"Remberee"

"Jilian Sweettooth!" The voice of the mistress rang dark and stern. "You have brought great harm to the Sisters of the Rose. Your actions as a faithless Sister of the Whip pulled many other Sisters of the Rose under their spell. Even after the death of the witch Fiacola the Gaze, who had bewitched them, many have not returned to our fold. Many will not return to us for shame; many others were killed in the struggle over the matter of Fiacola."

The mistress of the Sisters of the Rose, the greatest and best-known sisterhood in Vallia, bowed and looked Jilian Sweettooth earnestly in the eye. The young woman stroked her dark hair nervously and shifted uneasily. Her somewhat broad, pale face twitched.

"What have you to say in your defense, Jilian?" There was no tone of accusation in this question, only sorrow. Why was it so easy for Fiacola to seduce you?

The witch Fiacola the Gaze, together with Nyleen, the Kovneva of Vindelka, had sought to overthrow the monarchy of Vallia and set Nyleen on the throne. To this purpose she had bewitched women belonging to various Vallian sisterhoods and brought them under her spell. With this force she planned to create a new feminine Order. Fortunately, the conspiracy was discovered in time and crushed. Jilian was also able in the end to fight off the spell of the witch and kill her. Nevertheless she must now answer for her deeds to the high mistress of the Sisters of the Rose.

"Jilian, you know that the Sisters of the Rose stand always for the well-being of Vallia, in times of peace as well as war. We have fought for Vallia and sacrificed therefor not only our possessions and our time, but our very lives.

Jilian looked the mistress of the SoR in the eyes. "Yes, Mistress, we have fought. I myself have led an entire regiment of Jikaki-Vuvushis in the struggle against the enemies of Vallia. I have always been faithful to Vallia. Only through her magic wiles could Fiacola bring me to betray Vallia and the Empress Delia. She led me to believe that in this way I could sooner reach my goal, which of course was nonsense."

"Jilian, do you still feel the need to revenge yourself on Kov Colun Mogper of Mursham?" The mistress sighed. "Your revenge will not undo what has been done. Jilian, this vengeance eats away at you. No one will be brought back to life thereby. And you yourself become easy prey for seductresses like Fiacola the Gaze."

The young woman became if possible even paler and her gaze darkened. "I must be avenged upon Colun Mogper. He has earned death a hundred times over."

Her hand clenched, as though seeking the grip of a sword.

Again the mistress sighed. "Well, Jilian Sweettooth, if it be so then so it must be. Go then and take your revenge on Kov Colun! Then until you have settled this matter in one way or another, I can not allow you to return to the Sisters of the Rose. You must make up your mind as to your desire. Go, hunt Kov Colun! And when you have killed him or your thirst for vengeance is satisfied, then can you come back to us. The Sisters of the Rose need you. Forget not! But they need you whole."

The mistress of the Sisters of the Rose stood and embraced the slender young woman. "Go with Dee-Sheon, my daughter, and come soon and safe back to us."

"I will find Colun Mogper and take my vengeance on him. Then will I return, Mistress. Your sentence is just, and soon I will again be a Sister of the Rose." Jilian abruptly turned around and went to the door.

"Oh, Jilian, one more thing. Your Claw must be left here. It can be carried only by a Sister of the Rose. It will be returned to you on your return."

"My Claw? But I need it…."

"It is only for Sisters of the Rose. You must manage without it. We will keep it for you, until you return."

Reluctantly Jilian handed over the mistress a box of light balass wood. This contained the most-feared weapon of a Sister of the Rose, a steel claw, to be attached to the left hand, and which in combat became a deadly instrument.

Then she went to the door and left the mistress. In her small room she prepared to travel. She shed the pink house garment of the SoR and slipped into her red leathers. Then she put on her sword and other weapons. A longbow and quiver with red-fletched arrows came next. Her few remaining belongings went easily into the small travel pouch. Sadly she looked herself over once more, as there came a light knock at the door.

"Enter!"

A woman of surpassing beauty entered. She went to Jilian and embraced her.

"I heard of the mistress’s decision. A hard, but wise decision. What will you do now? Will you not rather remain here and bury your wrath?"

"Delia, I must find Kov Colun Mogper, or I will never have peace. Please understand! By Dee-Sheon, I will not rest until he is dead! He will pay for what he has done."

"Then at least take a regiment of my bodyguard with you."

"You know well that I must do this alone. But thank you. I am glad that you bear me no grudge for having been a Sister of the Whip."

"That is simple. You were bewitched. You did nothing of your own will."

Delia shook her hair. A few sunbeams, which had strayed in by the window, made it flash with gold.

"I wish I could come with you, but other duties await me. But I have information for you. The Vallian Secret Service has found Kov Colun Mogper. He has returned to his kovnate in Menaham. Probably to hatch new hostilities against Vallia."

"Then I will make my way forthwith to Pandahem." Jilian strode briskly out.

Vallia was a great island empire, which in recent years after the death of the old Emperor had suffered greatly under civil war and invasion. The new Emperor, Dray Prescot, had made it his task to reunite Vallia. He had already succeeded in winning back a large portion of the island. To this end the Vallians had to learn no longer to relay on mercenaries, but to rather to stand up for themselves. They had managed this with bravery. Today the Vallian people were braver and more self-aware than before. Their foreign enemies came mostly from the continents of Havilfar and Pandahem. Among the leaders of the armies attacking Vallia was Kov Colun Mogper, whose realm lay in the northern part of the continent Pandahem.

"And nothing can sway you from this?" asked Delia.

"No, I will seek Mogper until I have found him. Dee-Sheon be my witness!"

"Then take this for the expenses of your journey." Delia handed Jilian a bulging leather pouch. "No arguments. This is your pay as Jiktar of the Jikai-Vuvushis. You earned it."

"Thank you, Delia. You are so good to me. When I return, we will fight together for the Sisters of the Rose, as we did formerly."

The two friends embraced once more in farewell, and then Delia went to the door.

"Remberee, Jilian Sweettooth!"

"Remberee, Delia!"

Jilian took the longbow and quiver on her right shoulder, a coiled whip on the left, took hold of her travel pouch and went to the door. Without another glance backward, she strode through and made her way to the great inner court. As she headed straight for the gate, a shout drew her back.

"Jilian Sweettooth!"

Jilian turned around. At the other end of the court before the entrance to the stables stood Sosie na Vendelheim. She held the reins of an elegant gray zorca mare, that restlessly shifted from one hoof to another and repeatedly tossed her head with its sharp spiral horn .

"This is a present from Delia to you, that you might sooner reach your goal. When you have reached a port from which to set out for Pandahem, you can leave her with the local branch of the Sisters of the Rose."

Sosie held the reins our encouragingly to her. "Jilian, no one blames you for what happened. Come back soon."

"Thank you, Sosie." Jilian took the reins and reassuringly stroked the zorca above the noble nose. "Ah, Delia, I stand deep in her debt. What is the zorca‘s name?"

"Greywind. You will take delight in her."

Jilian fastened her travel pouch, whip, and longbow to the saddle and swung up.

"Remberee, Sosie!"

"Remberee, Jilian!"

A light click of the tongue sufficed and the mare trotted out the gate. Quickly Jilian rode through the streets of Lancival, the secret city of the Sisters of the Rose, to the city gate. As soon as Jilian had the city behind her, she broke into a light trot and rode directly south. Soon the red-tiled roofs of Lancival dwindled in the farther distance.