"I thought we had decided what to do." Nadia said. "We'll go to New Venice and camp each night."
"That's the basics." Nidae said with an eye roll. "You've never ventured outside of Native Lakes. You don't know how much stress wears down on a person."
"So this is all because you're nervous and not because the plan is unsound."
We all nodded at her and she let out a sigh. It wasn't a contemptuous sigh and, instead, just showed how tired she was. She had never ventured outside of her home and so didn't fully realize how dangerous traveling could be. She had been a guard but fighting and traveling were two completely different things.
"New Venice is nine point six miles away." Nidae said. "If this quiet holds up then we should get there within a day. If the quiet doesn't hold we'll need to go much slower. There could be Descendants that take advantage of this situation. There is also the possibility that a warring village could take advantage of us."
"No village would attack us at this point." I countered. "Any village would know that there is a bigger threat that needs to be dealt with. Most likely we'd be attacked by a small group of Drethiveal that wants to use the chaos of this situation to their advantage."
"Maybe those small groups will have a heart."
"No, they don't have the same connection as those from villages. They'll want to get an advantage first and then figure out what's actually going on. We'll have to pray to Fang that they figure out about the Rethi. If they think that there is a chance Gaia herself is threatened, then they could aid us."
The majority of Gaia was connected by villages. Yet some small factions were nomadic while still bowing to the will of the Council of Ant. Those nomadic factions that weren't loyal to the Council were dealt with. The Descendants remained the biggest nomadic faction that was a thorn in the Council's side.
"The nomads won't be a problem." Nadia said. "They tend to travel with their families. Any that have passed by Native Lakes have quickly headed another way. They don't want conflict if it can be avoided."
"You were guarding a village before." I reminded her. "The strength of Native Lakes most likely scared them off. There are some nomads that see Drethiveal suffering and decide to take advantage of them. We are not a large group nor do we have any reputation to our names."
"You have a reputation as someone the Council has sought out."
"But I haven't won any battles. I haven't conquered a village. I have remained a teacher and a scout. Neither jobs will impress a nomad. My titles will only show that while I have knowledge, I don't have experience."
"What do you suggest, Buteo and Nidae?" Hawn asked.
I looked at Nidae and his eyes were blank. He didn't give orders, he received them. His job didn't require that he work in a group. He was used to making decisions only for himself. He didn't have to worry about the weaknesses and strengths of others. He merely had to worry about himself.
I had never had to make a decision like the one Hawn was asking for. I had been trained as a scout which did require some warrior-like training. But nothing had ever prepared me to make a decision that could affect others like this.
"We move as slowly as possible." Nidae finally replied. "We have to be even more conscious of the signs than we usually are. Becoming too calm will be the end of us."
"We'll aim to go for the main bridge." I added. "If there are any dangers then at least the Snow Leopards will be there to help us."
Hawn closed his eyes as if considering our words. But, of course, that wasn't the case. His decision had been made by the time we had left Native Lakes. The only reason another meeting had been held was for his own sanity. So that if he lost anyone he could reassure himself that he had done everything. Donta looked as if she wanted to reassure her husband but she managed to stop herself.
"We go along the original route, then." Hawn said as he opened his eyes. "Buteo is the only one of us capable of flight. Therefore he will watch from the sky. Buteo, if you need to rest you tell me."
"I will." I lied.
As the others started to walk, I took to the air. Gaia was vengeful to me and provided no thermal or slight guest of wind. Yet I still managed to gain some altitude. I flew above the others in a large circle. There wasn't much to do, though. Everything was quiet to the point it was ominous. For a brief second I was able to change my vision to that of a bird of prey. At least there were insects moving around. Yet they weren't in their usual numbers.
Hawn was walking with purpose as was Donta. Both had been trained to fight in wars. Nidae walked as if he were still in Native Lakes. He had traveled across Gaia and was used to pushing away the fear. Except that whatever had happened recently was too much even for him. Nadia looked nervous compared to the others but I could tell she was ready to kill if need be.
"Did you ever consider you're going the wrong way?" Frank asked.
He was Avealed as I was. But instead of a combination of a Northern Harrier and Red-Tailed Hawk, he was a Bald Eagle. He hardly had to flap his wings. That wasn't surprising as he was dead and using secrets only Fang and Gaia knew. It was good to see him and yet I couldn't focus on my husband. If my concentration lapsed for even a moment, my companions could die.
"We are going towards New Venice." I replied. "If there are to be more Rethi, we will need the Snow Leopards' help."
Frank laughed in a way that put a chill in my bones. There was no humor in his voice and I wondered why. Did he want me to die for what I had done? Did he hate me so much because I had let our home burn? By showing the Rethi mercy I had killed my husband. It was understandable why he hated me now.
"I don't hate you." My husband said as he looked at me. "You have a kind heart and it will be a pity if you lose it. They can take anything away from you but not that. That is much too precious."
"Who is they?" I asked.
"The Rethi and another you already know."
I forced myself to concentrate as I saw something in the distance. Just as I was about to signal Hawn, I realized what was flying towards me. It was a colony of seagulls. While there was a deep loathing inside my heart for the creatures, it was still reassuring to see life. To be reminded that the silence did not cover all of Gaia.
"Shouldn't you warn the others?" Frank asked. "They could be Drethiveal."
"Hardly any of our kind can fully Aveal." I replied. "There are too many to be Drethiveal."
"And what about a few Drethiveal inserting themselves into the group?"
I took another look at the colony as it came closer. There were too few second left to make a detailed review. While Dreth could assume the shape of any animal, they had to learn the instincts of the animal. That could take many years of study. Yet there was always the chance of small mistakes. My eyes were attuned to the tiniest error.
"No, those seagulls are much too perfect." I replied.
"How do you know?" Frank asked.
"Seagulls are common here. I have had a lot of time to study them."
The seagulls flew underneath me and my husband. None of them cared about the Drethiveal. All they cared about was food. How far this silence went was unknown. It could be that the birds had been traveling for many days and eating only scraps. Now they were headed towards New Venice where there would be more food.
Once they left my sight I felt sad. Strange to feel any sadness relating to seagulls leaving. It was only because there had been sight of no other creatures, no large ones, since before the Rethi had crashed. Had they crashed on purpose or on accident? Once we reached New Venice greater minds could think about the problem.
"You know that the Snow Leopards might not have the information you want." Frank said dryly. "They might even send you into more danger than you deserve."
"There would be no punishment great enough for me." I retorted. "If not for me our enemies would not have returned."
"Do you just like humming dramatic bullhum? The moment the Rethi landed on Gaia, the others of that species were destined to follow."
It took all of my energy not to fall to the ground. None of the others had ever brought this point up. Even if a signal had never been sent by the Rethi, that species would come to Gaia to investigate. The vengeful species would blame the Dreth for their loss. Then another war would start. Would we be more or less ready? I wouldn't be on the front lines in any case.
"You want to remove blame from me?" I asked.
"No, Buteo, that is not what I'm implying." Frank replied with an exaggerated sigh. "I am doing my best to point out that all of you are too close-minded on the matter. You felt guilt for my death so you were blinded by any other option than the one to blame yourself. The other survivors needed someone to hate so they chose you. You can't win this war by thinking this way."
"You've never fought a battle in your life."
We were quickly approaching the village Glich. The village resided a short distance behind a rest stop. That rest stop, like the one I had been to recently, used to be a collection of human shops. The village itself was said to be named after one of the small shops. Maybe we could stop there and see what they knew. See if they were aware of the Rethi and the destruction of Native Lakes.
"No one will leave this conflict unscathed." Frank said sadly. "Everyone will have to get blood on their hands so all Drethiveal can live. But should this fight happen?"
"It has to." I replied. "There is no choice for us now. The Rethi made the decision for us."
"Did they?"
I was confused. Frank had stated earlier that it wasn't entirely my fault. That it wasn't just me who had brought the Rethi's wrath down upon Gaia. The way he was talking seemed to indicate more than what he was saying. He was trying to warn me and yet my mind couldn't comprehend his words.
"I can't talk to you now." I said and focused on Glich.
"No you can't." Frank said with a nod. "When you can talk again I will be here. Through the will of Fang I am your guide until you need me no more."
In less than a blink of an eye he was gone. Yet I could still feel his presence. With a shake of my head I looked down below. In the hopes that Glich could offer help, I drifted away from the group. Flying was a pleasant feeling and it was a shame none of the others could experience it. None of them could feel the freedom that I felt.
The fact I couldn't see guards wasn't a cause for concern. Unlike Native Lakes, Glich's entrance was more open. Black grass went from the rest stop all of the way to the entrance. Those who lived in such a dangerous village quickly learned how to hide. Deciding to take a risk, I dove down and then leveled off just above the trees.
I nearly screamed when I could see a discarded Dreth arm inches away from a hiding spot. The wounds didn't seem to be caused by a Rethi. That species tended to use weapons and the wounds were much more primal. Something from Gaia had torn them up.
After a few minutes of circling around the village I could find no living Dreth. I didn't want to land in case whatever killed them attacked me. The many corpses I found were ravaged by a clawed and sharp-toothed creature. The creature was either a feline or a wolf. Could the Descendants really have ravaged this village? Their message had always been one of convincing all Dreth that the Council of Ant was corrupt. That Fang was nothing more than a bedtime story. The only group they attacked was the Snow Leopards. They would only attack common Dreth if need be. It wasn't like them to kill off an entire village.
Snow Leopards all Avealed into their title animal, but killing a village was not something they would do. They would become involved in territorial disputes only if doing so would protect the stability of Gaia. And if they were to wage war against an entire village, that would've been known by all of Noco.
I gained altitude and continued flying over Glich. The only damage that was visible was all the dead corpses. Whatever had attacked was a subtle predator. It had known how to kill and leave no trace of itself. Well, at least no trace from what I could see. Hawn could very well order an investigation of the village so we could know more.
After a few more minutes I headed back to the group. They were all gathered in the rest stop. Nadia was looking up at me with hopeful eyes while Nidae and Donta were watching for any danger.
"You were out of sight for some time." Hawn said and crossed his arms once I landed. "What did you find?"
"Glich is destroyed." I replied. "No living Drethiveal is there now. The structures aren't damaged. The attacker was very precise in what it was doing."
"Do you have an idea of who the attacker was?"
"It was an animal. I don't know if it was a Drethiveal or a wild creature."
"We should go in and see if the attacker is still there." Donta said with a large smile on her face. "And when we find him, we get our revenge."
"Sure, let's go attack something we have no clue about." Nidae said with a roll of his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be a warrior. If we go to Glich we have to be careful. We don't have numbers and this thing has taken out an entire village."
Donta glared at the man but could say nothing back. Her reaction to fear must be anger. That was understandable as anger made a person feel strength. Fear only ate away at a person. She looked at me and I realized I was showing her too much pity. So I turned away from her and looked at Hawn.
"The Descendants must have been involved in this." Hawn said. "They are the only enemies that Gaia has. If they were warned about the Rethi attack, they would've loved to help. They don't care about anyone else."
"They care about getting what they consider the truth heard." Nidae pointed out. "Killing an entire village is not their style. They want to attack the Council of Ant and the Snow Leopards. They wouldn't want to kill what they saw as innocents."
"But you do agree that they would side with the Rethi."
"No, I don't. Not for certain at least. I know they want the government of Gaia to change. I don't know what they think of the Rethi. I don't want to misjudge so that we lose the war."
Hawn nodded. That's what Frank had told me. We couldn't remain as close minded as before. It would be bitter irony if we had to turn to the Descendants for help. It would be an uncomfortable alliance and one that would be broken the moment the Rethi were driven from Gaia.
"We shouldn't investigate this." Nadia asked. "We should go to the Snow Leopards so we can prepare for more Rethi. We shouldn't waste time on this."
"What if the massacre of Glich is connected to the silence?" I replied. "If that is the case then the Snow Leopards will need to know about it. They'll need all the facts before they can hope to protect Gaia."
"We should find this attacker, or attackers, and kill them." Donta said with a smirk. "We can bring their corpses to New Venice."
"You're just saying that because you want to fight." Nidae replied with a shake of his head. "Donta, we should focus on the main goal and just get to the Snow Leopards. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to let you tag along as they seek out this killer."
We all looked to Hawn. He appeared to be nervous and unsure of himself. This was the first time he would have to make a decision on this magnitude. We all waited to see what he would say.
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