Tumal is a rather rural kingdom, as any cartographer can tell you. Most towns and villages are separated by three days of farm lands making it unusually easy to be someone you were not born to be by just taking a trip. The sisters were now reaping the fortunes of this. Dressed in their finest gowns, wooden placards hanging from the coach doors covering the cursed symbol, and a handsome coachman they picked up along the way had everyone presuming that the cream of society graced them. If not for the years of deceit and practiced isolation that kept them safe from the villagers back home, they would have surely disappointed the town. There was always more to sell from their magical coach than they could account for, and anything that was low class seemed to vanish in the night. Then things began to become interesting....

The wizards had sent ahead a messenger bird to the next town to prepare rooms for them some time ago, but the inn only had a small room in the back left. It was a classy little room nonetheless and they could understand the keeper's reasoning. Three noblewomen had just arrived that afternoon and caused quite a commotion. It seems they were even kind enough to pay for all the meals that night, as long as everyone left them alone. Ever looking for something to talk about, Jote decided to play bard tonight, claiming he wanted to pay them back for the dinner.

It was the music that caught Esther's attention. That slightly relaxed atmosphere chewed at her opportunistic side. The mix of drunk expressions and unwatched valuables reminded her of the pickpockets back home that had taught her. But as a noble now, it wasn't a required skill. Ah, chance does appear when you need it most. Apparently drunk, a young man wandered through the crowd bumping and laughing at anything or everyone. The bard's eyes traced the man through the room as Esther glided lazily toward the man. When he bumped into her, instead of wandering off laughing he fell on the floor spilling his loot. Pretending nothing more than being helpful, Esther reached down and pulled the man to his feet. "Next time, death." He paled and tried to move away. Esther harshly said, "You belong to us now. You will serve me."

Jote's eye followed the red lady and the scruffy hooligan around the room. He noticed how expertly she detached the stolen goods from the boy and then led him off without his ill-gotten gains. The boy seemed frightened of the lady and Jote missed a stroke on his harp. 'What a waste', he thought. It was hard to stay seated and resume the ballad, yet he did. His heart was jumping every time he scanned the room and happened to find the lady. He knew, empirically, that she should be married to a noble as women were hardly given titles or wealth without a husband in Tumal. Even so, he wanted to court her like a gentleman from Ahnek should.

Esther steered her prize to her sisters. The young thief was named Cael. Having gotten a small understanding of the magic, Esther had branded Cael's forearm with the image of her red tear drop amulet. "I will always know where to find you little thief," was the only warning she gave him. Shortly afterwards, Cael tried to sneak off from them as they headed toward their rooms and started scratching at the brand. The further he got from Esther, the worse the pain and by the time he was at the door, he was gasping in pain and had to be helped back to the bar. Esther poked her head out of the hallway and motioned to him to follow them. This promptly earned him a night in bed tied hand and foot so that he could not escape, should he decide the pain was worth it.

-- Travelling

In the morning, the three wizards and the three sisters made ready to depart. As they did, they discovered that they were heading in the same direction. Cael, the vagabond, set about dutifully loading the wagon with the assistance of the wizards. Esther watched him talking with Jote, the bard who caught her eye last night while she acquired her new servant. "Gentlemen, we must part company unless you are going to the capital as well." "We are," Jote responded. "I have many stories that I can amuse you with on the journey if it pleases your ears."

The road was tortuous to Cael, but Esther and Jote seemed to have no end of fun during the trip. Jote, Noh, and Swallow seemed to pair up nicely with the girls and cause nothing but trouble for the poor vagabond. Cael, trapped by the spell woven on him, had no end of pain when sent to gather fire wood while the others sat around telling stories. But, it soon became obvious to him that the pain was not entirely from the distance. His once rough cut arms seemed to be thinner and the scars vanishing. All of his clothing seemed to be looser and he was having to get more from the infinite stores in the wagon that smaller every few days. What was going on.... was she starving him through her magic?

Vivien was the first to notice Cael's discomfort. After spending time with their new travel companions, it was becoming painfully obvious that anything out of the ordinary would be dangerous for them. After all, the guys have hedged about looking for the amulet depicted on the wagon beneath the decorative coverings. Knowing something was wrong, she started planning to make a detour and how to convince her sisters that it would be necessary or profitable. In the meantime, she stopped by Cael's tent and tossed in something without a word.

In the morning, Cael sought out Esther before they broke camp. He carried the package with him and seemed to cautiously argue with himself as he circled the wagon. Once he gathered all the courage he could muster, he finally knocked on the door and entered. Meanwhile, the three wizards steadily packed up their belongings.

Cael's panic was genuine, but it was not for the reason that the sisters were thinking. Cael had hidden many truths throughout the years, but the biggest one was beginning to show. It had started in the last few moons, but now, with three women around all day long and the men.... it was going to be dangerous. Cael, ducked into a tent and removed the dirty clothing, it was time to loosen the bandages. It wouldn't be long before the wrappings would be useless, but orphans with this problem generally get sold to the houses. No, it would be a fate worse than death if it was discovered. But Esther's curse was going to be Cael's death. The package confirmed that it was coming to an end containing a plain red servant's dress. Folding the dress and hiding it, Cael shuffled trying to hide.

Esther listened, calmly, to the request to detour to the town north of their trail. Calm was all she could muster as the continual draw of power between her and Cael seems to be pulling directly from her own body. Finally, she sighed and nodded. "I feel like I'm going to drop dead soon if I don't get some real rest. The guys really stay up too late anyway." She glanced at Cael and noticed the ill-fitting trousers and overly heavy tunic. "You look like a mess. Can you really not find anything that fits? You are wearing me out just by looking at how badly dressed you are." Cael's face reddened just moments before Esther passed out.

-- Outside

Jote was just outside the wagon when he heard a thud inside followed by an unusual silence. "Ladies, is everything alright?" Through the door a muffled response about personal issues came forth just before Cael opened it. "Please leave everything to us. It seems the Lady Esther requires proper rest at an inn. Since you must not be late, we shall part ways here. The Ladies Vivien and Sarabeth hope to see you in the capital soon." Jote glanced at Cael as the final preparations were made for their wagon. Perhaps he was seeing things, or perhaps Cael was getting better food and exercise, but he wasn't sure that Cael was actually a guy now that he stood straight and almost as proud as the nobles he catered.

Though it pained the wizards, a schedule was to be kept and with Esther falling ill, there was no helping it. The parting was quick as the sisters headed off to the nearby town. A quick cleanup of the site made certain that all interested wildlife would not follow either party and the fire was properly put out, the pit ready for the next group of travelers with a layer of stones over the old coals to prevent them from scattering and keep out dead vegetation until they cooled. All three men gave Esther tokens of their wish for her good health to be returned, but they could not know the source of the illness was the young thief in their company.

-- The Sisters

It took the better part of a day for the sisters to get to the closest inn. Cael sat in the back with Esther wiping her sweating brow with a frown. Cael thought it was time to come clean to Esther despite the sickness and the fact that she likely would not remember what was about to be said. "Thank you for saving me.... In another couple of years I would have been caught and sold to Ahnek." Cael changed clothes and got rid of the long strips of fabric. "No more hiding. Time to be who I was born to be, Micaela, the last heir of the Baron. I am a granddaughter of the King of Tumal."

As Cael nursed the sick Esther she noticed a mark on the back of Esther's neck. It shocked her because of her family's tradition, kept from the public, would leave that kind of mark. Just who were these women she is mixed up with now. The only other families were all dead, in her opinion, at the hands of her aunt, Princess Anisyble. Prince Magne and the more distant nobility were either dead or out of the picture since before her birth and there are no rumors of three missing girls.