Rhiann asked, “What of the sorcerer?”
Venla Faxxine replied, “Let sleeping sorcerers lie. I didn’t want to wake him up.”
Rhiann said, “You likely saved the lot of us. I was hard pressed to counteract Bailiwick’s spells, and we were so outnumbered.”
Venla sighed, “Yes, and in so doing, we violated unwritten rules of neutrality. I… we have new enemies.”
Iyaca asked, “What happened to the Kobolds?”
Maranna curiously asked, “What does that concern you? They were going to kill you.”
Iyaca shrugged.
The Manticore continued, “They were too many. We left them sleeping in the woods and on the field. The dragons may have eaten a few once Maranna’s charming song wore off. Gnomes… I carried. Kobolds… not so much. They’ll wake up with only each other to fight.”
Maranna answered, “We saved Rhiann… and you, Iyaca. I didn’t want either the Kobolds or Gnomes to gain advantage because of my interference. So Venla and the others moved the Gnomes. After hearing Venla’s tale of the wagon-driver Donovan, I’m thinking we may have saved the thousand Kobolds. It’s hard to tell who’ll wake up first after hearing a siren’s lullaby.”
Serena twirled a strand of her green hair and smugly said, “Some never wake up.”
Maranna snipped, “Sister, that’s not usually our intent. Iyaca, eventually the Kobolds and Gnomes we separated on the field today are going to fight. No action on our part will change their enmity toward one another. If a predator stumbled upon the disabled sorcerer that stood with the kobolds and highwaymen, so be it.”
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