I would be anyone else."
"Yes, I suppose—"
"Enough," Lilith said with the exasperation of a woman who obviously wanted to carry on with business. "Lord Tiernay, we currently are faced with a situation we are unsure of. It seems that one of our own has turned to the empire for assistance in removing the Circle from power. He approaches with an army. Our options are to turn you over and surrender or to find a way to fight them. Unfortunately you are our only line of defense. In order to make the decision as to what we should do next we need to know if you are capable of fighting a small army."
For a moment Rillan was taken aback. "Of all the reasons I considered which could cause you to call a meeting with me, I must say that I never expected this." He contemplated the situation. "I suppose that my ability to fight this army depends on how much time I have, how many there actually are, and how good they are."
"We have little information save that they are coming."
Rillan nodded. "I would prefer to die fighting, if given the option."
"Understandable. However we have lives to consider," Lilith said. Rillan was impressed with the way she held herself and the bravery with which she spoke to him. "Is there any possibility that you'll attack them and only succeed in angering them so that when they get here we have no protector, and they'll be interested in revenge?"
"I can't answer that with the little information I have been given. If I only knew numbers then I would be better able to give you a response."
"Well we can tell you that the Senate has refused to send the Empire troops. We know that house Novanus and a few loyalist created an army from their house guard. That is what's coming. But we have no numbers and no way of knowing their skill."
