By the time Bea got Celeste to the gate, a large crowd had gathered by the wall. There were what looked like guards standing between the gate and the two Inquisitors. The two seemed nonplussed by the jeers and yells of the crowd as if they knew that they wouldn’t dare come over the wall to attack them. The crowd wasn’t even pushing against the guards or attempting to throw anything, so maybe the two didn’t have anything to worry about. They were probably decent fighters, but the numbers would overwhelm them if the crowd was interested in fighting them.

"I see the bulk of the Revivers are as cowardly as usual," Tundar called out as Bea pushed through to the crowd to get to the gate. “They put on a brave front, but they’re quivering underneath it all. They can’t even gather enough courage with all of them there to rush us.”

"Though there does seem to be a hint of annoyance at our presence." Seraque sounded a bit more cautious of the crowd than his brother."I believe that can only belong to our dear Bea."

Those statements made Celeste balk a bit. When Tundar had made his, she thought that he was just good at reading people. The old Inquisitors had been that way from what she heard Derrick and Owain say about them. But with Seraque's remark, it raised questions. They couldn't see Bea yet since they weren’t through the crowd. It was almost like…

"Don't listen too deeply to what they say to you or about you," Bea advised her as they pushed through the crowd. "They're masters of using words to twist emotions. They can't outright influence them like Malatar, but…"

"He can do that!?” Though now that she thought about it, there had been that one brief moment he touched her shoulder and an odd feeling came over her.

Bea shook her head. "I'll explain later. If they get too much, just leave, no matter what they say."

Her confusion only grew as they finally broke through the crowd and made it through the gate. The two Inquisitors stood far enough back that one had to walk a bit to get to them, but still within shouting range. Bea let go of her arm and took a step back, but she remained nearby. She didn't acknowledge the two as they turned their attention to them.

"Sharp as ever, Seraque. And look, she brought the Sleeper with her." Tundar strode forward but still kept a respectful distance. He did a mocking half-bow in Bea’s direction before looking at Celeste. "Though I think that perhaps since she's met the Boss and been to our camp, we should be on a first-name basis.”

“And what did you want from me?” Celeste asked, remembering what Bea said before. “And how did you manage to find me?”

“Well, we went back to Rusty’s place and you weren’t there. Then on our way back to our camp, we met a goblin who saw you leaving from the Lake Goblin’s main town and they pointed us in the right direction. From there, it was mostly an educated guess of where you went. There’s not much in this direction besides this camp. I suppose you could’ve been kidnapped by bandits, but they’ve been quiet ever since we took out that one bandit camp and the Order is hunting down the rest.” Tundar explained, avoiding her first question. Elves weren’t the only ones who insisted on being cryptic, though this was more on purpose than anything else. “But I see they’ve been treating you well.”

“Just tell me why you were looking for me and be on your way.”

Celeste wished they could go somewhere a bit less public to speak, but that wouldn’t be anywhere besides further outside the camp. Leaving with them, no matter for what reason, wouldn’t look good. Part of her was surprised that they were even allowed so close to the camp. but no one was acting like this was the first time that something like this happened. Perhaps it was the fact that there were only two of them and not a small troop.

Seraque came forward. "I understand your hostility, Celeste. We didn't meet under favorable circumstances and…”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you had just come out when we first came to fetch you instead of hiding in a bush with a goblin pup.” Tundar wasn’t trying to make himself any more likable to her. Despite being Malatar’s… copy, he didn’t seem to inherit his knack for words. “But I’ll admit even that even if you hadn’t hidden, you probably wouldn’t have come with us. After all, the Inquisitors you knew of were much more unpleasant.”

She had her doubts about that statement. She didn’t find the two, nor Malatar, very pleasant at all.

“We came to return this.” Seraque thrust something out. She recognized it as her journal. It was in better condition than when she last saw it. Had Davik ordered it repaired as one last favor? “Some of the papers were pretty loose, so the Boss had them rebounded. Think of it as his way of apologizing for the whole incident.”

So it had been Malatar’s idea. She snatched the journal from them and flipped through the pages. She found that they were all there and there seemed to be nothing out of place, though a couple of pages had a water spot in the corner. That could mean anything though. She got to the last page that had writing on it and noticed a piece of paper wedged in the crease between the pages. She shut the journal.

“I would thank you for this, but I don’t thank thieves.” Celeste huffed a bit. She tucked the journal under her arms, glad it was back in her possession. She never thought she’d get so attached to something. “All right, you can go now since your task is done.”

“Oh, that was only part of it. We’ve got a message from the Boss.”

Tundar looked at the wall and the ramparts at the crowd, who had stopped jeering and yelling and seemed very interested in what was being said. Celeste just wished they would go away, for those leers were starting to turn to her, even more than they had before. Maybe she should follow Bea’s advice and flee now. What Malatar had to say wouldn’t be worth hearing. He then continued.

“He apologizes for everything that happened with Lord Davik and that as his Second, if you ever want to join the Renewers, he can arrange it.” He talked loud enough so anyone nearby could hear.

A murmur ran through the crowd. She looked to Bea, who had a grim expression. It looked wrong on the face of someone who, as far as Celeste knew, was always chipper and not bothered by anything. The soldiers seemed to have the same expression, but their glares were directed at the Inquisitors and not her. They were probably aware of their tricks. But Tundar wasn’t finished.

“He also invites you to have a meal with him. Says we weren’t very good hosts when you came the first time. You can refuse, but you should probably know that our Boss is very...persistent. When should we tell him to expect you? A couple of days from now...next week?”

“How about you tell him where exactly he can stick his invitation and his apology?” Bea snapped as she came forward. Celeste shuffled out of her way as she marched right up to Tundar. “And get away from our camp. You’ve said your piece, weaved your web, so there’s no need for you to stay any longer.”

Tundar just chuckled and reached out, placing a hand on Bea’s hair and ruffling it a bit. Celeste expected her to punch him in the nose and yell at him, but instead, she seemed to lean into the touch. She still seemed to be pretty upset though by the look on her face.

“You may have grown up, Bea, but deep down, you’re still that same little kid that wants to please those you look up to. Too bad you didn’t stick around with us instead of clinging onto a man like Orsic and that old medic. They’re the only original Renewer higher-ups left, right? I’m sure that if you’d come back with us, the Boss could convince Lord Davik not to kill you…”

That seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she had been in and she pulled herself away as if she had been burned. Her eyes had a fire to them now that hadn’t been there before.

“Never. You might as well tell Malatar that he needs to stop trying. I’m not some child he can force fake emotions into. I’ve grown out of any positive feelings I had for him or any of you.”

“Are you sure about that?” Seraque questioned with a tilt of his head. “Your feelings don’t match the words you’re saying right now. Perhaps you are merely telling yourself that to…”

“And that, I believe, brothers, is enough.” The crowd parted and Quinn revealed himself. He stared at Tundar and Seraque. “I wasn’t going to step in because I could tell your intentions were not hostile, but you have overstayed your welcome. I’m sure the soldiers will be happy to escort you a few miles if you’ve forgotten the way.”

“Good to see you doing well, brother,” Tundar replied. “Orsic still has you being his errand boy, I see. Isn’t that why you left us after the civil war? The Boss being too bossy?”

“It’s hard to get a ride out of someone when you can’t feel their emotions, isn’t it Tundar?” Quinn nearly sounded amused. “And do give Malatar my regards. I didn’t expect him to move this quickly with the recent developments. He must be pressed for advantages. Now for the last time, I suggest you leave.”

Tundar didn’t have to be told twice, though Celeste could tell that he wanted to say more. It was Seraque that had the last word before they left.

“If you see Erron before we do, tell him that we said hello and we miss him. He comes to the family reunions even less than we do.”

And with that, the Inquisitors were gone. As soon as they were out of sight, Celeste felt all eyes on her. She started to beat a hasty retreat back to Bea’s tent, but someone stopped her path.

“What’s your relationship with the Renewers?” The man demanded to know. “Lord Davik doesn’t let just anyone leave so easily when he summons them and Malatar doesn’t invite just anyone to dine with him.”

“I have no relationship with them. I wish they would just leave me alone.” She insisted as she tried to go past him. She certainly wasn’t going to explain everything in detail to a stranger. He stopped her once again and grabbed her journal.

“And what did they give you? I’ve never known Renewers to return anything they’ve taken without a price.” He started to open it.

Celeste felt anger course through her. Someone had already violated the privacy of that once. She wasn’t going to let it happen again now that she was able to stop it. She pushed the man. He was off guard enough to be pushed back enough so that he dropped the journal in an attempt to brace himself as he tripped over his feet. He didn’t fall to the ground, but he did stumble a bit. She picked up her journal and brushed the dirt off it. The man growled and got back up.

“What are you hiding in there?” He demanded to know. “If you weren’t hiding anything, you wouldn’t have reacted so violently! Give me that…!”

To Celeste’s surprise, Quinn stepped in between them. Even though the man was stronger than Quinn, he backed down.

“Orsic says that he trusts her and that should be enough for you.” He stated to the whole crowd. “And you know Malatar and what he does. He’s trying to stir things up like usual to divide us. Let’s not fall for it this time, shall we? I have no wishes to clean up that sort of mess again.”

Celeste took the opportunity to go around both of them and head back to Bea’s tent. She needed to read the note right away. Maybe she’d been too harsh on the man earlier, but she was tired of people acting like they had a right to her personal belongings. And it was a good thing the note hadn’t fallen out or he probably would’ve read it. She opened the note, having a feeling of who it was from.

Davik’s writing hadn’t improved over the years, that was for sure. But still, Celeste found herself able to read it as she sat down and read over it. As she finished, the note fell out of her hands. Bea entered the tent.

“You all right? Sorry they got rough with you out there, but…”

Celeste ignored her as she exited the tent. It took a little walking, but she found a spot by a building that no one seemed to be around. She sat down, leaning against the wall. She wanted to cry, but no tears came, although it felt like her heart had been ripped out once again. So she just sat there, staring at nothing.