Days 79 & 80 (57th & 58th together)

Day 79 (57th together):
We did not awake before sunrise. We awoke on our own: no soldiers, Kendar, or Lehand. Unsure, I extended Vanity's and my senses. We hid a knot of anger, hate, and cold pride. I let everyone know. We quickly dressed and headed to the source. The seven of us entered a mess hall to see Kendar, Lehand, the captain, and a cleric facing each other over a table. Kendar, Lehand, and the captain shown red glowing torch bright. The cleric had a thin dark cloak with red flashes and an ice-white shell around it. It made my head ache to look at him. They stopped talking, shouting actually, when they saw us. The captain stood and ordered food brought to us. Kendar and Lehand paced, trying to control their anger. The cleric stood and regarded us coldly. He spoke with a superior attitude.
"The girls are up, I see. I have been told of your little performance last night. Nice trick. It must have cost Lord Carmon a lot of money to buy a squad of Baalocs to set up camp for you to do your little show. You have these simple men convinced. I, however, do not fall for seven cute girls so easily."
"Sir, the Council of Faiths gave us a proclamation that they support and endorse us. We brought it with us if you wish to see it," Sarah told him.
"Ah, yes, the proclamation. I refused to sign it. I was not impressed by your little show then or now. Anyone can learn magic and you seven working together do nice tricks, but I have seen better by better people."
We kept each other from responding in anger. Our food arrived and we sat down and began eating in silence. The four men just watched us. In our minds, however, we were abuzz.
"Who does this joker think he is? 'Tricks'?"
"My father paid them to pretend? Ridiculous."
"He is mildly evil. I can see the darkness around him, but it's thin and there's a shell I think is pride."
"So, what do we do? Tell the soldiers? I'm a little confused."
"Alice, how important is he to their faith?"
She glanced at him, "No where near the top. He was sent to Thantos because they were sure we were fakes. He didn't sign the proclamation because he didn't have the authority. He wasn't even asked."
"So he is a self-important nobody trying to throw around weight he doesn't have?"
"Exactly," we all said at once.
"Are you girls just going to eat free food or are you going to prove your worth or validity?" the cleric asked smugly.
I swallowed then replied, "We are continuing on to Raval to defend it against the Baalocs. That is our destination and purpose."
Kendar cracked a slight smile then smothered it quickly. Lehand covered a laugh as choking on his drink. The captain and cleric both paled.
The captain walked over to us, leaned low, and whispered, "Are you mad? Even if what we saw was real, you can't effect the huge forces they have."
We all just looked at him and continued eating. The captain slowly stalked away and fell into a chair. The cleric cleared his throat a few times until we stopped eating and looked at him.
"Lord Carmon's coffers are not that deep, children. The army of the Baalocs will not stop because a bunch of girls waved some shiny toy swords at them."
I was about to reach my fill of this man. Even Callie was getting annoyed. After a quick consensus, I stood and came eye-to-eye with the cleric. He did not like me not cowing to him.
"Sir, I have seen your soul. The darkness within you is small and can be conquered. We are not your enemy. You do not have to be our friend, but do not be against us."
He started fuming. Words escaped him as he sought for a response. Kendar and Lehand were beaming. The captain laid his head on the table in defeat. The cleric finally found his voice.
"How dare you speak to me as an equal? My soul is cleaner than anyone here. If there is anyone evil here, it is you lot. I will prove it."
From inside his robe, he brought out a vial just like the seamstress Georgina had the day of the Feast. We couldn't help but laugh.
"That has been tried before, sir. It didn't work," Lehand told him.
"This sacred water is the purest available. Only clerics have this. Whomever used some before, their's was not this pure."
He uncorked it and started splashing us. This tingled a little more than Georgina's water, but still nothing happened. He was just as shocked as she had been. He looked closely at us for any sign of burning or blistering. Lisa even licked the water off the back of her hand. My sisters stood, I went over to them, and we began the soul poison chant. All four men watched black puddles form underneath them. When we were done, Lisa took Gluttony and dispelled the puddles. As we expected, the cleric's puddle was far larger than the other three. In face, his was larger than the others' put together. I could see the cloak of darkness was gone. There was no glow, but it was a start. All of them were speechless. We all sat down and continued our breakfast. The cleric left. The captain left. Kendar and Lehand sat down with us and shared our drink. We finished before one of them spoke. Kendar broke the silence.
"That was the soul poison Carmon spoke of?"
We all nodded.
"What do we look like now?" Lehand asked.
I looked up, "Kendar's glow was softened a bit and the cracks are smaller. Your's lost a lot of red but the hardness is still there."
Lehand nodded. Kendar just looked straight at me.
Finally, he said, "Explain 'softened'."
"Before, it was armor hard. Now, it is a little more pliable, but still strong."
He accepted my explanation. We returned the empty dishes to the kitchen and got ready to leave. Outside, we found a surprise. The captain and a dozen soldiers were holding our horses. The cleric was between us and them. However, he was in plain clothes instead of his robe. It was obvious he had been crying.
"My order says you are fakes. I can no longer be a part of that order. I wish to go with you, learn from you, and chronicle your journey and encounters with the Baalocs. These men are also committed to being your honor guard."
He and the soldiers went down on one knee before us. I think I blushed. I know some of my sisters blushed. Vanity trembled. They stood up and helped us get our stuff on the saddle and us into the saddle. The former cleric, named Jerome, got into the supply cart while the soldiers mounted their horses. We went from nine to twenty-three. We found ourselves encircled by soldiers. Kendar, Lehand, and Captain Markus were at the lead with Jerome and the cart bringing up the rear.
We were not able to gallop, but the sense of urgency had lessened so that need was gone. Even encircled, we were able to enjoy the countryside. Our escort did not speak. We kept our comments mental. A soldier at the back passed food up the group around mid-day. Water was accessible with simply asking. We were informed that our next stop was a town on the border of Raval and Cassabla. We got there just at sunset. We went to a building that looked like an inn, but there were only soldiers around it and inside. It reminded us of the place Lisa's commander father had us stay the night we met her. In here, too, very little was said. After placing orders, the men just sat, drank, and stared into their cups. This was getting on our nerves. Wrath remembered an old battle song used to stir the spirits of troops. Without a word spoken, we seven stood up and went to a small stage in the corner of the room. The swords vibrated, causing a hum that made a slight melody. We began singing. All heads snapped to look at who had broken the silence. As the words echoed, they began to relax, tap toes and hands, and smiles slowly blossomed on weary faces. People from the kitchen, outside, upstairs, everywhere wandered in as the song continued. Jerome was writing it down as fast as he could. By the end, men were on their feet, singing, swaying in time, and giving each other one-arm embraces. The whole place erupted into cheers when the last note died away. We were cleared a path back to our table. Now it sounded healthy, with the men chatting, laughing, and toasting one another. Our food was served with a flourish. We helped Jerome fill in the words he had missed or heard wrong. Kendar ordered a soldier to have copies made and distributed to every fort, outpost, and barrack.
After dinner, we saw knots of men talking and looking at us. I assured my sisters that no evil intent hung over any of these men. One soldier went from knot to knot with something in his hands. Kendar went to the bar to arrange for our rooms. The same soldier went to him and gave him a pouch. He indicated it was for us. Kendar looked inside and was shocked. The innkeeper handed Kendar several keys. He held one longer than the rest and pointed at us with it. Again, Kendar looked shocked. Almost sleep-walk fashion, Kendar walked back to us and sat heavily into his seat. We waited a moment before Lisa asked what was wrong. He said nothing. He let the pouch slide from his hand onto the table. Callie quickly grabbed it and looked inside. She passed it around. I saw coins of several types plus some jewelry inside. Gretta indicated it was all genuine. A clunk on the table brought our attention back to Kendar. The key that had been pointed at us lay on the table. Etched into it was "VIP". Not understanding, we looked at him, but Lehand was the one who explained.
"That room is for no one ranked below a general. Even we have not set foot inside it. It is yours, for free."
Kendar was still in shock. Lehand and Markus had to nearly carry him to his room. We took the pouch and key and headed upstairs. The room had the same letters on the door. We opened it and found a very large suite with many large beds. We each had a bed that three of us could have slept on easily. We got our things stowed and went to sleep.

Day 80 (58th together):
A knock on the door woke us. Kendar, Lehand, Markus, and Jerome stood at the threshold. We invited them in as we got ready. They stared at the room in awe. I could see they wanted to ask something, but didn't know how to ask.
"We don't get this treatment all of the time. We have slept on the ground and on floors at a friend's house. Alice is the only reason we had that suite at Lord Carmon's castle. So, no, this is not typical."
The men relaxed some and helped carry our stuff downstairs. Breakfast was light and we were in the saddle just after dawn. Our escort seemed in better spirits today. We heard snatches of last night's song as we rode out of town.
Not two hours in the saddle, we crossed into Raval. Lehand took a small lead as this was now his country. We were informed we were headed straight for the palace. We wondered why but didn't ask.
We had to make camp as there was no outpost, fort, or barrack in this area. We were told they had all been destroyed and there was not a chance to rebuild. We didn't mind. Summer was nearly upon us and the nights did not get cold. There was no indication of rain. Jerome made a nice stew and we found a clear spring. Checking for fey habitation, we found no one living there. Canteens, skins, and barrels were filled. Lisa informed everyone that it was pure. Sarah concurred. For the first time in a long time, we slept under the stars again. It felt good.