Days 159-160 (137th-138th)

Day 159 (137th):
Once again, we were awaken by the banging that was the Baaloc "bells". We met Kendar and Rono downstairs. Kendar, again, looked frazzled by the rude awakening. Our friends returned by the time breakfast was ready. They told us what others had experienced yesterday. A few witnessed Baaloc soldiers attempting to "correct" our "vandalism" on the wall and fountains. The spire was slated to be torn down and replaced. Only the work on the spire was seeing progress as they were chopping at the unaffected part of it. Not a scratch appeared on the wall or fountains. Dirt, manure, and other debris dumped into both fountains quickly washed away and left pure water behind. War machines rumbled down the streets. Two catapults went to work on the wall and one on each fountain. None affected any of them save for some marks on the unchanged parts of the wall. The soldiers gave up after a couple of hours. We had watched most of this along with many citizens of Baaloc Prime. None of them suspected we were the cause of this event. The soldiers were heard commenting on the arrival of the princess. Reports from their stops sounded exactly as we had hoped: The demure princess was a frail thing prone to emotional breakdowns. Her honor guard was a lazy group who couldn't defend themselves, let alone anyone else. The head of the procession, Lehand, was more nursemaid then soldier. We were encouraged by these reports. Plus, we found out exactly when they would be arriving. We now knew we had one week to end Cornwall's, Tharinzar's, and the giant demon's hold on this kingdom. We returned to the inn and begun a great plan. Tonight, Rono and his friends would join us on the roof. They were all merchants so it was not uncommon for them not to return home some nights. With their aid, we could change more of the city overnight. By dawn, the city would really have something to talk about. They began getting ready and telling others they would not be home tonight. By evening, we were set. We had also decided what Alice, Anna, and I could do to stir the pot. We three would make murals appear on the walls, telling the real history of Maalicus, Tharinzar, and Cornwall. We would start with Maalicus receiving the "holy words" from Tharinzar in his true form. On it would be the precise spell in the demon language exactly as it appeared on his back. If we were not exhausted by then, we would make the scene of the battle, showing the Baaloc's running in fear, Maalicus losing his marks, and the two demons abandoning him to us. We would keep our faces hidden as well as Kendar's. After sunset, we made our way to the roof. Rono, Kendar, and the rest encircled us. Six of us formed another circle with the swords between us. Callie went first. She expanded the repaired section of the wall another seventy feet. Two buildings, small ones, were completely redone. Gretta took her place and destroyed phony items in three nine block areas many blocks away from each other. Sarah healed two four block areas, including animals and plants. Lisa purified a nearby granary, another fountain, and a livestock sale barn. Next, Alice, Anna, and I began our mural on the side of a government building. We actually changed the color of the stone to create the picture. When it was finished, we decided to hold off on the other for now. Our friends suggested all seven of us gather our strength and move Maalicus' new martyr statue just a bit as a lark. I guess we pushed too hard. It fell over. The crash echoed through the empty streets. A weird siren sounded and Baaloc soldiers ran through the streets, ordering anyone poking their heads out to get back inside. We disassembled our meeting and removed all signs of its existence. Rono headed down and opened the door just as a soldier ran by.
"Inside, citizen, now!" he ordered, a bit out of breath.
Rono jumped back and slammed the door. After about half an hour, the sirens stopped. We sat and waited. Not long after, horse hooves pounded up to the door. A heavy fist shook the inn's door. All of us but Rono ran to the kitchen. After we were hidden, Rono opened the door.
The Baaloc spoke as he stormed inside, "As an establishment open to the public, you are hereby ordered to prominently display this notice. Any removal of it will be considered an act of treason. A soldier will be by to check that it is here and intact. Any alteration of this document is also an act of treason."
"Here, sir, by my list of rules. Everyone who enters must read these, so they would see it as well," Rono volunteered.
"Very good, citizen, that will do well," he said as he strode up to the spot and pounded the nail with his gauntlet fist. He unfurled the notice and stormed out without another word. Once we heard the horse leave, we all returned to the common room. Rono was reading the notice and his lips were tightly pressed together, yet I felt no anger from him. Also, he seemed to be holding his breath. Just before we gathered around him, he burst out laughing. We saw the source of his mirth. Seven strange-looking females were drawn around a notice calling for any information on "the Seven Demon Sisters of the Abyss-forged Swords". We were charged with "crimes of the greatest evil ever witnessed in this or any land". Below was listed an absurd set of "crimes" we had committed, including "destruction of holy sites", "vandalism of civic and military structures", plus a host of other strange claims. We all laughed. In addition, the pictures were "accurate and validated portraits" of us. They were so far from portraying us, it was absurd. No one would ever associate us with those on the notice. We all decided it was time to call it a day. We laughed about the notice as we got into bed.

Day 160 (138th):
There were no "bells" today. Rono and Sadal, the tall dark fellow, were the ones who woke us. They informed us that our new alterations were causing quite a stir. Also, the notice had already caused several unattractive women to be detained on the suspicion that they were us. Some merchant acquaintances of Rono's came over as we made our way downstairs. They moaned and whined at the loss of their merchandise. Some who had been in the area that was healed told of the ailments they no longer had. Not a single one of them made any comment, verbal or mental, about us or our swords. Several warned us about "strange times" in Baaloc Prime and suggested we leave in order to be safe. Just in the immediate area around Rono's inn, five merchants and nine families were packing up to leave Baaloc Prime until "the city returns to normal". We secretly wondered was "normal" was in Baaloc Prime. Our mural was quite the sensation. When people realized the stone had actually change color to make the image, even more people arrived to look at it. Scholars and artists copied it down. The text was reproduced hundreds of times during the day.
With Sadal, we went to see the statue we accidentally knocked over. It was a massive thing that, when standing, was a good six stories tall. This, too, was built "Baaloc style" as the stone of his head was a different color than his body and legs. His arms were some kind of plaster over a wood and wire cage. Soldiers and slaves were picking up the pieces and trying to reassemble it. As there was a lot of stone dust, their efforts were in vain.
Sadal served as our guide through the city. We had gotten our shielding a little stronger so we were not overwhelmed by the energy of Baaloc Prime. We saw many places being cleaned, painted, and decorated for the wedding. In front of the palace, a large stage was being assembled so the wedding would be visible to as many people as possible. I've seen children build firmer structures. Wizards and clerics were already being used to hold up the weak construction. We spent the whole day getting acquainted with Baaloc Prime. Passing the palace, we saw Cornwall on the balcony, looking over the city. Someone joined him. We hid when we saw it was Tharinzar. We did not need him to see us and ruin everything. From behind a building, we extended ourselves to sense the two of them. Cornwall was concerned that we were going to ruin the wedding and their plans. Tharinzar consoled him and let him know that nothing would stop the wedding. His master had foreseen a glorious wedding before this castle and those visions were never wrong. He also said his master foresaw our deaths in a blaze created by our own allies. Sadal nearly marched into the palace to beat the both of them. We reminded him that this was a demon retelling the vision of another demon. That cooled his temper. Tharinzar continued to lay lie after lie at Cornwall's fragile ego to shore him up just like the wizards were doing to the stage. We left when we could stand no more of it. We returned to the inn by sunset. The three purified fountains were an attraction to the honest people of Baaloc Prime. Those that received slight burns due to their evil avoided them since trying to convince the rest was a futile attempt. Since it was usually soldiers and minor clerics who were injured, they were chastised for the weakness of their faith. Higher clerics rarely left their cloisters, so no one got the chance to see their reactions. The purified granary and animal barn were also receiving a lot of attention. The grain was being sold for ten gold coins a bushel. The animals were being bought for three times their normal value. Drinks made with the purified water were being consumed as fast as they were made. Those who were healed showed off regrown limbs, restored sight and hearing, and other rejuvenated parts and abilities. At dinner, Rono informed us that a secret message was going around to be passed to the real Seven Sisters.
"Many people would like you girls to know that they do not believe a word on that notice. Also, the ones 'arrested' on suspicion actually volunteered in order to keep the soldiers too busy to really hunt for you. Plus, a number of requests have been gathered should you wish to do any more 'damage'."
These had been given to Rono since he was known for getting items and information others could not. He handed them to us. Most wanted their homes or businesses rebuilt. A handful asked to be healed. A group of wizards wanted more of the demon language to study.
As we were reading these, a knock came not from the front door, but from the entrance to the tunnel. Rono ran over and opened it. A boy limped in, carrying an obviously heavy sack.
"Pardon my intrusion, but I knew nowhere else to go. I have escaped from slavery in the palace. This stone called to me. When the statue fell, I gathered the courage to take it. Another slave had told me of these tunnels. I have been walking all day or many days, I cannot tell. The stone pulled me here."
We had him sit down and eat. Sarah looked him over and treated his lame leg. No sooner had it healed than his sack began moving. We opened it and saw a dragon egg wobble out of it. The boy dived for it.
"It called me! I have to...I need..it...it..." he trailed off as he cradled the egg in his lap while sitting on the floor. I sat beside him and explained.
"This is not a stone. It is an egg, a dragon egg, and your egg. You two are a set. This dragon has been waiting on you, but you had to be completely healthy before it could hatch. Sit here and hold it. Watch."
The egg rocked even more. Cracks appeared and pieces popped off. A soft squeak issued from inside. Larz, Dawn, and Bo gathered around the three of us to watch a little closer. The rest just stood and stared. A red foot kicked out another big piece. A hard rock spilled the red dragon into the boy's lap. With intense green eyes, he stared up at the boy who held him. The bond was made.
"I hear him in my head. He says his name is Fire-at-Night. He is very hungry."
This snapped Rono out of his fascination. He ran to the back and returned with the fat he had carved off the meat. He handed the bowl to the boy. Fire lunged greedily for it. I showed Tommy, the boy, how to feed Fire so he would not choke and how much to give him. Dawn was whistling and flying around. Bo returned to Lisa. Larz lay beside boy and dragon as just watched. The rest sat back down.
After a few silent moments, Sadal asked, "Where did he get a dragon's egg?"
My sisters and Kendar began explaining. I sat with Tommy to explain the new path his life was taking. Callie came over and told us Leo knew about the hatching and could meet us on the roof in a few moments. Fire had eaten his fill and fallen asleep in Tommy's lap. I helped Tommy stand and explained what we were doing. He was a little frightened, but trusted me to guide him. I gave him my sling for the dragon to ride in and we all headed to the roof. Baaloc Prime did not have the street lights like Raval. Leo settled on the flat roof and regarded the new rider and dragon.
"Sisters, you continue to amaze me. Kayla, I will need your harness as I have none."
I pressed my hand to Leo's forehead and we all watched the riding harness form around Leo. Once completed, we helped Tommy and Fire up and assured him it was safe. We told him to find Tess and Falcon, as they were our friends. Tommy waved good-bye, then hung on as Leo took off. We all went back inside. It was very quiet. Rono and his friends were silent as their brains processed what had just happened. We and Kendar cleared the table and picked up the pieces of the egg shell. They snapped out of their reflection when they realized how rare dragon egg shells were and the magical uses for them. We set it all on the table and let them negotiate among themselves who would get which pieces. Breaking the bigger pieces was difficult, but possible. Kendar and the seven of us went to bed before they had finished hammering out the details.