Chapter 43: Degonda
"Little one, can you tell the nice sorceress who saved you?"
Tanya stared at the pintsized girl, crying as she clung to the older woman. She'd come running down the hill to the surprise of everyone.
"Auntie Tess can't be dead," she cried, and with a wail, she began sobbing louder. "Now- they are, all-," she cried louder.
The older woman looked up at Tanya apologetically. "I'm sorry, sorceress Tanya. She's been through too much. I'll take her till she calms down and find you later?"
Tanya stared at the woman, hesitating for a moment. She wanted to get the girl's account now when it was fresh, but did it really matter? The Ranger who'd first reached her had said she was talking about two carded warriors that had saved her from the imps and brought her back. It wasn't too unbelievable, but she had enough on her plate to hunt for the types of carded that were likely to hide out in the woods.
"It's fine. I'll talk to her tomorrow," she finally said, smiling at the older woman who quickly pulled the girl away and toward one of the wagons.
And what does it really matter if they are bandits? she thought. They had saved a little girl and saw her back safely. They couldn't be that bad if they were. She knew she was oversimplifying things, but compared to the dozens of portals spawning everywhere, nearly an entire group of initiates dead, and having to accompany the group of refugees from Wignut, she couldn't bring herself to care about the rules.
She looked around the long wagon line, then turned to Delwood, the tall Wignut ranger.
"Did you find any more portals?"
"No. Just those Bas found."
Never a word too many, Tanya thought as she gazed coldly at the Ranger. As if three portals that close together weren't a horribly bad sign!
"And did you close them?"