"Kevin, Sorina is missing." That came as the door to my room banged open, Ellie standing there, out of breath.

"Maid Elexus," Sir Filip said. "This is inappropriate."

"Screw inappropriate. She's gone. Not in the building that we can find. I'm scared for her."

I slipped my shirt on. I'd been lounging, talking with my cavalier, squire, and page, just trying to get a better feel for everything. Stefan pulled his tunic on, Adrian reaching for his and winced with the effort.

"Just stop," Ellie said to Adrian, grabbing for his top. "Let's get this on you so you won't be too embarrassed to talk. Sheesh. Those are nasty bruises."

"So what about Sorina?"

"She's been so upset today...and hurting. She thinks those slashes mean nobody will ever want her."

"She's the one who got her chest mauled?" Sir Filip gave a dubious look when I nodded.

"Listen, Sir Filip," I said, my voice going low. His look had pissed me off. "Maid Sorina killed a Sobeck single-handed with a dagger to save Maid Mara. She took those wounds to her chest as its dying blow. She is more woman than most of what I've seen here, so I don't want anything bad said about her. Understand?"

He nodded and bowed. "I understand, Milord. We will find her."

I turned my attention back to Ellie. "How's Mara?"

"Her headaches are less. She wants to look for her, but I'm not sure.

"Adrian. You and Stefan get Mara, and the three of you look nearby. Don't go very far, and if Mara starts looking bad, or any of you, come back immediately. Filip, you know this area better. Once you get these younger ones started, patrol out farther."

"We don't want this to be common knowledge," Sir Filip said, "if she's run away. It could be embarrassing for her family, depending on the circumstances."

"Sir Filip," Ellie said. "I'm more concerned that we'll find her face-down somewhere where she's passed out or done something stupid. She wasn't acting like herself this morning. We need to move."

"As you wish," he replied and beckoned the boys to come.

I followed Ellie out.

Adrian came up to me. "She likes being outside, and her father's holdings are out of town."

"So, the quickest way out of town?"

"South would be the best way to check," he replied.

"She's weak from her wounds and only in a robe, I think," Ellie continued. "I don't know if she ran away or was kidnapped. Maybe she stepped out, and someone grabbed her." Ellie stepped out of the building and started jogging south, favoring her hurt foot. I belted on my sword belt as we jogged.

"She probably found some hidden spot in the manor house to have a good cry," I said.

"Lady Delia turned the house upside-down before I even bothered you. That's what I'd hoped. Her son, Bogdan, said he saw someone like her go this way, but he's four, so I don't know. We have to find her, Kevin. I can't lose her, too."

I felt that, too. None of the wounded was entirely out of danger. Infection could still kill. Stupid stunts like going out like this could do the same. What was Sorina thinking, or was this even of her doing?

It wasn't far to the scrub, and we stopped and surveyed it. A ridge due south with deep ravines left and right.

Ellie looked at me. "Which way?"

I sighed. "Southwest?"

"Okay. I'll take southeast in case she's trying to go home."

"You think she might?"

"No idea. I hope those claws don't carry anything toxic. She didn't seem to be thinking right."

"Oana's okay?"

"Seems to be acting normal. Holler if you find her—otherwise, stay quiet. She may not want to be found, especially by either of us."

I sighed, watching her jog off, then did the same, looking for a trail or at least some sign she went this way. Maybe something had gone through the grass, but that could've been a deer. Plenty of those around, and the grass was sparse in places.

This level area ended in a finger, the ground dropping off on all sides, steeply in front of me. I scanned the area but saw nothing except for some vultures circling to the northeast. I hoped not, but Ellie would check that out before I could get there.

I walked back along the edge, spotting a well-used trail, and went down it—a typical combination of dirt and limestone with lots of rocks. Sorina may have only worn a robe, but she would've worn shoes if she'd gone this way.

A muddy seep across the trail showed that she or someone was wearing maybe a slipper—smaller feet than mine, but not a child's. I picked up my pace, trotting to the next rise before slowing down, sweeping my eyes across the next section of empty trail before continuing again.

More footprints in the next muddy area. Short strides from what I could see. You were supposed to be able to tell how fresh from how crisp the print was, and it looked crisp. That didn't mean I could tell if this was five minutes or several hours old. I'd never really cared before.

Around three more curves and I was at the creek this trail had been dropping into. I saw something white up ahead and slowed. As I stepped through the stream, she looked at me.

It was Sorina, sitting on a rock.

Her eyes opened wide. She tried to push up but fell.

"Sorina," I said as I closed the gap. "Why are you out here?"

"I ran away. I can't be a lady-in-waiting. I'm not waiting for anyone now. With my wounds, no man would have me as his wife, except maybe some farmer." She trembled

"That's bullshit," I said. "You're tough. You killed a Sobeck with your dagger. They'll write songs about you, and if they don't, Ellie and I will. You'll scare some men away because of your strength, but you'll attract others because of it, and one of them will be the right one."

"Don't lie to me." Her voice went ragged. "You're here to kill me or take me back in shame." She fumbled at her tie and pulled her robe open. "You've seen this before. You can take it now. I can't stop you."

I stared. Blood showed through her bandages, torn open from her running or falling. "You're bleeding again. I'm taking you back, but not in shame. You're injured and scared. Maybe delirious."

"You should take her, boy." He was bald and broad across the chest, about twenty feet away, coming around a bend. Two other men followed him, then spread out to either side. The first leaned on a staff, while the other two had shorter, gnarled walking sticks that would work well as clubs.

Sorina pulled her robe together.

"If you're not man enough, we can do the job," the one on the right said. He was skinny, wiry, and darker-skinned. The third man was shorter and of medium build.

"You need to leave," I said, not liking that my voice shook.

"Why don't you leave," the big one said. "Say you couldn't find the bitch. We'll take her off your hands."

I drew my blade. "You need to leave now." At least there was more firmness to my voice.

The big man laughed. "Last chance, boy. You haven't learned to count. There's three of us."

"And you'll be dead first." Trash talk, but I could see the smaller man glance nervously at the big guy as I pulled my dagger.

A few rocks cascaded down the bank, and we all looked toward the sound.

"What is that?" the wiry guy asked.

That was Oana, naked except for her bandages and the knife in her hand.

Not now, I thought as the others laughed.

Wiry guy picked up a rock, and I charged, stabbing through his thigh. I sliced at his throat but only tagged his chin.

Big guy swung his staff as I back-kicked him in the gut. I gasped as it hit my ribs. My pants armor was still on, but not the shirt. I needed to be careful, but I couldn't be too much, or they'd wear me down.

A thrust to keep small guy back. I caught wiry guy's swing on my guard, a turn of my wrist giving me a riposte into his bicep. His cudgel dropped to the ground as he limped back.

I leaped a low swing from the staff, slashing half-heartedly at the smaller one, keeping him from advancing as the big guy counter-swung. I rushed in, partially parrying it down to my hip with my long blade while driving the dagger into his hip. He flipped me toward the small guy with his staff.

A strike knocked my dagger from my hand, and I slashed with my long blade as I fell, making contact, blood starting to stain the smaller guy's shirt. He dropped his club, grasped his belly, and ran.

As I rolled to my feet, Oana buried her knife two-handed into the big guy's back. He reached back and grabbed her by the arm, pulling and breaking her grip on her knife. I lunged low, thrusting just below his kneecap, following it with a front kick to the same spot, punching him in the face with the guard as he fell. He didn't move.

Oana pulled free of his hand and crawled away while I turned to the wiry guy.

He raised a hand, the wounded arm coming in front of him.

"I told you to leave," I gasped, the pain from my ribs making me suck air. Not forceful, but two feet of sharp steel made him nod and hobble away. I turned back to the girls as Oana stabbed the big guy through his eyes with my dagger. I'd only knocked him unconscious with my hit, but there was no question he was dead now.

"I can't get my knife," Oana said, wiping the gore off on his shirt and handing it to me. I slowly sheathed it, using the man's pants to clean my rapier before slipping it back into its scabbard.

My left arm was still numb below the elbow, but I managed to one-arm the guy over enough that she could get her blade. As she wiped it clean, I moved to Sorina, wincing as I sat almost hip-to-hip.

She flinched as I brushed her cheek with my fingers, then held still. "You said you couldn't stop me from doing anything I wanted." She nodded, paling slightly as I continued caressing her cheek. "You can probably stop what I'm going to do in a couple of minutes, but I hope you don't. I'm getting feeling back in my left arm, and when I'm ready, put your arms around my neck so I can carry you back to your rooms. Can you do that?"

"You should've left me with them."

I stared at her. "No, just no. Aside from Ellie killing me if Oana didn't, I'm not leaving you. You wouldn't let them take Mara away, and I won't leave without you."

"And if I undo my robe again?"

"I'll get a nice view of your body all the way back."

She blushed, and I knew I'd won.

"You don't want to see my body now, do you?"

"No. I'd rather wait until you've healed up and the bandages are gone."

She turned red then. Why did I say it that way?

"Lord Kevin. You shouldn't say things like that."

"That...that kind of slipped out. Forget I said that."

"Yes, Milord."

She wasn't going to forget I said that. I just hoped that would be a good thing.

Oana got her dress from up top. Didn't want to get it dirty or her shoes, but I got her to put everything on, and she led the way back. My ribs screamed with every step.

It took a couple of rest stops, and Ellie was looking for me up top when we got there, then broke into tears when she saw Sorina. I think that finally convinced her we weren't going to make her march to the manor house naked or some other thing to embarrass her and that we wanted her to stay as a lady-in-waiting. She slid her hand slowly against my cheek and smiled when I laid her in Ellie's bed so they could tend to her bandages. I kissed her forehead before I left for my rooms, Oana continuing to shadow me. At least Oana's new haircut looked more even.

Boian intercepted me, gesturing for me to follow him to his...office? Strategy room, maybe, since this is where we discussed things earlier. Anyway, it was just him and me...and Oana.

He looked at Oana for a moment. "I want to talk about Maid Sorina's running away, so you should scoot."

"Go get Maid Elexus," I said. "She needs to be here." Oana scampered away, and Boian closed the door.

"I'm going to send her home. She's hurt, and she caused everyone distress this afternoon. And you're moving rather stiffly. Why?"

"Three men found us shortly after I found her. They decided they should have her instead of me. I have some cracked ribs from that."

"What about your fabulous armor?"

I flexed my left hand. My arm would have a bruise, but everything was functional. "That's why my hip doesn't hurt, but I couldn't put the top on with the others in my room. You and Oana are the only ones who know about it. I want to keep it that way."

"Where are the bodies? I'll dispatch a contingent to retrieve them."

I gave him the directions, ending with, "but there's only one body."

"Really?"

"I wounded the other two but told them to leave rather than keep fighting. They were happy to escape with their lives, though the one I slashed in the stomach...I'm not sure if I cut deep enough that he'll die anyway." I dropped my voice as I ended.

"You sound sad about that. You think he wouldn't have killed you?"

"He was only there because of the big guy...the leader. Same with the other. Without the big guy, they would've left."

"Okay, so what about Maid Sorina?"

"She's having problems since the battle. Her chest got mauled, and she thinks no man will want her because she'll be scarred."

"She has a point, and yes, I remember your talk to Filip this morning. That would scare some of her suitors off. Women are supposed to be demure."

The door swung open. Ellie walked in, followed by our usual shadow. "Did I hear the word demure?"

Oana closed the door.

"Yes, Maid Elexus. We were discussing Maid Sorina."

"And she's too demure or not demure enough."

"She killed a Sobeck single-handed, which would not be considered demure."

"And she wears the wounds from it, which also would not be demure?"

Boian winced. "That is the crux of it, Maid Elexus. Between the two, it could scare many potential suitors away."

"So," I replied, riffing on this thought. "Her claim that maybe a farmer would have her isn't off the mark?"

"That's an overreaction. Plus, if she masters herself and returns to her quiet ways, I'm sure she will have a suitor within a couple of years. It's good that she's now thinking that way."

"Thinking that way?" I said it, but I think Ellie said it louder.

"Suitors could have come to her two years ago, but she refused, as is her right. She claimed not to be ready but should be in a couple of years. It sounds like she may now be ready."

"How does this work?" Ellie asked this quietly, going into her studious mode.

"Once a woman is ready, starting at age sixteen, word is sent out, and men come to her father to announce their intentions. Her father accepts or rejects their suits, and she is introduced to those her father accepted. She can visit with them chaperoned and choose from one of them."

"So these could be strangers or elderly."

Boian laughed. "Strangers, definitely, though most have at least a passing knowledge of each other. Were my children older, one of my sons might've been a match for her, but my oldest still has several years before we'd even consider marriage for him. Usually, for the boys, eighteen is the age of majority, the same as it is to become a cavalier or finish their apprenticeship.

If someone like Sir Silva were to attempt to be acceptable, his bid would have to be high, which would not necessarily gain her in marriage. It would simply allow him to woo her along with any competitors."

Ellie started up before I could. I should stay out of this anyway. "And if he were the only one offering to marry her, even with a low bid? Would her father say no, knowing there were no other suitors? If he said yes, could she say no, or would that ruin her in this society?"

Boian smiled. "You two always seem to have an idea of the answers before you ask the questions. She could say no, but that could cause bad blood between the families of the girl and the potential groom. In some cases, selecting the wrong acceptable suitor could do the same, though not to the same degree, since the father would have winnowed the acceptables down to a very few."

"So, these are arranged marriages, and the girl says otherwise at her peril."

"In a manner of speaking, that can be correct. However, the question now is what to do about Maid Sorina? I plan to send her home once the roads are safer."

"She comes with me," Ellie replied. "I'm not sending her home after she was wounded while in my care."

"It's her honor to serve you. She should go home if she can't serve you properly due to her injuries."

"You said we'd have horses this time. She can travel that way, as can Mara. Her headaches has lessened a good bit over the day. I think she'll be up to riding by the day after tomorrow."

"Nope," I added. "If either isn't up to travel, we'll wait another day."

"Maid Elexus, there are others willing to take their place."

"Kevin, are you keeping Stefan and Adrian?"

"Definitely. They both want to continue."

"It's not their decision, Milord and Maid Elexus."

"Lord Boian," I said. "We realize this. The people you assigned us can do their job, and they want to do it. They survived the battle, and all of them took injuries. Aside from any loyalty to them and them to us, they've stood battle and fought. They know what to expect. You give me another twelve-year-old as a page, and I won't know him. I know Stefan. Sir Silva died killing a Sobeck. Sir Filip, I don't know, though he seems competent. I understand that Ellie has a new lady, but with the excitement, I haven't met her."

"Maid Doina," Ellie said. "She's Lord Boian's little sister. A little high-strung but nice and was pretty expert at replacing Sorina's bandages. She added some herbs to the vinegar to help keep any infection away."

"And was there any infection?" Boian seemed to be looking for some reason to keep Sorina back.

"Considering everything, I guess it's okay. Doina had to do some restitching."

"And what does her injured breast look like."

Ellie closed her eyes a moment and sighed. "That's the big question of the moment, isn't it? Sorina's breast. Your sister could probably answer about how things scar here better than I could. Back home, we'd have a plastic surgeon come in, and between surgical glue and lots of tiny stitches, it'd probably hardly be noticeable. Since we don't have those, there will be noticeable scarring. Since the nipple's intact, I'd think it'll be fully functional when she has a baby. Anything else you need to know?"

"She's under my charge, so I need to know these things and why she ran off like she did, though we're keeping that quiet."

"A combination of pain, self-loathing from where her wounds are, and some reaction to that drink that was supposed to calm her. It did the opposite."

"But she's better now?"

"The drink wore off, Doina's treatment has eased the pains , and whatever Kevin told her while carrying her back."

I glanced at Ellie. She seemed to have some idea about the conversation.

"You carried her back?"

"She was exhausted, so yeah, I did. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Let's not let that be common knowledge that the two of you were alone with her in a state of undress."

"I was there," Oana said, setting her belt and knife on the table, then standing in her chair.

"And why are you even here?"

In answer, she stood on her chair and pulled her dress off, then picked up her knife. "I am guttersnipe. I protect my Lord and my Maid."

Boian looked at me, shaking his head.

"She buried the knife in the big guy's back. Maybe got his kidney. Her arm's bruising already from where he grabbed her, but that was the last thing he did."

Oana gave a sharp nod, then spread her arms. "I am guttersnipe. I stab, I cut, I bite, I roar." The roar was rather high-pitched.

"That's enough, girl," Boian growled. "Get your dress on and shut up."

Oana looked like she might cry for a second, then hopped off the chair, slipped her dress back on, and took her seat quietly. Boian waited until she settled.

"So with this chaperone, her virtue is safe."

I wanted to say, 'safer than she wanted it to be,' but bit my tongue. "It's safe," and Oana nodded in agreement. "Tell us about Baemardis."

"West, as you know. There are round mountains of granite there, and Baemardis is built just west of the largest one. It is—"

"Enchanted Rock," Ellie burst out, and I nodded, grinning at her.

"We've been there, at least to its equivalent in our world. The basic geography does seem to be the same. It's north of our town of Fredericksburg, but I'm sure there's nothing like that here."

Boian put up a hand. "This makes my head hurt."

"How do you think we feel? You have to deal with us, but we got tossed into the middle of this world." Ellie was starting to build steam. "We've been almost killed twice, Kevin three times. Uncle John didn't prepare us for this. We were supposed to be told about it that evening but had to leave suddenly. We're so fish out of water that we should have gills. We're the on-the-spot leaders of the Realm, and you've hinted that the Regent isn't going to like us showing up. Do we fight Sobecks after we leave, or will we be dealing with some sort of ninja assassins?"

Boian looked over at me, and I nodded. "Another reason to have our aides and ladies be from here and farther east rather than hand-selected by those we don't trust. What are the chances that the Regent would try to have us killed before we arrive at Baemardis?"

"I don't see that. The Regent may have gotten comfortable as ruler here, but Crown Lord John of the Realm arrived with an army that overwhelmed the local monarchies the first time. It's said that there was little resistance to the takeover, and what little that happened was crushed."

"And that's where your family came in?" It seemed logical to me.

"No. My many-times great-grandfather was a young Cavalier who had the sense to surrender his forces rather than have them slaughtered. He was later raised to Primor and then Burgrave in service to the Realm. My family has served the Realm in various ranks ever since."

I groaned. "That blew that theory."

"Theory?"

"Your ancestors came in with Uncle John and took over the land from the original people."

"We have legends of originally coming here from the far north many centuries ago. It may be true. Some of our common people were foot soldiers for the Realm who came with Crown Lord John and Lady Lauretti, though she was a Maid back then. They liked it here and stayed, taking our local women as wives. This place seemed better than wherever they had come from. Others stayed with the armies and left with your great-uncle when he departed for a short time before returning to continue his rule."

I looked at Ellie. "I think we may need to add a few more greats to that."