Recovery (Part Two)

After they retook the town, the place was a mess. Still, it was a town. They could find somewhere to camp, rest properly, and eat their fill.

As the soldiers cleared the site and prepared camp, voices rang out all around.

"Another victory."

"Isn't it wonderful? Only fifteen days! It's only been fifteen days, and we've already retaken most of the former Butland Baron Fief. It's a miracle!"

"That's right! A miracle we made happen! Gods, I never thought I'd be part of something like this!"

"Don't forget, we owe all this good fortune to the Giant Eagle Druid! His tactics are efficient. There's no arguing with that."

"Exactly. We couldn't have reclaimed the territory so quickly without his command."

After the battle, the soldiers were delighted by their string of victories.

Once the entire fief had been reclaimed, their old conditions could be restored. They would have somewhere secure to live again. They were grateful to Romon for leading them from victory to victory, and they trusted him.

But among the army's leaders, that same trust was beginning to cause concern.

"Where is Lady Sasha?" Knight Bikade had just settled the troops into camp when he came looking for her.

"My lord, she left a little while ago. I believe she went to discuss something with Lord Romon," said a warrior woman who attended Sasha closely.

"How long ago?" Bikade asked.

The woman thought for a moment. "About ten minutes. She'd only just left when you arrived."

"Do you know where they went?" Bikade clearly had something he wanted to discuss with Sasha.

"From the direction they took, I think they went to the stream nearby," the woman replied.

"Thank you." Bikade turned away. After a moment's thought, he set off on foot toward the stream.

The stream was