Kylie approached and said, ?Master, I have done all I can for the priestess. She will need stronger magic than mine. Perhaps Thorain can help??
Thorain was a high priest of Moradin and the chief cleric for the Principality of Ulek.
?Alright,? I said, ?send a man at arms ahead and inform Thorain of our situation. Have the rest of the men right the wagon and recover the horses. Kylie, make the wounded more comfortable and load them and the children into the wagon. Axel, examine the dead and see what you can learn from them.?
I walked over to the mass of visibly upset children. The youngest was about four and the oldest ten. They were a mixture of backgrounds: Flan, Oeridaian, Suel or a combination of them. The oldest was a girl of Oerideian extraction with brown hair and blue eyes. She fidgeted as I approached.
With a smile, I said, ?What a brave girl you?ve been! Could you tell me your name??
?Petra,? she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
?That?s a pretty name. Mine is Fallon. Can you tell me what happened here??
With her voice quivering, Petra told their story. They had been traveling when a burst of lights scared the horses. The wagon overturned and they fell out. Some men came out of the woods. They yelled at pilgrim and attacked. The adults tried to protect the children but they were hurt. They fought hard but couldn?t stop them all. At that moment, our group arrived.
I smiled and said, ?That?s very good. Your accent puts you from Nyrond. Is that correct??
She nodded.
?What were all you doing so far from home??
?We don?t have homes. We?re orphans from the Woodwych Orphanage. But it was very crowded. Madylene,? she said, nodding towards the priestess, ?said her Aunt and Uncle in Furyondy owned a mill and would take us in.?
?How does this pilgrim fit into this??
?He used to come to the Orphanage and donate food. His name is Alran and is a merchant in the city. Then he met Madylene and he came around more. I think he likes her. When Madylene told us we were going to Furyondy, she said Alran would be going too and would watch over us. I knew something was wrong because they were nervous and they never are usually. They?re all lovey-dovey most of the time,? Petra said.
?Master, come hear please!? Axel yelled.
I patted Petra on the head and went over to Axel who knelt next to the mage?s body. Axel moved up the right sleeve of the mage and there was the mark of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
?The other two men have these marks also. Master Fallon, why would the Brotherhood attack their own??
?I don?t know but I have a feeling we might find out? I replied.
?Master, on the half-orcs, I found three hundred newly minted paladins, so they must just be hired swords. On the men, I didn?t find any coin, but they did carry some magic. The crossbow, this pair of broadswords and the staff carry dweomers.?
?Alright, get the bodies off the road and bury them? I said looking over the weapons.
Twenty minutes later, a man at arms approached and said the wagon was repaired and the bodies buried.
?Let?s get the wounded and children aboard and head to the inn,? I said with a sense of urgency.
We arrived at the inn an hour later. Thorain stood at the inn?s door, munching on a leg of lamb.
?Fallon, it?s just like you to ruin dinner. So what do you need of me??
Dismounting, I said, ?Thorain, I need your healing magic. I have two people badly wounded and poisoned and I can?t do much about it.?
?I?ll see what I can do, but it will cost you my lodgings and at least three fine meals.?
?Fine.? I replied, rolling my eyes.
The men at arms carried Alran and Madylene inside and upstairs into adjoining rooms. Kylie led the children to a common sleeping room and tended to them. I found the innkeeper and purchased the use of the Inn for several days. Axel posted a man at arms at the front door.
Thorain went upstairs to tend to the wounded. Axel posted a man at arms at the room?s door.
Ten minutes later, Thorain bellowed, ?Fallon!!?
I found him in the hallway, stomping his feet in anger.
?Fallon, helping humans is one thing, but this man is a member of the stinking Scarlet Brotherhood! I?m not helping either one of them!?

Changes of the Heart: Part III