The sentries had found her lying just outside Woden village boundary at what is called the Grassfields. She was semi-conscious, but was struggling to remain alert. Her dog had howled until someone came. The sentries had finally heard the dog and found the woman. They had then called for Meera, then for The Second, as a decision was needed about bringing the injured woman Inside. Not a decision lightly made in Woden.

When The Second arrived and saw the injured woman, she tried to mask her feelings. So many moments have been wasted. I hope we are not overly late. She had hurried to the site as quickly as possible, but it was an entire morn's journey from the Woden community. As she bent over her, the injured woman looked directly into The Second's eyes and blinked slowly as if it took great effort. Even this injured, her eyes seemed to speak to The Second with determination. The Second spoke tenderly to her. "You can rest now. I am known as The Second of Woden. We will take care of you and your dog. And we will tend to your injuries."

The injured woman nodded to The Second slightly, in apparent understanding, but didn't speak. She tried to recover something from an inside pocket. The effort must have caused her great pain as her face contorted into a cringe, but she remained silent. Meera's guards aimed their weapons upon her.

"Meera, have them place their weapons down."

"She might be armed, Second. She may be trying to hurt you, or worse."

The Second refrained from sighing. "She is overly injured to do anything, let alone hurt me."

Meera reluctantly motioned for them to back off. "Look, I think she is but trying to get something out of her garment."

The injured woman withdrew something small; some type of container. She held it up to The Second. Meera took it, then the woman slipped into unconsciousness. The Second tried to touch it, but Meera wouldn't let her near it. "Second, please touch it not; it could be dangerous. We will take it for study."

The Second knew that Meera was following procedure, but it still took all the patience she had to control herself. She just looked at Meera, who knew the look well, but Meera wasn't done with The Second yet. "Second, I think we should leave her Outside. We could make a shelter and tend to her here. We know not where she came from and know not if there is anyone else around with her."

As patiently as she could, The Second replied, "She is with her dog. If there were others, the dog would be looking for them. Have you never a dog, Meera?"

"No, I have not. But the woman could be dangerous, Second. And the dog will not let us near him. It is my duty to ensure that no harm comes to you or the community. How do any of us know that she is not here to hurt you, or The Highest? It could be but a trick."

The Second turned her gaze from the injured woman to look at Meera for the first moment since arriving. "If someone will do this much harm to one of their own people to trick us, then there is little in our power to prevent their kind of evil. No, I think her not dangerous. We will not leave her."

Pointing to the container that Meera was now holding, The Second said, "She came to deliver this to us, whatever it is. We probably cannot know what it is without her." Meera handed it to one of her guards. "The dog most likely senses that we are not going to harm her, and my guess is that he will follow wherever we take her."

The Second turned back toward the injured woman and bent down to examine her wounds more closely. "What be the extent of her injuries?"

"Her right knee was dislocated. We re-set it just before you arrived."

Ugh. The Second was glad she hadn't been here during that ordeal. Painful moment, she thought.

"She also has knife wounds in her left shoulder and arm, a deep gash in her left hand, and she has been hit on the head with something very heavy. Her dog is also injured. He has a knife wound on his hind end, but I cannot get close enough to see the damage. I think she will not live, Second. Her head injury looks overly severe."

"You and your guards have done well halting the bleeding and bandaging all the wounds. At least she is transportable. Did she carry weapons?" The Second stood up, yet looking at the woman. Her knee was dreadfully swollen, but well wrapped now.

"Thank you, Second. We have found nothing so far, except that object she but gave to us."

"Nothing?" She looked at Meera again and then surveyed the open grasslands. "Strange, is it not? Do you suppose her attackers took her weapons with them?"

Meera looked at The Second with surprise, "How did you but know it was more than one attacker?"

The Second laughed, "Just a guess. You have taught me well over the cycles." The Second had taken a quick look at the area Meera's guards had sectioned off, seeing more than two distinct sets of bootprints. "She looks strong, though. I bet her attackers look not much better."

"From the bootprints we think there were three, but one was dragged off. Dead or injured, probably. We can find no evidence of weapons, so they must have taken them."

The Second spoke softly to Meera so only she could hear, "I leave it to you to do your usual thorough investigation of the site. Make certain to check for how they got here. Her also. But be careful. We need not any more injuries. The healers have their hands full with The Highest. I also want to know how this happened at the boundary without the sentries but knowing it." She let the implications of that stand between them. Meera knew what The Second had meant in that statement. The boundary sentries were considered Woden's most important duty, as it was the first warning in case of threat or attack.

"Speak to me privately when you have your findings."

Meera nodded in understanding.

"Meera, do you think she walked here?" The Second hadn't seen any signs of a horse, but walking all the way from Apien or New Harborage was a formidable distance for anyone.

"From her clothing, I think she did. See her boots? They are heavy ones, and her long cloak was made for extreme conditions. The attackers must have shredded it. It is that pile of clothing over there at the edge of the woods. We have just begun searching for clues, though. I but think she came over the mountains." That meant a very long and dangerous journey.

"Has she spoken to anyone yet?"

"No, nothing. With her head injuries, I am unsure of her hearing ability."

Ever-negative Meera, The Second thought, knowing better. The injured woman had already acknowledged The Second's words. At least Meera was thorough, so The Second accepted her answers without argument. Besides, Meera was someone The Second respected. She took her duty seriously. Aside from that, she was The Second's closest friend. The Second hadn't really believed the object the injured woman had provided to be dangerous, but Meera had been correct--it was her duty to protect. She knew The Second well and knew when she could push an issue and when she couldn't.

They had been friends for over fifteen cycles. At one moment early on, some had thought that they would become more than friends, but those rumors died when Meera accepted another as a companion. During those fifteen cycles, Meera had prevented many potentially harmful attacks upon The Second, and they had remained close friends. She fully embraced that her duty was to protect The Second, and she did it well. The Second trusted Meera with her life.

The Second looked directly at Meera, "Take her and her dog to the healers and tell them to but heal both. I want no argument from them on this. Place her in my guest room when they feel they can move her, and assign a guard on her at all moments."

Both turned to look at the dog. He neither barked nor growled at them, but when the injured woman was moved to a litter, he followed. The Second wished that her purpose in life were so clear.

Those few turns of waiting for the injured woman to regain consciousness seemed like forever to The Second. There was so much she needed to know that went unanswered. The injured woman remained unconscious the first two turns, only regaining consciousness slowly after that. In the interim, The Second spent her moments mostly with The Highest, her daily rounds, getting updates from Meera on her findings, and trying to appear normal to the community. She had gone to Meera and Caithas' dwelling this midturn for their usual updating session.

Caitha was Meera's companion and a master weaver and gardener. The Second loved going to their dwelling. Caitha always spoiled her, letting her sit in their patio, which was their private place. Caitha had decorated their dwelling and patio with peace, comfort and transcendence in mind. Given Meera and The Seconds' positions, they needed it. Meera and The Second were sitting on the patio discussing recent events while Caitha fussed over them, bringing them food and drink whenever she thought necessary. Their loving, but what they thought well-hidden looks between each other made The Second miss her own long-prior companion.

She laughed when Caitha poured Meera's drink. "Caitha, you spoil Meera. She lifts not one finger around here." Which was true, but Caitha seemed to relish in it.

Caitha smiled. "And she but deserves it!" She was always ready to defend her companion. "You work her overly hard, and that is all you two do, is work. Yourself needs a companion, as well!"

The Second ignored the suggestion, per usual, and asked Meera to update her while she ate Caitha's wonderful salad of goat cheese, lettuce, nuts, raisins, oil and vinegar.

"I have released the two sentries from their duties. I will need to deal with them later. They say they had become but bored, so had decided to sit together a while and talk. That is bad enough, but I also believe them not. The other sentries know nothing about the event, but those two tell the same story. Overly much so; same words and same details. We have confined them to their dwellings and placed guards outside their doors. That is not a popular decision, but I trust them not at all."

"Who is complaining about this decision?" If the two sentries had been neglectful, The Second couldn't imagine who would care that they had been placed under watch.

"The Counselors approached me. They said they were but certain it was an oversight on the sentries' parts."

The Second thought, The controlling counselors. She wasn't pleased. "And did they say how they came to know of the incident?"

"They said that the two sentries had come to them directly after the woman was brought Inside, to Woden. My fault on that one, as I did not cover it quickly enough. They also tried to give me grief about bringing the woman Inside."

The Second thought about that for a moment. It was apparent the Counselors knew too much.

But how?

Meera continued, "I would like to request Briggon over to but question them, as I have gotten as much as I can without using harsher measures. Perhaps he will even allow us to confine them over there for a while."

"Briggon? Drastic decision, Meera."

The Second considered Meera always a little hasty in her decisions. Involving Hengist, the men's community, was usually a last option, and one rarely taken.

"Why not just confine them to the sea for a while with Oisin?"

Sea Duty was one of Woden's vocations, but they also found it useful for those in need of closer scrutiny, watching, or general moments away from everyone. "Oisin told me that she is going over to Matah Island in the next few turns. She will be gone for over twenty turns, and has three ships going. These two sentries could be but placed apart, and we could let Oisin wear them down. At minimum, they will be away from here and the Counselors."

Oisin was The Second's counter-part on the sea. The Second knew that Oisin was much tougher than she was, being a strong, tall woman, with what some thought were brusque manners. The Second liked her and found her candidly honest. She never allowed anyone except The Second and The Highest to question her decisions, and always said exactly what she was thinking. The Second thought that she wouldn't allow any questioning of her decisions if she had the Sea Duty. It was rough and very dangerous. All in all, Briggon would probably be easier on these two women than Oisin. The Second didn't want to rely on Hengist, the men's community, unless really necessary. She just hoped that Oisin would bring them back. If they were guilty of being traitors, she knew that Oisin wouldn't bring them back at all.

"Oisin?" Meera wasn't questioning Oisin; she was questioning The Second's relationship with her. She knew that The Second and Oisin were involved with each other, but didn't know the extent of their relationship, and worried about it.

The Second just sighed, "Worry not. We are but friends, Meera."

"You and I are but friends, Second. You and Oisin are different than that. I cannot figure out your relationship with her. Why did you not accept her when she asked you?"

A few cycles prior, Oisin had asked The Second to be her companion. They had worked close together, out of necessity, for many cycles and had built a strong bond and trust with each other. For a few brief moments, they had discussed the possibility of becoming companions. But Oisin was a free spirit, and that's what The Second liked most about her: she was fun. After The Second lost her life-companion, Oisin had taught her how to laugh again. She would often bring The Second gifts from her travels and tell stories of her adventures.

The offer had been tempting. The Second was lonely, sad, and overly stressed at the moment. Woden had just been through four major attacks, and The Second worried about more. If The Second had accepted her offer, she could have stepped down as Second and traveled with her. But Oisin wasn't a companion. The Second thought her more a close friend, and was certain Oisin felt the same way. They both also knew that Oisin really didn't want a constant companion. She enjoyed her freedom too much. So they had become lovers, and The Second always found herself looking forward to sex with Oisin and their brief moments together. But she couldn't or wouldn't share this.

"We are but friends."

"Is she coming over?" Meera asked because she tried to watch The Second's dwelling more carefully whenever Oisin came over for the eve, for good reason: Both Seconds were in one dwelling. And since Oisin often brought strong drinks that The Second overly enjoyed upon a rare occasion, Meera was always concerned that they might end up wandering Woden's paths, naked.

"Next eve. Would you and Caitha like to come over to visit with her? You might as well. You will but worry otherwise. And it will give you a chance to speak with her about taking the two sentries with her."

Meera knew that Oisin's relationship with her own companion was just out of convenience, as neither of them wanted to be in a committed relationship, so Meera wasn't being cautious out of concern for Oisin's companion. The Second suspected Meera was instead worried about something else. She decided to wait and let Meera raise the issue.

"But what about the woman in your guestroom?"

"I have heard nothing about her being moved over yet. Have you?"

"She is being moved to your guestroom soon, at your request. The healers are complaining that she needs to spend more moments in the infirmary, but I think it not safe enough there."

"Instead of worrying, why not just come over and visit? You can have some fun, get to visit with Oisin, have but a few moments to talk to her about the sentries, and also keep me and Oisin controlled."

"A good idea. Do you really think Oisin can get anything out of them?"

"I certainly would not want to be in their position on Oisin's ships. 'No' is not an answer she permits. You but know the downside. If she finds they have betrayed Woden, we will not see the two again. They will become accidental fish-bait. Yet, it is better than involving Briggon and Hengist. I do not want them to know about this yet, if at all. I would rather keep this internal, if possible."

Meera nodded her acceptance of The Second's decisions. Caitha had returned as they were talking. The Second asked her, "Caitha, have you but seen or heard anything lately that seems a little suspicious?"

She nodded, "The weavers have seen the Counselors talking overly quietly amongst themselves for our liking."

The Counselors again.

With The Highest so ill, they were yet another problem for The Second to solve. Meera and Caitha could see The Second's concern about the Counselors. Their names were coming up all too often. If the Counselors were involved or behind this problem, then the problem ran deep, as they dealt more with Outside than any other of them. The Second wished she could ship the lot of them off with Oisin as well, but kept those un-leadership-like thoughts to herself. She knew Oisin would just as soon use them as an anchor. Oisin thought they were much too controlling and demanding, and spreading bad ideas inside Woden.

The Second had slipped into one of her usual long silences that always caused concern in Meera. Meera told her, "I will but assign someone to monitor their activities. Worry not, Second, we will figure this out soon."

The Second knew they would have to. She just didn't like all the under-handed plotting that was occurring. She knew that the only good in all of this, so far, was that whoever was behind this still didn't know that they were beginning to suspect something.

"When is your next meeting with Briggon?" Meera and Briggon met every few turns just to keep each other up-dated about the communities.

"In two turns. Do you wish me to go to the Bridge sooner to see if anything unusual is happening over there, as well?"

The Second nodded, "Yes. As soon as possible."

The injured woman was moved to The Second's guestroom the next morn. The Second had informed Meera to place a guard outside her dwelling, but didn't think the woman would provide any immediate threat to her, knowing that she certainly wouldn't be able to move on her own for a few turns to come. One of the healers also remained outside on the patio, coming in periodically to check the woman's condition. When she could get it, which was seldom, The Second liked her privacy.

After she got up from bed, The Second went in to see the injured woman before meeting with her advisors. The injured woman had been placed in the guestroom that had its own entrance and outside patio. The room was more of a sunroom, so was a perfect place for resting, reading, and now, healing. As The Second looked upon her, she noticed that the woman's injuries were indeed extensive, but well tended. They had re-wrapped her knee, stitched up her knife wounds, and had been most concerned about her head wound. She would have many scars from this attack. The healers had been uncertain if she would regain consciousness, but she had. The Second didn't know why she hadn't seen them before, perhaps because of all the blood and dirt, but now noticed the tattoos on various parts of the woman's body.

Berth, one of the community's healers, walked into the room, bowing her head to The Second as she entered. "Good Morn, Second. How are you this morn? She is looking much better than when she first arrived." She didn't wait for an answer to her question. "The knife wound on her hand is quite deep and is yet leaking a bit, and I am but concerned about her head wound, yet she has regained consciousness. I have kept her heavy with potions for now. Did you but notice her tattoos?"

Berth removed the blanket a bit. The Second looked at the woman's hip. It looked like a word, but not one used in the community. "Jon." Nothing else. The Second wondered if it was the woman's name, but thought not. She didn't think someone would tattoo their own name on themselves. She looked at the coiled snake tattoo on the woman's ankle. Something about the snake played in her mind, but she couldn't place the reason. She then looked down at the dog. His hind end at been bandaged, which prevented him from moving around much. He was lying on the floor next to the injured woman in a bed the healers had made for him. Food and water had been placed close by.

Berth had seen The Second looking at the dog. She bent down to pet him, and his tail began to wag. "He will be fine and will recover soon. The wound was not overly deep, so he just has some stitches. He is a very friendly dog, and Jenna will be coming often to walk him around a little."

Jenna was Woden's main animal caretaker, and always made The Second laugh when she saw her. Every moment they happened to meet, she would say, "Hi, Second", and the bird who was her constant shoulder companion would do the same, "Hi Second; Hi Second". While she liked Jenna, she didn't need another person coming in and out of the dwelling. And she knew that she would end up wanting to do violence to the bird if she heard it more than once a turn.

She asked Berth, "Is there any chance the dog would go to but remain with Jenna for a while?"

She was desperate, and Berth knew it. "I am sorry Second, but the dog will not leave her except for a quick moment outside. I will speak with Jenna, though, to see if she can but wean him off her for a couple of turns." The Second gave her a look of hoped-for relief.

Lillon had entered the room searching for The Second, bowing her head to her as she entered, "Second?" Lillon was always formal with The Second. "All the advisors are assembled in your sitting room. Would you like me to inform them to begin the meeting?"

Lillon was The Second's assistant. The Second thought her to be a smart young woman who would make a fine leader soon. Lillon's patience with The Second was remarkable and was the only reason Lillon was allowed to spend her turns working with The Second. She had been made Second fourteen cycles prior and was to take an assistant then. She had resisted until two cycles prior, when Woden had grown enough to make the work impossible to handle alone. Besides, someone needed to be trained, as The Second didn't think she wanted this responsibility until she died.

"No," she sighed, "I need to be there. Have they but been provided with food and drink?" She always tried to soften the blows by filling her advisors with sweets before a meeting.

Lillon smiled knowingly, "Yes, Second. May baked some special orange sweets for them this turn. They have already almost emptied the plates, but May is bringing out more. She also told me to remind you that she has your morn meal ready for you."

The Second looked carefully at her. Lillon had just ended a relationship with a woman she yet loved but couldn't live with. The woman had been critical of everything Lillon did and of everyone Lillon came into contact with, often physically so. The Second could see that Lillon had been crying and knew that their discussions weren't yet over. She wished she could do more for her, but Lillon was embarrassed to speak of it. The Second was concerned that she had little personal experience to offer in regard to bad companionships. She knew that she would have to act soon regarding Lillon's companion, but hated to make that kind of decision. If Lillon's companion didn't admit to the violence by Festival, she was going to have to turn her out of the community. There would be protests, but the law was unmistakable. She mentally put aside these thoughts for later.

Turning to Berth, she said, "I will return to see her after the meeting. I would like a full report on her condition, then," indicating toward the injured woman. "I hope she will awaken soon. I must speak with her."

Berth was a good healer. She was patient and knowledgeable, but as with all healers, inclined toward healing the patient rather than The Second's needs toward communication.

"I am sorry, Second, but I have given her a potion to keep her quiet for a while. It is better that she rest for now."

The Second knew that, but was impatient to speak with the woman. There were many questions that she wanted and needed to ask.

Berth added, "I will be here, so will be able to give you the report whenever you are ready."

With that, she withdrew from the room. If The Second couldn't speak to the woman soon, she would have to insist that the potions be halted, but didn't want to force the issue until absolutely necessary. Instead, she hoped that Berth had heard her need and command, and would dispense with the potions until later. She turned to finish talking with Lillon.

"Lillon, would you mind not attending the meeting? I have something else I need you to do instead." Lillon nodded her acceptance, grateful that she wouldn't have to listen to the advisors, as her situation could be on the agenda.

"I would like you to begin finalizing the plans for Festival. Take special care to check out the bridge. Make certain it is in good working order. Oh, and please inform May that I will but eat later."

Lillon smiled, replying, "I already told her."

The Second thought, When did I become so predictable?

As The Second walked into the sitting room, she could hear her nine advisors speaking in softened voices. Not a good sign.

The Second knew that this usually meant they were speaking about her. She knew that they were a well-meaning group, but always nagged at her like mother hens to quit living her solitary life. With Festival approaching, she was certain her private life was the present topic of conversation. They wanted her to accept a companion at Festival. This was brought up at every Festival, so she considered the conversation wearisome, at best. She braced herself to have to listen to it once again.

The Second had loved well and been well loved once, but her companion had died defending her. Outsiders attacked the community and had tried to kill The Second. Meera had protected her, but hadn't seen The Second's companion acting as a distraction while Meera had taken The Second to safety. Even after all these cycles, The Second was yet haunted by those last moments when she caught one last frantic look at Brett. It took The Second many moons to recover from the loss to the point that she could walk in her realm again, and it had taken Meera equally long to get over her guilt. She had always felt herself to blame.

According to Woden's laws, The Second was required to have a companion, as was everyone. The Second always argued that she yet did, in her heart. Due to the nature of her loss, it was never pushed very hard. In her desperation to end the conversation and in her anger at her loss, she had once offered to leave the community, as prescribed by the law, if they truly felt she had no companion.

At that point The Highest had intervened. "Second, you know very well that this is not our desire. Of course you will always carry your companion in your heart. Your friends but believe that it would help you to accept another, though. I fear that this must be a premature discussion on our parts, however."

According to The Second, it was indeed. Her love had never ended. She yet carried her companion with her and would always love and miss her. No matter how entertaining and fun they were, every Festival served only to remind The Second at how much she had lost in Brett's death.

Per her usual fashion, she walked in and interrupted their well-meaning conversations, "Good morn, all. I am sorry I was a bit detained. I was just checking on our patient. There is nothing new to tell. She is yet sleeping, and her wounds have been well tended. Sephim, would you care to take over the agenda?"

They were all sitting in their favorite places. Over a long span, The Second had come to make this a comfortable room for them with Caitha's very artistic eye, even given its purpose. There were plants all around, trays and small tables for food and drink, rich but muted colors, and woven rugs to soften the sounds. She had experimented with the seats until each of the advisors had looked comfortable. Now the room contained all soft seating in various sizes, styles, and colors. She sat down in her favorite old chair.

The group was a bit jittery, but she passed that off to the new visitor. They each bowed their head toward The Second, "Good morn, Second. We have but a few items that require your guidance." Sephim always got directly to the point. "We feel that the patient should be more heavily guarded, and we but feel that she should be moved elsewhere."